h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The next morning, bright and early, Glinda Seng dropped Scribbles and me off at Alameda County Truck Stop in Oakland. When we got there, a man in an 18-wheeler got out and introduced himself as Roger Miller, the truck driver who would take us to Reno.

"Are you any relation to the songwriter Roger Miller?" I asked after Scribbles and I were in the cab with our seat belts fastened. The truck pulled out into traffic and we began our journey.

"Don't I wish! I blame my mother for the name. She named all her kids after famous people, hoping people would assume they were as talented as their namesakes."

"Something tells me her plans didn't work out."

"Well, that's relative. Thanks to my name, I have job security as long as I want to drive for King of the Road Trucking Company. My brother Arthur is a bandleader, and my brother Glenn writes plays. I don't suppose you've heard of them?"

"Can't say that I have."

"So I'm the big success story in my family. But until today I've never gotten paid to pick up hitchhikers." He nodded to Scribbles and me.

I turned to Scribbles. "You never told me we were supposed to be hitchhiking."

"It slipped my mind," Scribbles said. "I didn't realize until today that our trip to Reno might be affected by snow in the higher elevations, and we might need to cancel the trip to Denver tomorrow. But our readers will love it that we had unforeseen changes to make! They can relate to that."

"You don't need to worry about getting to Reno," Roger said. "We can take I-80, which is fairly safe and well-maintained, even in the snow. But it's kind of a boring trip. You won't see Lake Tahoe, for example."

"I spent five days watching the Atlantic Ocean," I said. "After that, Tahoe's small potatoes."

"That's good," said Roger with a nod. "You've been most of the way around the world. Why get messed up now, when you're back in your own country?"

"I'll probably get all the excitement I can stand when I see Reno."

Roger and Scribbles shook their heads sadly at this.

"Let me have my illusions," I said.

As it turned out, there was plenty do in Reno, what with a planetarium, a zoo, an art museum, an automobile museum, numerous parks, and a fun train.

"Sure you don't want to bet some money in one of the casinos?" Scribbles asked.

"I'm a rambler, not a gambler," I said with my best drawl.

Don't worry about the snow. The snow ploughs were all ready to go when we were in that area a couple of weeks ago.

Everything was okay there, but Denver would have been iffier.

I have tomorrow's raft ride down the Mississippi to Saint Louis ready.

Then the following day it's off to New Orleans for a ride on a paddle-wheeler and some cajun food....

Harrah's Car Collection was where I first fell in love with 1930's luxury cars when I was in 3rd grade.

"I'm a rambler, not a gambler,"

Snow is so rare in the UK, if we get it, it does not last, if you blink you will miss it love.

I love sightseeing but I know find the walking so tiring. My favourite places to visit are museums, planetariums/observatories, historical places of interest and nature reserves.

I meant to write Snow is so rare in the UK, if we get it, it does not last, if you blink you will miss it. I love the frost but it stays long and the frostiest day we had, the frost was around until the early afternoon.