Our timing was perfect for our stop in Las Vegas. It was Emma's first day of preschool and was she ever excited to be there! We didn't have much time to visit since we were still enroute to our delivery point in northern California the next morning, but there was enough time to make a good breakfast of burritos and fresh salsa for everyone. Afterwards it was a family affair as we drove in two cars to make the short drive to the school. Check out this video I took as we drove up the driveway to drop Emma off and her happiness to be there. I hope her enthusiasm continues over the many years ahead of her.
After running a few errands in town and grabbing the mail, we were back on the road north. It is a long, deserted highway between Las Vegas and Reno and we'd been hearing about a coming snowstorm. We got up to our destination at an army depot in Herlong, California -about 50 miles north of Reno - and were the first in line to deliver Friday morning. We learned from some of the people working there that we were smart to get there when we did. The snow had moved in earlier than expected and the CHP were already closing the highways. About the time we unloaded, the sun had come up and the roads were open again. Soon after delivery, we snagged a run that picks up on Monday morning near Modesto, California. That meant a much needed weekend off and a trip over the Sierra Nevada and thru Donner's Pass to get there. We thought we were making our move early enough to avoid the worst of the storm yet to come but were we ever surprised when we started west and saw the signs warning of the chain laws in effect just ahead. So for only the second time (and same location) in our trucking career, the snow chains came out. It got pretty ugly in those high elevations and but thank God we made it thru safe and sound. As the snow changed to a heavy rain, we found a spot to park and wait for our load to pick up Monday morning. We spent our weekend getting caught up on some things like laundry and spring cleaning. The truck looks good and we're ready to roll bright and early tomorrow morning. We have a couple military loads to pick up and deliver over the next couple days and we'll end up down south in Barstow, California. At that point, we plan to be on the look out for a load that will take us back east. The rates are better there and the fuel is cheaper. In addition, the Mid-America Truck Show is in Louisville at the end of this week so we're going to do our best to get there for it. As usual, we'll wait to see how the week unfolds.