Ruby Guard Station - coyotes

I spent two nights in a remote Guard Station this past week. It happens to be a historical site but it has not been lived in much for the past few years. Every now and again, someone stays there to do work on it, which is what I was doing. I mowed a lot of hay sized grass, fixed barb wire fences to keep cattle out. There were a lot of cow chips on the property and the fence was down in 4 or 5 places. I need to do more fence work when I return next week.

The house itself was hot because we had 85 degree days so I slept outside in the bed of my pickup truck. The first night was a full moon and it was hard to sleep. I finally got to sleep to be awakened by coyotes. I realized that coyotes are communicating. One would howl and then another would howl. Each one had a very distinct howl, growl, groan and bark. The sounds they made were fascinating.

The sky was clear which made it spectacular with the full moon. I even saw a shooting start that looked like it landed in the Ruby Mountains. The night was warm until about 4 in the morning and I started to get cold.

I went for a midnight hike, without much flashlight because I could not sleep too well.
I was thinking of my choices. Should I stay in Wells, NV and work on remote sites or go back to Portland and sub or should I seriously look for another teaching job. I thought of the uniqueness of the Alaskan Villages. Maybe I should go freeze again in a village. I decided to check out jobs - It is so very weird for me not to be teaching at this time of year. If I get offered a contract, I will probably take it.
I do plan of a wilderness station next summer though. I fell asleep after my walk and concert by the coyotes.

I worked my butt off the next day. That monster mower did the job but I had to jump it with my truck every time and I had to muscle it to turn, which was often. It gets me into shape. Ruby Guard Station is great! I am so very lucky to have gotten this opportunity.

The second night, I slept outside but zipped up the sleeping bag and even put on more clothes so I would not get cold. The coyotes were back but seemed to be right near the guard station. One howled near the house and it woke me up. Another loud howl came from up around the mountain. The chattering back and forth of the animals was so very fascinating. It quieted and I fell asleep.

The second night was cloudy but the full moon lit up the land. I woke up when I started getting wet - rain. I looked up at the sky and saw a dark cloud. The other clouds were lighter. I figured it was just a singular cloud burst and fell back asleep. When I awoke, I was not soaked so I made the right call.