Lazarow World-Hike-About: 47.26 Arizona, Page: Climbing up, over and around the mounds surrounding Lake Powell and along the Colorado: A playground paradise.

We find the scene stunning.

One of the great dilemmas we face on the road, perhaps it's a paradox, is dealing with basins. Wash basins. They are, of course, wonderful inventions but they can be temperamental. How is it possible that when a person wishes to soak something in the basin, say to wash clothes, the stopper (plug) does not seal and so the basin drains, hampering the wash. However, the same basin, when used for another purpose, say washing hands and brushing of teeth, clogs and drains so slowly that a person wastes time and becomes frustrated while completing a relatively short task.

Some of the staff at the front desk have the answers. Recently, we requested maintenance service for both the bathtub and basin because the stoppers were not sealing.

"We don't do that any longer", she replied.

"Then how do we take a bath or use the sink?" The obvious reply.

"Our policy is not to to have stoppers that seal to avoid guests flooding the rooms as people forget to turn off the faucets."

We think you can understand the issue. I wonder why they have lights. What about forgetting to turn them off or forgetting to flush the toilet.

Jen and I have developed a number of techniques to cater for these issues. A flat stone or pebble, wrapped in a facecloth acts as a competent stopper in the tub. We remember one time in Morro Bay, (a delightful place), after using the smooth pebble, we stored it behind a tree outside reception. On the following trip, Jen's first task was to recover the said pebble, wash it and have it ready for the evening.

We still think our best moves are those when we find appropriate places to hang the wet clothes. There are a number of interesting locations, especially an outside patio, but the old standby is the television set. While people enjoy the big screens for viewing, we love the concept for its clothing capacity.

Finally, hotels have to stop referring to customers as guests. Who would make a guest pay for a service?

We were expecting poor weather. On our way up the hill, the weather was perfect. At the top, the gusts were frightening. Thereafter, a cold front took the temperatures to freezing.