On A Journey With Some Destinations Along The Way

Location: New Frontier RV Park (el 4,500 ft); Winnemucca, Nevada

(click pictures to enlarge)
(all pictures taken with Nokia Lumia 929 Cell Phone)

There are several quotes from famous people about destinations and the journey to get there. They want to remind us the journey is just as important as the destination. To me, the two are the same. The main purpose of my travels is to see new things. I pick places I want to see and head in that direction, but along the way, there are many things to see that I didn't know about or plan to see. Since I don't plan to permanently stop at any particular destination any time soon, I guess I'm on a journey with some destinations along the way.

That is why I enjoy moving days, because I know there will be new things to see down the road. I always keep my cell phone close by and have gotten pretty good at steering and taking pictures through the windshield. If I get pulled over by the police; I hope they buy my argument that I wasn't texting and driving, I was simply and innocently taking a picture. I also like documenting the changing landscape as I pass through an area. Years from now, as my mind starts to fade, I am hoping that just the sight of some of these pictures will bring back the feelings I had when I took them. It has become a Pavlovian response that whenever I say "Wow", I then reach for my cell phone camera.

Yesterday's journey on moving day was a surprise. There were several things along the way that I didn't expect, such as snow-capped mountains. I didn't read up on the geography of northern Nevada because I expected it to be a flat and barren desert all the way across to Utah. Well, there is a lot of desert and barren-ness (sp), but it is not everywhere, and it has it's own beauty. 

The road was smooth, the temperature a little cool, no heavy winds and the sky was big and bright with puffy white clouds. It was a good day to be traveling.

I'm camped at Winnemucca, Nevada. I stopped here because it fit my travel distance of between 150 and 200 miles on moving days. It is also a cool sounding name and mentioned in an old Johnny Cash song, "I've Been Everywhere". It is named after a Paiute Indian Chief and is the only town in Nevada named for an Indian. It is an interesting story how he got his name. Before many whites were in this area, a few prospectors met the Indian chief and he was only wearing one moccasin, which in the Paiute language is "mu-cha". The prospectors thought this was funny and called him "wan-na-mu-cha". The old Indian liked the name and it stuck. He was forever after called Winnemucca. He and his daughter, Sarah, became out-spoken advocates for the American Indians in general and the Paiutes in particular. His daughter met with President Haynes in 1880 and discussed Indian Affairs. She also was the first Female Indian author to have a book published. Her statue is one of two that the state of Nevada sent to Washington D.C. as part of the National Statuary Hall Collection. This is the kind of information I like to stumble over on my journeys to somewhere.

This was the view as I was pulling out of the campground at Reno. 

I was a little surprised by the rolling hills instead of desert. 

It did flatten out quickly, and thought this view would be the same all the way across Nevada. I was wrong. 

Dry lake beds

The land turned to scrub brush.

Dry lake bed, under a bright sky with snow-capped mountains?? in the background.

The snow-capped mountains getting closer. I couldn't see any pass or "saddle" to cross them.

I like this picture. I don't know who that is in the RV ahead, but to me, they represent all RV travelers as they head to "parts unknown".

I saw this long freight train as he was heading west. This location is very close to, if not actually on, the original Transcontinental Railroad which was completed in 1869. 

Nice mountain view from the rest stop close to Winnemucca.

The view from my campsite to the mountains to my south.

The view out the door of Liberty looking to the north.

I will be moving on tomorrow. My plans while here is to get a prescription refilled at Walmart and maybe an oil change for Freedom since I saw a Ford dealer in town. I'm not excited about getting an oil change on a Monday, but I'm not sure when the next opportunity will arise and I'm right at the mileage for a change.

Ya'll take care of each other. I'll Cya down the road.