It was a slow rise, but still an early one as the busses upon busses of the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory woke me ushering their employees to work. I believe I was on the road by 7:50 after being told by a man in BDUs that I was coming up on a federal reserve and should stick to the highway to save from being surrounded by soldiers. My thoughts from thinking I was in an ICBM field back in Wyoming swarmed back with G-men watching my every move. Although this time there was a reality to back it up with this soldier’s warning and a large blank spot on my map reading Idaho National Engineering Laboratory and Experimental Breeder Reactor #1 home of the first nuclear reactor in the world. Yikes! Somewhere I got it in my head that they were doing animal research here too and began to envision five headed sheep crossing my path and purple cows. Don’t know where it came from.
I stuck to the highway, not that I planned, or was tempted, to venture off, and I continued on with many a ride offer along the way. Not much filled the day as I walked, though, just thoughts of various things for when I returned to Denver, and future adventures I might have in and out of my head. It wasn’t until the end of my day that I was given quite a treat.
I’d been anticipating a rest stop for a long while, and it turned out to be twenty miles from where I’d camped. I was to have dinner there and go on another ten miles before setting down with a full belly that night. My faith in it having running water was shaken for a little while when a man stopped asking about the futility of my trek across the vast desert and claimed no such water source was ahead. I ignored him, but had trouble doing so as my water was running low. About three miles from the stop a guy with a much happier attitude toward my adventures confirmed there was indeed water there and not to worry. He even gave me the remainder of his Mountain Dew. Warm and half backwash as it was, I’m sure, a well received tasty treat.
A quarter of a mile from the stop, one mile past EBR #1, with the refuge in sight a car pulled up once again offering a ride. This time by a very adorable, friendly traveler from Minnesota out venturing the country under the same motives of seeking out what to do next in life. This was Emily and I was happy for company, but starving for food so I took a chance and cut our roadside conversation short to invite her to dinner with me at the rest stop. She went for it.
Ten minutes later we were chatting over my camp stove as I prepared mac and cheese. She brought out all of her food claiming she felt guilty that she could replace it with ease and I would have to wait until Arco, thus I was treated to a feast. On top of the mac and cheese and hot cocoa, we had gouda cheese, grapes, peaches, bananas, even a hard boiled egg and some chocolate. Not only that, she was quite an interesting gal having quit her IBM job feeling it going nowhere but into cubicle upon cubicle and we discussed the ideas of what we were doing with ourselves. We got into our love lives, her boyfriend and my Angie situation, which were remarkably similar. Anyway, I took a three hour break hanging out with her and had a fantastic time which refreshed the soul a bit.
Finally, after some picture taking and address exchange, we parted ways and I set off back on to the road again. This time I was suited up in my rain gear again with the grey curtain still hanging north of me. Within a mile I was in a whirlwind of hail and lightning striking within a few miles away. Old men would stop and insist on giving me a ride, one calling me a bit wacky for staying out in the electrical storm, but thoughts of my immortality stayed my course and soon the rain passed and I was left with the pride of not having given in to the temptations of safety. I made it seven more miles before setting down, calling it at a 28 mile day. The morning would promise six miles to the next gas station where I could once more fill myself with coffee. Sugar plums danced merrily in my head as I quickly passed into Never, Never Land.