SPARKS-NV

August 17th: We left Elko-NV, very early in the morning; about 4:30 AM. We wanted to put as much distance between us and the smoky haze as possible. The plan was to get to Reno before before nightfall.

Just trusting Elohim.

 Sunrise and salt plains in Pumpernickel Valley-NV; 5,100 ft. elevation. The painted sky looked different every 5 seconds.

Sunrise & Gilded bottoms of bright white clouds; sunrise in Pumpernickel Valley-NV

Smoky haze in the background; Pumpernickel Valley-NV

Smoke haze hanging over the valley; Pumpernickel Valley-NV.

Sun lit hill; Pumpernickel Valley-NV

There were lightening flashes piercing the dusky sky in Crescent City-NV … and that continued into Winnemucca-NV; there was no rain, just bright flashes of bright light every now and then.

It started raining in Battle Mountain - and the smell of smoke was strong. Holland started planning a reroute, if the smoke got progressively worse. I was really struggling to breathe easy; and we were both passing  the inhaler between us (it's Holland's inhaler, and it is stronger than mine: Holland insisted I use it, too).

Battle Mountain-NV from Elko-NV; 1 hr 6 min (70.6 mi) via I-80 W

Winnemucca-NV; nothing was open at 6:30 AM, so we pushed forward.

Quarter-sized raindrops; it was over almost as quickly as it started.

Route to Reno-NV

Obviously Elohim has a reason for rushing me thru these places; I'm okay with that.

We pulled into a Rest Area along the highway around 7 AM, but the parking lot was on a hill and the 5th wheel was slanted to the left, so I suggested we go back downhill to a graveled turnout I spotted - so that's what we did.

We'd only had 2-3 hrs. sleep the night before, so we pulled over in a secluded gravel pullout, and opened the bedroom slide out for some shut-eye before moving on; Crosgrave-NV

Woke refreshed; changed clothes, and on the move again.

We'll settle for a star …

Stopped here for something to chew on - it's slim pickings for hours between towns.

Breakfast in Mill City-NV. I love crunch wraps - and this one was not the usual fare Longview-WA dishes out; this one had been made with mashed black beans and spicy cumin instead of the bland refried beans. It was delish!

A big, fat, fluffy cloud; feeling Elohim's love for us; Lovelock-NV

Driving along, we saw a good sized dust-up (not 'dust devils' because they weren't madly swirling - just kinda sucked upward by the wind) between Lovelock-NV & Fallon-NV.

Bleu threw his front paws up on the console and started nudging our arms, so we started looking for someplace to pull over. We saw a Rest Area sign and turned right. The Rest Area had an interesting set-up … and informative Historical Plaques - I was thankful Bleu's bladder prodded us to turn in there ;-)

3 different weather patterns happening all at once, here.

Pulled over at a Rest Area to ease Bleu's bladder; Fallon-NV; the relief station was designed to resemble an old west street building.

An Historical Marker ~ the California Trail went thru here.

California Trail Marker at Fallon-NV Rest Area:

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Trail)

I looked up and saw my Home rounding the bend ~ Husband, Bleu, & home on wheels. It was a hot day and Holland wanted to make things easy for me. He's the greatest :-)

A little bit down the road, Holland's shoulder was prodding us to find someplace to park for the night, so I synced my cell with the truck's GPS … and immediately got a message flashing across the phone screen that my phone had been {disabled}.

WTHeck

So, I got on my Tablet and surfed the internet - strangely, that worked.

I tried the KOA first because we have a membership with them, but as usual no one was answering the phone (we will not be renewing the worthless membership). I tried another RV Park number, and a site was secured :-)

We didn't make Reno tonight … but we will. Holland's shoulder needs a break, and this is as good a place as any.

My cell got a 'disabled' message before it went dead. Good thing I had my Tablet with me.

I never had that happen before; Holland explained a possible reason.

A very nice place to hunker down - Holland booked the site until Sunday afternoon.

