Hello Everyone,

Well, I made it to Carson City and I am laying on my king size bed at the Carson Station Hotel Casino. It’s not my comfy tent, sleeping bag and pad, but it will do. Actually, I wish I had not stayed here tonight because I am liking it. Air conditioning, hot shower, food downstairs that’s not freeze dried, and I got to watch the Sunday Night Football game. The casino looks like fun too, but I won’t go there.

I ended up here today because I am still going a little slower because of my feet. I had hoped to be through Carson City by afternoon. I was nearing the downtown area around 4:30, which getting to be too late to make it through town and hopefully find a camp spot. So I decided to stay in town for the night. After sleeping in the tent in such unusual places I really don’t care if I stayed in cheap motel since it was just a place to sleep. Mindee Googled the area and found this hotel. It’s actually really nice (spoiling me) and only five dollars more than the beautiful Motel 6.

I started the day feeling good this morning. I was a little unsettled last night because of the spot that I picked with no privacy and so close to the road. As it turned out,
last night was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve had on the trek. The temperature dropped quickly last night as the sun set and it was about 41 degrees in the morning. I sleep so much better when it’s cold since I have such a warm down bag, though I hate getting out of it on cold mornings.

I walked about two miles And crossed the Carson River, which is an undeveloped area and had many spots where I could have camped. It was warm and in the high eighties to low nineties. Most of the trek today was fairly level with a few very steep uphills. I was fortunate enough to find several little stores and made it a point to stock up on drinks and take more breaks. I also stopped at a Port of Subs and ordered a foot long sub and found it hard to finish. I get hungry throughout the day but find myself eating less because I get full so quickly. Overall I lost almost fifteen pounds on my last trek and I can tell I am loosing more now but want to keep it on so to keep my energy level up. I still have a craving for fruit and vegetables and they seem the hardest things to find on the road. Today, I was fortunate to find several apple trees that were planted along the state highway. They were loaded with apples and were a great little snack. I just had to watch my bites because they had some worms inside. They were obviously organic.

After I got the room I found out there were no laundry facilities or services here. I had hope to wash the few clothes that I have, as they were looking a little dirty. Actually a lot dirty. Yesterday I was sitting with my back to a couple of men at the restaurant that were asking me about the trek. I told him it had been a while since I took a bath, and he said, “you don’t smell bad, but then again, I have a bad nose and can’t smell anything. Do you use deodorant?” Of course, I said. After that I found myself standing away from people at the counters and check stands.

The nearest coin laundry was about a half mile away from the hotel and I surely didn’t want to walk anymore, so I decided to wash them in the bathtub and sink. I reminded me of the movie Planes, Trains, and Automobles, with Steve Martin and John Candy. Steve Martin started to wash his face in the sink and found John Candy’s underwear in the sink. Anyway, I used the shampoo and hand soap, like the of days, and was shocked how black/brown the water turned. I could blame the black clothes, but I think it was dirt. I hung the clothes on the deck and I am sure the hotel loves it. I had to scrub the tub out before I took my bath, but I think the ring was bigger and blacker after I took my tub bath. I feel sorry for the poor cleaning maid tomorrow.

Anyway, I am really enjoying my stay here and don’t want to get too comfortable. If I do get a chance further in the trek to take a day off from walking, I will do so because I know it’s important to rest.

I was never able to fix the handle on the Wheelie since it is stuck in a position that is not all the way down. I am not able to screw in the handle and hopefully it won’t come off. Today the strap that connects the waist belt to the right handle also broke and luckily I was able to repair it with another type of strap. Last time the other side broke, and it took over a week to get a replacement from Holland where it is made.

Tomorrow I’ll start to Reno and I should be able to find some open country to camp tomorrow night in between. I should make Reno by Tuesday and I’ll take Wednesday to resupply all my food and other items.

Hopefully I’ll update my blog tomorrow. Please keep sending me your positive thoughts, and prayers. You can send me emails too but please no photos or attachments as I usually don’t have the power to download them. Please excuse the typos, grammar, and spelling, etc.

Ted