Although we awoke at 6am to gunshots not far from us down the valley, what a splendid morning it was otherwise. Moments like we experienced this morning will stay in my mind forever.
After a quick breakfast, we got on the road at 9:30 to make as much headway to Elko Nevada, 345 miles distance, as we could. After a brief stop at one of the Donner party camps just down the road from us, we hopped onto interstate 80 and headed east. What an absolutely spectacular drive it was. My new rule will be to take my time in breaking camp each morning on the way home, instead of rushing to get on the road, and letting Donner out for walks every two hours or so. If this delays our arrival home, so be it. So, following the rule, we took two walks for about 30 minutes each on the drive, and as usual, Donner was grateful, although the settings were not the best, for me anyway.
As we drive on, i became confident we could make Elko. Readers of Day 21 of my blog might recall that Elko was one of the options after I left Craters of the Moon, but I opted to head west and not south at the time.Although I was hopeful that we could make the South Fork recreation area just outside of Elko before dusk, I was not confident we would do it. So, my plan was to camp at the first State park I came to after 430. But when my Garmin told me I would arrive at 5:30, I decided to push on. It was a good thing because there were no state parks after about 230 until South Fork.
About an hour before we were to arrive at South Fork the newly formed dark clouds threatened rain, and it did rain. However, in looking at the 360° sky above us, it was clear that they were only squalls that were occurring in about a half dozen different places, so I knew that if it did rain it would be brief.
The last 30 miles or so of the drive reminded me of the drive to Great Basin National Park in 2016, and it brought back unwelcome memories. Those who read that blog will recall that the temperature that night was in the mid teens and I had to sleep in the Defender because of the snow and ice all over the place and it was just too darned cold to set up the tent. And the next morning the Defender would not start and had to be towed 110 miles to Ely Nevada where the mechanic there, David, got it up and running for me that night because I just happened to have a spare ignition coil with me.
The campsite we are in tonight at South Fork is absolutely spectacular. We are alone except for one tenter somewhere else in the camp, which is situated on a quiet like. For the first 30 minutes after I arrived I kept repeating to myself, Wow, But I have to admit that that's not the first time that happened on this trip.
After a quick breakfast, we got on the road at 9:30 to make as much headway to Elko Nevada, 345 miles distance, as we could. After a brief stop at one of the Donner party camps just down the road from us, we hopped onto interstate 80 and headed east. What an absolutely spectacular drive it was. My new rule will be to take my time in breaking camp each morning on the way home, instead of rushing to get on the road, and letting Donner out for walks every two hours or so. If this delays our arrival home, so be it. So, following the rule, we took two walks for about 30 minutes each on the drive, and as usual, Donner was grateful, although the settings were not the best, for me anyway.
As we drive on, i became confident we could make Elko. Readers of Day 21 of my blog might recall that Elko was one of the options after I left Craters of the Moon, but I opted to head west and not south at the time.Although I was hopeful that we could make the South Fork recreation area just outside of Elko before dusk, I was not confident we would do it. So, my plan was to camp at the first State park I came to after 430. But when my Garmin told me I would arrive at 5:30, I decided to push on. It was a good thing because there were no state parks after about 230 until South Fork.
About an hour before we were to arrive at South Fork the newly formed dark clouds threatened rain, and it did rain. However, in looking at the 360° sky above us, it was clear that they were only squalls that were occurring in about a half dozen different places, so I knew that if it did rain it would be brief.
The last 30 miles or so of the drive reminded me of the drive to Great Basin National Park in 2016, and it brought back unwelcome memories. Those who read that blog will recall that the temperature that night was in the mid teens and I had to sleep in the Defender because of the snow and ice all over the place and it was just too darned cold to set up the tent. And the next morning the Defender would not start and had to be towed 110 miles to Ely Nevada where the mechanic there, David, got it up and running for me that night because I just happened to have a spare ignition coil with me.
The campsite we are in tonight at South Fork is absolutely spectacular. We are alone except for one tenter somewhere else in the camp, which is situated on a quiet like. For the first 30 minutes after I arrived I kept repeating to myself, Wow, But I have to admit that that's not the first time that happened on this trip.
