Thursday April 20, pre-departure day. The planning has gone as well as one could hope. The last item on the agenda is an oil change since I want to start fresh beginning a 7-8 thousand mile adventure. Crawl under the truck and do the change but discover the tire wear has gone faster than expected the last 30 days. A last minute decision to get 4 new tires prior to departure is successful and we begin the trip with new rubber all the way around, truck and trailer.

Friday April 21, like most airlines today we are a little late leaving the gate. Hoped for a 4am start but it was 4:20 when we left the driveway in darkness. We are changing our route and going Hwy 20 to 80 and Reno. Then Alt 50 to Fallon and 95 south the Las Vegas. Having gone the southern route each of the past several years we wanted something new and google maps said the time difference was only 10 minutes.

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the spectacular beauty of this country.

Hwy 20 through the Sierras

Just turned on I-80 30 miles west of Truckee.

Our timing was pretty good and traffic through Reno was reasonable so we made decent time and got to Fernley about 8:30 and stopped for my favorite breakfast sandwich from Jack in the Box.

Turning south on 95 in Fallon and we are on roads we haven't seen in a very long time, some of it brand new. 

Walker Lake is one of the places I didn't know about and is a fairly large lake with camping right on the shoreline. Looked like a fun spot for someone to do some fishing and there were several campers and motorhomes.

We entered the Las Vegas area from the north, which was very pleasant and avoided all the nasty traffic in getting to our friend's home. Some of you have met Mervin at a prior Super Bowl party (or at our FL wedding, for family and some long-time friends). We will be here until Sunday morning when we head for Flagstaff, AZ.

Next report should be from there.