May 16th, 1990                 

          After a night of sitting like a hobo in the Reno bus station, I returned to Truckee empty-handed. Greyhound told me to hang around a few days and ‘for sure’ my luggage would turn up. Marilyn asked me to stay with her instead of the packed youth hostel and I was thankful.

 

                As I read this today, I am so grateful for this lady who opened her heart to me. Waiting is a soul-searching time. There were moments I felt so lost and couldn’t figure out what to think and then days of fun where her friends and I swapped crazy life stories.

 

            We visited the lake again and I had some fun capturing different elements that were new and interesting to me.

              Fascinated by this (I thought) deserted cabin, I took this picture. The then occupant walked out and asked, “Can I help you ma’am!”

                         Martha, the lady I had first met at Truckee, and her late husband had worked in many of the National Parks including the Bright Angel Lodge, Grand Canyon. She told me so many stories and consoled me that everything happens for a reason.

Who am I?       

             My journal records,

“Maybe I should work on a new identity and personality. Who am I anyway? What and who do I connect with? I have to start again, be strong and find out where my security in life is. This could be a time to grow and figure out who I am. God help me find myself and to gain some confidence”.      

             To be very honest with you, reading this journal 30 years later has been challenging. My crazy way of looking at life and being so lost back then is hard to read today. So, I am just giving you the highlights of the trip and can’t wait to share what happens to me in a few days 30 years ago!

 

Virginia City, NV                      

                Martha and I went on a tip to Virginia City, Nevada. Here was a real wild west town full of history. It felt like we stepped back to the 1880’s. The NBC show Bonanza was filmed here from 1959-1973. My sister and I watched this show growing up almost every Saturday afternoon, in my mum’s cottage in England. Fun fact – 18 years later, my family and I ended up living in a town called Bonanza in Oregon for 3 years! The west is a wild and crazy place. I love it!

May 21st, 1990

           After a few days of figuring out a traveling plan, Marilyn, Martha and their friends bid me a farewell. Onward again to San Francisco with my favorite Greyhound bus service!