DAY 1 -- The trip home begins...

ELKO, Nev. -- Greetings from one of maybe three 'major' towns in Nevada located along I-80, and that number includes Reno.

It's weird to think about the timeline of this trip and our first stop puts it in perspective. The last time we were in Elko was around the time of the Virginia Tech shootings. Not a happy memory to associate with a destination, but it illustrates the time has, indeed, passed. In case you were worried.

(They still have a stuffed moose on the bed here too. Again, in case you were worried.)

I picked my dad up from the Sac Town airport and we began heading East around 1 p.m. PST. Around 420 miles and six hours later, here we are in Elko. We're not hitting the casino like last time because I've learned from my previous mistake, and my dad is understandably tired from a 7 a.m. flight from Cincinnati to Sac Town which rewarded him with a trip back East (longer than his flight with far less impressive results).

The goal tonight-- sleep. We are getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to continue East. If we make it to Omaha, Neb., we deserve medals, but we are definitely shooting to hit Nebraska (Ogallala, North Platte, Kearney or Grand Island maybe). The further we get tomorrow, the less overwhelming the distance to Maumee will seem Saturday, if doable at all.

It may even make doing this trip in three days seem sane.

We're rushing home because I have two stories due for MiLB.com Sunday, my weekly installments of short-season notebooks. If we get home at any hour Saturday (or early Sunday morning), then I will be good to go Sunday to get some sleep, wake up and routinely finish the stories. If not...well. That's when life on the road gets interesting. "The ultimate inspiration is the deadline."

Also, Sunday is Mary's birthday and, while she is in Greece --presenting her final project actually on her special day-- I'd like to be in a stable location, with phone service so I can (hopefully) get a quick call in to wish her a happy one. She's soon to be traveling Europe, and I'm totally jealous. But I have Maumee to look forward to, and with it regular human contact. I'm for it.

So will we make it to Omaha tomorrow? Check back to find out...