I had a weird and interesting day as I was communicating off and on with a guy for a while now who is working in Belgium but moving to Edmonton in December. I have had great communication until I asked him to take a selfie with a landmark so I would know he is who he is. He got offended… I don’t want to go into the details until it is either proven he is not who he says or it is a funny story we tell years from now. Don’t worry, I have all my spider senses working.
After a long day of data entry, I went to the rental group meeting I have been peripherally involved with. I was glad I did as there was the Mayor and several top city officials there to explain the city plans coming up as to revitalization and housing. They were very informative and I was so glad to be there. I look forward to reading all the new info coming out soon as to our Official Community Plan, etc.
Mayor Price
I spent the last couple hours updating my YouTube channel with the music videos I have taken. It was instigated by the musician from last night reaching out to see if I would send him the video I took! I said yes in exchange for permission to post on my channel. I still have to upload my Vegas trip videos but got caught up on everything up to then. I forgot how much work it is if you leave it go too long, lol
I do feel like I have broken the back of the work I have to do this month so that is comforting.
The last time I recorded snow this year was April 4th, which means we have made it just over 6 months between snowfalls!
This morning I was stepping out of the shower when I heard my friend’s voice. I was impressed with the message she delivered
I had a phone call appointment with my Dr who was pleased to tell me that my levels pointing to Diabetes were extremely good. No issues with my liver either. The cholesterol level is right on the line between low and moderate. He said he put all the stats into a calculator and i have a 10% chance of stroke or heart issues in the next decade. I feel really good about those odds and will make any diet changes and fully quit smoking which will drop the percentage by a good amount. Not bad for a 60 year old broad, lol.
I did a few chores after work and then headed to Encore to meet with Rae, Ash and Dee-Anne to see Leeroy Stagger. He is the grandson of my dear, dear friend, Patsy (RIP) from Salt Spring Island. I made sure to wear my MusicFest T with his name on the back from 2022 when he played there. It turns out that he and the band are staying at Ashlée’s apartment! I went up to him and before I had an opportunity to explain who I and she was, he said Hi! I know you, what is your name. That made me happy and I showed him the last picture we took together before taking another. The evening was lovely and there was a good crowd for a Tuesday night in Cranbrook. He gave me a button for my bag at the end of the night.
I also ran into Tyrel Hawke who is always ready with a great smile
My Dad, who’s 84th birthday it would have been today, had he not been killed when his floatplane crashed at the age of 64, didn’t want me to keep it. He understood that abortion was not my personal choice, but he was worried, as a Dad, that I would be reminded every day. He wanted to help me find a family for adoption… he was wrong and he recognized that, long before he died. He loved my Jake and would have been just as proud as I am of the man he has become.
I was a 30 year old divorced woman who decided to treat herself to a big trip with a co-worker. 21 days in Florida and the Bahamas. I won’t go into the details tonight, but on day 5 in Freeport, I was raped. I had been celibate and off birth control for a couple years and just knew I would be pregnant. When I saw the Dr in Florida a couple days later he offered me a pill to take care of it, just in case, but I knew that if I was, it was meant to be. The literature said there was a 2% chance of a pregnancy in that situation… I knew before I even came home that I was carrying.
I found the hardest part initially was making everyone else okay with my decision.
It is single-handedly the best decision I have ever made and I am proud of overcoming all the things; depression, poverty, loneliness to have raised a good man. He is far from perfect, just as I am, but he is successful and loving and true to what he believes in.
I am proud of him, grateful for him choosing me to be his Mom, and I am proud of me for stepping up to the challenge.
I got up and worked my way through a rainy day doing laundry and other household chores. My nails were way too long so I called at noon when the salon opened and made an appointment for 3 to get a fill. My arm is feeling no worse for using it so much yesterday and seems to get a bit better each day, thankfully.
When I headed out for my appointment I noticed that there were no long pieces to finish building my carport. In my hurry, I thought at least four pieces had been stolen and I was gutted. It really hit me hard emotionally as I tried to come up with an affordable solution. Once my nails were done, which I love in orange and sparkly black, I reached back home to check the direction book. I was truly relieved to find that Monica had read the directions wrong and we had put the ‘missing’ pieces onto the two arches we already made. My adrenaline made me undo them and build the other two arches before I went in the house. i made dinner which helped as I hadn’t eaten properly, likely contributing to my over reaction.
