girlonahalfshill

And mildly unprepared. I have camped before, or, more correctly, I have been taken camping before. Boyfriends and husbands have allowed me to tag along on camping trips. I’ve shown up with outfits and a good attitude, but I’ve never been responsible for the planning or packing of a camping trip before… and it shows.
We were cold last night. We had consolidated the first two days of driving into one day, which meant that, after wrapping up the last details at our former home, we stopped for a quick lunch lakeside in South Lake Tahoe before pushing through to Elko, Nevada. About thirty miles south of Elko, Thomas Canyon Campground is nestled in the Humbolt-Tolyabe National Forest. We pulled in at 9:52 p.m. and set up our tent for the first time by flashlight. The sleeping pads didn’t make it into the car and we all got fairly cold overnight. 
But we woke up to bird songs and rushing water. The aspen leaves are spinning on the trees overhead and I can’t wait to see the surrounding area. This isn’t the Nevada that I’ve seen before. As the light faded last night, my desire to make out the landscape heightened. Mountains emerged and the trees became denser.
But even Western Nevada held beauty that I don’t remember appreciating before. Our journey has been accompanied by Radiolab, This American Life and 99% Invisible, so far. Spencer is fascinated by shrimp. (If you want to understand why: http://www.radiolab.org/story/bigger-bacon/)