sunday, golden phoenix hotel/casino, reno, NV 9:16pm

had a hotel reservation in reno for sunday night, in anticipation of really wanting a bed and a shower. indeed the shower was divine but i hadn't really missed the bed. the casino i stayed in had multiple stories with gambling contraptions and restaurants, and as i wandered between them i tried so very hard to keep with my tradition of not using the elevators since it wasn't a very far vertical distance; however i tried my hardest and failed, both in finding the stairs that signs/maps pointed to, and was thwarted at a lower level by the fact that the stairs from the rooms upstairs did not exit in the casino--only out in the alley! and there was no way to go upstairs, via the stairs, there. wack.

the golden phoenix's restaurants sucked and 2 bucks worth of simpsons pinball left me hungry so i went wandering and found an advertised victorian buffet at the silver legacy a block away. i went in, had vast troubles finding the buffet, then seeing it above me on a balcony, had vast troubles finding the escalator. casino geography seems designed intentionally anti-intuitively.

at the dinner buffet place ate seemingly every animal except chicken-- only egg from some mystery italian dish:

the casino i stayed in had a strange advertising campaign:
"win a ____load"

i just can't think of what could possibly go there that's not obscene to some degree.

i'm not the sucker they're looking for -- $4.25 double gin & tonics are amazing, even though gin comes out of a fountain drink-dispensing gun round here. but i didn't go and gamble after drinking, just walked back to the room. 

driving

before i even managed to leave reno, tragedy struck. i was getting gas on the way out of town, and was distracted by my discovery of a full contact jousting troupe parked at the gas station. i scrambled for my camera to take a picture, and managed to end up driving off without retrieving my wallet from the top of the car. got to a drive-through down the street for lunch and found myself without money or credit cards. panicked, drove back to the gas station and spent an hour hunting for it in the parking lot and along the street leading away. finally gave up and called my credit card companies to cancel (except the one i'd lost a week before and already called about), and sat in my car dejected for a moment, before remembering the $200 cash i had in the glove compartment. around 1900 miles to go, no money or time to waste--i had to be back in austin on wednesday and it was already monday afternoon in reno. so i called Meredith and told her i'd see her in denver that night and could i borrow some money? she was accommodating as expected and so i set out, eating little and cruising slow to conserve gas. it was wonderful to see a smiling face and get a sleepy hug at 4am when i pulled in, and i napped a bit on her couch before zooming onwards. she did lend me some money, but i turned out to make it to austin in under $200 from reno, with no incidents that might have left me really hard up without a license or credit card (such as getting pulled over by a cop). i am reminded that everything works if you let it, but i am damn sure keeping $200 in my car from now on--you never know when it's all you'll have.

happened through another austin which was an almost cheesy little picturesque town in nevada. was rewarded with a double rainbow as i drove through and giggled at the rustic-ness of it all.

i'm almost starting to enjoy the smell of skunk, after so many encounters with it; it drowns me out.

it's pretty obvious what vehicles have spent the week out in the desert--coated in dust, full of tired but upbeat folks, frequently sporting a line drawing of the man. even the loneliest road featured a couple of campers heading home, decompressing already. and returning to a life where everyone is not your friend, and they are not all even interested in eachothers wellbeing...well, it's a little easier when you can still find kindred spirits to wave at as you drive past.

lessons learned: need to surprise myself more often; should probably not drive alone on a schedule next year! endurance racing is slightly scary.

so many miles driven in total, probably 20 tanks of gas, some at outrageous Cali-prices. still worthwhile. learned i can write or photograph while driving, though probably shouldn't.

was nearly run off the road by ryder big rig near oklahoma city. i guess they really do rent to anyone at all.

played tag with an audi TT; inspired my only stop even vaguely accusable as purely a piss stop this entire trip (i'm pretty good at holding it til i get hungry or need gas). so i stopped when the audi pulled off--chatted with him for a bit and conclude that even though his cool boss loaned him the car, it still sucks for him that his boss is not cool enough to bail him out of jail. mine rules!

coldest temp: 36 degrees driving over vail pass @ 4:23 am warmest temp: 124 degrees at the hoover dam. next time i'll hope for a full 100-degree spread...

ANGER DQ [in retrospect no idea what that's supposed to mean apparently, one of those things that would be funnier with a picture.]

books on cd rule for that 15th hour when you just can't figure out a single one of the 50 cd's you have along that would sound good.

1000 miles a day needs a real good reason. a hard drive needs real motivation: good thing i love my job.

passed expected speed traps in colby/hays, but without issue. radar detector saved the day a few times, but by and large i wasn't speeding much, more enjoying the view and the time.

spotted on a mrs bairds truck: "we haul buns too!"

[the strangest part of the drive home was not being surrounded by 30000 people doing exactly what they wanted, how they wanted, and doing it well. i missed waking up to find a pile of half-naked friends passed out in the middle of the shade structure, while someone sat painting, and a neighbor scavenging for coffee with a dazed smile. i still miss it. the desert was as much home to me as anywhere else has ever been, and i was very sad to leave it. of course, i will go back, so it's a good thing, in the end.]

trip sponsors:

journal sponsor: splitting headaches from withdrawal

please pardon the few exaggerations; i'm a storyteller not a historian.

please direct questions or comments to the author via email.