Feeling comfortable and safe, thanks to some of America's bravest men and women....
Day 220
10-13-2006
Started: Milford, UT
Finished: Wah Wah Valley, UT
Today's Miles: 17.5
Total Miles: 3302.0
Today was definitely a well deserved short day compared the big miles we put in yesterday. We both very much enjoyed sleeping in until our bodies naturally woke up this morning and were in no hurry to start walking. We had a small list of town chores we needed to accomplish before heading out into the desert for a few days that included a trip to the laundromat to clean our very smelly clothes, a stop at the grocery store to resupply our food bag for a few days and a stop at the library to utilize internet access. We have been so delighted to see in travels across Utah that the world can and still does exist without cell phones. We have not seen a cell tower since leaving Moab, UT almost two weeks ago and are very happy to see that life still goes on without cell phones. However, it does mean that we have not been able to upload any of our journals recently, so we decided to utilize the library in Milford today to send out an e-mail letting everyone know we are doing just fine. By the time we finished running around town it was well after lunchtime so we decided to grab a bite to eat at the only diner in town. As we made our way down Main Street we couldn't help but notice a few figures off in the distance running from street corner to street corner with what looked to be rifles in their hands. At first we thought it was probably some local kids playing some kind of cops and robbers game until we got a little closer and noticed men in camafouge uniforms lying on the ground at every street corner and stategically placed on the sidewalks all the way down the steet, guns in hand, ready for some kind of battle. We quiclky learned that the Utah National Guard was running a training session on the streets of Milford and we were walking right through their training ground. Of course we had to take pictures as we walked by, it's not every day that you are surrounded by the National Guard fully armed and ready to do battle. Fortunately, as we did walk past them, they reassured us that we definitely should have been feeling safe, not threatened. We said, "Thank You!" to the yound men we passed, and we hope that they know how thankful we truly are! It's because of the brave young men and women that defend the rights and freedoms of this country that two hikers can feel comfortable and safe walking freely from one side of the country to the other. We enjoyed a couple of tasty bean burritos before leaving the little town of Milford and eventually, late in the afternoon, made our way towards the Wah Wah Desert. The landscape has definitely taken another drastic turn and we now find ourselves back out in the dry desert. There is no sign of any civilization as far as our eyes can see, and we don't plan on seeing any for the next few days. We don't expect to see many other humans over the next couple of days and even joked on our way out of town that its a good thing we enjoy each other's company so much, because we are not expecting much other human interaction over the next couple of weeks. We found ourselves a great place to pitch our tent for the night and have an amazing view of the stary sky. The air is cold and brisk and we are cuddled up inside of our sleeping bags hoping to wake to a dry morning. The weather forecast is calling for thunderstorms tomorrow and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we won't get too cold and wet. For now though, we are off to sleep for the night and looking forward to whatever Utah has to offer us tomorrow. Rain or shine, we will have smiles on our faces as we continue to make westward progress enjoying every second we have to spend in the great outdoors!
Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
Follow our Journey at www.treckusa.com
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