"The Way West"...Day 63...Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Well...not every day of this trip is "well-planned". First off, I sleep in much later than usual...it's after 9:00AM when I finally get up.
I'm hungry this morning, so I decide to cook a full breakfast. I bought a few of those great "Hatch" green chiles in Carlsbad, so I dice two of those and saute them in a little butter...add two beaten eggs...a little cheese. Then I unveil my "secret weapon" to convert a "regular" breakfast into a "gourmet" breakfast...Spam! I've also got coffee, orange juice and milk to wash it all down.
By the time I finish breakfast and clean up, it's after noon. I head out of the main entrance of the Park and head north a miles or so to a hiking trail head. It's planned to be a short hike, but it turns out to be even shorter than expected. It's an easy trail, but after my late start, I'm hiking in the sun...at high noon. It's pretty brutal and, after two miles or so, I've had it. Heading back, I stop at a restored "frontier home" built in the late 1800's...there are trees there...and shade. So...I lay down under the trees for a while to rest...out of the sun's glare.
Now rested, I head back to the Visitor's Center. They've got some interesting exhibits there, so I kill an hour checking things out.
Back at camp, I pull my picnic table closer to the trees...a little shade. I listen to music, read. And, then, it's 4:00PM "cocktail hour" once again. After seeking out another fallen prickly pear, I pour myself another ice-cold margarita on the rocks...very refreshing after a day in the hot sun.
Like clockwork, another rain shower comes around 5:00PM...with the resulting drop in temperature from the 90's down into the 70's.
For dinner, I slice up some strips of pork and stir-fry those with some Chinese garlic and chili sauce. I mix up some Indome Indonesian noodles...mix everything together, and enjoy a spicy (and hearty) meal. All good meals demand wine, so I've iced down a bottle of Oregon Pinot Gris to go with my pork. I've even got some Safeway chocolate cake for dessert.
After dinner, the sky clears at nightfall. Out here, dfar from the "glare" of civilization, the night sky is crystal clear...it's like you can see every star out there. I listen to some music (piano works by Claude Debussy) and finish my wine while watching the stars. Save for me, the campground is deserted.
It's just me, the stars...and the wine.