Our tent poles pictured above.

...blocked the wind. We were exhausted we had been fighting the wind for hours. This was the spot. This was where we were waiting out the storm. We rolled out our sleeping bags and collapsed. We wrapped ourselves in our rain fly for protection from the possible rain and tried to sleep. I watched the clouds flying by overhead for hours as it is hard to sleep when the wind is shaking you and as crazy as it may seem it was one of the most beautiful scenes I have ever been able to witness. The clouds danced above us all night as the wind played puppet master of the sky. I will never forget that night.

We awoke that morning to freezing temperatures and constant wind gusts grateful to be alive. We escaped to the small town of Mojave and waited for our new tent poles to arrive. We have them and now we will be headed out soon our bellies full of pastrami, chili, and cheese. We don't know everything but we know never to trust a man named after a wizard who drives without headlights at night and never underestimate the power of Mother Nature. She will do with you what she likes all you can do is try to prepare. So we trudge on into sand. Maybe we are crazy. In fact I am sure we are a 60 year old lady just came to our table to tell us that, but this is more fun than I have ever had in my life. How can you compete with that. Now it is time to suit up like Don Quixote and go battle more windmills. We are supposed to be surrounded by them for days. Don't worry this time we won't set up the
tent.