Thursday morning I saw the boys off to school and had coffee with Becky and Abby before heading out to Bozeman. Jan and Dane met me for lunch at Old Chicago and just as we finished the princess arrived with her Dad. Harper had just woken up from her nap and was her usual happy self so I got to give her a few kisses before I headed out. I had a great drive through beautiful country with all the weather I could get! Rain in southwest MT turned to snow through the mountains in ID and then to beautiful sunshine on the mountains of Nevada. To be honest, I was expecting NV to be a lot flatter and was awed an amazed at the scenery it provided. I made it to Elko, NV on day 2 and stayed in a nice motel that met grandma Sharon’s standards (I was given strict orders that I had to stay in a NICE place and I could NOT camp) even though it was on the cheaper end J The front desk lady was nice and gave me an Triple A discount even though I didn’t have a card. I did neglect to tell Grandma that the doors opened to the outside though…not sure if it still would have made the cut J All told I had a great night’s rest and am here to write this so… I say it passes!
Friday – Day 3 – I stopped at an Elko gas station for fuel and when I was paying I was a approached by a guy who asked my name. Now, having my grandmother and mother constantly putting fear into me to make me believe I will be raped, kidnapped and possibly murdered someday if I’m not caref ul, I was a little leary as to why he would be asking such a question and I may have hesitated briefly. Luckily, the adventurer in me was not detered from Mom and Grandma's ravings, and I bravely answered the question. And ya know what? Not everyone wants to rape and murder me afterall! After I told him my name he handed me a credit card and said, "I believe this belongs to you." Yes, all you midwest readers, nice people exist outside our little piece of heaven after all :) I followed I-80 west to California where they stop you at the border to ask about any vegetables you are carrying. I'm guessing to reduce spread of pests and invasive species but am not certain. After my safe border crossing I took a detour and headed south to Lake Tahoe. I followed the highway along the west border of the lake and stopped at a few spots to take pictures. A nice drive but overall pretty windy and mostly all ya see are trees...though being I was the driver I can't say I was able to look around quite as much as I wanted to. I found a few places I'd like to stay at on the way back and am looking forward to getting a good hike in that will get me above the trees to some bigger views. I did see my first Stellar's Jay which is a very beautiful corvid that is increasing it's presence in the west with the urban expansion. One of the few birds that is benefiting from people...like their relative the crow, they love our garbage! Spent the night in Sacramento and began my final drive Saturday morning with a scenic drive through wine country.
Day 4 - I had purchased a book on California wine country and found the Lodi appellation was only a little off the beaten path on the final leg of my journey. A little of what I learned from my trusty wine book in case any of you are interested...an "appellation" is a region with unique soils, microclimate and growing conditions. Different appellations are renowned for different wines. Napa Valley has 15 different appellations. Wineries can include the appellation's name only if >85% of the wine's grapes come from that region...not if it was made in that region, the grapes had to have been grown there. Interesting huh? I'm also learning how to read a wine label...I'm going to be so smart when I get home!! Unfortunately, I also know that you are not supposed to drink and drive, so my winery experience was limited to one taste and a lot of looking. I was lucky to find Michael David which had more than just wine. It was a little farm that had a market with produce from their farm, a little cafe (using local food), and a wine tasting bar. So, I had a yummy lunch in the cafe, bought more veggies than I probably should have, and strolled through the garden (herb, flower and vegetables). After another 2 hours, passing though a crazy amount of wind turbines in the Sierra's, I made it to Moffett Field and my humble accommadations for the next 10 weeks...old army barracks.
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