Hello Everyone,

Well, here I am again laying on my sleeping pad listening to the howling wind and watching my tent bounce around, while I am trying to send you all an update on my trek today, Sunday, April 20, on Day 10.

I made 18.68 miles today, in about 7 hours and 8 minutes. That’s the longest distance so far, and I might have gone further if I knew for sure there was a better sheltered place to camp further up. Now, I realize I should have because the winds have picked up and I feel totally exposed. I am hoping it’s just the evening wind and doesn’t continue all night. If it doesn’t stop, I will have to pick the dirt out of my teeth in the morning. The winds, the winds! Yes, as soon as I set up camp the winds started. I thought too, that because I was north of Mojave, the winds wouldn’t be as bad. Wrong again. I am about one mile from Jawbone Canyon on highway 14. I am on a hill above and away from the highway. I thought it was fairly sheltered from the wind because of a large hill to the rear, but that proved wrong.

The tent will hopefully hold up since I have it staked out well. The other problem with this spot is that the ground is a fine sand, and because the tent is mostly screen almost down to the last 6-7″ from the bottom, all the sand is being blown into the tent. I zipped the front door and when I went in, everything was covered with a layer of sand. That’s torture for me since I am kind of a clean person. Ha ha! It’s pretty bad, but I’ll just have to considered it part of my adventure and shake everything out in the morning, including my hair.

Last night at the Best Western Motel was what my body and mind needed after a few hard days in what I call the outback of the Western Antelope Valley. After my downhill finish into Mojave I thought that I would have trouble with shin splints, but it is amazing how much better that half hour soak in the spa did for me. My legs felt great this morning and probably better than any morning so far. I don’t always sleep well in motel beds, but last night was great.

We walked next door to dinner, which was nice without pulling a Wheelie. We were looking out the window at the restaurant and the traffic lights outside were actually swaying in the wind. When we walked back, after placing my hands to my head and yelling, “the winds, the winds”, I took out my air speed gauge and got a 25 mph reading. I have to get over this wind thing, though it’s been one of my challenges on this trek. Including now!

Mojave has always been kind of an odd town that was founded in the late 1800s as a railroad town. It was also where the borax was brought for rail shipment from Death Valley by the twenty mule teams. Mojave actually started to grow in the 1970s because both SR 58, the only way east from the Central Valley, and SR 14 from L.A., intersect there. Then a few years ago the state built The interstate highway north of town, which basically eliminated all the business in town. Our waiter last night said the Best Western is the only place he would recommend. He said you might not find your car in the morning at the any of the other places. I guess I was fortunate to have picked it.

I wanted to stay and give my body a rest because I didn’t think I had the energy to start a long day again. As it turned out, I felt great in the morning and felt energized. It helped to have a good breakfast at the motel and not have to break down the tent and pack everything up.

I started about 9:30 and was feeling very optimistic and hoped to make at least twelve miles. I was walking by the other motel that where I had asked the owner to look at a room. I told him I would have to think about it, and of course I hadn’t seen the Best Western yet. I don’t know why I was feeling bad, but just as I was approaching the motel, I saw the owner step out onto the sidewalk to water the plants. I wanted to hide, but with my bright florescent greenish vest, and my Wheelie, it was hard to not to stand out. I just keep walking and he turned away from me as I walked by. I really don’t feel because maybe he will realize that he needs to improve the appearance and cleanliness of his motel.

My trek started out very well, but, there is that but again! I had done lots of research on what type of shoe would be the best for the type of terrain. I have good hiking boots, but they are too hard and stiff for walking on asphalt. My running shoes, that I use at home for my walks, feel great and light, but would not hold up. I decided to use the New Balance cross trainers that I use as an all around shoe. They were still in pretty good condition and I figured they would probably last through the trek. I bought a similar pair for a backup and wore them around the house and they seemed fine. As it turned out the old shoes really wore out fast on the rough terrain and I decided to use my new ones today and gave my old ones to Mindee to take home. That was a typical hiker’s mistake and I should have known better. About five miles into the trek, my feet, including my blisters, started to hurt. I felt like I was walking with a flat tire. I had to call 911 Mindee, who was almost half way home. I kept walking for a total of about seven miles until she found me. I put the old shoes back on and they felt great. Now I just hope they will last another two hundred miles or so. They may not have any soles left but so long as they feel good.

Once I put my the old shoes back on I got into a good rhythm and was doing about three miles an hour, which is pretty good with the Wheelie. When I had scouted out much of the route Before, I had thought of taking the dirt frontage road north of Mojave and also the aqueduct maintenance road. After I realized how difficult it was to pull the Wheelie with all the weight in any soft dirt, I gave up the idea. If you were hiking with a backpack it would be fine, but you would also have to carry at least two gallons of water, and at over eight pounds a gallon, and that would be a lot of weight on your back.

The rest of the trek went very well until my choice of camp spots tonight. I guess that is another but. I’ll be thinking of that motel back in Mojave if the tent keeps flapping all night long. I feel like I am in one of those old World War II movies where I am in one of those bomb shelters in London and the bombs are falling and my lamp hanging from the ceiling is swinging like crazy. Oh yeah, doesn’t the dirt also fall from the ceiling in those movies too? Right now I think I have enough dirt in my tent to plant a garden. My iPad screen right now is also covered. I will try not to stressed out about the dirt and just hope and pray the tent doesn’t blow away. What’s a little dirt anyway, I can always shake it out in the morning, I hope. Another challenge! Maybe one night when I lay down to write my blog I won’t have anything to write about? That wouldn’t be all bad.

Hope to keep you updated tomorrow.

Best to all, and please keep good thoughts, prayers, and blessings, going my way,
Ted

Next Post: Day 11