C3Q II Daily Dispatches From The Road- 10/4/26

2 States: 25) California, 26) Nevada

We drove into California early in the afternoon and we stopped at the first gas station as soon as we crossed the California state line in Alturas. While I fueled up, Zoraya went to get the witness signatures in the mini-mart. She came back and retold the clerk's characterization of this location after she asked “what was the most interesting thing about this town.” She was surprised when he responded that there was a constant police presence with 35 cars patrolling regularly because this was the drug corridor from Oregon.

We didn't actually see 35 patrol cars but there were definitely quite a few stops just while we were pumping gas. Driving through town we noticed there were a lot of abandoned buildings, boarded up store fronts and empty streets as if the entire town had been evacuated due to a crisis or emergency.  There was one building in particular that captured my attention. It was a mural of a red truck and the contrasting black cat that was positioned on top of the truck bed's edge. I thought the red of the truck would highlight the black and red of the insignia of the poster. Zoraya felt uneasy and we left in haste. 

As we were exiting the edge of town, I spotted the black antique Southern Pacific Steam locomotive under the wooden pavilion. It actually worked the route from Alturas to Reno. It was retired in 1956 and now remains on display outdoors under the pavilion. It felt fitting to stop beside a piece of the same transportation history we were now following across the West. 

We continued driving south and entered the northern part of the state in Reno Nevada. Along our travels, one my personal quest has been to locate the perfect bean and cheese burrito because I perceive it as an accurate gauge of authentic Mexican fast food. The bean and cheese burrito showcases the tacos shop's foundational use of two main ingredients, refried beans and cheddar cheese. If something so simple goes awry then the more complicated dishes will too. If this simple sample of food meets my personal expectations then it is probably because of the lard in the means and the quality of the cheddar cheese which makes all the difference for this dish and the attention to for the rest of the meals. Roberto's in both Los Angeles and San Diego, falls into this category so I was excited to discover a Roberto's in Reno, Nevada. To my wonderful surprise, it lived up to its name.

As we usually do, while we waited for our food order, I took a stroll around the perimeter of the property to both get exercise and to survey potential posting sites. I posted at a busy street corner which had what looked like a freshly painted wide and white electrical box with the bright lights of Circus Circus Casino rising in the background that conjured up childhood memories of our family visit to this site. 

Driving out of Reno, Nevada was a series of winding roads. We drove on Route 50 that is nicknamed, “The Loneliest Road in America.” The name came from Life magazine in 1986 and Nevada later embraced it as part of their state's identity. As daylight faded and the road stretched farther into the desert, we finally  stopped to sleep in the sparsely populated mining town of Eureka, Nevada.