July 29th Talent, Oregon

Yesterday I penned a long tale regaling the adventures I had getting from Lassen to my home for the evening, Beaver Creek. When I finished my job I pushed save, knowing I had no reception and I'd have to publish it today. Somehow, probably operator error, my post disappeared into cyberspace and it is no where to be found. Frustrating! And it was a good one too. Grrrr. Needless to say I won't try to reconstruct it again.

Having said that I will commence with today's activities and say I slept like a baby last night and woke up around 6:30, quickly packed and drove off into the sunrise. My choices were to return to the highway from whence I came or to continue on the forest service road and see if the map was right and it would indeed take me back to highway 5 by the adventurous route. Eighteen miles via dirt/gravel road seemed fine to me but when I got to where I thought the road should be coming near the end, a sign said the road ended and it forked at that point with private property signs on both forks. What the heck? No matter how many times I looked at the map, even upside down, it still seemed like it should work but finally I gave in and started back. Not too many minutes later I saw a guy coming the other way in a cloud of dust and I asked him about the road. Yes he agreed it looked confusing but my way was correct and I could follow him out! Yea! So I spent the next ten minutes following a billowing cloud of dust till we passed into farm land and I could see the highway in the distance. I gave him a hardy thanks and away I went. Relieved for sure.

Pretty soon I got to the Mt Ashland exit and I pulled off to see about getting some food. Callahan's, famous with hikers, was right there and I went in to eat. After I sat down a tall hiker bounced over and what do you know but there was Stride. I hadn't seen her since Big Bear and here she is, ready to "crush some miles". She only has five weeks to get to Canada before she has to get back to work so it'll require 25 mile days from here on out. She's big and strong, not to mention young, so she can make it I'm sure.

Stride has been hiking with a section hiker named Blue Yonder who is finishing up at the end of today so I gave her a ride back to the trailhead before I got back on the road to Ashland. A couple of garage sales and outfitter stores later I now find myself at a burger place in Talent killing time till I go to my cousins house at 2pm.

I'll include the photos of Blue Yonder here as well as yesterday's images from Lassen.