Stopover: Central Nevada

We spent two days traversing central Nevada, heading northeast towards Idaho. Although Nevada didn’t offer the natural splendors of Yosemite, it did offer several things that we had been sorely lacking: a laundromat, showers, and wi-fi.

Our first pit-stop was in the naval base town of Fallon, Nevada. The kids went with me to run ten loads of laundry at the launderette. No item was spared. Everything was filthy. We also spent $6 on a car wash, mostly so that I could vacuum the interior of the car which was covered in a layer of fine dust from our days traversing rural Utah.

Our second stop was in the town of Winnemucca, Nevada. Here, we found a huge campground right off I-80, about half-way between Salt Lake City and Reno. While the campsite in Fallon saw many more full-time residents than single-night travelers like us, the campground in Winnemucca was a single-night stopover mecca for weary travelers. This campground made me feel a little sentimental for stopover days when I traveled by bus on the 3-Day, when all we wanted was good internet, large washing machines, and a restaurant with reasonable food options.

It was also Father’s Day, so naturally, we celebrated by treating Eli to a colossal plate of hot wings.

In their own way, the days we spend driving through rural America, like these days in Nevada, are as interesting and eye-opening as any of our visits to the National Parks.

 Overall, our two-night stopover helped me to put everything back in order and strategize about our next series of remote stops, marking the last major leg of our trip.