Overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers...

Day 236
10-29-2006
Started: Silver Springs, NV
Finished: Virginia City, NV
Today's Miles: 25.6
Total Miles: 3742.4

We truly could not believe our eyes this morning after stepping out of our tent and taking our first few steps towards the town of Silver Springs. After spending a couple of hours last night hiking through the darkness, our eyes were fixated on what seemed to be a large city full of lights, and we even thought at one point that the light pollution was coming all the way from Carson City, still many miles away. However, the morning sunlight afforded us totally different views of the very small town of Silver Springs. As we got closer to town we quickly realized that the "big city" we saw in the lights last night was a combination of homes that spread out for miles and miles along US 50, and crazily enough, most of the bright lights we were seeing came from two small casinos that made up for two thirds of the businesses in Silver Springs. Your eyes will certainly play tricks on you in the dark. We couldn't resist a quick stop in one casino where we grabbed a hot breakfast, and you wouldn't believe how many people were already hitting the slots first thing in the morning. Today was an exciting day for many reasons. First, it was officially our last day of hiking on the "Loneliest Road in America", although we personally haven't found it to be lonely at all. Second, since it was our last day on US 50, that means we will be heading back into the hills and toward the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Last, but certainly not least, at the end of our day we had arranged to be picked up by our new friend and "trail angel", John Tyson, where we would be taken to he and his wife Patty's home for a homecooked meal, hot shower and warm bed. We did have a lot of miles to cover today to reach Virginia City, where John and Patty live, but the kindness and friendly people of Nevada made our miles fly right by. We actually felt like we had a bit of a social calendar for the evening because we actually had three separate invitations to dinner. While enjoying a mid-day break outside a local gas station in the small town of Stagecoach, we met a woman who recognized us from the News a few nights ago, and offered to take us home with her for the night and prepare us a hot meal. It's not often that we have prior engagements out here, but tonight we were headed to Virginia City, so we thanked our kind stranger for her invitation while explaining our plans for the night. It wasn't long after leaving Stagecoach that we were greeted by more kind folks who also recognized us from the local news. They came bearing gifts of bottled ice cold water and were very excited to meet us. They even offered us their phone number and assured us that if we needed anything at all or got into any trouble that they were willing to drive several hours to pick us up. We are truly amazed at the level of kindness that complete strangers all over this country have shown to us and are so grateful to have met such wonderful people. After posing for a few pictures and waving goodbye to our "Trail Angels" we found our turn that took us off US 50 and onto Six Mile Canyon Road that eventually led us to the very quaint town of Virginia City. We immediately enjoyed the change of scenery and the quiet windy road that meandered through the canyon. We even enjoyed a tasty energy drink that was delivered to us by yet another Nevada "Trail Angel" who wished us well on our journey. As the sun grew lower in the sky, and dinner time growing near, John Tyson showed up just in time to rescue us from the top of our climb into Virginia City. Before returning to his home for the night, John drove us into town to a local bookstore so we could purchase a map for our upcoming treck into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We enjoyed a quick tour of Virginia City on the way to John's home and when we arrived we were greeted with open arms by John's wife Patty and their two adorable dogs. John and Patty made us feel so welcome in their home and prepared the most delicious dinner that we enjoyed with two of their very dear friends. After finishing dinner and enjoying very tasty bowls of ice cream, Patty talked John into strumming his guitar while singing us a cowboy tune that he thinks should be the Nevada State Song. We felt like old friends and enjoyed wonderful conversation over a great meal. We are so happy we got the chance to meet and spend time with John and Patty and can't thank them enough for the kindness they have shown to us while in Nevada. As we lay cozied up on a comfortable bed in a warm room, we think about about all the new friends we've made in our journey across Nevada. As we continue to make our way toward California, we will not forget all of the kindness that the great people of Nevada have showered us with, and we are happy to have journeyed through such a great state full of truly great people.

Your Friends on the ADT,
Randy and Sheri
Follow our Journey at www.treckusa.com