Kuma and the Craft Fair

In case we need to use the Small Orange Pickup to head to SMOFCon (this will depend on the weather on Wednesday-Thursday; currently it looks snowy over Donner), Lisa said we needed to get it out for a run. It hasn't gone far from home; she said the last time it needed fuel was back in March of this year. So we first headed out to Nightingale, the next exit east of Fernley. That is, however, one of the longest runs between exits on the entire length of Interstate 80, being fifteen miles. The pickup ran well on this test run. We pulled over to the onion plant (they use geothermal power from the hot springs to dehydrate onions and turn them into onion powder) and read the sign for the California Emmigrant trail, as this location was known as Boiling Springs. The water was scalding hot, but if allowed to cool was (barely) potable. At least it wouldn't poison you the way much of the water along this stretch of the trail might.

Returning to Fernley, we refueled the pickup and continued to Sparks to have a look at the big Christmas craft fair at the Nugget. We didn't find anything that caught our eye. The vendor from whom we bought some nice Oregon honey a few years ago didn't attend this year. But Santa was there, and not busy, and Kuma Bear got his picture taken with him and Mrs. Claus, much to everyone's amusement.

We don't go by the Nugget as much as we did before the Ascuaga family sold the casino, but today we did go have dinner at the Oyster Bar. The shrimp pan roast is still good, and we managed to find a table where the lights didn't shine into Lisa's eyes the way they did at many tables after the last remodel. Also, they've removed the keno repeater boards and the keno runners from the restaurant, but after our good luck yesterday at the Peppermill, maybe that's just as well.