Where did we last leave our heroine (that’s me)? Kansas. Flat and cold. By the end of day Tuesday, I hit the wall. When we pulled into camp, a reservoir in Kansas, I told David I was out. He had to set up camp by himself in the rain. I hunkered down in the trailer with a bottle of wine and a book about gargoyle hunters in NYC. I even took a shower in the wet bath (surprisingly hot and nice). David took it in stride. He made cowboy steaks in the rain. Delivered them in the lounge and it was a relatively nice night.
Wednesday, I woke up determined to be a better camper. I gave myself the “Everyone knows an ant can’t move a rubber tree plant but he’s got high hopes” treatment and opened my eyes. That is when I realized Hudson had peed in the bed. David was happily ensconced in the lounge area as predicted in an earlier post so only I was trapped in the pee bed. Never you mind, I thought and set about making a make-shift laundry and getting everything spic and span. We loaded up and much like the pioneers before us vowed to make it out of Kansas by day’s end.
Around lunch we realized Hudson’s eye didn’t look good. He had cut it a week before while chasing ducks through some tidal reeds. I started looking for vets on the way. Hudson thought this was payback for his morning gift and perhaps it was. Nonetheless, in Lamar, Colorado we found a lovely teaching vet. There in front of 20 vet students, Hudson got an exam, several drugs, and lots of pets and treats. When they told us the bill for all of this was only $61.00, David and I started laughing hysterically and immediately planned to move to Lamar.
After an unheard-of vet appointment that was right on time and lasted under thirty minutes, we set our sights on Sand Dune National Park (pic above). As we were halfway from Lamar and where we needed to go, David realized he had passed the point of no return. We couldn’t turn around and get gas before we ran out, and it wasn’t clear we’d make it to the next gas station if we continued. Looking at the gas gauge and Suri’s prediction of how close gas was simultaneously, we played chicken with our tank and rolled into the Jug and Loaf on fumes. Then, gassed up and feeling euphoric we saw the dunes. It was like an alien sent to make mountains decided to make a beachscape instead. In no time, we set up camp, built a fire, and as snow came down, we realized we needed to pack hats.
Next morning waking up to 30 degrees and a wind-chill colder than that, I had my best idea yet. Hot springs. This was partially motivated because David had yet to shower. The night before we both wondered if getting caught in a snow storm was the same as a shower, showing how quickly basic hygiene breaks down on the road. We rolled into Pagosa Springs and enjoyed 18 pools of mineral hot water. My best friend and I have a rule about never getting into hot tubs which we call “human soup.” These had more circulation, but I still had to wonder were the flakes in the water mineral or human? It shall remain a mystery. A quick bite at the Riff Raff, and we are back on the road headed to Utah. We both smell divine.
Adventures in LuLu 