Saturday July 12th
Breakfast at the Nugget Coffee Shop- pancakes food. Played Gary Oylers $1 in slots- no luck but gave Bob three quarters and won about $12. Picked the kids up and headed north on 395- in Stead interchange left to Old 395 right to dirt road- left up to eight thousand foot top. Wildflowers glorious. Mule’s ears, bluebells, Brodetia, Delphinium, phlox, lupines, phacelia, spring beauties, Sego Lily, paint brush- carpets of them. Many areas of aspen and willow. Had picnic among one group and watched Mountain bluebirds and wrens feed young in knothole nests. The sagebrush scent pervaded the air when crushed and we gathered chartreuse moss from pygmy oaks. Kids used metal detector and found 1965 penny and nails. Only a few others on the mountain. As we came down Bob pointed out the dry lakes to the east north of Stead. I insisted that now there was water in them so we drove over to Red Rock Road and finally down to the white area. I guess waves proved there was water! Stop at Gemco on way back and I got film for $3.75 Kodachrome 64. Better than $6 I paid at Safeway. Picked up Kentucky Fried Chicken and had supper on patio. Beautiful sunset with more of the “flying saucer” clouds we saw all day.