I set off on a month long ramble around the South West hopefully arriving at the Bosque del Apache https://www.fws.gov/refuge/bosque_del_apache/   

There I will take a 5 day bird photography course in early January. After that, the plan is to cross over into Mexico and watch Mexican birds. I hope to get back to San Francisco at the end of January.

I thunder over the Sierras and take Highway 50, “The Loneliest Road.”

The road is cold. I had not realized how sub tropical I have become and the cold is astonishing. Even with gloves, the end of my fingers become numb after a minute or so. The first night I stay in Austin, an old mining town, as are all the settlements along the road.

I stop at the Austin gas station, where I meet Dave. He is so delighted to see me that he buys me a Highway 50 pin and a T-shirt.

There is only one turn on Highway 50 – I missed it! In the middle of the town of Ely there is a right turn that I do not see and go trundling along the main road. 60 miles later I suspect there is something wrong as I have seen 4 cars in the last 15 minutes, far too many. Nothing for it but to turn around.

I finally turn onto Highway 21. Highway 50 is not the Loneliest Highway, Highway 21 is. Incredible country.

I finally get to Wilford UT and spend the night in the rodeo stadium parking lot. Freezing.

My imagined cheery cooking sessions outside each evening have not occurred as I would die of cold. I gobble gas station sandwiches in the camper.