Wheeling to Winnemucca Nevada
August 28, 2008. After staying with our friend Mark last night (thank you), it was time to head to Tahoe. Sara’s friend Kim is getting married on Sunday, and since Sara is in the wedding, we’ve got to be their early. Last night I decided that staying in Winnemucca, Nevada made the most sense. Twelve hours from Denver, it left only a short trip to Tahoe in the morning.
Driving from Denver to Winnemucca wasn’t too bad – aside from some very strong headwinds in Wyoming, we managed to get to our destination at a decent hour. We would have arrived sooner, but we stopped a couple of times so I could check email and make a phone call.
I’m not sure why, but I still haven’t managed to come to terms with the fact that WiFi isn’t commonplace. We saw a few billboards on I-80 during our drive today, and quite a few hotels and motels were advertising that they had “Free WiFi.” To me, it seems like a given. Yet for many parts of the US (and the world) being able to connect to the internet wirelessly is new – even a luxury.
I imagine that once upon a time “in-room telephones” were a feature that hotels advertised, but it’s hard to conceptualize. I’m sure that someday we’ll all look back on ads for “In-room high-speed internet” and guffaw – and I’ll tell my grandkids stories about “the days before the internet” that they’ll pretend to believe. What’ the big deal – it’s a $50 router and a $40 month cable internet bill. Get it done already America!
The bikini girls in the Bonneville salt flats.
The real Bonneville Salt Flats beauty.
Here’s an odd site – at a rest stop near the Bonneville salt flats, these two women decided to strap on their bikinis and get some photos in the desert. Luckily, my camera (not Mark’s camera, btw, but mine with the 10x optical zoom) was at hand to take some photos. I shudder to think what these photos might have looked like with a lesser camera zoom.
We had dinner at the Red Lion Hotel in Winnemucca. Talk about edgy. Filled with cigarette smoke, the restaurant had a suspicious looking salad bar (“Oooh – tuna salad!”) and a tired waitstaff. I’ve decided that the Red Lion in Winnemucca is where Nevadans go to gamble – it’s too far for anyone outside the state to bother to visit.
Honestly, it felt a little bit like gambler’s hell. This seemed like the kind of place a mediocre professional gambler would eek out a living. It was so low rent that I would bet a guy with $1000 to spend here would get treated like a high roller. I’m guessing that’s part of this place’s appeal.
At least Sara liked the french fries.
Winnemucca isn’t without it’s charms, however. The scenery is nice, and the town has a very homey feeling that’s hard to describe. It seemed friendly and welcoming, and all the people were nice. We stayed at the Holiday Motel, btw, and it was just fine.
Next stop – Lake Tahoe.
