Mr. Johnson has traveled quite a distance since we last checked in with him while he was in Ukiah, California. Now, in early August, he’s on the road to Reno …
“On the morning of the 11th, I was up before daylight, being very restless, having omitted to wind up my watch, which had run down; I thought, however, it must be near morning. I gave the cattle* liberty to graze among the grass; made a fire, boiled me some eggs and coffee and ate a hearty breakfast. It was a good early meal, you bet.
“By this time day was beginning to break. My cow I milked twice a day, getting my can full at each milking. [On August 1st, she’d given birth to a calf, which Mr. Johnson sold to a man in Sacramento.] I am fond of milk, but it does not agree with me so I sell it when I can; when I cannot, I give it or throw it away. This I have done many times.
“It is about four a.m., when I start this day’s tramp, and I will make the next town at about seven o’clock.
“I travel around the hills, bluffs, and mountains. My road is good buy very crooked, the road-bed very hard; so hard that the rains do not penetrate, making gullies or washouts. I am in sight of the town, the sun is up in about one hour. …”
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* When referring to his horse and his cow together, Mr. Johnson calls them “cattle.”
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Stay tuned for the rest of this installment of the journey, which I’ll post tomorrow.
The Slower Road 