We have moved around a little but extended our stays at least on four occasions, reduced them twice. We checked in at Ruby’s Inn in Bryce for three nights and extended for a further three. One of the motivating factors is that our room has both hot and cold running water. This is quite a luxury and got us very excited. We said to our editor that because hot water is available only for odd hours should not distract her. Sometimes she is inclined to be a little spoilt. Nevertheless, we married her knowing that she is accustomed to a hot bath (thank Heaven)—we cannot complain.
If we are to complain about life on the road this would be a very short note. Therefore, we had to think very hard. Our editor does not like us to look at pretty women, something we don’t like to do either. However, while we search for plain women, this she does not mind, how can we tell if a woman is plain or pretty until we have observed her. Also, much revolves around taste. Maybe, all the women we see we perceive as plain whereas she thinks they are attractive. This gets us into much trouble. We don’t know the answer. Should we catch her looking at another man, we’ll go in search of a bear to chase her. We dislike a hypocrite intensely.
Besides, when do we get a chance to gaze at women. We are always busy searching for bears, snakes, mountain lions, baboons, dogs, wolves, ice, black ice, the trail, cold winds, cliff edges, lightning and thunder, gorgeous scenery, OU symbols, rain, lunch, a place to relieve ourselves and that’s just to begin. Who has the time for anything else?
We have developed a peeve on the road. Before, we had nothing against crows. In fact, some of our best friends were crows—that doesn’t sound quite right. Moving on, when we’re on the trail, usually on the way down and back to the car, we ask the editor how far to go. “Two miles,” our editor says, for example, “as the crow flies.” That’s when we get angry. We are not crows—tell that to the birds we always say. We find the distance is always twice that they fly. We get so envious of crows that we believe therein lies our dislike for them.
Other than that, we count our blessings with much gratitude.
We left Bryce, after 6 wonderful days. The first four were mild and sunny, for the last two it rained followed by a heavy snow. The contrasts, which the pictures will illustrate, are amazing. Although we are not fond of being in snow, it makes for wonderful viewing. Another aspect that was remarkable is that within the period, we experienced both summer and winter conditions—three hikes were in short sleeves. Normally, one would have to make two separate trips to enjoy the contrasts although in Bryce, snow can fall in summer.
On Friday, we spent the morning working while keeping an eye on the rain. When it stopped for ten minutes, we headed out for our final hike. We did not have the time for the Riggs trail we intended following so we remained with the Peekaboo and offshoot again. The weather created a different atmosphere, particularly the cloud formations compared with cloudless earlier days. Unfortunately, the path felt like clay and our boots accumulated the soil making it a bit of a challenge. When we returned for Shabbat, we were invigorated again after squeezing in a fast but very beautiful 5 miles with plenty of elevation gains, at least 1,500 feet. By going down into the amphitheatre, one is able to see the hoodoos close up—a little imagination and they appear to take on forms that are familiar.
Cheers,
Jenni and Jeffrey
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