I set my alarm for 5:00am. I had awakened a couple times during the night and stared up at the stars. Why have I been sleeping in a tent? I mean I like my tent, but it has been perfectly clear for 29 days in a row. I could have been watching the progression of the night sky. Note to self: sleep out under the stars whenever possible.
At 5:00am my watch woke me. The sun had not began to light the eastern sky. The moon had set. Not a breath of wind. It was actually somewhat warm or at least not cold. The stars were brilliant. I knew to look east. Sure enough there they were, the four planets still forming a perfect line, although unlike three weeks ago when the order was Jupiter, Venus, Mars, then Saturn, Venus had moved closer to the sun to create the order Venus, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn. I had seen Venus and Jupiter nearly on top of each other a week or two ago. Now they had changed places and were nicely spaced out again. This is the advantage and joy of sleeping out instead of in a building (and in the desert where clouds don’t obstruct the view).
I didn’t move too fast. No need to. I ate a bag of granola and packed my pack as the sun began to faintly light the eastern horizon. Shoes on, pack packed and I was on my feet. I needed my headlamp to see where I was going as I located the trail, but only for the first five minutes. After that the light from the east illuminated the landscape sufficiently for me to switch off my headlamp.
The trail stayed close to the edge of the mesa for quite some time affording a view out across the desert landscape. Occasionally, I could see the lights of Cuba winking in the distance between the junipers.
I had 11.4 miles to cover to get to Cuba, the first 7 on trail and dirt roads, the last four on paved highway. After a mile I passed Lee and Sue standing in their campsite. They were nearly done packing and I knew they would soon be behind me. Except for a stop to remove my fleece and grab a bar to eat I moved non-stop to the highway. There I stopped and sat on the shoulder of the road to remove my shoes and socks and shake the sand and dust from my socks and wipe my feet clean. My shoes are worn out and have developed cracks and holes in the upper material that allows sand and dust in. I thought I would enjoy walking the highway more if my feet were clean, knowing they wouldn’t get dirty again on a paved road.
As I finished cleaning my feet and lacing up my shoes Lee and Sue came into view. We ended up walking the highway together, sharing stories about our respective homes and lives.
The first building in town was the Cuban Lodge where I had made a reservation yesterday. We rang the bell and Flora appeared in her pajamas and nightgown and assigned us rooms. Mine was 102. It was about 9:45am.
The Cuban Lodge was built in the late 50’s or early 60’a and is little changed except for the wear and tear of 60 years. Pretty pathetic. At $70 a night it is overpriced for the condition of the building and rooms, but it was clean.
Just a slight step up from a tent, at least it fended off the wind.
My room with my gear laid out
I parked my pack in my room and strode the 1/4 mile down to the Post Office and retrieved my four packages. I checked out the laundromat on the opposite side of the four lane highway on the way back.
And so began a Nero today. I did my laundry, completely emptied my pack, took a long, long shower, shopped at the Dollar General next door to the hotel and greeted old friends as they hiked into town.
Kingo arranged for a group of us to eat out at a place at the other end of town at 7:00pm, about 1.25 miles away. I was looking forward to it as Legs, Grit, Kingo and Peppermint would be there and it would be the last time I would see them for a while, if not the whole summer as they would get hopelessly ahead of me during my two week hiatus from the trail. But, as I stepped out my door at 6:50pm to walk to dinner I ran into “I’m French”, the new trail name for Jean Bruno. He had reserved a room for tonight but Flora was not to be found. He had just gotten off the trail and was standing outside the office with no where to go. I took off down the street to dinner. About 100 yards later I realized he really needed a shower and a place to get off his feet. I called him and told him I was returning to let him in my room to shower and clean up. I got him set up with a towel and shampoo, then asked if wanted to come eat after he cleaned up. He said no, so I left again for dinner. Now I would be late, like 40 minutes late. As I walked down the highway for 15 minutes I realized it was too far and too late. After I finished dinner I would have to walk back in the dark. I sent a text that I couldn’t make it and returned to my room. I’m French had finished his shower and was still trying to get his own room. Finally, he got a room at the hotel down the street, giving up on his potential room here.
When I got to my room this morning I was footsore, dirty and tired. The walk to the Post Office seemed like a long one as did the one to the laundry. But, by the evening I felt quite good, good enough to hit the trail in the morning. But, my plans lie elsewhere. A total zero day tomorrow and then a bus, train and plane ride home to Toledo on Monday. I’ll miss the friends I’ve made, but I am really looking forward to spending a couple weeks with Sally in Yosemite. The Rocky Mountain snows will melt while I’m away, making for quicker hiking when I return. Life is good!
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