Now a Warning!!!

Many of you who receive emails from me, just reply to the email instead of commenting on the website.

I just wanted to let you know that from now on, I will be copying and pasting any comments that have been emailed to me on the website. I would rather not have to do this, so please leave comments on the website.

Road Trip no.1- The Black Rock Desert

I finally did it, the one thing that has been burning on my mind for the last 6 months (at least), I WENT TO THE BLACK ROCK DESERT. This is where they hold Burning Man every year. People also come here to break the land speed records.


View Larger Map

I took the car out on the playa and drove, I was a little wary though because the lake bed is so alkaline that it can eat through tires. BUT DON'T WORRY, I didn't drive as far as I wanted to (about 5 miles) because I didn't want to be stuck out there. I had enough water, but I didn't want to chance it. And don't worry Flip, I will be getting the car washed in a little bit.

So here are some pictures and a couple of videos. I just wanted to note that when I take pictures from the car, I am just pointing and shooting. No setting up shots are done, all the pictures are by chance.

Black Rock

Click on the picture above to see the album.

Carson City and the Mining Safety and Health Class

Up the street from the hotel

Carson City is incredibly beautiful. I have only ever driven through it and never had time to stop and look. There are many historical buildings and museums and the mountains sourround the city.

View from the front of the hotel

I stayed at the Plaza Hotel. It was a lot nicer than the reviews I read online. I had a little kitchen area, breakfast was included and the hotel had a swimming pool. However, they had no internet. If they had, this place would be close to perfect for the lower priced hotels ($45/ night) I have stayed at.

Safety training is the most boring thing on Earth, and what’s up with having the lights off so we can see the Power Point better, it is only encouraging sleep. Not even the coffee they have saves us from sleeping.

I arrived my first day knackered from the 14 hr drive. I couldn’t keep my eyes closed and I was quite nauseous (which I decided was car sickness). Not only did I have to run out of the room to throw up, but I slepted through the morning. On the plus side, everyone wanted to talk to me and know where I was from. When I told them I had just driven from the Seattle area, they agreed that sleeping was acceptable. Not that sleeping is unacceptable. On Wednesday, a guy fell asleep and was snoring. The man across the room from me (who’s name is Richard…I have met so many Richard’s) started snickering so much he was crying, well that sent me over the edge and I too was soon crying and laughing. I didn’t realize I had such muscle control in my stomach because I never guffawed like I thought I was destined to do.

…it was similar to the time I was in Women Must Weep at Annie Right Prep and one of the girls knocked over the lamp during the play (this is on tape for those of you interested). I could not stop laughing for the life of me, but because I was on stage as the lead, I had to control it by letting my stomach laugh without letting the sound out…

Anyway, it was really funny.

Today (Thursday) I completed the training and got my New Miner’s Surface Safety Certification. Now I can work at a mine, as an archaeologist or any other mining personnel.

I managed to get myself out of Carson City and back to Reno where I visited my co-workers and found out the accommodations for my up coming stint of work. We will be surveying a mine at Battle Mountain, NV, and we will be staying in a hotel that has internet and refrigerators and microwaves…I was so excited.

I checked into The Grand Sierra Resort and logged onto the internet for the first time in 3 days…it seems like it has been much longer than that.

The view from my room

The Great Drive

The trunk of the car with all my stuff

14 hours is a long time to think, and it is funny how the whole way I narrated what I was going to write, but now, I can’t think of anything.

The drive from the exit to Corvallis, OR southward is beautiful. Right now, all the wild flowers are in bloom and the trees are a variety of green. Central Oregon reminded me of what Hawaii looks like (without the jungle paradise). The mountains are beautiful and because it wasn’t over 75 degrees Fahrenheit, the ride was comfortable and I didn’t bake like a potato.

Central Oregon

I was glad to get gas (petrol) in Oregon, but had to snicker a little because I had to stop in a small town 30 miles north of Medford. In this little town the price of a gallon of gas (petrol) was $4.19 (about £1.05/ litre). I laughed because in the past stopping in a little town in the Oregon Cascades meant paying twice as much as in a city…well not this time. In other major towns the gas was $4.25 (divide by 4 and times by 2 to get £/litre). Now when I got to California gas was about $4.50 (again, divide by 4 and times by 2 to get £/litre), and that is the reason I NEVER get gas in California if I can help it. When I got to Nevada, gas was $4.03-$4.15, depending on brand.

When I came down the pass to Reno on Hwy 395 from Bordertown, Reno lit up like a huge carpet in a sunken room. The city is so beautiful at night, all of the casinos dominate the right side of the highway and the sprawl reminds me of Christmas lights on a lawn. I wanted to stop in the city, but it was midnight and I needed to get to Carson City before I was unable to stay awake.

Reno city centre

Going to Carson

So, tomorrow is the big day. I get to drive for 12 hours to Carson City. I have been excited about the drive, but at the moment I am a little overwhelmed. I have too much stuff. There are many people who would disagree because I am packing for 4 months and I have gotten my clothes and stuff into 2 bags. I do have my camping stuff and some wood too.

I had such fun while I was in the Harbor. I got to see my family and sit around the house and enjoy the cold damp...but the view was pretty as you all saw from "Cacophony of Sound." I got to attend Darby's wedding shower, which was tons of fun, but because I am a bad bride's maid, I have no pictures to show you because I didn't take a camera.

I have no idea what my schedule is going to be in the up coming days and I don't know if I will have internet access, but when I do, I will let you know.

Well, it is 12:30 am, I had better get some sleep.