Daily
Log 11.29.96 - Milepost 75,986
Willcox, Arizona
Our official entry into the West took place
when we crossed the continental divide in New
Mexico. The landscape is flat and dry, but it
was snowing. We made a nostalgic pilgrimage to
the Chiricahua Mountains in southeastern Arizona,
where Mark had served as a fire lookout in 1976.
When we arrived, Louis Pope, who was the helitack
foreman back then, told us that the lookout on
Silver Peak had burned down in 1993. We found
Thanksgiving dinner at a truck stop here in Willcox,
and today we're Las Vegas bound.
Daily
Log 11.30.96 - Milepost 76,535
Las Vegas, Nevada
We crossed Arizona diagonally yesterday and
arrived in Las Vegas after dark, which means in
broad neon "daylight!" As we pulled
into the Union 76 truck stop on Blue Diamond Boulevard,
we were greeted by a trucker named Doug. He was
carrying a large box of cherry danishes he'd gotten
from another trucker who needed to get rid of
them. He gave us several, and came back later
with bagels from the same source. Today we cruised
the Strip before anyone else was up and enjoyed
a $1.25 breakfast special at the Silver Nugget
in North Las Vegas.
Daily
Log 12.1.96 - Milepost 76,535
Las Vegas, Nevada
We cruised the Las Vegas Strip, marveling
especially at the newest wonder of architectural
wizardry, a mega-hotel & casino called New
York, New York. It's got everything from the Statue
of Liberty and the Empire State Building to a
Coney Island roller coaster and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Daily
Log 12.2.96 - Milepost 76,535
Las Vegas, Nevada
We spent a quiet day in Las Vegas yesterday,
and earned enough money from a one-armed bandit
to do our laundry. Today we're headed toward northern
California. Our destination is Arcata, but it
will probably take us two days to get there.
Daily
Log 12.3.96 - Milepost 77,188
Maxwell, California
We took a nap at a truck stop just north of Bakerfield
last night, and hit the road again at 2 a.m. We
hit some of that infamous tule fog around Fresno,
and now we're nearing Redding, where we'll turn
off to head for the coast.
Daily
Log 12.4.96 - Milepost 77,433
Arcata, California Highway 299 runs from Redding
to Arcata through the Trinity Alps. It was a beautiful
drive through the clouds, and we emerged on the
coast in mid afternoon. Today we'll be visiting
Eureka.
Daily
Log 12.5.96 - Milepost 77,470
Trinidad, California
We've paused on the edge of the Pacific to
enjoy Trinidad in a rainstorm. Today we'll be
admiring the redwoods from indoors as we catch
up on correspondence.
