All Tired Out

[kevin_standlee]

Today's plan was to drive to Roseville, where I could get lab test draws done for my annual medical checkup that will be in a couple of weeks. Sutter Health has no labs in Reno, so Roseville is the nearest lab to which I can get on a Saturday, but the lab does close at Noon. We figured that would not be a problem, though, as we planned to leave at 6:30 AM.



The minivan, however, had other plans. As we started to leave, we realized that the right rear tire was flat.



It looks like we picked up a screw last night.



We broke out the jack and got out the full-size spare, with which we had replaced the mini-spare after our last flat.



Lisa removed the flat and installed the spare, and I dealt with hefting the tires around.

Dealing with the spare cost us an hour, but that was okay, because Big O Tires where we'd get the warranty repair opened at 7:30. We drove to Sparks, and they repaired the tire fairly quickly. Because the spare is a full size tire, not a mini-spare, we just put the repaired tire in the back of the fan and set off for Roseville later than planned. Fortunately, we still had an hour or so to spare, and we got to the lab just before 11 AM.

To my surprise, I only had to wait a few minutes before they brought me in, took the blood and urine samples, and sent me on my way. Lisa was also surprised that we were at the lab less than 30 minutes.

Neither of us had eaten since last night, and I proposed that we go to a restaurant at which I've stopped a few times but at which Lisa had never eaten. We headed east for Emigrant Gap.



I've talked about this restaurant before. It's a nice little place off I-80 in the tiny town of Emigrant Gap. Update, November 10: I had it pointed out to me that it was hard to read the sign: this is The Rustic Table, and there are signs for it at the Emigrant Gap exit on I-80 east of Nyack.



Kuma Bear would have preferred the fish tacos, but Lisa and I both had the steak and eggs, which were just fine.



After breakfast, we strolled the grounds of the adjacent Sierra Woods Lodge hotel. This is one of the places I've held in reserve should I be traveling east toward Nevada and having to bail due to bad weather. There are not a lot of hotels between Colfax and Truckee.

Aside from getting stuck in road work for a while on I-80 (I jumped off at Kingvale and took old US-40 around part of the slowdown) and taking a brief rest stop on the edge of Reno, we made decent time heading home, arriving back in Fernley around 4:15 PM, before sundown.

Tomorrow we will swap the repaired tire back onto the van and put the spare away, then work on some other chores. Aside from the annoyance with the tire, it was a nice enough trip, with good traveling weather.

Comments

[voidampersand]

Is that the Rustic Table? That is what pops up on Google Maps. It's good to know where to eat on the road.

[kevin_standlee]

Yes, it's The Rustic Table. I didn't realize the picture didn't show the restaurant's name clearly. There's a sign for it at the Emigrant Gap exit on I-80. I'd seen it for years before deciding to stop and try it, and I liked it.