Day 201

I went to bed really early last night. I woke up around 5 am. I figured I’d get a head start on getting my stuff ready. I jumped in the shower and stayed so in long that the fire alarm went off. I reached out and turned the bathroom vent on and stayed in the hot water. I knew it would be a long time before my next shower. 

After getting ready, I grabbed breakfast before checking out. Then got a move on it. I rolled through the town of Ely. Neat town. Richard Nixon’s wife was born there. They also filmed the climatic train scene in the movie “Rat Race” there. You would know that too if you read the Wikipedia. 

I passed by some neat stuff. You could tell it was a mining town. I needed to get some tent stakes and some camp stove fuel before leaving town. I tried a few places but nothing had either. I walked into a gas station to ask the clerk if she knew where I could go to get them. She told me and then she also mentioned that she has lost two siblings to addiction and was thankful for what I’m doing. 
I went to the store she told me about and they had it all. I grabbed what I needed and headed for the hills. Literally. The first 20 miles of the day were all uphill. That was my goal today. To make it to the top and then walk downhill until the sun got low. 
Leaving town, I had a nice sized shoulder and traffic was actually being nice to me. I had to pinch myself. The hill was long and gradual. Not steep. So it wasn’t that hard. I did have a 4 days supply of food and water to make things heavier but it wasn’t bothering me. I was feeling great!
I looked over and saw what looked like a closed off mine. I grabbed my binoculars and sure enough, it was an old mine that had been sealed shut with a cage that was welded together on the spot. I walked down and up and through trees and rocks to get to it. You know me.. 

I got up there and it was impossible to enter. Thank goodness because I would’ve gone in if there was a way. Even though the sign posted on it said, “stay out stay alive”. 

Right when I got back to my cart, a woman passed by in a prius and swung back around to say hey. she was awesome and gave me a sticker that said “try not to be a dick”. Perfect!!! I wish I had one big enough for all the cars to see as they approach me. She was cool as hell. The only person who stopped all day… 
Way later, I realized that I was making great time. I was near the top of the mountain and had plenty of daylight left. I couple of cyclists passed by. Then a few more, and more and more! There was some kind of bike race going on. Some of them were so into it that they only saw me as an obstacle instead of a person. Most of them were nice though. One woman even stopped to talk and take a picture. After all of the bikes passed, then was a wave of support vehicles. Then the clean up crew. Interesting. 
 I made it to the top of Robinson Pass, which is my mother’s maiden name. So that was cool. I made great time. I still had a good 2 hours or so left of daylight. The views all day were spectacular. The other side of the mountain didn’t disappoint either. I walked and walked down the other side while taking in the scenery.  As the sun got low, I started to look for places to set up my tent.
This presented a problem actually, as there was lots and lots of dry and pointy desert vegetation out. The only flat and clear spots had huge fireant hills. I went on and on until it was getting to the point of desperation. I scavenged around and found a spot that I could make work. 
There is a saying that goes, “good camp sites are found, not made”. I usually hold true to that. But this time I had to move a few things around to make my tent fit. I guess I could’ve just cowboy camped and nit use a tent but rain looks very possible tonight. Plus, my tent allows me to build up some heat overnight. 
I did all that and ate. It was dark by the time I finished cooking. I had to eat with my headlamp on. Before laying down, I got my phone out and tried this new app I downloaded. It’s to see which stars and planets are out there. It even shows me where satellites are moving around in the sky. Perfect app for Nevada. There were a lot of clouds out tonight but I still had fun with it. 
In 20 minutes it will be my birthday in Eastern time. I still have 3 hours and 20 minutes here in Pacific time. No way I’ll make it. Hoping to have a good day tomorrow too. Today was great!