Day 177
I awoke beneath a railroad bridge in the Mojave Desert.

I retrieved the buggy and brought itback down from high ground.

I broke camp and repacked the Mojave rover.

And hit the road.

The sun rose.

The moon set.

I started chipping away.

Clyde and Wilma stopped to check on me! 

They gave me two bottles of water and a donation! They also offered me a ride. I stopped and considered it, but decided to keep moving. They were heading to 29 Palms too! We parted ways.

I kept moving.
At 10:30 a.m., I found the only shade I had seen all morning. A lone tree at the end of the aqueduct. 

I set up camp. I reinforced the shade with my tarp. I set up my hammock.

Time passed. I ate pringles and drank gatorade. I snoozed. Just before 3:30p.m., I emerged from the desert shrubbery.

I hit the road.

Miles.

And then something great happened. A woman pulled over in her car about a quarter mile up the road. She pulled a 24 pack of water from her trunk, placed it on the ground, pointed to it and waved to me, and then got back in her car and drove off. A big win!

I was so happy! Until that point, I hadn’t realized how stressed I was about water. This lady gave me 3 entire gallons of water! It was enough to keep me hydrated for another entire day. I could make it to 29 Palms! A merciful stranger.

I think I smiled and laughed all the way to the 177/Highway 62 split.

And then another great thing happened. A huge majority of the traffic went to and from Highway 177. I was continuing down Highway 62, no more traffic!

It was such a relief. I was right around the halfway mark to 29 Palms. I had plenty of water, and could now travel at night!

I took a water break and consolidated containers. 

The sun hung low.

It set. I headed west climbing.

Into the dark.

At 9 p.m., I decided to call it a day. Traffic was nonexistent, but I had already been fighting all day. I set up my hammock along some poles by a radio tower. Everynow and then a car would go by. I watched the tail lights fade into darkness. Miles and miles. 

It was quiet, the stars were amazing! Then the bright moon rose and illuminated the desert. I fell fast asleep.