We rode into a little town just before sundown last night called Denio Junction in Nevada inquiring about a place to put up a tent. They informed us of a little known hot springs about 10 miles away where we could camp for free and have a much needed opportunity to wash our dusty selves, all at no cost. We found it without much trouble, even met up with another TAT rider and set up camp before we jumped in the hot spring. That's when it got interesting. A couple guys we had ran into earlier show up at the spring with a shotgun, asking all sorts of disturbing questions about our schedule and when we were expected at the next stop and things of this nature. It's a start night, but still pretty dark and we can definitely make out the fact that he's got a gun and we are in the absolute middle of nowhere with no cell signal. The two left for awhile mentioning that they had some flat tires and wanted some folks to go with them to help, a story that sounded sketchy as they come. We took the opportunity to get out of the water and scurry back to the tents to get my pistol. We hung out at the camp ready for anything for awhile, then finally got into our tents to try to get some sleep. My Walther PPK was loaded and near my right hand all night. Luke woke me up at one point with a little tap on my shoulder whispering, 'shhh' as we listened to footsteps outside. We again were ready for just about anything, gun loaded and safety off, but it quieted and went away. We awoke this morning to find all if our gear was still intact, nothing missing, and in the end nobody even got shot.
Another Nevada night on the TAT, and one of the most eventful to date. We didn't get much sleep, and we needed it as yesterday was one of the hardest riding days so far. I had my first 3 real trail crashes (if you don't count getting hit by a car at Arches NP) and smashed up my mirrors, shattering one of them. Oregon is just around the corner and I cannot wait for greenery and Crater Lake.
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