(July, 2003 to February, 2004) On our way to Vegas, we crossed The Mohave Desert. At one point, there was a 50 mile stretch before arriving at a remote crossroad that had one of four gas stations open. I think it was about $5/gallon but everyone pays it because there is another 50 mile stretch after the gas station before any civilization at all. We had discovered too late that we hadn't even brought water with us for the trip but we were able to get drinks at the gas station. About 20 miles from Vegas, we saw a hitchhiker that was on his last leg. His bicycle got two flat tires so he threw it into the desert and started walking. When we finally picked him up, he informed us that he was just about ready to crawl into the desert to die. The Microbus was totally packed so we had to stuff him up against the back window in a small space that we had cleared. Apparently, the few cars that passed him during the previous hours simply drove on by without even acknowledging him. We got him into the next town, got him a jumbo Gatorade and gave him a few bucks for some food. he really wanted to stay in the hotel with us but we had done our share and he stunk really bad.
