MAY 14TH 2010 DAY TWELVE

Okay so I didn't quite get the posts done in the morning but it is happening nonetheless. Day twelve began only hours after ending day eleven. Not much sleep but it was worth it to spend time with some guys I chewed the same dirt with for years. Leo had to go back to Ft. Irwin and Buddha decided to drive some point and set some mileage phase lines. We started off the day knowing we had to get through Hesperia and Victorville, so that's what we set our sites on and we stopped short of the long stretch of desert before Barstow. The weather was perfect for an air conditioned car or a camel, we had neither, so we pushed on with what we had, sore feet and an uncooperative spot, who has decided he will work when he wants to (thinking about getting him a job at the DMV when this is over). It is actually on me to see if he is tracking all the time and if he has any food in his bowl (batteries). It is still early and I am still learning but I think we are going to be okay. Anyways, got through the two desert towns and advanced to a staging point that would allow us to prep before continuing in to the stretch of no buildings, trees, shade or people, that we would have to negotiate the next day. I'm not sure how the weather is where you are, but it is, and has been, absolutely miserable here. No surprise though, I knew what I was getting us into, just hoped that I was going to be wrong. During today's leg, we crossed out of the towns by catching another piece of Route 66 and exiting out and over the Mohave River and out to Stoddard Wells. Buddha stuck around for the night and helped with prep and even drained some blood blisters for me and disinfected them the following morning. Buddha was our platoons CLS (combat life saver) guy and hasn't lost his touch with a needle, he is still the guy who used to lose at pin the tail on the donkey when he was a kid. Next time Buddah, take the blindfold off, my feet look like a pin cushion, just kidding Buddha, you still got it. I would like to say how much I appreciate him actually rolling down the window an inch, as not to let the cool air out of his SUV, when stopping along the way to give me updates. Maybe it was the fact that I still have some bear spray hanging around on me and he didn't want anymore than he had already been exposed to, just a thought. Thank you for being part of day twelve.
*Mackenzie became a part time vegetarian at the age of fourteen and then at fifteen took the big step and became a part time vegan. I never got it, but she was happy. Part time may have been an exaggeration.