With some more travel in mind, I discovered the good deal on the economy bus line for these two days. There had been some new snow in the Sierra, and I was game for a bit of hiking again. I made reservations the night before, as the forecast was for sun.
Up early, I packed up my things into my medium day pack, and in a rush of sorts, forgot to bring along a pair of shorts to give to the enviro clothing outlet for repair. I relaxed with time, but then set out at about 9:30 a.m. Taking the light rail to University and 65th Street station, I debarked to find that the bus was late. I walked over to the gas station to get a drink and to use the restroom.
The bus finally came by about an hour late, and I got a front seat. I began with video, but having so much from previous trips, basically would just record the snow. With people next to me talking, I had to mute the sound. There wasn’t that much new snow, but it was supposed to be a foot or so for the coming weekend. The roadway looked to be icy, but our driver was good. Safety is of prime importance, and though I saw no crashed vehicles as is often the case, we zoomed over Donner Summit, with views of Castle Peak and all.
The Truckee River Canyon made for a beautiful sight, and I captured it all nicely. Coming then into Reno, I let my camera run as the lights were green, and we pulled into the 5th Street bus stop.
I walked over to the 4th Street RTC Terminal, and got a 24 hour bus pass for 3.75. Taking the 3CL bus, I meant to have my shorts repaired and to do some shopping. On getting to Sharlands Avenue, I saw the sidewalks were icy, but I had to hurry. I knew the times for the return bus, which gave me about 25 minutes to do everything. I took Mae Anne Avenue over to Woodland Avenue, then as I came to the outlet, found that I had forgotten to pack my shorts. Embarrassing. I picked up some EW bottoms and a hat, charging up about $82.
Hurrying back to the bus stop to catch the 4 bus, I had to worry a bit that the snow closure schedule had come into effect, but the bus came by, and shortly, I was back Downtown. Checking into my hotel, they weren’t very busy. I did some night shots from my window, as it was a nice feeling to be able to enjoy the warm room and relatively deluxe accommodations.
Going for dinner, I had a steak and lobster special, then used a coupon to play cards for a bit. Back in my room, I dozed off early, then awoke to surf on my laptop. I had in-room coffee, then went for diet soda from the mini store a couple times. Breakfast was steak and eggs, with more diet soda. Going back to my room, the high for the day was to be 20 degrees. I had no hiking in mind, so surfed, and then captured the dawn. Bus routes didn’t enable me to hike any good trails without a taxi, and foot travel is poor to get to say, Huffaker Hills trailhead. I didn’t check for any transit ops further than the local RTC.
Relaxing in my room, it finally was time for check-out, and I gambled at 21, winning a few dollars. Going over to the RTC terminal, I boarded the 1 bus to walk to the Washoe County Library. Enjoying reading newspapers and magazines, I took my time, then I had to get food and over to the bus pick-up. By the Truckee Riverwalk, there was a newer spot to try, where I had soup, mushrooms, and sushi. I left a fair tip, as usual, then did some camera work with the birds by the river.
Heading north, I timed it well to catch my ride home. Security at a casino advised me about my jacket hood, and I used the restroom for one final time. The bus came by a bit late, but we all got onboard, with many that weren’t used to the cold outside. I was toasty in my winter gear, stating to some that in the 1970’s, I had paid probably less for my still good parka, than for a cheap sweatshirt that was all that some had. We zoomed westbound on Interstate 80, with Castle Peak in alpenglow.
Caught in some traffic as we came to town, I had been dozing some, and was pleased to wake up to see that we were close to the destination. The pleasant driver had spoken to us by the speakers onboard, and I debarked at the light rail station to get on board the train with little waiting. Home then by about 7 p.m., I had hiked 4 miles, with maybe 100 feet of gain, and done the 280 miles round trip without driving my car. Capturing 292 images and movie clips, I spent about $99 cash, with 19.25 as the total bus fares, and 43 for lodging.
In my hotel room, I had looked online for more travel ops, with a week trip to Los Angeles and San Diego a possibility. Weather would be good for next week, and urban hikes with bus travel seems to be the way to go. I can try Amtrak from San Diego to Union Station, for something new, with more fine dining with economy motels. My nose is running, though, and I might get a virus in the while, but if I can maintain my health, I’ll be good to go for more travel adventure, albeit still with no one to join me.
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