Parks and Trekreation - Day 5
(Original post date - April 29, 2017)
#parksandtrekreation
#katieandkristagowest
Day 5 - March 28, 2016
This day started off sad for me as I woke up to a text from my mom letting me know that my grandmother had passed away at 4am. Before I left for this trip, we knew she was on her way out of this world any day and she was more than ready at 98 years old. But of course when it comes to death, there’s never really a good time, and I was sad that I wouldn’t be there for the funeral (which would happen in a couple days).
RIP Granmda. I love you!
This morning’s breakfast consisted of leftovers from the night before (chicken, rice, veggies, and a lemon), peanut butter sandwiches, with more bland tea and coffee.
Since there was a laundromat on the premises of Ruby’s Inn and RV Park we figured we’d better take advantage of the opportunity to wash our stinky clothes and gather some info about Bryce Canyon from a very friendly Inn employee (who by the way, pronounced Escalante like this: Escalonnie. This kept us roaring with laughter throughout the rest of the trip. Why is this so funny to us? Because we’re delirious?).
As we entered Bryce Canyon we were finally able to make use of our annual pass which we simply presented to the gatekeeper. The first place we went was the Visitor Center which was heavily populated with tourists to get some info about which trails would be appropriate for us to attempt. We spoke with an elderly park ranger who thought we seemed capable of completing the Figure 8 Trail (listed as “strenuous” due to length and steepness) which is a combo of Queen’s Garden Trail, Peekaboo Loop, and Navajo Trail. Due to the remaining ice and snow from winter, part of the Navajo Trail was closed, but he highlighted the way we should go on the map so we could do a modified version. I told my mother I wouldn’t do anything too difficult or strenuous, but this seemed like something we could accomplish without being reckless. It was a super cool, but very taxing hike.
We saw majestic views, trekked through mud and ice, got a little wind-burned and sweaty at times. There were a lot of other female duos blazing the trail, which gave us more confidence in ourselves. We even met a chubby German girl coming in the opposite direction who gave us her take on her portion of the journey thus far. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what she was saying, but we did find out that she was planning to sleep in her car that night and that there was a snow storm coming.
We finished the trail in under the average time! And just as we reached the end, it began to snow as we walked along Rim Trail (“Easy”) to where our car was parked. After taking a minute to rest in the car, we made a stop at Ruby’s Inn General Store to buy ramen, instant mashed potatoes, and some chips. We also planned to get oil to make the popcorn that Alex had so kindly helped me purchase back in Harlem, but we couldn’t find a small enough bottle for our purposes.
Side note: On the way to the store in Harlem, Alex found a big stick propped up against a Stop sign and said “See. You don’t need to leave Harlem to find nature.” But on the trail I found an even bigger stick so…I win.
Back at the check out counter in Bryce, I was literally pushed out of the way by a large oaf of a man who said “oh! are these your groceries? Sorry! You go first.” Then he told the cashier that he thought we were finished because we had moved out of the way. Um. NO. You literally pushed me.
For dinner we ate at the restaurant inside Ruby’s Inn Best Western. (So many things called Ruby’s Inn around here. Who is Ruby? Some western lodging tycoon?) While waiting for our food, I FaceTimed with my family who were gathered together back in New Jersey. Krista ordered a hamburger and I chose to eat at the buffet which included a salad bar. This gave me an idea for the oil. We asked our waitress if she had a small container to put a little oil in to take away. She said they did not have that, but she generously brought us a large styrofoam cup filled almost to the brim with olive oil. What in tarnation are we gonna do with all that oil after we use like one tablespoon to make popcorn?
Back in our rustic cabin with our bellies full and the burden of having a giant coffee cup full of oil (which we carried with us for the remainder of the trip), we relaxed and got lost in the world of Instagram, laughing at memes, etc. For those of you who remember this important time in history, Instagram was telling everyone to turn on notifications if you wanted to continue to see the posts of people you follow. Everyone seemed up in arms, including me. We firmly decided that we would NOT kowtow to Instagram’s demands. No notifications.
Suddenly my body was furiously begging me to get to a bathroom. Stat. Because I was in so much pain, I threw on my shoes, ran to the car, wheeled out of there and to the serial killer bathroom that we swore we would never return to. I felt like I was in a horror film even more so than before. I was alone (without my phone), snow was falling, the wind was whipping my hair in all directions, the lights were flickering inside the bathroom. But my daring bathroom escapade left me unscathed.
After a long and tiring day, we went to get another well deserved shower. While naked and ready to get in the water I suddenly had to go to the bathroom yet again. Ugh. I put on my camp towel, walked out of the shower stall and into a bathroom stall. Feeling relieved, I went back to my shower stall (with all my clothes inside) only to find it mysteriously and magically locked from the inside. I jiggled the door in hopes of loosening the lock (with a mind of its own or a ghost of its own) to no avail. My only choice was to slither, yes slither, under the door. Flat on my stomach in nothing but a towel. The fun never ends.
Goodnight.