7/1-2/13: Monday and Tuesday: Scary, Hairy Days: One hundred fifty years ago on July 1, the Battle of Gettysburg began. Those of you not interested should skip the next 4 paragraphs.
Day One: The North had moved around the tiny town in force; the South (Robert E. Lee) had not expected the Union to be present in such numbers but had none of their usual information, Jeb Stuart, their "eyes" with his superb cavalry, being out "joyriding" and not available to provide that info. "Blind," the South blundered into the territory around Gettysburg. In spite of this, the South nearly won on Day 1. Meade for the North wanted to withdraw after Day 1, but Hancock talked him out of doing so. Chance, surprise, cold feet, missing info, plain old mistakes -- on such things do the fates of nations rest.
Day Two: One hundred fifty years ago Tuesday, 7/2, Col. Strong Vincent and Col. Joshua Chamberlain will defend Little Round Top against Confederate troops. When his men run out of ammunition, Col. Chamberlain will have them fix bayonets and charge downhill into the already-exhausted and now astonished Confederates, as part of the Battle of Little Round Top (part of the greater Battle of Gettysburg).
Day Three: One hundred fifty years ago Wednesday, 7/3, at Lee's insistence and against his subordinate General Longstreet's advice, Col. George Pickett will make his fatal charge up against the center of Meade's forces on Cemetery Ridge, and the Union forces will hold him off, inflicting huge losses not including Pickett himself. Robert E. Lee will never forgive himself; his subordinate, Longstreet, will blame Lee for the eventual loss of the war there at Gettysburg, though the end is almost two more bloody years away. Pickett will always blame Lee for the charge's failure, an exposed mile across rocky ground, into the teeth of the Union army's artillery as well as of its men and their repeating carbines. But these very weapons have made the massed charge obsolete, a lesson that will have to be re-learned in the carnage of World War I.
After the three days' battle, Meade declines to pursue the withdrawing Confederates. But the myth of Lee's invincibility suffers a fatal blow both North and South. Casualty numbers were similar: according to Wikipedia, 23,055 Union killed, wounded, and captured/missing; 23,231 Confederate killed, wounded, and captured/missing. Neither side could afford to lose so many, but the Confederate side had fewer such precious resources to spend in the first place and far less chance of replacing them than the Union side.
I loved the drive from Green River, UT, to Scipio, UT. First, the road climbed into and through the weird shapes and colors of the fantastic San Rafael Swell. Then it wound through redneck and forest country in the Fishlake Mountains. At last, it sank back to the high desert around Salina, UT, and then passed through pretty Delta, UT, a farming community. Rounding dry Sevier Lake, the land grew bleaker and the day hotter, as the road went up and down, and Maybelline began acting up. Poor Maybelline!
The CHECK ENGINE light came on, so I slowed down and turned off the A/C -- very hot and miserable in this fiery afternoon. That helped for a bit, but not for long. In a very short time -- very long for scared me -- I reached the Nevada border and pulled into a combination convenience store-gas station-motel-casino (spread across the border so that the casino was exclusively in Nevada). They kindly looked under Maybelline's hood, checked the oil, and opined that in the extreme heat of the day and the fact that the route had a lot of steep little hills coming into Nevada, Maybelline's oxygen sensors had gone bonkers and were making the gas-air mixture wrong for the engine.
So I tipped them and limped on to Baker, NV, where I turned off for Great Basin National Park, ending up in campsite 6 at Upper Lehman Campground. So montane, so pretty! I was charmed, but by this time, the CHECK ENGINE light was on all the time, and the gas fumes were so pervasive they set off the stowed CO-Smoke alarm. I flung the doors open, took the sensor and me out into the fresh air, and all was soon as well as it could be. How well and for how long, I don't know. I was shaking with adrenaline and, after attending an evening ranger talk about bats (GBNP is the home of Lehmann Caves, with a huge bat population), took a sleeping pill and slept well, thank goodness.
Last night in GBNP, there was an astronomy program after the bat program, but I was just too worn out. However, once I'd taken an alcohol bath and changed into my nightgown, I sat outside with my binoculars, enjoying the starry sky. According to the ranger, GBNP has the darkest night skies in the nation, owing to its being so very far from any urban areas (Baker boasts 68 people).
Good montane vegetation here: Lots of wild roses, biggest mountain mahoganies I've ever seen, aspens, junipers, pinyon pines, and lodgepole pines. I wish I could stay longer! Must come back. Site 3 looks like a good choice!
But I have great fears about driving today. Shall I stop in Baker to have the sensors replaced, if that's what they do? Or limp to Ely, where they might have more resources? Should I give up driving in the heat of the afternoon and wait to continue till the air temperature cools -- start doing most of my driving at night? No good choices here. How will this affect my getting home on time?
Well, there's nothing for it but to forge ahead as best I can today (7/2). Wish me luck!
So I forged, and there were no garages in Baker, just an unmanned gas station. At the McDonald's in Ely, I heard that there were no good mechanics in town, but those there were would keep your car for a couple of weeks and then charge you 2-3 times what anyone else would. I telephoned Bob Lamia for advice and told him the situation, thinking I'd try for a repair in Tonopah. Unbelievably, Bob insisted on driving to Tonopah (115 miles one-way for him) to meet me and to follow me all the way to Bishop, and so he did. Now, THAT is a real friend!
Tonight I'm in the Bishop Motel 6, and tomorrow I'll call Mr. K's and try to see if I can't get Maybelline in. If not there, I'll take her to the Ford dealer. She did behave very well today: no near-death by CO, at least, and the CHECK ENGINE light was again intermittent. But something's wrong: she slurps up the gas the way I slurp up smoothies.
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