Empty Desert, Over The Sierras, And Sac-Town

Left: Looming mountains just west of Hawthorne, NV.

Left: West shore of Walker Lake, NV.

Left: Detail shows some birds enjoying Walker Lake's ambiance.

Left: Mountains along I-80 just east of Reno, NV.


I preferred to depart from Highway 95 at Schurz, NV, as I usually do on the ABQ-to-SMF run, and head west towards South Lake Tahoe, but because I was driving a big U-Haul truck, I decided instead to go to Fallon, NV and reach I-80. Now that's a highway built for big trucks, and much wider than Highway 50, particularly around Echo Pass!

Unfortunately, I forgot that I-80 is under reconstruction these days, so the drive along I-80 was far more harrowing than anything Highway 50 could have thrown at me, being far faster and bumpier, and along lanes heart-stoppingly narrow (when traffic wasn't stopped altogether).

I only had one scare regarding the truck. On I-80 just east of Reno, while driving in the left lane, westbound, unbeknownst to me a small car sidled against the U-Haul's side and fit comfortably into the blind spot there. I signalled to make a lane change and started to make the movement, and was startled by the presence of the car. I suppose I should have checked the truck's mirrors more closely!

I reached Sacramento around 5:10 p.m. on Wednesday evening.