Nevada

First stop in Nevada was Reno....I went downtown to sightsee. The city has made a really wonderful riverside park with trails, bridges, picnic tables, etc on both sides of the Truckee river which runs through the center of town. The river was very full and running fast with lots of small rapids. I watched kayak riders having lessons and running the course.
I strolled though the major casinos to see the "action"....gambling is not for me, I observed the people were not having much fun.

We left Reno heading east on I-80...we were in the desert, the terrain is so different from where we were in California. No trees! However, we saw many snow-capped  mountains along the way. Snow in the desert? We were on the California Trail, one of the routes pioneers took to the west. Unfortunately the interpretive center was closed when we passed..I wanted to learn more about their journey. I'll get a book on the subject.

We spent last night in Winnemucca because the name fascinated us and also there is not a lot of choice along our route to Utah. We toured the town to see the many murals portraying western life. It is the site of the Buckaroos Hall of Fame and also has a sizable Basque community. With a population of 7,000 we were surprised to find a Walmart so we stocked up on bananas and milk.

Today on to the Utah border and to visit the Bonneville Salt Flats.