The Walden Basin cooled right down under the clear skies through the night, which brought out a nearly full moon that was incredibly bright. I woke up in the night and could see the color of the vegetation and distinct shadows across the landscape. The oil pumps in the distance made a squeaking sound throughout the night, so I put in earplugs.

The sun rose around 6:30 a.m., and with nothing to provide shade, I was quickly baked out of my tent and back on the road. It was a straightforward road walk into Walden. Many of the oil field truckers were driving around to their different sites, and there was a view of a reclaimed coal mine with a viewing scope.

I also walked by the firing range in the area—good to know that’s around, as I was hearing gunshots from the road at a distance. Immediately after passing the firing range, the route turns right onto County Road 12E, a straight-line road into Walden, about 3.5 miles.

The town of Walden is a small ranch town in the North Park area, known for its fishing and recreation opportunities. It has a very nice convenience store with outlets outside by the ice machine and a Family Dollar as resupply options. There are also a couple of restaurants and a café in town, along with a post office, two lodging options, a laundromat, an airport, a liquor store, and a campground just outside of town (along the next segment). On weekends, the town is much livelier, with a lot of through traffic from motor tourists.

I met my girlfriend at Four Winds Pizza before going to the North Park Inn & Suites to get a room for the night. They had coin laundry services at the Inn. I then went to the Family Dollar and Corkle’s Mini Market to resupply for the next segment. Dinner at the River Rock Cafe where I will note they made a delicious burger.