I was at Key City for 6:45 to run bar for a comedy show. IT was three indigenous comedians and most of the audience were from Ktunaxa Nation. I had a great visit with the two main acts before hand, laughing that they have always wanted to stay at the Clown Motel and will make a point of it after our talk. I enjoyed all of the show, they had toned down the crudity and it suited the audience well. I felt bad for them trying to get interactions going though, tough crowd. OF course it being a Sunday night 8 pm show, there wasn’t a lot of action at the bar, but they were great tippers and I was sure to let them know it was appreciated as it goes to our volunteer party.
Mary hopes I will be available for a couple gigs this week, but I will have to make sure all my work is done first.
I picked up Monica just before 11 and off we went to bottle 4 batches of wine. One for each of us and 2 to split. We had a fabulous time, catching up and getting it done. After we dropped hers off we headed to my place to unload. There was an extremely strong smell of gas so I called the emergency line again. The Fortis guy showed up in short order to discover the the hose connection on my side of the meter was damaged. As he had changed the regulator last week, he felt that one did not necessarily cause the other but he fixed it for free which was a blessing and again, I didn’t go boom!
Monica stayed for a couple hours to help me start building my carport and wow is it solid. I definitely got the good quality one I had hoped for. It has a few scratches that I am sure happened in transit as the three boxes were so heavy (glad I got free shipping from Wayfair) but I will touch it all up with the proper paint when it is done. We got a good start on it and recruited Tracey to come help us hopefully finish it off tomorrow as we both feel it will take three of us to get it together. I am so looking forward to my car not being covered in snow every morning and it will be good coverage for the jeep come next summer. Monica and I work well together and we called on all our girl power to get things done.
After I dropped her back home, I relaxed for a bit and then headed to Key City Theatre for ‘Walk me to the corner, an evening to celebrate Brent Carver’ I am so glad I got a ticket. I was blessed to have been the only non-family member at his family gathering when he passed during August of 2020, the height of Covid restrictions. I ran lights and sound for it and from the booth I was very moved. It took over three years to make tonight’s event happen and I wish everyone could have made time to be there. For a boy from Cranbrook to have soared to the heights of the Theatre world as he did is astonishing. The whole evening was top notch with film clips from producers and even Chita Rivera! Nora McLellan, currently in Son of A Critch, came and gave a beautiful tribute, sharing a funny story sent by a friend of theirs. Jim Cameron and Barry Coulter, two local actors gave the intros and did a spectacular job. It was all very impressive and well showcased Brent’s success on TV, in movies, at Stratford, in Toronto, on Broadway and in London. They had all his award out and I was gobsmacked. The Tony award was the most stunning, something he and Chita both received for Kiss of A Spiderwoman.
And my favourite pic of the day that I received by text, my kids in Vancouver together
I mulled on why I am so happy when on the road, no matter where I live or where I am at in my life.
It suddenly occurred to me that in the company of complete strangers I am none other than my own true self, and she is a happy, energy sharing, uplifting human. I don’t have to have my brain working 100 miles an hour, don’t have to try to figure out if I know you, if I should remember who you are, should know the details that prove I was listening and care.
The reality, being stuck in an empath (and concussed) brain makes me let things go as quick as I can often. This makes it complicated to live in a small city. I worry constantly that someone will be offended that I don’t remember them, especially when they greet me with enthusiasm. I am involved in many things and sometimes… it’s just too much. I want to engage, to enjoy, to just be…
and so I go away, and I engage with strangers in an even swap of intellect and energy that fills both of us. So, that is how it is, I have my one person, the one who will remind me who the other is and how I know them, who will hold my memories with me.. or I be straight up and just tell people I am sorry but how do I know you… to often horrible reactions… or I roam and leave memories and gather positive energy wherever I go… THIS, this is what fills my tank. This is why I blog so I can be in the moment, write it down to revisit, and really, just be me.
