Another change of plans... we had to stay over in San Fran an extra day in order for Doug’s girlfriend to make her flight. And we had a group of people planning a BBQ for us in Chicago. So we elected to try to stretch the driving out over the next few days. So that brings us to places such as Elko, NV and Laramie WY.
I have to admit I was happy to leave San Fran. Too urban for my tastes with this car. I’ve already scraped the fiberglass nose of the car more times than I’d like to admit to. Save for one spot where a small chunk is missing, most of the damage is scraped paint. Note to Lotus: Make the bottom third of the front clam some deformable/replaceable material.
We journeyed into what I think was the Sierra Nevada mountains. Here we saw our first substantial glimpse of snow. Fortunately, there hasn’t been anything on the road nor currently forecast. The views were breathtaking.
We made camp at Elko, NV. It’s somewhere between Reno and Salt Lake City. A very small town with maybe 3 exits, it has a ton of casinos. We stayed at a Best Western adjoining the JR restaurant. The accommodations were some of the most plush we’ve had on the journey and quite inexpensive. The Elises parked in the front lot drew continual attention from passers-by.
The next day we drove through Utah. The Bonneville Salt Flats are aptly named. We stopped at some Chicken Cafe Restaurant in a town so small, I forget the name. Then we headed out again until we got to Laramie WY. I decided to go for something more rustic, so we stayed at the Gas Lite Hotel for the night: $42.25. Oddly enough, nothing ran on gas at the hotel.
The lobby of the Laramie Gas Lite had quite a cosmopolitan evening tonight... German DVD’s being translated in realtime by one of the locals to an central european audience, while a Brit is getting his daily internet fix.
Friday, April 27, 2007
