It’s easy for me to fall into the abyss of genealogy.  Fortunately we limited our stay in Salt Lake City to 8 nights.  It’s time to continue our trip westward towards northern California and then onward to Grants Pass, Oregon to visit Jeanne’s uncle Jack.  Although the trip westward will take us along Interstate 80 West it’s mostly desolate.  We decided to overnight in two places enroute Grants Pass – Winnemucca, NV and Susanville, CA.  There isn’t much there but they are convenient and maybe a little unusual.  If nothing else, they are not ghost towns.

After a week of living in the same suite of our hotel moving out was like moving out of an apartment.  A few more trips back and forth to our Odyssey van than the usual overnight stay.  We left Salt Lake City rather late in the morning with an overcast sky and some rain.  We missed the complimentary breakfast so it was a stop at McDonald’s for a sausage biscuit on the way out of town.  Within a couple of miles we were on Interstate 80 westbound.  The route took us just south of the Great Salt Lake.

As we get west of the Great Salt Pond the skies clear a little.

As we go even further west we view the salt flats – what a show we are getting on this ride.  Salt on the flats, snow on the mountains and beautiful clouds in the sky.

Eventually we make our way into Nevada and the vistas continue.

The No Services is typical along this section of Interstate 80.  Make sure you monitor and manage your fuel.  We saw one very embarrassed tractor-trailer truck being fueled from jerry cans.

One of my favorite shots for the day.

Typical view on our GPS along this stretch of highway – not too much to look at other than an occasional nearby town name.

Eventually we approach our destination for the day.

Winnemucca is the only incorporated city in and is the county seat of Humboldt County, Nevada, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 7,396, up 3.1 percent from the 2000 census figure of 7,174. Interstate 80 passes through the city, where it meets U.S. Route 95.

Winnemucca

Winnemucca,, was born a Shoshone around 1820 in what would later become the Oregon Territory. When he married the daughter of Old Winnemucca, he became a Paiute according to their tribal rules. They were of the Kuyuidika band of the Northern Paiute. His father-in-law honored him by naming him “Winnemucca the Younger”. The name means “The Giver of Spiritual Gifts.” Winnemucca the Younger became a war chief with the Kuyuidika.