This is also one of the reasons I left Theatre school as I figured out that to be a success, it was all about networking. Schmoozing, this I can do, deep talk, also, but the in between, this I struggle with.
The month is slipping away but I am getting a lot done so am trying to keep the stress at bay. My guts are very unhappy with me for the last 7 days at least. I even took a Covid test tonight just to be sure. I suppose I could have picked up a bug of some kind on the journey, it’s just not something I usually experience. I am drinking lots of water and eating properly though, the weight has even started to come off again, yay!
Dinner didn’t look as great as the picture but it did taste good and is pretty healthy. I am tired, so I will rest well tonight I hope. My arm wasn’t as bad today. That’s a win.
I feel bad for Rae-Anne and Ashlée as they planned a sister trip to see Pink in Vancouver. They flew out yesterday to return on Sunday. Today Pink announced she is sick and the shows are postponed or cancelled. What a disappointment when they have been looking forward to it for months and months.
It is interesting that my neighbour and I have recognized our strengths. I am a community giver and sometimes individual. She is by far a personal giver. She gives her time and energy to her friends. I am lucky to be counted as one. I go away and she, as a major cat lady, looks after my cat, Missy and spoils her with time to the point that my own cat snubs me when I return for at least a day. Tracey is an amazing human who uses the resources she has to make my life better. I am so grateful to have her as the best neighbour ever.
A multitasking day again, much volunteer work, much book work and some fun when I left an EdFest meeting to see two bucks playing in the school field. I did get my results online and do not have Diabetes, but cholesterol is a bit high. I am not terribly surprised as I need to start eating better again, cut out processed food, etc. I have gained back 10 of the pounds I lost and am determined to get that gone again. It will be interesting to hear what the Dr has to say. My elbow is really bad today and I suspect that is what kept waking me up last night. It even hurt to wear a jacket, but the weather requires it now.
I managed to squeeze in getting both my MRNA and Flu shot this morning. It feels good to be protected for the winter.
I got a call from the Dr’s office first thing to come for an appointment at 11:30. On the way to the office I stopped at the Lab and got bloodwork done. Time to find out if I have high cholesterol or Diabetes, sigh. So far I have dodged those bullets. I was lucky to be in and out in 15 minutes without an appointment. Back at the office I got a lot done until it was time to walk over to the Dr. It was a beautiful day and I was in in no time, where he delivered the news that I had actually chipped something in my elbow. He wasn’t sure if it was calcium build up from previous ‘tennis elbow’ or bone but felt I should just rest it and let it heal. I probably shouldn’t have continued for an hour on the Segway, drove another 5000+ Km, packed bags and cooler, done yard work when I returned, BUT it was all worth it and I have a high pain tolerance. Rest is in order as I need to get a manicure due to my nails being long enough to make keying mistakes and I can’t imagine resting my elbow on the table to get it done. Dr. Wolff told me to wait and let my body tell me when to rest. All I know is it is more sore today from using it too much on Sunday…. I am going to apply some ‘Indian Medicine’ that I was gifted when I lived in Bella Bella. I totally forgot I have it but I think it is the perfect solution.
I walked and got a delicious lunch from Max’s, a ham sandwich and pea soup. Just what I needed to fuel me up for all the work.
I did accomplish a lot and took a few minutes in between to surf for couches, just for fun.
Once I got home, I made a delicious Hello Fresh meal and relaxed, tomorrow with be full again as I lucked into a single available appointment for my MRNA and Flu vaccines at 9:20 tomorrow. I still am amazed that I have not gotten sick after Vegas aside from some stomach issues which I think are mostly from holding in my gas around my travel mate, lol.
I was so happy to get the call from my Dr at 8 this morning. He had read all my charts and history and determined it was just time to get a little blood work done. I also asked if it was a good idea to get my elbow x-rayed as it was still hurting to touch. He said it was likely nothing serious but the fact that neither of us have x-ray vision, I should come in and get one done. He has a tech in his office! I received that call just before 9:30 as I was arriving at my office so I popped over and got it done. I haven’t had a call back about it yet so I suspect that is good news. The day was crazy busy with payroll and catching up on email. It was not without its frustrations but I maintained my happy place.
