We
sat in our chairs and enjoyed dinner. The entire trip we had incredible weather
– very little wind. As we watched the light fade, a jeep slowly moved up Hole
in the Wall Road.
Morning
was quiet and beautiful.
It
was hard to leave this place but it was time to start heading home and in the back
of our minds we were wondering about Ted. They had started out before xmas, had
to call it off after the first night because of a family emergency, and
returned home. We had heard they might hit the road again after things settled.
The
Lady was looking at the map as we headed west. “What’s Aguereberry Point?” she
asked.
“A
grand overlook high on the western edge of Death Valley.” I answered.
“We’ve
never been there,” the Lady replied.
On
our way up to Aguereberry we stopped at the Eureka Mine.
It
darn near broke our hearts. There was more snow on the Panamint Mountains then
on the Sierra Nevada at home. We drove a couple short sections of packed snow
and ice.
The
Lady headed up to the high point.
The
view was grand.
The
Lady’s cell phone rang as we passed Saline Valley Road on 190. I was surprised
it was on. It was Ted. They were planning on spending their last night in the
Alabama Hills. Where were we?
Late
afternoon found us together in the Hills. The sun was just going down – the east
side of the High Sierra is an impressive wall.
There
was a hard north wind blowing down the Owens Valley. We sought refuge in our
new camper.
“How
was the first night in your camper?” Ted asked.
The
Lady quickly answered, “Ski fell out of the camper naked.”
There
it was. The Lady has that straight to the point quality.
“The
door squeaked,” I added.
“What?”
the Teds asked in unison.
“The
door squeaked. The boys must have heard the door squeak.” I answered.
“The
boys?”
“Two
young men from Oregon pulled in at dusk and set up camp right next to us,” the
Lady explained.
“Why
in the world were they still up after midnight? I asked.
“They
were sitting around their campfire,” the Lady answered.
“Their
illegal camp………………..”
“Leave
it,” the Lady stopped me.
I
explained, “I had to pee. It wasn’t too cold, around thirty; it’s the middle of
the night. I figured I’d just pop out quickly with only my Romeos on.”
“Romeos?”
the Teds quickly asked.
“Romeos,
slip on shoes, easy to put on in a hurry. Barking Spider calls them Romeos,” I answered.
The
Lady added, “And Barking’s got all of us calling ‘em Romeos now.”
“I
had to pee. This wasn’t a take your time deal. I open the door and thought ‘Boy I
don’t remember the door squeaking like that’ and I’m hit with two flashlight
beams. Spotlighted. The boys heard the door squeak. I miss the edge of the step
and I’m down, spotlighted naked man rolling in the dirt in the middle of the
night. Great.”
The
Teds didn’t say anything.
We
switched seats around so the women folk could enjoy the heater.
Stories
lasted a while longer and it was time to turn in.
I
took a 30 second exposure in the predawn light the next morning. The winds had
diminished somewhat.
Of
course the massive front of the Sierra Nevada was the real star.
The
Lady waited for first light to hit.
And
then that magic fleeting moment arrived.
This
was a fitting end to a great trip. It had everything good we could have wished
for - great new camper, wonderful country, wonderful hikes, and wonderful
friends.
Happy
travels to all ………………….and watch those necessary quick trips outside in the
middle of the night.
Wow!! Great stories, great adventures, great pictures -- thanks for posting all five parts! And now I am going out to lube my door, after I stop laughing.
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