The Jellybean Institute is packed and ready to go. Can you find the following? Clothing duffel, camping gear (in backpack) sleeping bag, tool box, water, hatch-propping stick, hard drive, case of books.

rock art at Grimes Point, east of Fallon, NV

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the Jellybean Institute begins its dirtification

the 50 sure is pretty. I've had the luxury of staying off the truck-and-traffic-ridden Interstate sytem, giving me access to a leisurely passge of awesome scenery.

the shoe event horizon begins... *

There is a similar shoe-growing tree on the Morley Field disc golf course in San Diego. Understandable, in a heavily-trafficked metropolitan park, but this tree was WAY out there, far from any town. Perhaps a peek into the ancient history of Brontitall (a.k.a. Frogstar B) will give us a glimpse of our own future...?

For a while I followed the route of the Pony Express. This is not a part of it. *

All that remains of New Pass Station

Did I mention that this part of Nevada is quite scenic? *

This was on the wall of the post office in Austin, NV. It used to be used by the Masons who built it. Apparently they have a calendar that is offset from ours by exactly 4000 years. At first I thought this was a Mormon thing, but the nice postal lady explained it to me. She also helped me send a package of Chiky cookies (from Central America) to Pat in Hawaii. She told me that was the first piece of mail to Hawaii she's ever seen come through that office...

Here is Austin from above. Old mining town. With the name Gridley everywhere.

Happy cows on the way to Spencer Hot Springs.

The day before I set sail, my friend Meredith heard I was driving out the 50 and recommmended I visit this hot spring. I was very glad to have taken that suggestion to heart.

It was five miles out a dirt road and I was not disappointed. A group of three from San Francisco were at a lower spring but this community one I found totally uninhabited. The setting was unbelieveable.

This spring was beauitfully maintained, with the main source draining (via a faucet) into this rock-lined pool with a wooden deck. *