Sparks Marina RV Resort:

(#1200 E Lincoln Way, Sparks-NV)

Sparks-NV

Sunday afternoon, we'll be in Reno :-)

MT. RUSHMORE, Gillette, & YETI

This morning we were up bright and early: 4:30 AM, and on our way to Mt. Rushmore National Park~South Dakota.

Trying something new; BITTER. We downed one of these before drinking our coffees.

Even though the Park is open 24-hours/7/365, and you can drive through the Park at any time - it is not open for business. But we did find out that in order to actually see the Park attractions, you must leave your vehicle in the parking lot and take a shuttle tour … also, pets are not allowed in the Park :-(

So, we didn't hang around; we were not prepared to leave the pickup, or Bleu, in the parking lot while being ferried around by a yapping tour guide and hundreds of yapping tourists: we wanted to be able to enjoy the Park at our leisure - quietly and peacefully.

As the sky lightened, we could also see that the outer edges of the Park were very touristy in layout - cheap looking, and cramped by restaurants, shops, and other ge-gaws. Also, the roadway is very, very steep: both ways.

Flamingo Pink Sunrise coming into the Mount Rushmore National Park 4:30 AM

Brilliant Orange & Yellow Sunrise in the Mount Rushmore National Park; very steep incline and decline!

Seen after crossing from South Dakota into Wyoming.

Where we set camp this morning … about 9:30 AM; Holland spotted the billboard from the highway and called for a site. We paid for 3 days - long enough to see the sights in the surrounding area ;-)

Entrance to the RV Park - I LIKE!

We had been up early, and on the road non-stop; so after getting set up, we took a short nap until a little after noon. When we woke, Holland suggested we see if we could find a restaurant that would deliver our Supper - we didn't have any luck with that … but we did find a Chinese restaurant a block up the road, so we drove that way and ordered a nice meal to bring home and enjoy ;-)

Passing through a place Holland frequented in his Past - and talks about a lot.

We let someone else do the cooking tonight … this restaurant is a first for Holland, in Gillette-WY; the restaurant and the town are definitely a first for me here :-)

Entrance; a little worn - but clean, and inviting.

Dining area; we didn't sit in here because we were there for takeout, pick-up.

Foyer seating is more comfortable than it looks.

The Mt. Rushmore National Park roadway was VERY steep - coming, and going.

Supper was shoved under my feet up front in the pickup; to keep Bleu out of it, on the way home. Maybe later, we will get to try foods from the Sherpa Indian Restaurant, Gillette-WY. Authentic Indian and Nepalese food.

I joke about the Abominable Snowman/Yeti; but some cultures (specifically the Tibetan culture) believe Yeti to be a real creature.

Sherpa People: The Sherpa are one of the ethnic groups native to the most mountainous regions of Nepal, Tingri County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Himalayas. The term sherpa or sherwa derives from the Sherpa-language words ཤར shar and པ pa, which refer to their geographical origin in eastern Tibet.

A yeti is a mythical creature that's said to live in the Himalayan mountains. Another name for a yeti is "abominable snowman." While most people consider the yeti to be a legend, there are those who believe it's a real human-like creature that lives in Nepal and Tibet.

While we ate - Holland and I talked.

Supper. YUMMY!

We are going to visit some sights around the area over the next few days ... and I'm going to try to talk Holland into revisiting Mt. Rushmore again; I could sit in the parking lot with Bleu and play around online with my Tablet, while he takes the shuttle tour to view the Presidential Monument. This would be a new experience for both of us: but I don't like heights - or fast motion, and they don't bother Holland.

Mt. Rushmore President Heads: https://www.nps.gov/moru/learn/historyculture/why-these-four-presidents.htm

We are also going to seek Elohim on walking in the steps He has planned for our Life together. We know we are called to ministry, and we know what type of ministry - we just don't know how to dove-tail that with life on the road, full-time.

And He is refining us by using each of us to rub each other's rough edge's smooth (not always an enjoyable process!)

But Elohim knows where He wants us to be; and He has everything under control.

We remind ourselves of that frequently, when the world crowds in on us, and tensions run high between us.

But life is good - and we are glad we found each other; and confirmed to each other what Elohim revealed to each of us separately years ago :-)