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 ver 1,000 miles at last. Now we really feel as though we are going home soon to escape this awful draining heat and dryness. Temps have been around 120 to 125 degrees F. in the shade. We are forced to create our own shade by erecting 4 poles and a tarpaulin. We ran into a lot of nasty scorpions who make very bad traveling companions. The trick is to keep them out of the tent.
Two hours of another major sand storm kept us pinned down. The two camels who faithfully walk behind us on long leads suddenly became very agitated and started moaning then bellowing.  Half an hour later we saw a vast, darkly ominous cloud stretching from the earth to the sky racing toward us. There was no time to put the tent up. We kushed the two camels with their backs to the storm, cinched down the loads tight then crouched down on the sandy earth pressing hard against the camels for protection. The blowing sand blasted us, but our goggles and masks kept the stuff out of our eyes, noses and mouths. Small rocks flew around us at times and at the height of the storm the wind whistled and roared. Day became night until at last the sand storm passed, the sun reappeared in full force and all was calm again except for a 10 mile per hour hot wind that continued to blow across the desert until dusk.
We met two families at their gers today. They fed us a delicacy of partly dried mutton. It tasted half rotten and really made our eyes cross. To be comfortable with the food a person definitely needs to become accustomed to it over a long period of time. The people of the Gobi are some of the most healthy people we have ever met. Their lifestyle, in spite of a lack of water, is very clean; they are healthy, bright eyed and smiling. It has been an remarkable opportunity to share their lifestyle.
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