And We’re Off!

Departure day--June 2.  We rose at the crack of mid-morning, not wanting to feel rushed, then scrambled to pack everything we owned into the back seat and trunk of our car. It looked like we were moving all our earthly possessions, and that was after we hauled three bags of food and snacks back into the house. It didn’t help that I wanted to throw in our ratty old sleeping bags and the tent that hadn’t been unfolded for twenty years. But surely, we would have opportunities to camp and save some money—and it would give us another option if no motels were available. Boy, did I wish we had a trailer.

We headed east, excited to finally be on our way. As we crossed the Sierra-Nevadas and descended into the high Nevada desert, Greg commented on how much snow was still on the mountains around Reno in June.

First overnight stop--Reno—“The Biggest Little City in the World.” Casinos are no big whoop for us, but there's a retirement community just outside the city we wanted to see. Greg was raised in Nevada and loves the high desert. It makes my sinuses dry out, but hey, I could get used to that in a nice new house like this.  And check out that blue, blue sky.

We toured the lovely model homes, stayed the night and then moved on toward Battle Mountain, so I could do some research for my book. In fact, I figured the whole trip was research, since I’m planning a series with our beleaguered sisters, Beebee and Connie, tripping over dead bodies in several states!

On I-80 from Reno to Battle Mountain, we passed through Fernley, Lovelock and Winnemucca. We’ve overnighted in Lovelock in the past, and stayed around the next morning to scout out the nearby Tufas—limestone formations that are remnants of an ancient ocean. Yes, Nevada was once covered with water!  This time through, Winnemucca was more interesting to me, as it plays a minor role in my story. I made Greg drive around town so I could absorb some of the ambiance.

Winnemucca is 165 miles northeast of Reno

 Battle Mountain is a small unincorporated community in the high desert, where people are friendly and life is less chaotic than in the big city. It’s 50 miles to the nearest town in any direction, so it makes a great place for the sisters in my book to be stranded.

In real life, Battle Mountain is the well-run county seat of Lander County, with a sheriff and several deputies and associated employees for law enforcement. In my story, the town has a tiny department with a sheriff and only one deputy. None of the deputies in the real Battle Mountain are anything like the bumbling Deputy Puttersby in my story.  Thank goodness!

 Do you have certain things you always take pictures of on vacation?  I love water towers.  I also like architecture, especially old or odd buildings, and churches.  Here is the Battle Mountain water tower.

The idea to set my novel in Battle Mountain came during a visit my sister Linda and I made to the town back when they still held their “Armpit Festival.” A writer for the Washington Post had dubbed Battle Mountain the official armpit of America, and for a few years, they capitalized on it by holding a festival. I used some of the festival events in my story, including a “Jaws-of-Life” demonstration and a production by the volunteer fire department of saving a damsel in distress from the water tower.  But Madam Ardala, the fortune teller who sees darkness in Beebee's future, was all my idea.

Greg was very patient, driving me all around town for hours and waiting while I talked with people. However, when we drove out State Highway 306 for many miles with few signs of life, he wanted to turn around and go back to civilization. But the country was beautiful, and the openness made me feel I could breathe freely for the first time in ages. This is turquoise country. I'd hoped to see a turquoise mine, but they are off the beaten track and are generally small, family run operations that don't offer tours. But there are specialty shops in every tiny town, and you can get some gorgeous turquoise jewelry in Nevada!

 Join me (and the persevering Greg) next Saturday, when we trek across the salt flats of Utah, visit Mormon Square in Salt Lake City, and brave the barren landscape at Crater's of the Moon National Monument in Idaho.