Day 33 (6 June)

Miles (454.5 Fire closure: 10 miles hitch) 464 to 478.2. Hiker Heaven (Agua Dulce) to Casa de Luna (Green Valley)

Today starts in a car. Yes right, in a car. This is because there is now a fire closure caused by the wildfire we witnessed from KOA.
So we drive up for 10 miles with Christian, the Swiss guy and Paige, a Canadian girl.
After a ride of approx. 30 minutes (detour of the road) we reach the trailhead again and all four of us have breakfast together.
With our stomachs full we continue to hike. It is all up up up in the beginning. After reaching the top we see the valley down there, which we are going to pass. It is so green, that's probably why it is called the Green Valley.
We pass a lot of trees now and after another 2.5 hours decide to have lunch under one of those trees in the shade.
We talk about Speedy and Wizard and imagine how far behind us they may possibly be as the mentioned Speedy Gregales suddenly shows up.
So cool to meet him again! We have lunch together and head out after spending some time. The path now is easy, it is all more or less flat or downhills.
Soon we reach the highway and someone gives us a ride into town and drives us to the entrance of the so called Casa de Luna.
Case de Luna is a really cool place! When we arrive they tell us that free dinner will be served soon, but that we have to wear one of the Hawaiian or one of the African tribe shirts.
We decide to go for the African tribe shirts and head out to hit the local gas station (yes, we are still wearing the shirts) to buy some beers, wine and chips.
For dinner Terry, the owner of Casa de Luna and her helpers prepare a Taco Salad, which is soo good! We have a nice talk with other hikers and set up camp in Terry’s backyard - a place that looks like a gigantic maze made of old trees and bushes. And everywhere, on the ground, in the trees and in the bushes you can find painted rocks, which the hikers who have stayed here within the last 4 or 5 years have painted. Some of them are actual artworks!
We still expect Wizard to arrive, but she will take another 2 hours because she took a very long lunch.
So we are wondering how she could ever find us in this maze, since it is almost dark by now as Maya comes up with a brilliant idea: On every junction in the maze we draw a big W, for Wizard, on the sandy ground and guide her through the maze this way.
And indeed, it works after Speedy texts her to follow the Ws.
So at approx 10pm we are all reunited after all and can welcome Wizard with some dinner we took for her and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon!