Ryan’s First Impressions
A few days before we departed for Fort Irwin, I was told we would be without running water for eight days. This means I’d be brushing my teeth with water from a water bottle for our time in California, and...hey...wait a second, that means no shower?!
Yes, I am approaching day two without a shower. Things aren’t smelling so bad, well not yet anyways. The sudden showerless surprise was coupled with a positive change of events however; rather than eating MREs like I had prepared myself to do for the span of our trip, there is a ‘chow’ tent with fresh, warm, prepared food two times a day. Tonight was Beef Pot Roast and Mashed Potatoes, tomorrow morning I hear is steak and eggs. So, I face my loss of cleanliness with a full and happy stomach.
The desert out here is remarkable. I’ve grown up on the east coast and have never made it out this far west. You can see for miles, until your eyes hit giant mounds of earth that are placed in seemingly random places by nature. We drove in from Las Vegas in the middle of the night, so when I woke up this morning I was floored by what the sunrise was sharing with me. I feel very fortunate to be given this oppurtunity to come out here. I’m seeing and will soon be smelling, things I haven’t encountered before and am excited about what the rest of the week will bring.