I religiously went through the motions for the evening outside chores, setting up the camp, feeding Donner, and making dinner for myself, after forfeiting dinner last night. As I sat outside in the dark with Donner, taking in the fantastic sitting we were in, I knew that this moment, and many other from this trip, would be cherished and remembered for the rest of my life. Wow. If am permitted to classify any of my days on these trips as perfect, this one would qualify.
Tomorrow, we will drive farther south to, of all places, Ely Nevada where I hope to camp at one of my favorite spots, Cave Lake. Take a look at their website to get a sense of why I consider it one of my favorite camps. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/cave-lake
Tomorrow, we will drive farther south to, of all places, Ely Nevada where I hope to camp at one of my favorite spots, Cave Lake. Take a look at their website to get a sense of why I consider it one of my favorite camps. http://parks.nv.gov/parks/cave-lake
I will try to stop by David's garage tomorrow to get the Defender's oil changed and to see if he can get my windshield wiper pump working again. It just probably needs to be primed, which I have no idea how to do, but by tomorrow night I will be an expert at that.
After camping at Cave Lake, it is my intention to make my way to Interstate 70 which starts just outside of Salina Utah, another site of the Defenders final (fourth) breakdown in in 2016. Readers of my previous blog will recall that I was stranded there for two weeks until early December and ended up shipping the Defender back home and flying home with Donner from there. another story in itself.
There is a light rain falling now, creating that sleep-inducing pitter-patter on the rain fly. It is probably a good idea to turn in and take advantage of that.
After camping at Cave Lake, it is my intention to make my way to Interstate 70 which starts just outside of Salina Utah, another site of the Defenders final (fourth) breakdown in in 2016. Readers of my previous blog will recall that I was stranded there for two weeks until early December and ended up shipping the Defender back home and flying home with Donner from there. another story in itself.
There is a light rain falling now, creating that sleep-inducing pitter-patter on the rain fly. It is probably a good idea to turn in and take advantage of that.
Oh, by the way, after I get home and receive Donner's official portrait from very capable pet- portrait artist Lynn Dykstra, I intend to invite friends over to my place for the unveiling of the portrait. When I do, I will also post it on this blog at the same time. When I have a chance, I will add a new menu item off to the right that specifies the date and time of the unveiling. If anyone thinks that I am doting over this magnificent dog I have, you would be correct. As I have written several times on my blog, I frequently wonder what is going through his mind when he experiences what he is experiencing now compared to his first four years chained in several backyards in Los Angeles. The joy I receive from knowing how I changed his life is something I never knew I could experience. I just wish that every dog and cat in a shelter could experience the same thing. For this reason, in addition to the Jayne Olderman's great dog Lakota, I am also dedicating this trip to those shelter animals, with the hope that they all can experience the same thing that Donner is.
Ed and Donner, as usual sound asleep, from our tent at the marvelous South Fork State Park in Elko, Nevada, with the rain falling lightly on our tent. I just hope it stops by morning. If not, we will deal with that.
Ed and Donner, as usual sound asleep, from our tent at the marvelous South Fork State Park in Elko, Nevada, with the rain falling lightly on our tent. I just hope it stops by morning. If not, we will deal with that.
PS, i forgot my journal in the Defender tonight, and since i have no desire to walk through the rain to get it, i went on a little longer here so this posting doubles as my journal entry, too.
One other thing, which i will write more about later. I just got my first GPS for the 2016 trip. I resisted it for years because I did not want to lose my valuable navigation skills, something I never realized I had until in the Naval Officer Candidate School, I would finish the navigation exams in minutes, while all the other officer candidates took the fall hour. Yesterday, i went through two experiences that convinced me I was right. I fear what our reliance on these fancy technologies is doing to our well-honed and innate skills. For my first road trip, to the Arctic Ocean in Alaska, i had nothing electronic with me, not even a mobile phone, and that trip was quite successful.
That light rain is now accompanied by a string wind. Oops. Time for some ear plugs tonight because wind keeps me up, and i don't have to worry about missing some uninvited intruders here in this camp because there are none. The coyotes are on the other side of the lake.
