Post playa

The mist of nearby sprinklers at daybreak alerted me to wake up. I made good time stopping first for 50-cent coffee in Nixon and later in Fernley to do a load of laundry and buy more sunscreen and lotion. Wiping playa dust again from my limbs I began to wonder if the locals were irked by my choice to self- cleanse on a shaded bench at the local strip mall. "Oh, did you just come from Burning Man," a few would ask me. "How was it?" Apparently it wasn't too big of a deal.

Heading down 50-A toward Fallon, I was happy to have completed ACA map set "Western Express 1." For dinner, a plate of Chow Fun satisfied a craving for noodles and I passed out at a small farm just off the highway.

The end of a chapter

I watched the temple burn alone this evening and meditated about the end of a special relatonship. The golden jewel of fire before me was almost as intense as her devotion and may her spirit find peace in the future.

Back on my bike after nearly four days, I pedaled out to Empire and crashed behind a billboard.