When I became semi-conscious in the morning and turned over, my internal clock told me it was 9 – 9:30 … but the REAL clock\u00a0said it was\u00a011 – yikes<\/em>!\u00a0 I can still get everything ready and get to where I need to in the daylight today, but I’d like to get a better start than that!<\/p>\n

Getting “everything” done took till 2:30 – shower, eat, put a\u00a0hold on my mail, order sandwich pickup, carry everything down to the van, organize it a little,\u00a0pick up a\u00a0the house a little.\u00a0It goes quicker when I pre-carry some stuff the day before, but\u00a0I didn’t\u00a0quite get that\u00a0together yesterday.<\/p>\n

I had a\u00a0nice little ham and cheese danish (?? – I know, should be croissant, but it was flat and round like a danish :) that I had saved from the Jungle. I hoped it might last me long enough to make it to my beloved\u00a0Steak and Egg Special<\/em>\u00a0at\u00a0Topaz Casino<\/strong>, and it did!<\/p>\n

Getting out of Reno was uneventful (the best way!), then I\u00a0had my maiden voyage on the final extension of the Carson City bypass! The\u00a0I-560<\/strong>\u00a0freeway – really just\u00a0US 395<\/strong>\u00a0re-done to interstate specifications –\u00a0makes heading south a breeze … until you get to Minden\/Gardnerville, a 25 mph speed trap, where it still sucks big time.<\/p>\n

By the time I got to Minden it was what passes for rush hour around here, so traffic was pretty heavy. There was a truck which belched black smoke every time it accelerated, which was every block. Isn’t that illegal nowadays? Anyway, I made it my mission to be one car ahead of that dude. It was ugly for a few blocks, but once I got there I mellowed out again.<\/p>\n

I got to the casino about 4, where I got\u00a0a nice little slice of\u00a0Topaz Lake<\/strong>\u00a0community local color. There is a Monday night $6.95\u00a0Prime Rib Special<\/em>\u00a0starting at 4:30, and boy are the locals into that!<\/p>\n

I am seated at my spectacular window seat, and the place is already filling up. The old couple (i.e.my age) at the next table ordered their prime rib early and got a couple of drinks to wait till 4:30 when the magic happens.\u00a0I was tempted, but didn’t feel like waiting the extra ten minutes, so I\u00a0stuck to my usual; the always awesome $5.95 rib-eye steak breakfast.<\/p>\n

By the time my meal came, the entire dining room was full of pairs and quartets of older folks, some drinking, some nursing their giant iced teas, all sitting at tables that were perfectly empty or nibbling at their salads. Then at 4:30:00 the prime rib plates started\u00a0rolling out of the kitchen. They seemed pretty good about first come first served. The folks who were already there when I sat down got theirs first,\u00a0then the nice old folks next\u00a0table … soon everyone was carving up their slab of beef. There was\u00a0a waiting list\u00a0and people milling around outside the restaurant when I left. Never seen that here! Sort of festive really\u00a0:)<\/p>\n

I thought I\u00a0might be done with road repair traffic stops, since I’m not driving 299 to Eureka any more, but here I was, at\u00a0quite a long wait for road resurfacing\u00a0at the town of Coleville<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Between my late start, the long wait at Prime Rib Night, and this stoppage, I’ve got\u00a0about an hour of daylight left. Instead of pressing on to Buckeye as I had planned, I will stop a half-hour earlier at:<\/p>\n