(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Looking for Love in America. Part 3: Oregon and Nevada. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-06-05 [Part 1, Part II] Route 101 in late December is drivable even if you have a RWD Mustang without snow chains; but the further north, the more difficult driving conditions became. I was happy to rejoin the coast at Eureka, then passed through Arcata, the Redwood National State Park (impressive), Clamath, and Crescent City, ending up in Reedsport where I found a motel for the night. At a nearby bar, I got friendly with one of the locals and asked him what the local girls were like. “Oh, Reedsport is full of divorced man-hating women.” This, then, was to be the end of my journey north. With Christmas fast approaching, Seattle seemed a city too far. I’d head back to San Francisco for the holiday. Just before Crescent City I found an Australian hitchhiker, Scott. He persuaded me to take a side trip before returning to the Bay, so I turned inland, motoring through Grants Pass and Eagle Point, then Shady Cove, where I stopped to refuel. As we pulled into the service station, the local fire brigade roared past in their bright red engine, fire crew dressed as Santas, wildly ringing the bell. What fun! I asked the man at the till, “Is this place called Shady Cove because of all the trees?” He laughed, and said, “No. It’s probably all the shady deals that go down!” I carried on through McLeod, Prospect, and Union Creek. Deep snow carpeted the spectacular landscape. I’ve been to many parts of the world with great natural beauty, but for outright magnificence it’s hard to beat Oregon. I was trying for Crater Lake—I thought it would be cool to visit the location for Close Encounters Of The Third Kind. Scott was getting concerned about the snow and ice! At Union Creek I turned right onto 62, Crater Lake Highway. The road rises quickly, all twisty-turny, and soon became impossible for my car. I turned back, following 101, 20, and Route 5 into Sacramento, which at that time resembled the movie set for Gunfight At The O.K. Corral. From Sacramento, route 50 to Lake Tahoe, with the final run into Reno, which announced itself with a giant billboard: “The Biggest Little City In The World.” The following morning we made use of one of the freebie offers and breakfasted at a nearby casino. “Play $1,000,000 Keno!” a huge sign announced. Struck by culture shock, I asked what Keno was. A Keno runner came over, a very attractive young woman in a short skirt. It didn’t take her long to get me to play Keno. You pick the numbers and wait to see how many come up. Very like buying a lottery ticket, but you can choose long or short numbers to change your odds. I bet $2. And again. And again. She had great legs. Then she came back carrying a small silver tray with $400 on it, so I gave her a $50 tip. I was already beginning to like this city. That evening I won $100 on Blackjack, playing my usual Math style and besides, the shoe only had two packs. The drinks server taught me a new cocktail: the Separator. Next morning Scott and I thought we’d visit the Harrah Motor Museum. A vintage double-decker bus took us to the location. Sitting near us were two young women, and we began to chat. After going on the museum tour we met them in the evening, and the following day drove out to the silver mining ghost town, Virginia City. It was quite a place, definitely worth visiting. From the edge of town I stared down at Reno, surrounded by a fug of pollution. Soon we would move on. The girls explained that they’d come to ski at Lake Tahoe, but the season was too late, there’d been little snow when they arrived. The next day we parted company, with Scott driving most of the way back to San Francisco. I had the address of one of the girls. They were from Mexico. And as we arrived in the city by the bay, I had no idea I had met my future wife. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/6/5/2173544/-Looking-for-Love-in-America-Part-3-Oregon-and-Nevada Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/