𝗦𝗟𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗙🍩🍩𝗟: A long drive back to Reno, plus lunch at SoDo. May Trip to Reno, Part 9; May 12-13, 2014

After our visit to Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park, Yvonne and I took the long way back to Reno, heading southwest through Gabbs and Hawthorne before turning northward past Walker Lake and Fort Churchill.

At Gabbs, we stopped at a dusty bar for a beverage before a brief tour of the town which led us to the local high school, and a mural featuring its unusual but educated mascot.

From left: Way out in the middle of nowhere, within sight of Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park; Gabbs High School – Home of the Tarantulas.

A search for a dog-friendly park in Hawthorne proved fruitless; later at water-deprived Walker Lake we tried to take a lunch break at an abandoned boat ramp, but a myriad of flies ushered a swift departure. Yvonne was able to obtain a coffee at a McDonald’s in Yerington, but the dogs still needed a break. We found a place for a much needed dog walk at Buckland Station in Fort Churchill State Historic Park.

A boat ramp to a lost shore at Walker Lake, Nevada.

The next day was a family affair, visiting with Yvonne’s parents, her brother and his significant other in the morning, followed by a lunch engagement. In between I took a long walk up S. Virginia with breaks at 40 Mile Saloon for a George Dickel No. 8 on the rocks, and a duo of darn good double espresso at Bibo Coffee Company’s no fuss, no muss coffee shop on S. Sierra.

From left: Oh, brave new world…; beverage selections at Bibo Coffee Co.

We gathered at nearby SoDo for lunch. On my plate was a voluminous but disappointingly bland Baked Strata. The vinaigrette for my side salad was okay tho’.