Tahoe2Texas: Day One
Our day put to music…
Arriving at work on my “Super Friday”, the parking lot was empty. This was a perfect indication that the season had ended, It was time to enter the fall vacation season! I am SO ready!!!
Let the preparations begin! Barry is on furlough with the government shutdown, which made the packing a bit easier. Before we could load the suitcase, backpacks and travel supplies into the car, we had to get it vacuumed and washed!
Our final goodbye… not needing to leave the area until noon-ish, we decided to take the dogs out for one last meadow run. This is their happy place! Our current plan is to keep them in Houston until next summer. so they will miss the snow season they love so much! Photo on the right is the full tree at the edge of our meadow. Not yet turning color, it shouldn’t be long as the weather should be taking a turn in the next few days.
All packed up, coolers of dog food, remaining wine, clothes, a suitcase and two backpacks… plus a package that holds dog treats, frisbee, leashes and a tennis ball… we take our last view of our “Ghetto in the Meadow”. The endearing name that our complex has been called since Barry and I were in high school. It’s official! We are on our way… the journey has begun!
Bittersweet driving through Incline Village… it’s been a few weeks since I drove through Incline. New management at my Grand Lodge Casino job, ended my forty year relationship with the company. Apparently, an employee who costs the company nothing, is 100% available during the busiest of months and sneaks away during the shoulder season, is not a desirable position to the new leaders. It’s fine. Probably better… definitely easier on my body!!! Sun shining, minimal traffic, it’s a great day to get on the road!
Our last peeks of the lake… the gem of the Sierras. Beautiful in the spring and summer… even the fall is amazing, but the winter? Not my cup of tea! So much work!
On our way out, I txted my friend Matt, who lives in Dayton. Thought I’d check in as I headed toward Texas. Such a cute town! This trip, we are taking a new route (for the most part) to avoid the monotonous cross country trip! The photo on the right justifies what I am saying… straight roads as far as we can see… but with good music and some fun bonding, this should be a great trip!
Settled into their travel spots, both dogs have full bellies, ran off their energy and are ready for a long road trip. This isn’t their first rodeo! They have crossed back and forth twice a year for the past five or six years! They don’t seem to be sad to leave Tahoe. Houston is another favorite of the theirs.
Looking for a safe “dog” stop, we passed through this wannabe tree tunnel. It was nice driving on two lane roads, as opposed to freeways. We have perfect travel weather!
Moving right along… we stop more than the average road tripper! Border Collies need to be run fairly often. They run, drink water and sleep. Because of this, we never drive more than two hour stretches. In addition to the consistent stops, we limit our travel days to four to five hours. Our first day will be slightly more than four hours.
Passing by Walker Lake, we know we are making progress.
One of my favorite parts about driving through this area… the clouds. The skyline is ever changing. We also see cattle. Not usually this close to the road, we noticed on this trip, that we were passing through a “free range” area. Initially, we saw a few grazing relatively close to the road. Then this guy, with his back legs on the two-lane road. A little further down, one was crossing from one side to the other, forcing us to almost completely stop!
Driving into Tonopah, the sun was still bright enough to run the dogs at their favorite field. We passed by this very patriotic display on the way into town. Freedom!
After a fetch session for the dogs, we headed to Raley’s. Getting ourselves set with up with a pre-made charcuterie board, utensils, cups and paper bowls, we were ready to settle into our room for the night. Driving by the Clown Motel, we noticed how beautifully lit the sky was. Arriving at our hotel, which was across and down the highway a bit, our front desk clerk was outside enjoying the sunset also. Our room was perfect… ground floor making it easy to get the dogs in and out. Time for a full night’s rest… up tomorrow for the big surprise!
