Exercise 1a - Taking the long road
He traveled south to meet up with his friends: Jan and Rainy. They were staying three miles outside of Niland, at a place the locals call ‘The Slabs’. Slab City is used by camper owners and squatters from across North America. Several thousand campers use the site during the winter months. The temperatures during summer are as high as 49 °C. McCandless spoke frequently to the residents of the Slabs about his plans for Alaska. He exercised each morning to get in shape for his life in the wild. After a few weeks, McCandless announced it was time for him to be moving on. After McCandless said farewell to Jan Burres, he hiked into the desert and set up camp at the edge of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Here McCandless slept on the sand under a cloth hung from a branch. When he needed provisions, he would walk the four miles into town, where he bought rice and filled his plastic water jug. One Thursday in mid-January, McCandless was walking to his tent when an old man, name of Russel Franz, stopped to give him a ride. They really clicked and before the day was out, they had driven into Palm Springs in Franz’s truck, had a meal at a nice restaurant, and went sightseeing. Over the next few weeks, McCandless and Franz spent a lot of time together. On March 14, Franz left McCandless on the shoulder of Interstate 70. McCandless was thrilled to be on his way north. He hitch-hiked to Carthage, South Dakota to seek out an old friend and make some money.