I decided to put only the essentials in my car and dropped off a few boxes at Mike's...The essentials I brought along are pretty basic, I must admit. I have a bathroom area contained within a metal case that Mike calls the "metal case of doom" (it's pretty heavy, but includes shampoo/conditioner, face wipes, toothbrush/toothpaste, pretty much anything you would find in someone's bathroom), a kitchen (a cooler with eggs, cheese, homemade tzatziki, soyrizo, mushrooms, tomatoes, veggie bacon, veggie breakfast patties, and rice milk; there is also a plastic storage container for my dry foods, including sourdough, English muffins, corn tortillas that went bad within the first day - yaye to no preservatives!, instant oatmeal, tea, pita chips - four bags, and on day 3, two bags are already finished, stale goldfish, and cashews; lastly, my kitchenware - camping stove, wine opener, can/beer opener, a pot, pan, plates, bowls, cups, cutting board, knives - really just one, dish soap, spices, and paper towels), and my bedroom which consists of crash pads, yoga mats, sleeping bag, and pillow, and my clothes which all fit in one backpacker's bag. Looking back on this list, it actually looks and feels like I brought a ton...however, considering I am living off this for the next (at least) 3 weeks, I feel like it's fair.
On Friday, Mike and I made the drive up to Cedar City, Utah, and stayed the night there. Cedar City was a CUTE little town right across the border from Arizona from Nevada. We stayed at a bed and breakfast, and I would have LOVED to stay in that house for weeks...I thought about how it would be really fun to actually own a home like that and have guests stay there with me as they drove on to their destinations. They hire college students (really sweet and accommodating ones) to take care of patrons, make breakfast, clean up, etc...The night we got in, we were so hungry, so we found a pub hoping we could have a couple beers and a bite to eat. Turns out, there was a Mike's Tavern a block away, so we went there...low and behold, it was karaoke night and the entire town was there (20 people) ;) to sing and hang out. It felt like a pretty young crowd, and we later found out that there is a university down the street. After we ordered our Zion Brewing Company Amber Ale, we looked around to see what we could grub on. Well, the waitress offered us chips...no, not potato crisps or fries, but actual chips. Well, that wouldn't do for us, so we asked where we could eat at that time of night (midnight), and she said the only place open was Denny's. We finished our 4% beer (um, more like water), and head over to Denny's. Denny's is never my first...or second...or 27th choice of a dining establishment, but it was definitely clutch in that moment. Mike and I were both beyond exhausted....Mike ordered the fried sampler and I had a potato skillet (hold the meat). I really liked my food, but Mike had a stomach ache for at least a day after. We also ordered decaf coffee, but after the first cup, we felt like there may be caffeine. Mike swears he can taste caffeine. No, not like he's suddenly awake, but he actually tastes the flavor of caffeine. Anyway, we left there and CRASHED until we heard the other guests in the morning screaming "Gooooooooooooooooooal" a couple times during the Germany v. Argentina World Cup game. I had a feeling they weren't rooting for the brown guys...I called out the nice gentleman later at breakfast.
By the way, Mike is driving at the moment - we are heading to Arches - and he keeps pointing out beautiful scenery, as I keep typing away on my wonderful MacBook. :) I mean, I guess I kinda did want this trip to be a chance to zone out and be in my own world...blogging world, included.
Just finally made it to Moab. Actually, we have been here for a few hours, but decided to drive over to Arches National Park to drive the loop and figure out which hikes we want to take tomorrow. Thankfully, our campsite has electric outlets (well, connections for water and electricity), so I can finally charge my laptop and write from our picnic table.
So...where did I leave off? Oh, yes. Last I really wrote, we were leaving Cedar City. Cedar City was a cute little town, as I said before...the town had an old town downtown area, and it was interesting because in many of establishments that looked like houses, there were businesses...whether it was a more obvious bed and breakfast, a massage place, a dog grooming business, etc. Everyone was beyond kind. When Mike and I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things before we head off to Bryce, two different ladies asked if we wanted to go ahead since we had fewer items. You just don't see that type of generosity and thoughtfulness at home. The cash register lady and the nice lady in front of us got into a conversation about what kind of fish can be caught at the local fishing area, etc. Just jovial...and very present people. I mean, I feel as though many people live in their own heads. It's not a matter of not wanting to be kind and ask if someone would like to get in front of them, but more that we don't even notice. We are just methodically going about our days. We don't even notice others...unless it somehow benefits us. I know this is a huge generalization, and there are many kind people in Southern California...but, it's just an observation.
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