Day 4..."On to Reno!!"

Aug 4th - Today was going to be a good day.  I woke up in Battle Mountain, NV, easily found gas and breakfast, and was on the road for my short 4 hour drive.  Doing over 1000 miles the day before put me ahead of schedule, and I had only a few hundred miles to my next stop, which was Reno, NV.  This was so exciting for me because it would mean my first shower in over 3 days, and it also meant my first night in a bed since I left.  Driving out west non-stop was a great experience, only made gruelling by the lack of bathing and bedding. 

Dejah had used Priceline to score me an awesome room at the Peppermill, and I was really looking forward to the resort atmosphere.  2 Hot Tubs and 3 heated pools sounded like just what I needed.  My excitement was short lived when I arrived.  I was pleased to find out that I was able to check in early, but I quickly learned that my room was in the far right corner of the property, and the only available parking was in the front left.  The walk from one to the other with my luggage seemed to take forever, not made any easier by the fact that the hotel/casino layout was set up like a maze.  (They actually give you a map when you arrive so that you can find your room)  I was charged an additional $10 "resort fee" over what I had already paid Priceline, which I had no choice but to pay at that point in time, since the rest of my reservation was third party and therefore non refundable.  The property, rooms and amenities were beautiful, but the service was mediocre and there was a lack of "welcome feeling".  Overall the Peppermill was a nice play to stay, although a little inconvenient and definitely not conducive to the business traveller. 

I did find "Hot August Nights" in the parking lot when I arrived, and although I had no idea of the magnitude at the time, I could tell I was in to see some pretty awesome cars at this show.  I spent the rest of the day walking around, being thankful for the break and being able to stretch my legs.  I ate dinner at Denny's, ordering my favorite "Grand Slam Breakfast", and felt a lot better about the trip than I had for awhile.  The long drive was over, the following day I would finally have my first home party, and I had a large king sized bed with an unlimited supply of shower water waiting for me when I got back to the hotel room.  

I spent the rest of the evening walking around the hotel and casino, stretching my legs, happy to have plenty of room to roam yet nowhere to really go.  While pacing a track around the slot machines, I got a text from a friend of a friend who said that I would have a free place to stay for 2 nights when I was in Portland.  It was good to know I would have a place to stay, and there would be a minimal drain on the travel funds for the some of the time I would be spending in the Pacific Northwest. When my legs couldn't walk anymore, I was happy to see it was only 9:15 and I still had a little time for the hot tub again.  Soaked for 30 minutes, headed back to the room and I hit the sack early to prepare for the long day ahead.  Promo pictures around Reno in the morning, a short drive to Orangevale, CA, and then finally...Paige's Home Party!  My first one of the tour after 5 days of travel.  I was excited at the prospect of meeting our west coast fans for the first time, and couldn't wait to get there.  Even though I was literally exhausted and the king size bed was extremely comfortable, it wasn't easy to fall asleep.  Eventually, I drifted off thinking about all of the picture locations I had scoped out while I walked around, wondering if any of the guys at the car show would let me take a few shots of our product with their cars. 

When day 4 was all said and done...Lindenhurst, NY to Reno, NV....70 hours...2894.7 miles covered so far.