Whining in Winnemucca

 It was so stunningly ordinary to finally drive out from under our walnut tree after two days living in the camper in the backyard. We crawled up the Feather River Canyon and made it to Simple Bio-fuels in late afternoon. We were encouraged to be there and to be back in full Veggie Voyager mode after Michael's struggles to get the truck on the road.

 We made it that night to the REI in Reno where we camped uneventfully for the night in the Rim Fire smoked valley. In the morning Michael had many truck related errands and I got some hanging out time but that was in a Barnes and Nobles... not exactly a hardship.

 Ah but that night we were at the Rye Patch Reservoir (lovely with distant lightning, sweet desert air and coyotes singing) but in the morning-- that's where the truck decided to give maximum trouble to my poor besieged man. Dead batteries. Dead glow-plug relay. Fuel pump relay shorted out. Shorts shorted and finally starter relay snapped. All the while the wind howling a fine gray world and the sun hard.

 After a very long day this was him. Him with numb, painful fingers. Him skinny and endlessly determined. The truck ran and we got showers down at the base of the dam and headed to Winnemucca in the dark... him with only one working eye. Today, in this desert town with two books read and him with new hope and new (truck) projects and a new riparian area to explore tonight... it's going to be ok but I don't trust the truck.... it will come up with new complaints and sneaky new challenges for dinged up, amazing Michael.