Reno, Nevada to San Mateo, California

After checking out (yes, we were in Reno for just one evening!*) we wandered over to a lovely little barista in the casino and got ourselves some coffee…it was pretty decent as coffee stands go – they even had soy milk and raw sugar! While we were waiting for our java, we took in the atmosphere…the large European fountains were over the top. Our favorite part, however, was the faux forest. The pillars were tree trunks and the ceilings were covered in fake limbs and leaves.

We found our way out of the city with ease. It’s quite small actually and the streets were clearly marked (something which one must never take for granted.) So off to the San Francisco Bay we went!

California was a treat! The highway winds in and out of tree covered mountainside. Route 80 was under construction in Cali too, so we were able to see things close up. We had to stop at an Agricultural Check Point – which looks like the border patrol you see passing between the US and Canada. The big question? “Do you have any fresh fruit in your possession?” Darice (being who she is replied, “Only some old apples that we need to get rid of.” This made the officer laugh and he asked more specifically, “…any cherries or citrus?” “Nope.” So we were waved through. (Guess we didn’t look as shifty as we once did.)

We stopped for lunch at ‘The Summit’ near Donner’s Pass – which got Matt to giggling and enjoyed some of the best salad and veggie burgers we’ve had in a while.

After more of Rt 80, we were nearing our destination and took a few smaller (yet well populated) California highways. The scenery was rather dull – golden to be exact. Rolling hillsides (dry from drought) with green bushes and trees were the signature memory, until we reached San Mateo. We got to take the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, which was pretty darn cool – we had a bird’s eye view of the bay. :)

We checked into the hotel around 7:30pm, got settled, had a pretty low key night and went to bed nice & early.

* This is not the norm; at least that is our impression. All of the front desk employees were exceptionally confused by our one night stay. A note to travelers interested in Reno: Evidently there is a fee for just about everything, so our $50 room turned into an $80 room…no biggie, but it was a surprise.

Filed under: Mighty-Flighty by DariceJoy
Tags: Travel