Today (and the next few days) was all about driving. Yesterday, Mingo made it to Las Vegas to drop off the food resupply packages and finish up last minute details (like testing his new satellite phone) with his youngest daughter, Crystal. This morning, he hopped in the truck and began the long drive north toward Canada.

I talked to him at various points throughout the day. After getting out of Vegas on Hwy 93 and driving “into nothingness,” he was awestruck by the beauty of central Nevada. As he passed through Ely, NV, he commented that the town looked like something you’d see in the mid-west: “I expected to see Dorothy walking down the street.” Needless to say, he really enjoyed this part of the drive.

That is until he hit the rain, pouring rain, and hail. “Hail was the last thing I thought I’d see in June,” he said. “A car a few miles ahead of me slid off the road and crashed because there was so much water and hail on the road.” Mingo stopped to make sure the passengers were OK (emergency services were already on the way) then continued driving toward the Idaho border.

He reached Twin Falls, ID about 3:30 pm (MST) and jumped on I84 to head toward Boise for the night. Mingo said he was looking forward to getting out of the weather and sleeping in a nice comfy bed - the last for awhile. He said he would also be repacking clothes. “I didn’t expect it to be this cold!”

All and all, he sounded like he had a good travel day - even if he was in the truck all day. Tomorrow he’s hoping to push as close as he can to the Canadian border before he stops for the night. He wants to be able to cross into Canada first thing Monday morning.