Day 19 – 5/11/13 – 15 mi (329.9)

We left mid-morning to return to the trail, which is just many more miles of dirt roads for now.

After about 15 miles we arrived at the Thomas’s ranch, who welcome hikers to get water from their well. While we were there enjoying some chairs and getting water, the owners came home. John and Anzie are a couple who have been married 62 years and still run a machining business in Albuquerque a few days a week. They spend their weekends at their home outside Pie Town. They were very excited to show us their home and tell us about their lives. John is a very proud veteran of the Korean War and shared enough stories that I started to nod off. This went on long enough that it got kinda late to continue hiking on.

John and Anzie very kindly offered to let us stay the night. We stayed up for a bit around their woodstove hearing yet more war stories until Ninja and I called it a night and went out to sleep in their trailer in the yard. Strider and Sweetfish slept inside on the couches after another hour of war stories.

The Daily Ninjup Report
Five push-ups in the Toaster House before leaving.