I  spent a little too long on my first two updates and I am almost out of computer time at the library so this post will be very rushed.  All bones.  No meat. Sorry guys.  I will hash them out more when I have some time. 

May 21st mile 485-496 (11 miles)
In the morning I enjoyed a shower and pancake breakfast at the Andersons and started back on trail with warnings from Terri that there was still significant snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and that I should slow my pace a little bit.  It was a pleasant yet unremarkable day.  I set up camp on a ridge overlooking the Mojave desert and was soon joined by a few other hikers.  Cowboy camped, and fell asleep to a display of shooting stars.


May 22nd mile 496-517.6(21.6 miles)

Most of the day was spent circling around ridges overlooking the vast mojave desert.  At night I descended into the desert to a place called 'Hiker Town.'  Hiker Town is a mock desert town that looks like a movie set that was created by an wealthy hiker friendly property owner.  For a modest fee, hikers are allowed a shower and a place to sleep indoors.  It was a very welcome respite, since the area is known for relentless winds. 


May 23rd mile 517.6-541(24 miles)
Today I entered the Mojave.  Started the day walking along the LA aqueduct, which was endlessly bizarre.  A massive, stolen, river running through an area that is starving for water.  Along the route today I ran across what I can only describe as 'outposts' of people living in the middle of the desert.  The scene was quintessential american desert.  Rickety barbed wire fences surrounding a trailer in ill repair.  I have no idea what kind of person lives in this Godforsaken place, but everytime I imagine them they seem sinister.  The day ended walking through an enormous wind farm.  My straw hat fell apart around me, and I battled up hill against gusts of wind that were 50mph.  I eventually found refuge in a small canyon with a lovely water source and the company of a group of hikers that I like very much

May 24th 541.6-558.5(17 miles)
While walking along this morning I realized that I had not brushed my teeth in 3 days.  THREE DAYS!  What is happening to me?!  Just when I felt like I had lost my last scrap of humanity, I came across a water cache set up by some local property owners.  The cache was complete with lawn chairs, bottles of water, and green apples.  I sat in the chair and felt like quite a fancy man.  Ended the day by hitching into Mojave, California where I booked a cheap room in a Motel 6 and went looking for the library so I could update this journal.  Unfortunately the library was only open 2 days a week, and I was unable to get any of my internet chores done.  From my limited time in Mojave, I can tell that the citizens of this windswept town do very little reading.  Tomorrow I will go to nearby Tehachapi which has more in the way of services.