Catch up

Today I worked my last day shift for a bit. I hate day shifts. Too many managers around and the phones ring. But today they threw a pot luck to welcome me to Elko. That was nice. I didn't have anything to bring, so I stopped at the store this morning and bought a birthday cake. I asked the clerk if she could write something on it. Sure, she said, what? She was Mexican, and English was her second language. I said, "Eat me". At first I think she "misunderstood" but then I pointed to the cake and said, "Write 'eat me' on the cake". She didn't quite get it, so I spelled it out. OH! She laughed. So I took the cake to work and put it on the table. People started reading it, "Eat me. Had to be Brian." I love it when my reputation becomes established.

I have been having some fun driving around the area, thought I'd post some pics. I love it here. Wide open spaces, lots of varying scenery, the old west. It's so beautiful. I know some people don't think so but I do.

I drove through Puckerbrush on the way to Reno to see the fam. Puckerbrush is a truckstop and I don't know where the 28 people live.

Went to Red Robin where Daron and Jamee let the kids order whatever they want themselves. Brigs got corn dogs and mandarin slices. Of course, their endless fries come with ranch dressing. Well, what better thing than to dip your mandarin slices in your ranch dressing, I ask you?

"Look, Boppa, what I can do!"

"Oh, cool! You can touch your nose with your tongue!"
"No! I can put my tongue IN my nose!"
"Oh, so you can! Even better!"

The other day I drove down to Eureka, NV. What a gorgeous drive. Eureka is on Highway 50, the loneliest highway in America. The whole length of it, from the Utah to California borders is listed as a scenic drive. This is the rode to a mine above town looking north toward the town and beyond.

This is Garden Pass, so named because it is so beautiful. I could easily live in a place with this view.

The east side of the Ruby Mountains on the right, and the edge of Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge on the left. Ruby Lake is a huge wetland, with dikes all over it. There is an auto tour along the dikes. You can drive your car all through the lake and wetlands. I saw geese, ducks, herons, some birds I didn't recognize, and a bald eagle. It was windy that day, we had a wind advisory out for the area. This place regularly gets wind gusts to over 90 mph. It's a meteorology thing.

More of Ruby Lake. The grass is not really on solid ground. It's a wetland so you don't want to walk out there. You can fish, though, and take boats out. Small ones. Motors only at certain times of year.

When I left Ruby Lake, I drove home on the dirt roads on the west side of the Rubies. I drove about 150 miles of dirt roads that day. The route home goes over one of two passes, you have your choice. I chose Overland Pass, which is where the Pony Express used to ride in 1860-61. From St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA in ten days. It was a rough road, I drove it slow, though, so don't worry if you are co-owner of the car.

The only trouble I had was in the muddy spots and I just had to punch it and float on through. I washed the car when I got back and I had about a foot of mud in the wheel wells. Can't wait to get the SUV out here and go four wheeling over that pass. It was a gorgeous pass full of juniper.

Top of the pass, looking south.

Home, home, on the range. You are never quite alone.