The Road is my Favorite Place: Day 1

17/viii/04: San Francisco, CA to Winnemucca, NV
402 miles/647 km

When I'm traveling alone, I love the luxury of not having to plan ahead. Sure, I have a sense of where I'm going to stop each night -- although I don't make any reservations -- but along the way, anything that catches my eye is mine to pursue.

Since it took me a while to find the proper moleskine volume for this trip, I'll indulge in some quotes from my notes on the day: they will be in italics.

Couple bad shots off road - short of vista point - doh. off 80 E in CA

lunch in Reno after 2. Drove through on 4th. Directions from turbaned guy owner liquor mart.

Nevada - stretches of newly paved road, driving through mountains - evergreens, dry grasses, lakes then flat w/ mountains distant both sides, marshy & deserty. Untamed except road, power lines, occasional trailers, 1 prison - great views


Nevada - Big sky country. Mountains rising up from sand.


cloud shadow mottled mountains


actual sun rays Bierstadt
wasn't imagining them
light is already softer

My road atlas had ghost towns marked on it, so I picked one not too far from the highway to explore. Instead I found an active mining operation.


6:33 Winnemucca now. Even a patch of spitting rain "Fog may be icy"
Started roll of 200 w/shot of my "Santa Clara" bungalow at the Scott Shady Motorcourt

7:38 PM Eating at Las Margaritas. Woman at motel said it was good. Back in the world of smoking or non. Toddler boy in booth behind is giving me flashbacks of the spitter. He hasn't though he's been looking at me through a trellis - I'm just paranoid.

10:36 PM The Scott Shady has Vegas style 50's neon signs that rock. I'll have to take a pic tomorrow though won't be as good unlit. Too hard to dig out tripod and 200 in camera now. Winn. has that Reno/Vegas feel- like Reno small scale of Vegas, casinos, lights, spectacles.

(NEXT>>>)

One year ago at TTaT: Unimpressed
tags: road+trip, travelogue, travel, photography