29 Palms

Made it a short day today, 28 miles from Black Rock to 29 Palms. I have to cross about 80 miles of desert tomorrow to get close to the next town, and I think there may be only one service station in between. I wanted to rest up today, make sure I drink lots of water, eat three square meals, update the blog - and unfortunately stay in another hotel; there's a campground outside of town, but it would add and extra ten miles in the morning and I think I have enough as it as so no deal, I'll have to camp tomorrow anyway so I might as well.

Watched John Edwards endorsement of Obama, and I wonder how there could ever be "one America." Being on the road for a few weeks, I've already seen the varied landscape and people of California, and the difference is overwhelming. San Franciscans are generally laid back, liberal, wealthy; while people living in the desert are harder, edgier, conservative, just trying to get by. I don't remember if I've ever seen so many houses with giant fences/gates around them, along with the big menacing dogs waiting to pounce on anyone approaching their little kingdoms - distrust of outsiders seems to be the rule. I flipped through the channels and came across a conservative talking head chatting with Ann Coulter about how McCain is going to lose the election because he's a "liberal" Republican, talking about the environment too much. Talking head (Glenn Beck?) goes on to say Americans are a common sense people, not a political people. I hope he's right about that, and that common sense people don't think the environment is a "liberal" issue. How do these people get television shows?