Into the Desert

I awoke at Max’s apartment having spent the evening before at a great Mexican restaurant and a very authentic-feeling, smoky Korean bar. Having given myself until 3pm to catch my bus to Barstow, I was able to leisurely shower, repack, and make my way to the Greyhound station. I dozed and listened to drum n bass while watching through the windows of the bus as the Los Angeles urban jungle slowly gave way to dry mountains and desert subdivisions and finally the rugged brush of the Mojave Desert.

Penny, my first host picked me up in Barstow around 6pm and we drove another half-hour to Hinkley, a tiny desert community that garnered national attention years ago when Erin Brockovich went to court against the authorities to win its people the right to clean drinking water (never fear; Penny’s ranch, Aquarius Ranch gets its water from a separate aquifer).

Arriving around dark, Penny gave me a cursory tour and went over some ground rules before introducing me to my fellow WWOOFers and saying goodnight. There was just enough time for a game of Settlers of Catan (I won!) before it was time for bed.

The inside of my trailer