Day 1 7/15/20 Santa Clara, CA to Elko, NV 538 miles

We started out at 7:00 am and arrived in Elko at 4:30 with only two stops for lunch and the dogs. I think I forgot to mention that we are traveling with Hilary and Nate who are moving to Virginia for Nate's graduate program. This is a bittersweet journey. Hilary and Nate have been planning to move to the East Coast for a long time. Hilary wants to be close to her brother; they want to raise their children in close proximity. So, when we drop them off and drive back to California, we will be on our own.

We drove through the Sierra Nevada mountain range at Lake Tahoe and reveled in the beauty of California. Once we crossed over to the “other side” we experienced the eastern side of the Sierra Nevadas. Barren and desert for miles and miles. Beauty in its own way but it made me understand that California is magical. I appreciated my California roots.

Thomas and I had a conversation about luck versus fortune as we drove through Nevada. We came to the conclusion that we have both. There was a fair amount of rural poverty that we drove by on Interstate 80. Our country is vast in many ways – area, experiences, opportunities. I find myself appreciating the opportunity that COVID has given me. I cannot fly from one coast to the other missing the diversity of how we live our lives in America. Instead we drive through it and, I hope, in some way we are affected in a way that enriches our understanding of the others we rarely have a chance to know.

(BTW, internet turns out to be a bit spotty - afraid we are used to the lightning speed of Silicon Valley...Hopefully, photos to follow)