I smelled gas outside my place again yesterday which I had noticed before I left but when I asked others they couldn’t smell it. I called Fortis, my natural gas provider and they considered it an emergency and sent a person out. He called when he got there as I was at work and I told him where my spare key was. Not too much later he called me back to say there was a substantial leak and he had to replace the regulator. He had done so and gone in to restart my furnace and hot water heater. What great service… and what a relief!!!
After work I planned to go to Mom’s and bring her the Huckleberry Salt Water Taffy that I bought her. I know that candy is her favourite. It was still her dinner time so I stopped at Encore to find a bunch gathered to celebrate the sale of Arby’s. Addison and Ian had made the coolest awards for the 4 owners and Rae-Anne. It was a lovely time.
I stopped to see Mom and had a happy little visit. She was glad to see that my happy self was back.
I finally was able to upload the video of our connection with the spirit of Clarence, the person whose daughters grew up and and built the Clown Motel in his memory. I can’t stress how many times I have tried and tonight it finally worked. It is in the original post of that night.
What I did want to address was something I didn’t when it happened. As I was turning off the highway to enter Tonopah that day, my navigation screen in my car went completely blank. I mean, gone… for long enough that I just followed the road down and was glad to see the hotel looming in the distance before it suddenly came back up again. To be clear, I did not lose the internet.. I lost all visuals on the screen… in my car. I figured it was some weird anomaly, until the same thing happened when I tried to leave town…….
I woke rested at my usual alarm time and just relaxed and enjoyed my coffee as I caught up on a few of my shows. It was nice to visit with Missy and just zone out. Eventually I got outside and took pictures of my pergola to advertise for free and asked for a quick pick up. I them began mowing and pruning and mulching and weeding. I was stunned to finally pull out a rose stalk that has appeared to be dead for two summers now, and find a huge new growth from the bottom wound in the weeds. I cleaned out the area and gave it a trellis and mulched it in hope of beautiful roses next year. My friend Bear, his wife and sweet baby, Coda, showed up to dismantle and take away the pergola to put over their hot tub. We had a nice visit and I hung all my Halloween décoré once they left. Tracey came over with a couple beer and we had a good catch up. I was so thrilled to see that she and her son had taken away all my transfer station stuff while I was gone. She really is the best neighbour I have had and I am glad I bought her a few items while I was away. I settled in my jammies, had a bit of dinner and got a message from Rae that it was her last shift and there was a photo shoot at 9. I got dressed in my Arby’s Christmas shirt and headed down. It was good to see so many folks, get a few pics of my own, have nice visit and a cuddle with Raj’s baby girl before heading home. It was a nice respite day before heading into the fray of the rest of the month
Before mowing and clearingBonus Rose!SavannahOld owner hand over to Sam and DaveMy loveCherry, Stu. Jehn Raj
Woke up fairly refreshed. Got showered and packed my stuff in the hotel room, said my goodbye’s to Sonia and went down to the parking lot to organize my car for the border crossing. I then headed back up to the Windbag to grab a road coffee and headed out.
I hadn’t noticed the spire creatures yesterdayIt’s a little cooler heading out.
The weather is off and on clear and a few moments of weather. I suspect I won’t notice the eclipse at all as I travel along. My first gas stop was interesting and I was running the lowest yet so also glad the price was low.
It was pretty smooth sailing except for a bit of construction along Salmon Lake and then an accident that had a fireman turning us around to go through Big Fork which didn’t add much time.
Last stop for gas was in Eureka and then it was a short hop to the border. If finished listening to The Palace Papers and began listening to “ A Promised Land” written and narrated by Barack Obama. I am not going to kid you, it is nice listening to both his story and his voice. The Palace Papers was an interesting take, summing up all of the things I have already read or watched and giving a good perspective and review. I do like Audible. It was fun to listen to my music while with Sonia. I set my music on alphabetical songs and we made it to the start of the C list on our time together. I only skipped Christmas and hard core gospel.
