SF Bay Area to Winnemuca

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Having a laptop sure is nice.  I’m typing this whilst drinking
semi-decent coffee courtesy of Java Joe’s in Lovelock (we had to drive
through town TWICE to find the place) and Jamie is driving.  The girls
are playing "Catie and Becca" (these are two of their cousins from
Fremont CA).  The boys are alternately listening to books on tape and
irritating the girls.  We left Fremont at about 1pm yesterday; headed to
Jamie’s shop (The Missing Link in Berkeley) to say the last goodbyes and
then hit the storage unitl  We got the crap we needed out of the storage
unit and dropped off more crap – making the crap load in the van about
even.  We’re stuffed to the gills with crap in the van.  We left the Bay
Area about 4:45 and really thought we wouldn’t get much past Sacto
before the kids led a mutiny and made us abort for the night.  We hoped
to get to Reno and when we got as far as Grass Valley I checked the AAA
guide and picked the Atlantis Casino for our destination as they had an
indoor pool and looked reasonable.  We got a room for $44/night and the
place was an incredibnle lugsury.  Sissy (Felicity) fell in LOVE with
Reno – the bright neon everywhere and she was loathe to leave.  The room
was gigantic – usually there is no walking space with the 2 queens and
the boys on the floor, but there was a LOT of space in the room.  The
bathroom was gigantic also and after the kids had a soak in the outdoor
hottub and the indoor pool, the girls decided to take a bath.. Needless
to say, we didn’t get anyone to bed before 11pm.  Once the girls were
down, Jamie woke the boys and took them down to the casino.  They came
back to the room at about 1am wideeyed and excited by their trip to the
bright lights and noise (and smoke, I might add; it is a shock to be
confronted with so much smoke after coming from CA).  Jamie and I got up
at 5am, packed up the room and kids and were out of the hotel by 6am. 
We learned a lot – to pack everything up before we go to bed; to grind
coffee before we go to bed and to know where the freeway is.  We got
turned around in the predawn lack of light and ended very south of Reno
before turning around and getting back to the freeway.  Kids took about
30 min for all 4 to go back to sleep, but everyone was up by 7:30. 
Stopped in Loveluck for coffee (for me and jamie) and bagels for the
kids.  We’re heading to Winnemucka now (9:15am) for breakfast and phone
calls.  We’re hoping to hit Utah by the end of the day, but since
hitting the road at 6:30am, we’ve stopped for coffee, bagels and now a
potty break.

Snow is lovely on the surrounding mountains, but it is FLAT FLAT FLAT in
this desert and as we’re still high up (after passing through the
Sierras last night) it is cold.  There is ice on the grill of the van
that has not yet thawed.  No more typing for me `- my hand is full of
ellen’s banana recection…

We’re surrounded by high snow capped mountains as we travel through this
valley.  Peaks in the 800-10000 ft range.  Tahank goodness for the
mountains because the landscape is absolutely bleak.  Flat brush; few
cars and hazy sky.  We’re at Winnemucca now…