Hmm, another long one (as if it matters since they'll all post at once). Thursday went well as a day to just relax. Got all the photos up until that point into the photo gallery system. A surprising number of the sunset pictures did come out. There are a lot of them, but the sunset also changed drastically during the time (many different color combinations), and the foreground was always changing, so check that out when I post a link if you want. Really didn't do anything else that day, other than relax and listen to music. It was my day I slept in the most though.

Friday started with a 9:30 run into the desert just for fun. Basically my aunt and uncle live on an airpark on the outskirts of Salome, and it's right next to a bunch of government lands with paths all over managed by the Bureau of Land Management. For fun half the residents will just get together with dune buggys and ATVs (and pickups or jeeps) and head out exploring (and geocaching). The paths were extremely bumpy, made of large rocks and dirt, and frequently crossed washes with 45 or 50 degree slopes down follewed by a right angle at the bottom and an immediate slope back up. The larger washes had very high sides (see the pics for some) and some were wider and had rock bottoms which were also used as paths). You know it's bad when 4 wheelers have to select a different path to stay on more than 2 wheels (or you have to use a foot as a side support to not flip). Came back with white hair and beard (from the dust - there is a picture I'll see if I can get my hands on), so a shower was very nice. I didn't realize that much dust could collect in the sides of one's eyes either...

Saturday was day two of runs into the desert. This one started off a little faster cruising 40+MPH down the highway, but quickly slowed down when we went offroad. The lead buggy picked much bumpier trails this time, and 4 wheel drive on the ATVs was nice (with one person and a running start at least - more than one meant one person got out and pushed on some inclines). We planted a geocache, had lunch, and then some of us headed back while the others headed out for more exploring. On our way back I got to head out in front once we got on a main road which was nice and I just opened it up. 40-50MPH without a windshield is much more fun when you're not driving through a cloud of dust. It's easy to fishtail at those speeds around sharp corners too. :) After a while our family headed offroad a bit more, and I let my dad drive while I road in the buggy a bit (and took pictures of them). After we got back it was shower time again, followed by printing boarding passes for the flight back tomorrow, and then over to a neighbor's hangar (it's an airpark, remember?) for a big potluck dinner. That was good, and the whole group is fun to be around. After that I put together all the pictures from the last couple days (another hundred or so), and have them ready to upload as well. Tomorrow we get up early and drive back to San Diego (5 hr drive) to fly home (a 3.5 hour flight), so will be a full day of travelling.