I had written down my expenses and was slightly over my allowable, as well as having a bit too much alcohol with me as I had the whiskeys from Oregon and the Growler from Nevada and the Moonshine from Vegas, and the Vodka from Sonia. The border guard was a lovely Canadian, fascinated that I had driven all that way and was interested in the trip more than anything, asking lots of fun questions and when I told him all the truth, he said have a safe rest of your way home and waved me on… Marnée magic 🙂
I stopped and visited with Rae-Anne and Ashlée, sharing my Growler of chocolate stout and catching up before they fly off on Wednesday to see Pink in Vancouver. I stopped at the office to pick up my parcels and cheques and came home to unload all, sort and do laundry, take my thank you gifts to Tracey and have my leftovers for dinner as I was starting to shake. Missy has been sticking fairly close I suspect she is relieved I came back. It must be confusing for animals when their person goes away.
I see that my maple turned to Fall while I was gone, and my tarp blew off my shed and I will have to rake leaves and replace the tarp. My carport was delivered and I will see about building it tomorrow.. potentially.
Some of the fun that I picked up last night.
A random thing that I just remembered was my horror yesterday when a commercial caught my attention for some kind of US election. I was so flabbergasted by what I was hearing that I didn’t catch the name, nor the level of government, but it was what we would consider hate speech here in Canada. He spoke as a military person who was tired of all this ‘woke’ behaviour, planned to stop giving gay rights etc. Just horrible.
Oh, and the distance I drove is almost the whole way across Canada
Once again it was nice to look out in the morning and see where we were. I laughed that we have a doorbell on our room. I shall not be accepting visitors so…
I got ready and drove Sonia to the office that she had to work at for the day and then after a wee drive around, headed off to explore downtown which is right next door. It is a marvelous walking mall so I did just that, all the way down one side and back up the other. It is perfect t-shirt weather to me although I know many were finding it cold. The first stop was the first jewelry store I saw as I also saw some interesting art pieces. I do love functional art and had to buy a beautiful bowl while I was there. As I wandered I saw across the street a store called Sole Sisters. Sole Sister Ramblers is a group that I am in on Facebook. We are women all over the world that walk and share in photos and spirit. I shared photos of the store and we all had a good laugh about not knowing we had a headquarters.
Fire TowerThe Bushwhacker
The next shop I bought a few souvenirs in and a couple of adorable dresses was also the place that I was drawn to a beautiful set of pottery measuring cups only to discover they were made by a Heiltsuk artist! I laughed and told the shopkeeper that that was where I last lived and worked. A glimmering moment.
And then I fell in love with a couch, and it was on sale… sigh. He even said he would store it for me as long as necessary. If I could easily get it home, it would be mine. The store was fabulous and it is probably good that I don’t live closer
Next door was an associated store, full of wonderful seconds and more, I cruised looking for Fluevogs, ended up introducing the shop gals to the brand and buying two new nose rings.
The Golden Girls Antique Mall was really incredible. It was like being in a museum. I spent a long time there wandering the two floors. I didn’t buy anything but I sure had a good time.
This store wasn’t open when I went by, and I forgot to go back. It was intriguing
Holster Museum of Art was a lovely surprise, and free to wander! There were 4 current displays and a nice gift shop. I enjoyed it all.
And now I was on the right side of the block and at Sole Sisters. The ladies working there were absolutely lovely. I tried on a couple dresses but ultimately bought a pair of decadent shoes for half price.
I continued on my ramble and ended up at the Windbag Saloon for lunch where I had the kind Ida for a server. She was a little bit of a hippy chick and she said to try to sit in her section if I came back for dinner.
I had info arriving for payroll so I headed back to the room and unpacked my wares before getting to work
Sonia was done work at just the right time and I picked her up to go to both Walmart and Target as we both were interested in getting some Halloween and Christmas items and she needed a new adapter for her Aussie to North America plugs. We had fun and I picked up a few things including more Nicarette mints as they have worked well for me and I have had one cigarette since Oct 1st.
Next stop was a liquor store where she bought me some Huckleberry Vodka and some Chocolate vodka to bring home as thanks for chauffeur duties.
We then dropped things at the hotel and headed out for dinner. Thankfully her leg is doing better so she was able to walk up to the Saloon. She chose the fish and chips, I had the Montana Mac and Cheese which was basically chicken bacon ranch, and we both had Huckleberry Mules. Ida was our person again.
