travels, she was growing weary of
the business and hoped that she
could sell the property because her
children have no interest in taking it
over. I paid the $55 (taxes included)
for my room, accepted the key and
rode over.
The room was exactly what you’d
expect at a 1940s tourist court, with
a few minor changes. All the fix-
tures were original. By that I meant
the windows, plumbing, tiles in
the bathroom, toilet and sink. The
room had been updated, but I hadn’t
seen green vinyl chair upholstery
since the 70s. Although very small,
the room was very comfortable
and quaint. There was an early 90s
television on a pedestal stand in
the room. The air conditioning was
working and the bed was comfort-
able. I was very happy.
The next morning, I was eager to
learn more about Northern Nevada.
I’d packed up early and headed east
to Elko to enjoy my third Thunder-
bird experience of the journey. This
time, the Thunderbird Motel. On the
long stretches of highway through
the desert, you can understand why
the posted speed limit is 80 mph
(130kph) — there isn’t much to see.
All most people want is to get to their
destination as quickly as possible,
TRAVERSE 84