Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
CHAPTER TEN
Stella had taken up mountain biking much earlier than the rest of them. She’d worked to convince them that it was a fun way to see the interior of the forest trails. Shabina ended up the first of her friends to jump on board. She biked with Stella regularly and added her voice to Stella’s until Vienna and Harlow joined them on their excursions. Raine and Zahra reluctantly became mountain bikers as well. Zahra claimed she had to pedal twice as much because of her shorter legs in order to keep up with them. Raine said they were all crazy and she’d rather run behind the bikes, but she bought a mountain bike and went with them.
They drove to the Blue Diamond overnight parking lot. Vienna had never seen the truck Rainier and Zale rented. He’d sent her pictures of it and the license plate, so she shared them with her friends. They were early enough that they found it almost immediately. She found the keys hidden exactly where he had told her they would be. Collecting them, she put them in her pack and indicated she was ready to go. She wasn’t going to inspect the interior now. She wanted to have fun with her friends, not worry about Zale. There was nothing she could do for him if he was injured. She had no idea where he was, and she couldn’t text him. He’d been adamant about not contacting him.
They unloaded their bikes and ate a leisurely lunch at the picnic tables. Vienna was shocked to see Benny Dobsin leading a group of mountain bikers onto the trail they had planned on taking into the desert. He seemed to be very familiar with it and rode as if born on a bike. He flashed by so fast, it took a moment to actually recognize him. The others were talking so animatedly about climbing she didn’t interrupt them to tell them she’d recognized him.
Stella led the way on the single-file trail through the dirt and rock. She’d mapped out the trail she’d wanted to take ahead of time. She had told Vienna her hope was to see one of the desert tortoises, although she knew the chances of that happening were very slim. She’d chosen a trail through the Joshua tree forests where wild burros grazed. Even if she never caught a glimpse of Nevada’s official state reptile, she wanted to see the burros she knew were in the desert in abundance.
Joshua trees normally had a single thick trunk and grew three to nine feet tall before branching out. The branches ended in clusters of white flowers and spiky leaves. Vienna thought the trees made the desert appear more like an alien landscape. She had read a great deal about them and knew how important they were to the environment of the desert. The Joshua wasn’t an actual tree but a yucca plant, or member of the asparagus family and close relative to the agave, the plant used to make tequila.
Mountain ranges rose up in vibrant shades of earth and jewel tones. In the distance, a mountain rising on one side of them was layered with various colors of earth, clearly portraying the ages of the rise and fall of earthquakes and flash floods. Sandstone, ancient and jagged, was carved with petroglyphs. Canyons showing evidence of rapidly moving water filled the sides far above their heads. Shocking pools of water were in the middle of nowhere, tiny oases that instantly became treasures.
Vienna glanced over her shoulder quickly to make certain Raine was keeping up. Raine was in the best of shape. She did martial arts. She ran daily—and Vienna knew Raine despised running but she still did it to stay in shape. Still, she really thought riding a bike was insane. She told Vienna that for some reason, it hurt worse than any other sport she did. She was behind Zahra, but some distance back. Zahra, either by design or because she was having trouble keeping the pace, had dropped back also. Vienna was certain she had fallen behind in order to stay close to Raine. Zahra might complain, but she never seemed to really have trouble in any sport she chose to participate in. She was a natural athlete.
Cholla cactus was in abundance, and Vienna turned her attention to the narrow trail to avoid any contact with the spines. She might admire the plant and even think the cactus was beautiful, especially in bloom, but she wanted no part of the spines penetrating her skin. Many of the plants were a little too close for comfort on the narrow trail.
There were large rocks close to the trail, as well as a few on it, so if you were pedaling fast, you had to swing around to avoid them quickly. That meant taking care not to encounter a cholla cactus when you chose which side to ride around. Vienna hoped Raine was concentrating, otherwise either Harlow or she would be picking spines out of Raine’s ankles or legs and it would hurt like hell.