Wells, Nevada

I left Jeannie's this morning at 7:45, and stopped at the Motel 6 in Wells, NV at 3:45, so it's been a long day for me. I drove about 465 miles, which is just a little more than I like to do. Anyone who has driven I-80 through Nevada understands that there aren't many places to stop - the forecast for tonight is possible thunder-showers, and towards the end of the drive I noticed the cloud cover getting darker and lower. It's fairly nice here though, but a little cool. I'm going to be glad for a hot shower tonight, and I didn't want to spend a rainy evening or overnight with a big dog in a tent.


I stopped at a rest area after driving about 200 miles. There were very few people there, and most left while I was there. I used the facilities and then let Lady sniff around and do her thing. There was just one work truck with two men in orange work vests up near the restrooms; I finally put Lady back in the truck and then took a plastic bag back to pick up after her. After I dropped the bag into the waste can one of the men called to me that there was water for washing hands there. I walked over to the back of the truck and he stood there with a gallon jug of Calistoga Springs drinking water - I held out my hands and he generously poured water over them.

I was overwhelmed at such an act of kindness from a stranger, and it put a smile on my entire day.

I stopped for diesel at 287 miles, and when I resumed driving I tried to figure the mileage in my head. I verified it with my computer's calculator this evening, and was very happy. When pulling a 5th wheel I usually got 9-10 mpg; driving the truck to Arizona, and then back with the truck camper, was 12 mpg. Now that I have a cheap tonneau on the pickup bed, I actually got 16 mpg! I had heard that the cover adds a few extra miles per gallon, and had hoped it would be 14 or 15, but I'm just thrilled with what I got. I'll check it again after a few more fill-ups and see if the overall average holds.