A pocket full of stories and the road south

By Matt Hufman

Friday, Sept. 20, 2013 | 9:44 a.m.

Right now, we are packing up in Tonopah planning for the return south over the next day and a half when we wrap up this first trip. (The weather report says wind, lots of wind.) One of the wonderful things about this trip is that our plans aren’t set in stone, and we’ve had some great moments of serendipity along the way.

There was the man we met pushing his bicycle with his dog, Leo Dever and Sassy Max. That was Monday heading out of Rachel.

Yesterday, while wandering around Tonopah, we met three folks from Minnesota. They were on vacation hiking and exploring the desert, and they were headed for Ely. They were telling us about a man they saw on the road, and we knew exactly who it was — Leo Dever, the man pushing his bicycle with his dog, Sassy Max, riding along. They said he was northwest of Tonopah when they saw him, about 120 miles away from where we had met him.

Small world, huh?

There are still stories to tell, like that of the man we call the Desert Sage, or the account of a life in Alamo or the coffee bar – it appears to have been a real bar once – with the only commercial espresso machine for at least 100 miles.

Those stories are to come, but today there are a few people to meet. So please keep reading – Mike’s driving and I’m typing as fast as I can. And remember, we want to hear your story about Nevada. The best way to tell it is by sending an email to: [email protected]. Also, we have more exploring to do, and there are things yet to see, so keep your ideas coming.