Da na na na na na, d'ne na na na nana

yep, those of a certain age will have spotted immediately that this is the theme tune to The High Chapparel tv series. You remember don't you. Boy Blue, Sinorita, that smikey Mexican dude and the plumb and often drunk cowboy.

Why mention this now, I hear you ask? Well, i've been riding through what they call the high chapparel for the last few days. Highish, scrubby landscape, the occasiinal cactus, dry very dry. All the 'rivers' - creeks as the Americans call them - are just dry beds. In the midst of this scrubby semi-desert are clearings where there are ranches with horses in. Goodness knows how the horses survive since the ground is just dry dust. There's not a blade of grass to be seen.

I had a bit of a conundrum this morning. Do i stay put of press on? The reason for this is tgat i spent much of last night pottering the 300m or so across the empty campsite in Oak Grove trying, sometimes in vain, to get to the toilet, repeatedly, because if a nasty bout of D&V.
I woke this morning feeling as if iwas hung over. Thumping head and dehydrated. Do i press on on an empty tummy or stay put in the empty campsite and continue to drink tne water whuch may hzve been the source of my problem.
I pressed in and paid more than i would typically do so to stay at the 'ranch' at Warner Springs. Still feeling a bit weak and feeble....but am popping loperimide and rehydration sachets.
Ok, ok, too much detail. Sorry. I've got to tell someone about it though.

I keep thinking I've done the last big miuntain, only to be confronted by another one. I'm heading for Miunt Laguna tomorrow, tummy-allowing a d then it really is downhill-ish to the Mexiczn border Almost there.

My thanks to you fir trackinb my progress and the encouraging nites. They've kept me going.

Mike