The day arrived for Beth and I to part ways, her to the east and me (soon) to the north. We really got to know each other, sharing deep conversations by the campfire, soaking in the warm pond and successfully cooking and baking together in a very tight space. Now I have a new friend, and once again travel alone. Beth collects friends like priceless jewels and maintains regular contact, whereas I tend not to reach out so much. I'd like to be better. If I haven't reached out to you, feel free to reach out to me! And here's a fun idea; we could have dinner together via our laptops. No pressure…
My next stop was supposed to be a Hilton Grand Vacations package, three days at a resort for $226 if I sat through a timeshare pitch. I arrived and was told there was no place to park my van. All parking was underground with 8' clearance.
“How about next door? There's a big lot.”
“No, you'll be towed. You could park at the airport.”
“Is there a shuttle service to bring me back?”
“No. You could take an Uber. There are two churches a mile away. Maybe you could negotiate with them.”
“I'd prefer you negotiate on my behalf.”
“No, we can't do that.”
“Ok, you know what? Let's just cancel the stay and you can refund me.”
“Well, there will be a $200 cancellation fee.”
“You're telling me there's no place for my vehicle but I'll be charged $200 if I cancel?”
“…”
“I'll sit in the lounge, you work it out between sales and your manager, and let me know when the cancellation fee is waived and I have credit to stay somewhere else.”
And it was done. I went to Jordanelle State Park where I had to buy a $35 hiking spot in order to leave the van in the parking lot, but I had a nice site by the river for the next two days. I try to find a hike every day. The first began at 8000ft elevation and was full of wet snow spots and a slippery trail. A big sign said NO DOGS. THIS IS A PROTECTED WATERSHED AREA. It was a veritable dog party. One of the most popular hikes, I had to pay $30 for parking. Plus, at my bucolic lunch spot I saw trash. I'll spare you what it was, but I picked it up, wrapped it in my cloth napkin, and threw the whole thing out at the trailhead. Not my favorite.
The second day was exactly the opposite. I was the only one on the five mile loop up a mountain and down a bike trail. The air was crisp and the pine scent intoxicating. Near the top was a memorial bench for a Ruby Isla Chapman, 2017-22. There was a box with a notebook inside for people to share their thoughts. It was almost filled with entries, surely from people like me who never knew her. I sat, and as I enjoyed the breeze, the birdsong and the flowers, composed this entry:
We'll never meet
But even so
I'm glad my feet
Caused me to slow;
To feel the breeze
To hear the song
To feel the ease
Of life lived long
We cannot know
How long we'll live
But you have shown
Still more to give
Astonishingly, the company that did my van conversion found someone in SLC to replace my heater. This model offers a thermostat function so I should be able to have a consistent temp at all times. And tomorrow I'm getting a deer guard, new bike rack and spare tire mount installed. Getting s**t done!
Just for fun, check out the zoom on the iPhone 17. The van is in the middle of the second picture. I saw it as I ate my lunch on the mountain bike trail.
And just for more fun, when I saw this I thought, “So am I!"