It is hard to believe that I am heading back home tomorrow. What an adventure we have had!
And actually in and out of a few, so more than that! I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE IF I BOOT THROUGH THIS. I was having trouble with the internet and inadvertently deleted all that I had processed for the day.. sigh.
Recap
I was in awe of the dispensers and hope to find some for my bathroom. Breakfast was great but biscuits and gravy are over-rated IMHO.
First we leave Utah for Idaho where we stop for gas and Sonia purchases two sweet gifts for me, a sticker for my car of a yeet Unicorn and a button for my back of Darth Tater. I left them in the car so no current picture, but it was very sweet. All I noticed was the weapons case
Our first destination was the Idaho Potato Museum in Blackfoot. I love the Peru connection, the super friendly owners and the delicious food as much as the displays. I bought a few fun things and then we were on our way
Next, slightly out of the way, but soooo worth it stop was the Collectibles Museum in Idaho Falls. Jim and Nida were the perfect hosts to an incredible collection of collections and I just wanted them to be my family. They have been married at least 60 years and Nida told me that when she met Jim she said, I come with stuff, and he said he did too. That is where it all began.
Now we headed towards Helena where Sonia is to work tomorrow. We had a couple of stops planned but the Dumas Brothel Museum is closed due to the owner having her third heart surgery! She left a beautiful message on her site and I wish her the very best, hoping to be back to see it some day. The next stop them became the Lady of the Rockies, overlooking Butte. It turns out it is a longer drive than we expected so we took pictures from below and headed for Helena. There was also a super fancy rest stop exactly when I needed it and a Tesla station seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
We finally made it to Helena where Sonia’s employer had booked a room as she is working here Friday and off to further work on Sunday morning. I presented Sonia with a flashing pumpkin necklace as a token of being my first Marnée Magic Tours client, knowing she is heading to NOLA after this. She promptly took me for a delicious fancy meal, served by the lovely Brandi.
I completely forgot that when we left, Jim gave us each our own Idaho Spud pin, such a lovely token from two truly lovely humans. I am so grateful to have met them.
Went to sleep listening to what I thought were coyotes and awoke to the sound of a horse braying for its breakfast. I worked on getting payroll finished, we got ready, including Sonia reading the instructions and finding out we were to do the dishes and take out the garbage! It was a very expensive room so that was a surprise. I did have a delicious coffee and my last donut. I laughed when I opened my laptop and the windows desktop was Bryce Canyon. Sure, remind me of the flirtation.
We headed towards Arches National Park outside of Moab, Utah, and meandered through the countryside on our way there, stopping at anything interesting that appealed to us. We met many interesting folks and saw some special places and formations.
First stop was just after I got a warning from my car to watch for ice, which horrified poor Sonia, who is not used to cold. We found Butch Cassidy’s Boyhood Home which continues to be restored and was quite a find out in the backroads
It is feeling a touch of fall and the colours are amazing. The wind is also very strong and takes some concentration, to stay on the road and to not let the doors fling when opened. Unfortunately, while we were stopped at Sand Beach View Area, Sonia felt a pop in her calf and has had trouble walking since. I have been trying to park or drive slow so she can take pics out the window and then I pop out and get other ones.
Spotted Wolf Canyon was breathtaking!
We ended up driving into the rain as we approached Moab, our site seeing destination for the day. We stopped at Wendy’s, hoping to grab a salad and plan the rest of the day. It turned out to be very understaffed and disgustingly dirty. We were there for 45 minutes and didn’t see a single thing get cleaned or cleared. So sad.
Shocking Wendy’sClean Arby’s
After the rain stopped pounding, we headed to the park gate. As it happens, you are supposed to reserve an entry time and we missed any for today, but at 4 you just pay and go in. I drove around the weird lineup by the highway and went up the long drive to the booth. I told the Ranger that I had driven a long way and that it had been 41 years since I was last there, so I didn’t book ahead. He said well, it’s 3:52, so you are a little early but go ahead and enjoy the park! I can’t begin to explain how emotional it was to go there. I was last there with Bill, before we were married! Much has changed but I jumped for joy when I saw the two seagulls fighting over food, the baby elephant, and the man walking by. OK, that’s what I saw back then, and recognized them instantly. Here they are first.
