Amy's Check-in while going across the country

[aburas]

Hi all:

Well we are on our first leg of our Sacramento to Virginia trip. We are moving because my hubby got a new job. We left Sacramento and went up highway 88 and visited my mom in Sutter Creek, CA and then left from there about 10:00 yesterday. We went up highway 88...it took longer to get to Carson City because the road is slower and winding. It is beautiful though...stopped at Woods Lake I love that area we have gone there since I was a kid...it was crowded tho and we couldnt get a parking spot...so we went up the hill and stopped at Carson Pass for a pit stop. Traveling with two dogs and two cats so it is an adventure that is for sure.

At Fernley NV we hooked up with I-80 and our plan is to take it all the way out. We are in Elko, NV tonight at a really nice Days Inn. The people here are really nice...gave us free breakfast. We met two groups of people, one going backpacking up in Carson Pass for a week with a pack of boy scouts. The other is traveling to Idaho.

Today we are on the road about 8:00 am and we are leaving Elko and heading towards Wendover to Salt Lake. Then it is up in Wyoming. The country here in NV is pretty isolated. A little more built up then when I was across here about 15 years ago. Beautiful along 80 where the Humbolt river runs for miles...Totally green on one side of the freeway where the river is...totally dry on the other! The river runs along 80 for a long way...probably 80 miles at least.

I will check in tonight at my next stop if the motel has internet!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Traveling with two dogs and two cats so it is an adventure that is for sure.

Great field report -- thanks! Two dogs and two cats -- Yep -- that sounds fun.

I am on my way south after a 4000 mile trip and could have passed you on the road near Fernley, we are looking forward to seeing the rest of your field reports.

Mark

[Robert Schaller]

I'll look forward to reading your next report too! Bob

[marthaginca]

Hi Amos and Uncle E!!!

Nice to "see" you!

Anxious to read your next update!

[RoadTripper Brad]

2 dogs, 2 cats. Been there, done that. Not something I'd like to repeat in the future, if you know what I mean!

[aburas]

ok sorry I didn't post an update when I said I would. I have a wireless modem and the hotel I was at the last two nights only had a dataport. Anyway, the trip is going well. I would say that up until last night it was going so smoothly that it kinda freaked me out. Last night, however, we did run into some problems.

I think the first night I posted I was in a Days Inn in Elko, NV. That was the best little hotel we have stayed in. It was clean and the people were very nice. The next day we started off and went across Utah and stayed in Rock Springs, Wyoming. We didn't make very good time for some reason even tho we were going 90 on the freeway! I think by the time we got up and got dressed and packed away the dogs it took over two hours and we didn't get out of there until 10!

All I can say about the NV Utah trip up until Salt Lake City is UUGGHH!!! The most exciting thing was seeing all the messages people write in the salt! After Salt Lake, however, it gets much better. Eastern Utah is so beautiful I could live there in a heartbeat! I saw the cutest little house in some town almost to the Wy border and I took a picture of it and a gas station lady said it was the first house ever built in the town.

About Wyoming: All I can say is...Class can we say "FIREWORKS" what is up with the fireworks? Every stinking billboard is advertising 24 hour 365 fireworks stands with bottle rockets. Those things are illegal in CA. I have never seen so many fireworks stands...some of them are totally in the middle of nowhere....miles of nothing with an exit to a fireworks stand and nothing else!

We stayed in Rock Springs, Wy at a motel 6 cause that is the only room we found that would allow pets. It was a yucky place that only gave you one bar of soap...a few bleached out purple towels...and the dang shower was round and when you closed the shower curtain it sealed off any possibility of you getting any air. UUGGH I will never stay at motel 6 again!

We left Rock Springs and kicked it up by traveling 700 miles to Lincoln, NE. We stayed at a Sleep Inn that has interior corridors and a big sign that says "NO PETS" well that didnt stop us! Lets just say as I was walking through a back door with my 80 lbs of lab/chow mix with him loudly panting and me laughing all the way I couldn't stand it...even tried to stop laughing and it was impossible! The corridor was totally visible by the front desk clerk!

Nebraska is very flat but I loved it! It is so green! The only problem is that I am from CA and you cannot smoke in any public building...and I do not smoke myself. Well I guess they don't have the same rules in NE because every place you go in stinks so bad of smoking it is nasty. I even used the restroom at this one place and there was a burn in the top of the paper dispenser...NASTY!!!

We left there last night and have now ended up in Chicago at another Days Inn that is a dump...I want to get the heck out of here ASAP in the morning. Today has been pretty awful because it has rained for the last 500 miles and it has been a challenge dealing with the doggies. At times I wanted to cry when it was downpouring and I couldnt even take them out for a walk.

Anyway...I am off to find me some good old Chicago pizza...I hope to be out of this place early and head to Pittsburgh tomorrow...then onto Virginia.