9.55 am pdt.

We're presently in Reno at Denny's. Some things never change. We stayed at another seedy motel in Sparks last night. I only spent a dollar or two at the slot machines, and it wasn't nearly as fun as the Hotel Nevada.

Yesterday was spent in the Great Basin area of Eastern Nevada. I spent a good three to four hours walking around the hills and through the sagebrush while taking in the desert flora and fauna. It was only 80 degrees and the sun was already powerful, easily draining me in about thirty minutes. I can only imagine what it would be like if it were anywhere near 100 degrees, but I'll be seeing that next week in the Southwest.

We are on our way to Lake Tahoe, and then through Sacramento to San Jose for two nights. It's quite nice to be back to civilization. Reno is the first true city we've been through since Madison. Going through the Midwest and the National Parks was great, but I felt out of my element. Asphalt, public transportation, and record stores are more my speed.