Getting Better?

I woke up this morning, and for the first time in 2.5 weeks felt like I might be getting better from my sinus infection.  Yes, there still is a sore throat, congestion, a cough, etc, etc, but they aren't as bad as they used to be.  I am actually considering hiking back into the backcountry tomorrow or Tuesday.  Health wise, Tuesday might be a better day to hike in, but I'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Fact: there is no place between Bishop and Lone Pine where you can buy Sudafed on Sundays - isn't that weird?  All pharmacies are closed, and the one non-pharmacy store that also carries it is also closed.  The east side of the Sierras just isn't that big. 

Yesterday as I was leaving my motel in Big Pine a bunch of emergency vehicles drove by me (heading south!) - one after another - ambulance, police, fire, Forest Service - the whole shebang! I thought nothing of it, and went along my day in Bishop - hanging out in coffee shops, watching TV and movies and maybe actually getting a little tired of Chai Lattes.  Around 5:00pm I thought to look at the news to see what was going on earlier in the day, and discovered that there was a sage brush fire south of Big Pine, headed towards Big Pine, and that there was an order for a voluntary evacuation of Big Pine.  Yikes!  My motel was in the southern part of Big Pine!  What if all my stuff burnt up?  So I drove to Big Pine and discovered that traffic was backed up for a quite a few miles north of town - apparently the powers that be were only letting one way of traffic go through at a time, and would switch the way of traffic (northbound vs southbound) about every 30 minutes.  So an hour later I made it to inside Big Pine, where I parked and walked the rest of the way to my motel, where I packed up what was most important to me, and went back to my car.  Turns out the evacuation order (voluntary, of course) was lifted around 9:00pm, and all was well.  When I drove by the area today, it looked like the fire paralleled the road for a mile or two, and was stopped a mile or so south of town. 

This is what excitement is on the east side.  :)

Tonight I am staying at a hostel in Lone Pine which is actually quite plush - beds with clean sheets and pillows, showers, refrigerators, and free WIFI that works off and on - what more do you need?  All for the low low price of $25/night.  I wish I had stayed here the past three days instead of the motel in Big Pine! 

Anyway, if I leave tomorrow or Tuesday, this will be my last blog post until July 28th or so.