And then, the rest including amazing clouds, and a rainbow.
As the sun was setting, we were heading west and then north towards Salt Lake City. We wanted to get as far north of it as we could before stopping for the night so that tomorrow would hold enough time to see the few things we wanted to along the way and get Sonia to Helena in time to do laundry and prep for her presentation for work the next day. I drove through rain, construction, speeding semis, and snow! Sonia filmed it, saying it was like the millenium falcon. You have to know that I liked that reference. We finally stopped in Murray Utah for dinner at IHOP and the lovely server suggested we stay at the Holiday Inn Express just up the street as we were very tired and it was late. I booked it on a discount through Hotels.com, but when I went in to check in, there was no reservation. It took a very long time to get settled. The hotelier was awesome and gave me an even better rate for my troubles. The agent for Hotels.com said he would refund my CC but it would take 7-10 days. I screen shot the conversation to make sure I have back up. We were so tired that we forgot to take a pic of the very nice room before we messed it up.
Earlier in the day we saw a guy walk in to Wendy’s with a pistol in a holster strapped to his leg and at a gas stop I saw the oddest collection of collectibles. We are definitely not in Canada.
I have enjoyed interesting talks with Sonia, she feels I should transition to my new career of Marnée’s Magic Tours. My happy personality and genuine passion to see all the things and share them with others would make me a great guide, she says encouragingly. Little does she know I would abandon all in a heartbeat to do that. I have learned a few things this trip, or at least solidified them; I ought to nail down a 10 year plan, I can trust my gut and take calculated risks, like spending a week with a woman I met for a few days 12 years ago in the Great Bear Rainforest, and that I do not ever want to settle for anything less than what I felt yesterday talking to Rich.
Woke up this morning after a good sleep in the bunk under a cool sky. It was wonderful to see the surroundings that we had missed coming in after dark. The showers were good, the neighbours were entertaining and we finally got away. We stopped at Dennys only to meet Tina and Brooklyn coming out complaining about how bad it was so we decided to just grab beverages and fruit at a truck stop and then head out.
The first real stop was on the edge of town at Glen Canyon Dam and then further along at a lookout where we met a couple from Missouri who really liked to talk, lol. I enjoyed the conversation about Belize, but we really needed to keep moving.
We next crossed into Utah and stopped for coffee, where a lovely older gent named Gregg was a treat to buy from. I got a blueberry coffee which was a fun novelty, some eggs that included salt and pepper, a sticker for my car, and ice for the cooler. I didn’t buy the skat or poop, just thought it amusing. I was really impressed with the wheeled collection behind a motor home we saw.
Moqui Cave wasn’t far away and although I had been there before I thought Sonia would enjoy it. I spoke to the guide, the owner and it was his grandfather who originally bought the cave and his father who had given me the tour in 2014. His Dad had died two years later and now he owns it and has done a lot of work to the exterior. It was fun to explore again.
Not too far away was Coral Pink Sand Dunes Conservation Area. This was a place I have also been before but it is so peaceful and unique..
Next stop would be to see the Buffalo on our way to Zion National Park.
There was so much beauty to see, the colours and visual textures were extraordinary. We did have to wait a long time to go through the long tunnel. I wish I could have filmed it but it was dark due to no artificial lights, I was driving and I was surprised it was single lane as it was actually double lane wide. I will have to research why the change.
At last we made it to the one I think the most breathtaking, Bryce Canyon. The drive in had natural structures that appear to be people and the canyon is just unbelievable.
We parked at Sunset Point Viewing Area and within 5 minutes I was deeply engaged in conversation with a charming (delicious) man named Rich from I think he said, Bishop California or somewhere near Mammoth. I fully admit that there was so much chemistry that I did not want to leave. I should have given my card, or my number or something but I didn’t and now I can’t get him off my mind. We were comparing our home towns and I said Cranbrook had the most hours of sunshine and he said, Oh that’s why you’re so happy to which I replied, Yep I get lots of D! I of course laughed and said, well that didn’t sound right. He did give me that gift though. I recognize that I have had many moments of absolute joy this trip and it has been a long time since I laughed until I cried.
