Mileage: 30.5 miles (1485.8-1516.3)
**I BROKE 1,500 MILES**
Pronghorns greeted me when I got out of my tent, their outlines on the ridge silhouetted against the rising sun. Up the road there was a herd of them, one struggled behind, I think injured but she still managed a few quick hops. Sunrise was magnificent as a the golden rays shot through the wispy morning clouds.
It rained last night and the clouds still hadn't burned off, though I imagined it wouldn't be long before the soft and cool morning light warmed to become scorching midday sun. The pronghorns (or "speed goats" as locals say) continued running across, around, and up and down the hills as I made my way north towards Rawlins.
The road was trending downwards but there were quite a few rolls along the way. As I got closer to town the dirt county road became paved and I saw more and more cars. By midday the sun had arrived and I started to build up a sweat from the heat. A pickup truck pulled up beside me and the driver asked me if I wanted something to drink - I said, "Definitely!" and he proffered a Diet Cherry 7UP, which turned out to be incredibly refreshing. The man had been fishing with his 32 year-old son, who had autism.
Just his mention of this made me think of my little sister Sarah, who, though she wasn't autistic, was blind and had significant developmental disabilities. By age of six, when she died, she still wasn't walking or talking, though she was one of the happiest and expressive kids in the world. Whenever I meet other kids with things like Autism or Down's syndrome or other disabilities, I always think of Sarah and her twin, Elizabeth, who also died at a very young age.
Its always amazing the raw flood of emotion that can sweep over me when I think of my little sisters. They still remind me to enjoy every moment of every day, no matter what challenges I face since there are so many kids and others in the world who aren't as lucky as I am to be blessed with good health and everything I need to take care of my daily needs.
Thinking of Sarah and Elizabeth, I walked into Rawlins and looked for a hotel. Pretty exhausted by the early wake up and long road walk, I settled on the first motel where I found a bed. It was expensive for me, but all the rest were booked or even more expensive than that. The room was really nice and the bed was huge, so I was happy. Peeling off my dirt-caked shoes and socks I realized how tired I was and just sprawled out on the bed.
Using almost all my willpower I got up and went to the Chinese buffet next door. It was pretty disgusting, but I had three plates, which filled me up enough that I had to waddle out of the restaurant. Nonetheless, after a couple hours of TV watching I got hungry again and grabbed a frozen pizza and ice cream (to celebrate National Ice Cream Day, thanks Linda!) from the grocery. I ate these, soaked my feet in Epsom salts and fell asleep watching "North Country Law" my new favorite TV show on Animal Planet. It follows Maine Game Wardens (like park rangers for the state) as they bust guys illegally hunting and shooting guns. Real educational.
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