We’re talking miles and miles of this!

These guys know how to burn meat! I had the best filet ever there.

After surviving the jet lagged Friday, we woke up and began packing the truck to get on the road.  We had a loonngg drive in front of us.  It seemed as though I was walking in molasses.  I didn’t think we were ever going to get started!  We went out to the truck, took our “Freak Flags” down from the CB antennas and packed them away.  Something told me they probably didn’t need to be flying when we crossed into Idaho.  I think every white supremacy group in America has a base camp in Idaho.  So I hid all the wine in the back, put a couple of Bud coozies on the dashboard and pasted on some appropriate bumper stickers for good measure.  We are preparing to enter into that part of this great land that don’t “do brunch”.

Finally, at about noon, the old truck rolled out onto Highway 101 and sat.  The traffic was at a standstill and I had to navigate through about 50 miles of it before we would be out on the open interstate.  Needless to say, the possibility of us making Elko< Nevada today was looking pretty dim.

We finally got out to the edge of heavy traffic and I stopped to get some of that $4.16 per gallon gas.  Edge was the only one in the truck smiling after a $100 bill bought me only 24 gallons!  To ease the pain, we got a soft serve ice cream cone and headed north-east toward Elko.

Our route in leaving California took us up over the mountains and through a pass. The temperature dropped as we continued to climb to the top of the pass.  The beautiful pine trees smelled so good as we aired out the truck (it’s funny how while the hitch hikers may be virtual, I swear there is a faint funky order that comes wafting up to the front of the truck every now and then.  It has a kinda hot tub odor to it.  Maybe it’s just my imagination.  Or…maybe not!

After we finally got to the summit of the pass and started down the east side, I began to see sign for Donnors Pass.  Wait a minute!  Did that say Donnors Pass?  I had heard that name before.  After a few nanoseconds my hard drive kicked in and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I went by another sign pointing the way to the Donnor camp.  You mean, just right over there a few years ago our countrymen were dining on each other?  Boy, I don’t think I can eat another “rump roast” ever again!

If our government had to have a state where they can play war games and test all sorts of new fangled war weapons, I’m glad they picked Nevada.  There is mile and miles of nothing out here!  I thought Texas was bare!  Nevada wins the contest.  We did pass one main point of interest on the way.  I began to see signs on the side of the road warning motorists to not stop unless it was an emergency and DO NOT pick up hitch hikers.  A couple more miles and I see over on the right hand side of the highway a huge compound surrounded by two separate fences about 16 feet tall with razor wire on them.  The signs said it was a “secured” compound.  Really?  I don’t know what you have to do to go there and I sure don’t want to find out!  Now here comes the rest of the story.  No joke, this really happened.  They were working on the highway for about 20 miles and had the right hand lane closed.  We had just passed the compound about two miles back and it’s getting a little dark.  This guy steps out from between the construction cones wearing some kind of cut off pants, and a shirt that is not buttoned on him.  He appears to be in his 20’s and has on a baseball cap.  He holds up his arms and begins gesturing for us to stop.  I thought about it for a moment and then decided it was already crowded in the back.  So we went on, thanks to the signs on the road!

I still don’t know how we managed it, but we pulled into Elko at exactly eight o’clock local time and got our room.  We then went to a cafe that Charlotte had found on the web and it had good reviews and it said that was where all the locals ate.  It was called the Star Cafe.  We ordered the filet wrapped in bacon and asked the waitress if we could split it.  When she brought this steak, it was HUGE!  I had requested garlic on it as well.  I think it was the best steak I have ever had.

So if you’re ever going through Elko, Nevada, stop at the Star Cafe and have the filet wrapped in bacon.  It will leave  you speechless!