9-21-06
Start: Hwy 50, MP 44, NV
Destination: Hwy 50, MP 22, NV
Elevation: 6770 ft.
Miles: 22.0
Weather: Warm, cool, warm, cool... but consistently windy.
We woke up to no frost, and no frozen water, so we were very happy about that. It was warmer today than it was yesterday, too. Yesterday morning, the thought actually went through my head, "We are not prepared for this weather - maybe we should hitch a ride back into town." But then I remembered - Dolly Sods. We made it through that, so we can make it through this. We had all 3 layers of our clothes on, and we were still really cold. But later in the day, it warmed up enough to handle it. Today we had the same wind in our faces, and it was hard to walk against. But at least it was a little warmer!
The highlight of our day - we're walking along, and a white car pulls over. It's Phil Helgeson from Phillips - I went to high school with him! He is actually living in Ely, now. A few days ago when the NHP Officer pulled over to talk to us, we mentioned Phillips, and he said he knew Phil - so he passed the word onto him about what we were doing. So anyway, Phil was on his way to Eureka for work, and he saw us walking. He pulled over and offered to grab us dinner in Eureka and drop it off and his way back home! How freakin' cool is that!? So sure enough, on his way back, he pulled over with bacon cheeseburgers, potato chips, Pepsis, and even offered to take our garbage! What a sweetie! And how cool to run into someone from home... :)
Phil says "hi" to all his friends and family back in Phillips! And thanks, Phil, for the AWESOME trail magic! The burgers really hit the spot!
We got to see some fun critters today. I believe we saw a young elk. I really wish I knew for sure. She seemed a lot darker than the mule deer we've seen. She was almost gray in color with a dark stripe down her back. We saw a fox, too. He was running away through the sagebrush, stopping every so often to see where we were. We saw tons of these little chipmunks. They are so cute! They make a really high-pitched squeak, so they're easy to find. And when they run, their tails stick straight up in the air. Jackrabbits, too - and they're still funny for some reason.
So on we go towards Eureka - 1-1/2 days away. Then Austin, then Fallon, then Carson City, then California, then San Fran, then - the ocean!
Onward, westward!
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