Day 4: Reno to Winnemucca

You know when you hit Nevada for two reasons. 1) CASINOS EVERYWHERE. 2) The roads suddenly improve, and the speed limit is 75mph. Had an emergency repair job to a website to do in Reno, lucky I found a fee wifi network as soon as I opened my laptop. Bought some chains and sub-zero wiper fluid, just in case. Then on I went.

Stopped at some god-forsaken town, Lovelock if I remember, but I'd have to check the receipt. It's… not as romantic as it sounds. The petrol station toilet was just like in the movies.

   
""Discount Furniture" read the sign in the window / Casino next to the supermarket. Note what Nevadans like to drive.

But here things suddenly got interesting. That grain train I'd seen at Donner Pass? Well guess who I bumped into again!

 
(#3 could almost be NZ)

I had great fun chasing him through the plains of Nevada. I'm in two minds about Nevada. One the one hand it has some utterly amazing scenery. Not just amazing but breathtakingly beautiful. On the other hand, its towns consists mostly of casinos, neon, and trucks – they have all the class of a drunken girl staggering home from town carrying her stilettos. Around the corner from my motel tonight is the "Winner's Motel", 'where winners stay'. Honestly!

Rant over, back to the trains…

 

I misread "The Boot Barn" sign on the way into town as "The Bonk Barn"… which is legal here after all, so I think my confusion is well justified.

My grain train in the distance, and an utterly amazing panorama.

And how is it that Nevada, home of gambling, brothels and mining, is right next door to Utah, home of the Latter Day Saints?

 
I went "off roading"… actually it was nice not having to carefully measure every rut and stone.

So eventually I ended up at Winnemucca, which I'm sure exists solely for people stopping on the I80. I'm staying at the "Scottish Inn", which is run by Indians. I really don't know what is scottish about a motel room, but it does come with two lay-z-boys. Maybe the alarm clock plays bagpipes? Now that would wake you up! I went looking for my grain train, but later found I had the wrong mainline; I wanted the one on the other side of town. (I think it's a little unfair they get two main lines). I went down later to hunt the Cal Zephyr, but it was running an hour late. I have since discovered how to check the arrival time in advance. That will be very handy later on.

Had BBQ ribs for dinner, I could only just manage a 1/4 rack, and yet they have a whole rack option there for those who are game. In fact, a 1/4 rack is more of a taster, according to their menu.

So I'll leave you with one last endearing image of Winnemucca, NV.

As you look at the fake rustic facade and the glaring neon, remember folks, it's classy.