Thursday, April 3rd

Ruth drove us out into the desert again to mile marker 71. We started walking. There was one difference today, a slight difference. I saw two Kangaroo rats today, the first rodent that we have seen. We have seen plenty of lizards, live ones and the road kill variety and birds. What we haven't seen is snakes, which is OK by me. The desert is full of rattlesnakes and if I don't see any, that is fine. John and I are very careful about where we sit down for our breaks. About halfway through our walk today we came across something interesting. The road made a slight twist for no reason and there was a buildup area on both sides of the road. I had to investigate, ignoring the "no trespassing" sign. It was an aqueduct, full of clear and flowing water. And it ran under the road and came out on the other side. I figured it was part of the Los Angeles aqueduct system or maybe San Diego. We finished at mile marker 87, 16 miles. Ruth and Carol picked us up and we had lunch overlooking the valley we just crossed. Today I found a utility tool, a kitchen knife and a quarter. I put 16 miles on my New Balance 817. Stay tuned.