I shall manifest that our paths cross again.
We drove into Panguitch and I pulled over to check Airbnb as I have my superhost coupon to use. I found us the Dragonfly Motor Hotel which is just perfect. My cousin Kelly would have loved it. We settled our stuff in and went food seeking. It seems there were only two places open and one was very busy to even get in, the other was just busy but the food was good and that was what counts. I had to come back and run a big payroll and then I planned our route for the rest of the trip. We head to Arches tomorrow!
The day started out ornery as I tried to get payroll done before we left the Venetian but had a hard time getting all the info and I held us up getting away. We were further aggravated by the contractors that we discovered working on ladders between my car and another in the lot. I tried to make small talk only to get rude looks and no response. As we headed to the elevator to get the last of our stuff, the female came up to us and very rudely told me that we had moved the barricade and parked where we shouldn’t have. I calmly said we had not, in fact moved anything and that I would not do that in a million years. She said, well, you did. I smile and said, Oh is that your way of asking me kindly to move my car? She said, yes. I did. But it added another 15 minutes to me getting up to the room to get to check out. I was pretty steamed by this point as her energy was very rude and unnecessary and now we had to walk further away to finish loading. We decided to go to the desk to check out rather than express to let them know our experience. Dianne was very kind and gave us one of the nights free for resort fees, saving $51 and gave us bottles of water for the road. I didn’t want the contractors to get into trouble but they need to know that they are part of the guest experience and that was a shoddy way to end our stay. We had a good laugh over the way I had reparked which clearly showed I was annoyed.
There sure is a lot of temporary building going on in advance of the races
We were nearing the Hoover Dam when I saw a motorcyclist on the side of the road, clearly trying to pick up his Harley. I got stopped a ways away and ran back up the hill. As I neared, I said, I know I look small but I am strong and ride and have experience picking up my own bike so I can help. He did look embarrassed but it took less than a minute to instruct and assist him and I said, hey you have a great story of a small Canadian woman who came to your rescue. He was sweating and breathing heavy and I knew he had been struggling for a while. He shook my hand and thanked me and we inspected for damage as it turned out it was a rental. There was some and I hope he chose insurance. I was grateful to have training to know how to properly stand a bike back up without hurting yourself…. And the instinct to pull over immediately as clearly many had passed him by.
We went to Hoover Dam which was ridiculously upgraded from last time I crossed it. The highway now bypasses it and you have to go through a checkpoint for Arms and Drones before going over. It really is beautiful and it is now a destination which doesn’t detract from trucks and travelers. We had good laughs over the number of times we crossed the state border and time zone change.
Lunch stop was in Kingman on Route 66. I have been here before in the Miata but it was also upgraded. I had a turkey burger to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving and the homemade root beer float was to die for.
It was a quick detour to Seligman where I bought a Route 66 sticker for my car and we saw the fun of this old town. I even saw a real live or not live sagebrush in the parking lot!
Now it was a race to beat the sunset and make it to the Grand Viewpoint so that Sonia could see the Grand Canyon which was the goal of the actual roadtrip. I feel bad that we didn’t get there sooner but I did get some great pics and hope she did as well. Honestly, I am just excited to show her all the things I have planned for tomorrow!
We made our way through the darkness, being cautious as the signs say Watch for Animals but we don’t know what kind or size and made it to our Airbnb in Page Arizona. It’s so cool! Literally, I guess, so I am glad I threw my weighted blanket in for Sonia to use in the king sized bed while I bunk down, lol. I am glad I booked this, and we did drive thru food which was delicious. People arrived next to us and couldn’t figure out how to access their space. Got talking, gave them a number to contact.. and… she grew up in Burnaby, making us practically neighbour’s back then and now lives in Birch Bay, and lived in Fernie, which is only an hour away from me now. How cool are those odds? Marnée magic…
I am typing this, listening to yips and howls in the distance, as I have finished my payroll from this morning, only one more to go for the week, once I receive the info, and then I can ignore work until Monday!!
triumphgal 