into the wild - death valley

my second night in death valley was certainly in the middle of nowhere.  maybe more than anywhere i'd been before.

the only sound i heard all night was a coyote that yelped while i was taking the following late dusk photo.  like a scared child i quickly jumped in my van.  haha!!

then an idea...  how about i read 'into the wild' cover to cover while i'm in the middle of nowhere?  countless people have said i should read it and that my trip reminds them of the book.  conveniently, i had a copy on hand because dr bob who i worked for in placerville california gave me one!  thanks bob!

i started reading that night.

at one point when i was completely wrapped inside my sleeping bag reading with a little book light, my light started acting funny.  while troubleshooting the problem, i shut my eyes so they wouldn't be assaulted by the constant flickering.  then, when i was sure i should have fixed the problem, i figured the light was absolutely broken...  surely it should be working now!  oh wait... then i remembered that i still had my eyes shut!!   haha!  i opened my eyes, and sure enough it was working. that really made me laugh.  my audible laughter probably scared the coyote.  got'em back.

my sleep was cozy, and when i woke up, i kept reading until the dessert temperatures got above freezing.  the sunrise was beautiful.

i read and read and read.  hard to believe, but i think it's the first book i've opened in more than a year.  yikes!  i'm glad i waited to read it until i'd been around the west for a while because i was able to recognize places the main character, mccandless had been and was able to identify a bit with the travels he did. cool.  i see why so many people suggested it.

i took a break from reading for a meal - a heated can of corn, can of salmon, and instant coffee.

i kept reading through the day.  i didn't go anywhere.  just relaxed and looked around.  i only saw four other vehicles venturing out into the valley where i was.  the cold breeze was balanced nicely with the toasty warm sun.

i was on top of my van for a good portion of the day...

for dinner i had tea and soup.   i finished the book that evening before i went to sleep.   it was an excellently restful day.  : )

that began my third night.