May 8, 2026. Greg rolled out to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon this morning. Last night was his last. We had him over for a fire. No wind, perfect evening.
Before sunset Shannon rode my bike down to Greg's site so he could ride it to the campfire, then walked back herself. After the evening she walked back to his site in the dark with a headlamp and rode the bike home. I can't think of many people I know who would volunteer for that. She goes places on her own that most people I know wouldn't go.
Lying in bed last night I realized I never got drone footage of the blue rope. It was just serious enough in the moment that it never crossed my mind. That's exactly the kind of thing I want to get better at documenting. The drone footage I have captured here is some of the best I've ever gotten. The scale of this place is hard to convey even with a drone, but the drone comes closer than anything else.
Yesterday Claude diagnosed me as critically low on sodium. I'd been having leg cramps and losing my train of thought, both unusual for me. I thought I was covered because I put electrolytes in all my drinking water. Turns out my electrolytes have just over 100mg of sodium and I need closer to 5000mg on keto. The kidneys dump sodium aggressively in ketosis. I put a teaspoon of pink Himalayan salt in two liters throughout the day and the symptoms cleared up. Four months in and still learning. I suspect that will always be the case.
My bike had stopped working the day before, after we completed the blue rope descent. I narrowed it down to a loose connector on the wire between the motor and the battery. Easy fix. I was relieved.
Two California Condors buzzed camp again yesterday. A massive hawk overhead. Lots of small playful birds coming through constantly.
I took a shower just before sunset on the canyon side of the van. Has to be the most epic shower I've ever taken.
Somewhere in this van is a $26 adapter that would get my music gear fully operational. I bought it. I should have it. I cannot find it. Today's project is turning the van upside down until I find it. These searches improve the order of whatever bins I go through, and I usually find something else I'd been looking for too.
We've been here a week. Some heat and wind coming. I'd like to stay another week.