Day 17: Gail Tank to CDT mile 355.2, 25.6 miles
Day 18: CDT mile 355.2 to Pie Town Road Walk mile 1.5, 22.4 miles
Total miles: 298.5
We have entered the part of the trip where there is a lot of walking on roads, and today nearly all of our miles were on dirt or gravel roads. We tend to move quickly on roads, and can cover ground easier than on rougher trails. Fortunately, most of the roads are first service road and still go through pretty country. 
We had to carry water from camp for over 20 miles, and when we got to the spring that evening we were happy to run into Twenty Two. We hadn’t seen him in a few days, so it was fun to catch-up. We hiked on a couple more miles and were reunited with trail, that brought us to nice flat knob to camp for the evening, where we caught a glorious sunset.
We both slept well over night at our spot on the knob. Finding a flat spot for two people can sometimes be challenging, but this one was pitched perfectly and allowed for a particularly comfortable night. I’ve started dreaming about food, which means that hiker hunger is starting to set in. Good thing our next town in a few days is called Pie Town!
We stopped for water at murky pond, and once we filtered it the water tasted okay. We took a shortcut from the trail to make eight miles six, and followed a forest service road to Govinna Canyon where we walked cross-country back to the CDT. It was pretty, but when we returned to the trail the water source we were planing on collecting more water from had dried-up. We each had about half a liter of water, and eight more miles until the next source. It was disheartening, but we knew we’d be fine, but a little uncomfortable. 
The day was hot, but we took breaks in the shade to stay cool, and the eight miles went by quickly. Someone left gallons of clean water for hikers about a mile from our next water source, and we each drank a liter and thanked the trail for the magic. We arrived at a large tank a mile later, and were amused to find the water clear but with at least a hundred goldfish happily swimming in it. That’s what filters are for! We ate dinner, and continued on a couple more miles to camp in a cow field. New Mexico treated us to another pretty sunset, which is always a good end to the day. 
CookingScraps 
Excellent trail magic! The photo of the sunset is so beautiful, one of nature’s masterpieces. What does it smell like there? It looks like lots of fresh air but dry and dusty ,is there a “garrigue” or botanical type of scent from the brush and grasses? Just wondering 🙂 We are enjoying hearing about you three 🙂
There a lot of smells out here! In the desert the most noticeable botanical smell is the earthy fragrance of juniper bushes. In the forests, the ponderosas give off a warm pine smell. Some of the wildflowers are quite fragrant, too!
Trail magic, indeed. Excellent. From your photos, I think that sun to be tremendous. I hope you both have excellent hats and good sun screen, as old Sol can burn us in a minute! Take care of all of you, happy family! Love, Laura