Hello Everyone,

Well, I got started back up on my trek today and had a fairly good day overall. I am camped off of Old 395, known as North Virginia Street.

I started my day a little apprehensive since I was getting very comfortable with all the conveniences of a house again. I was a little nervous too about my new shoes and how my feet would feel. As it turned out the new shoes have been great! I did not feel any pain from the blisters on my little toes. I still have the pain from the plantar fasciitis in my left foot, but it feels great to only have that pain and not the pain from the blusters too. The Merrell shoes are more of a hiking shoe with a hard Vibram sole, so it is a little less cushy than my running shoes. Today there were many stretches that had no asphalt shoulder and I had to completely walk on the gravel and dirt, and the new shoes were perfect for that type of walking.

I also started my morning a little late again because I was double checking everything, and of course saying my good byes to my great hosts. I liked Reno but have been anxious to leave because I would be happy to avoid large cities, and this one has obviously been the largest that I have trekked through. I definitely got a different feeling and reaction from people here than in the country and little towns. The route I had to take, Business and Old 395, are busy main streets and there was a lot of traffic, stop lights, curbs, and no curbs, which all make for slow walking. I had to walk through downtown, and as I got near the older downtown, the sidewalks got so narrow that I could barely keep the Wheelie from fall off the curb. When someone approached from the other direction they had to literally step off the curb, and if the were parked cars there, I don’t know what we would have done. Weird that a big city would have sidewalks like that near the downtown and casino area.

Yes, I had to walk through the casino area, and I usually feel right at home in small towns or out in the country, but I felt like a tourist pulling the Wheelie past all the large casinos. It was very interesting to me too that you could sense the very obvious social changes on that short stretch from where I started to the outskirts north of town. Where I started, I sensed the normal everyday hustle and bustle of the local residence, then near the downtown casino area you sense the tourists, and on the fringes of the casino area the streets were loaded with homeless and street people, and who knows what else. And then just past the casinos, you go right through the beautiful University of Nevada Reno, and you see all the young college students.

Once I passed the casinos and entered UNR, the road started uphill and it continued uphill for the next six miles. I actually had an overall elevation gain of about 1,200′ until about a mile before I stopped here. I trekked a total of 13.8 miles today.

Again, my most worrisome time of day is late afternoon when I start looking for a camp site. I was after 4:30, which was late for me, and I wasn’t sure what to expect as far as open or residential area since I was still close to Reno. Old 395 here is dotted with commercial and industrial businesses, pockets of residences, and some open areas. When I walked by this spot I couldn’t tell what it was because there is an eight foot berm around the entire area. It looks to be a future commercial development. The camp site is about 300 yards from the road and is totally private because the berm. The wind was blowing so hard that a large flag straight out, but I set the tent up behind a small hill that should block most of the wind.

The temperature was in the high eighties all day and will cool down into the forties tonight. It seems that everyday has been hot on this trek and the previous trek. I started in April thinking it would be cooler and the temperatures were in the eighties to high nineties most of those 24 days. Now I am experiencing the same warm weather. I actually have gotten somewhat use to trekking in hot weather, but I do feel it on those long uphills. I’d better be careful for what I wish because the cold or rain could set in at anytime.

I am about 9-10 miles from the California border and hopefully will update my blog from California tomorrow. I hope to make Susanville within the next five days. From there I may go to Aden (?), which would be a 3-4 day stretch with no water or services. The alternative would be to go towards Mt. Shasta, the town, which is suppose to be a beautiful stretch with water and services, but would add about fifty miles to the trek. I will have to decide once I get to Susanville.

Please keep sending me your positive thoughts and prayers. And please excuse the typos, grammar, spelling, etc.

Ted