Battle Mountain, Nevada....and the drive to Cali

Due to lack of internet in my room last night...I'm a tad behind on the blog...sorry bout that! And I also think I lost the cord that connects my camera to my computer...but Mike Buchman saved the day and lent me one of his (thanks Mike!!!).

So...let's go back a bit...on Tuesday morning we left Wyoming and ventured on. We drove through the beautiful state of Utah to reach our destination of Battle Mountain, Nevada. I feel like a broken record, but what a stunning drive. Utah is very unique, and Salt Lake is quite beautiful. We reached our little Comfort Inn in Battle Mountain, surrounded by majestic mountains and wide open spaces. It was a quiet night in Nevada (a little guitar playing, a little phone time...)

The next morning we departed for our final destination of Davis, California. This drive was by far the best so far. As we entered California, the mountains on either side of the highway began to show signs of life...green grass, tall, regal pine trees, and water...oh, the water. Streams, brooks, creeks, all adorned with large smooth stones in every shade of gray and black. The water was alive and on a race to get back to the it's Pacific home. The highway was very windy and hilly...this wasn't the straight, flat, easy I-80 we were used to.

Our van decided to take a little 13 mile detour off I-80 and stop at Lake Tahoe for lunch. Just typing about it makes me happy! What a beautiful place. We ate sumptuous salads and sandwiches overlooking the lake. Words can't describe how content I was to finally be around water again (so let the pictures do the talking...see above) and to eat wholesome, fresh food that wasn't deep fried. After lunch we ran down to the water...I can never be that close to water and not at least put my feet in it.

Alas, we had to leave...so sad...and continue our journey. About an hour down the road we hit our first traffic jam of the tour (welcome to california) but I was driving, so I had Jack Johnson and Norah Jones' soothing voices piping through the radio via my iPod...so all was well within the world that is our van.

We arrived at Davis, received our free cocktail coupons (we get two free drinks per day between 5 and 7...say what?) and settled in. We will be here for 6 whole days! Quite a luxury...Last night we ventured out a little into this college town, found an interesting bar, made a few new friends, and retired for the evening. Today we are off to Napa for some wine tastings! Shannon has a couple of friends that have the hook up with the vineyards...I believe one even owns his own...? I'll clarify in the next entry once I've experienced it all today. I've never done wine tasting before, so this should be wonderful.

Greetings from California, I think I've found my state.