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Today was the 16th and final day of our road trip to SMOFCon, a relatively short trip of just over 200 miles from Tonopah to Fernley via Fallon. This allowed us the luxury of sleeping in for a couple of hours, having a relatively leisurely breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and not rushing as we moved out of the Tonopah Station Hotel. As we were checking out, Lisa spotted a book entitled Discovering the Ghost Railroads of Central Nevada in the hotel gift shop, and we not only bought it, we also decided to try and visit some of the places listed in it on our way home.
( Railfanning Without Trains -- or Even a Railroad )
Heading back from the roundhouse site, we took the opportunity to use the rest area. Just as Lisa pulled in to the rest area, my phone rang. It was Diner's Club, asking me if I'd just used my credit card to purchase something at a Winn-Dixie store in Florida. "No!" I said, and confirmed that the most recent legitimate transaction was at Beatty yesterday afternoon. Diner's Club said they'd cancel the card and send me a new one, and that I wouldn't be responsible for that Florida charge. Thank goodness for a good suspicious-transaction algorithm. Fortunately, I have other cards I could use for the rest of the trip.
( Blown Away at Tonopah Junction )
As we returned to our northbound journey, the weather grew steadily worse, as the forecast predicted. Rain started to fall as we passed through Hawthorne, and it got heavier as we passed through Walker Lake. Lisa then noticed that our oil pressure was down, and it was then that we remembered that we hadn't checked the oil level any time on this trip, and that I was quite overdue for an oil change. (In fact, I should have had the oil changed before we set out for Texas.) Stopping at Schurz, Lisa drove into the town's only service station, gaining us a slight bit of shelter from the whipping wind and rain, and we got out to check the oil. As I stood trying to shield Lisa from the wind while she checked the oil, my Jacaru hat (the "Aussie cowboy" hat some of you have seen me wearing, particularly in Fort Worth where I sort of fit in wearing it) blew off and took off in the general direction of Ely. I chased after it. For a while, I feared I'd never catch it, and if it had gone much farther it might have ended up in places where it would have been unsafe for me to follow, but fortunately the wind relented just long enough for me to catch it. In retrospect, I should have been wearing that hat I bought two days ago in Las Vegas, which also would have provided shelter from the rain but also had a chin strap.
When I got back to the van, Lisa confirmed that we were down at least one quart of oil. We bought a quart from the mini-market and felt lucky to be able to get the oil in at this point, because it was the only place between Walker Lake and Fallon where we could get it.
( Yet More Weather )
After a stop in Fallon to check for something at the Big R there that they don't have at the store in Fernley, we turned for home, arriving about 3:30 PM, 1,763 miles from Fort Worth and 3,520 miles from when we set out for Texas sixteen days ago. Lisa ended up driving all but the first 100 of those miles home, and a substantial part of the trip out as well, which gave me a chance to do some sightseeing and take photos.
Weather-wise, we were pretty lucky. While it had been raining in Fernley earlier that day, it was clear (but cold) when we got home, and we were able to get the van unloaded without incident. Lisa got the house and travel trailer restarted, I shoveled the ashes from the fireplace, and as I started to kindle a fire in the fireplace, the predicted snow began to fall outside. Once the fire was burning well, I ordered a pizza and went to the grocery store to pick up some immediately needed supplies. I was impressed with Pizza Hut; within a minute of my walking in their door, they called my name to collect the pizza.
We enjoy traveling, but we are also very glad to be home.
( Railfanning Without Trains -- or Even a Railroad )
Heading back from the roundhouse site, we took the opportunity to use the rest area. Just as Lisa pulled in to the rest area, my phone rang. It was Diner's Club, asking me if I'd just used my credit card to purchase something at a Winn-Dixie store in Florida. "No!" I said, and confirmed that the most recent legitimate transaction was at Beatty yesterday afternoon. Diner's Club said they'd cancel the card and send me a new one, and that I wouldn't be responsible for that Florida charge. Thank goodness for a good suspicious-transaction algorithm. Fortunately, I have other cards I could use for the rest of the trip.
( Blown Away at Tonopah Junction )
As we returned to our northbound journey, the weather grew steadily worse, as the forecast predicted. Rain started to fall as we passed through Hawthorne, and it got heavier as we passed through Walker Lake. Lisa then noticed that our oil pressure was down, and it was then that we remembered that we hadn't checked the oil level any time on this trip, and that I was quite overdue for an oil change. (In fact, I should have had the oil changed before we set out for Texas.) Stopping at Schurz, Lisa drove into the town's only service station, gaining us a slight bit of shelter from the whipping wind and rain, and we got out to check the oil. As I stood trying to shield Lisa from the wind while she checked the oil, my Jacaru hat (the "Aussie cowboy" hat some of you have seen me wearing, particularly in Fort Worth where I sort of fit in wearing it) blew off and took off in the general direction of Ely. I chased after it. For a while, I feared I'd never catch it, and if it had gone much farther it might have ended up in places where it would have been unsafe for me to follow, but fortunately the wind relented just long enough for me to catch it. In retrospect, I should have been wearing that hat I bought two days ago in Las Vegas, which also would have provided shelter from the rain but also had a chin strap.
When I got back to the van, Lisa confirmed that we were down at least one quart of oil. We bought a quart from the mini-market and felt lucky to be able to get the oil in at this point, because it was the only place between Walker Lake and Fallon where we could get it.
( Yet More Weather )
After a stop in Fallon to check for something at the Big R there that they don't have at the store in Fernley, we turned for home, arriving about 3:30 PM, 1,763 miles from Fort Worth and 3,520 miles from when we set out for Texas sixteen days ago. Lisa ended up driving all but the first 100 of those miles home, and a substantial part of the trip out as well, which gave me a chance to do some sightseeing and take photos.
Weather-wise, we were pretty lucky. While it had been raining in Fernley earlier that day, it was clear (but cold) when we got home, and we were able to get the van unloaded without incident. Lisa got the house and travel trailer restarted, I shoveled the ashes from the fireplace, and as I started to kindle a fire in the fireplace, the predicted snow began to fall outside. Once the fire was burning well, I ordered a pizza and went to the grocery store to pick up some immediately needed supplies. I was impressed with Pizza Hut; within a minute of my walking in their door, they called my name to collect the pizza.
We enjoy traveling, but we are also very glad to be home.
