We took our time and packed everything we could think of, from books and computers and 
Snowbank near Donner summit
charger cords and vitamins and sweaters and big boots. By the time we rolled out of our driveway on Tuesday morning at 7:15, we felt pretty well prepared. Considering all of the trips we have made, it's maddening that we always forget something - usually a computer mouse or toothpaste. But this time, so far, we haven't missed anything.
Our first new knowledge is that the freeway traffic at 7:30 is even busier than at 8:30, but it is composed of either heavy trucks or commuters, so we didn't have to worry about drivers suddenly changing their minds about entering the Caldecott tunnel or running 
A winning spin
out of gas while in the fast lane. Those are features of mid-day traffic.
After stopping for breakfast at Denny's in Pleasant Hill, we sailed along past Sacramento and got to Rocklin, where grandson Dan and his wife Katie live. We delivered packages from his folks and sister, and he helped Bob rearrange the snow chains we had bought in preparation for crossing the Sierra. Dan gave us a big lesson: our tires are actually the lowest level snow tires, good enough to allow us to sail right through the safety check at Donner Pass (7,056 feet).
View of downtown Reno
We had rain aplenty from San Leandro till nearly Sacramento, and the rest of the trip was mixed rain, snow and heavy cloud cover, but we made good time and reached Reno shortly after mid-day, stopping in Verdi for lunch at Mel's and a few pulls of the slots, this time fortunate!
Reno has been polishing and repairing and tidying up the city ever since we can remember coming. Our hotel, the Plaza Resort Club, which we had picked from a website, is one example. Our room is large and comfortable, with a floor to ceiling window allowing us 
Mining decorations in hall
to look out over downtown Reno. It was spotlessly clean, with linens and an extra blanket which appear to be new. Unlike the majority of Reno hotels, it is not associated with a casino and it does not have its own restaurant, but does have beautiful antique photographs, mining gear and oaken furniture throughout for decorations. We counted four cars in the hotel's garage and haven't seen more than one other guest.
The Plaza is located in Reno's Arts District, near the Riverwalk along the Truckee 
Downtown park with whales
River. We took a little walk after checking in, and decided that we had seen traces of local artists in the murals and window decorations, as well as trees with colored lights, fanciful creatures and skateboarders in nearby City Plaza park. It was too cold for us to stay out a long time!
We finished our day with some snacks we had brought from home and some books and magazines we may read during the next two weeks. We felt we had made a good start on our winter adventure.