Day 38 - Closing Time

All -

And so it goes. By the time I reach San Francisco, I will have traveled about 3,800 miles. I left December 3rd and will roll back into town January 11th. A quick inventory...

I visited nine national parks, six ski resorts, six Best Westerns, three major cities, two Indian reservations, a college, a brewery, a casino, and a ghost town. I played eighteen holes of golf, skiied twelve days and thousands of vertical feet, and hiked up and down numerous miles. I started at sea level and went as high as 12,000 feet. I've seen beaches, mountains, (dormant) volcanos, rivers, lakes, valleys, canyons, mesas, bluffs, points, arches, and corners. I saw temperatures ranged from 70 degrees to -10. I've stood in the snow and the sun but, amazingly enough, not in the rain. I raced tumbleweeds on backroads; mingled with elk, buffalo, and deer in the fields; and dodged the trucks and trailers on the interstates. I sat with 91,000 people 120 rows up to watch a football game and I was by myself 20 miles out over a bend in the Colorado River.

A few sponsors of the trip were my mother, uncle, and cousin, all of whom I stayed with for certain stretches (thank you all very much). I got a bunch of advice along the way from a bunch of people, some of which I followed (thank you all very much). I don't know how I would have kept my sanity without Facebook or the internet to talk to (I did keep my sanity, didn't I?).

Anyway. And so it goes. Almost over. Almost back.
Hank

Day 37 - Reno, Baby

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As I remembered, the drive from Salt Lake to Reno was arduous. I am planning to get up early and head up to Tahoe so this will be quick.

I peaked into Salt Lake City, walked Temple Square, and even went into the Visitor Center. The LDS Visitor Center is like the Knotts Berry farm version of Disneyworld's 'The Vatican'. Yep.

SLC is the 7-11 and Arby's capital of the world. They seem to have been on every other block. 7-11 is the home of the slurpee and Arby's is the home of the meat that tastes oddly familiar. Johnny Depp eats Arby's. I don't know who the 7-11 celebrity spokesperson is except that guy on the radio ads that would say 'True'.

I pulled out of Salt Lake around 11AM. It is a long and empty ride. Crossing from Utah to Nevada is culture shock. The first city over/on the line is Wendover. In SLC, everyone was very starched, very clean, and very white. In the Nevada side of Wendover, everyone looks brokedown, out of luck, out of money, and on their last stop. My first stop, Arby's, was a combination Love's Gas Station, Pete's Smokeshack, Super Schlock Store, dingy casino, and, of course, Arby's. As I am pulling up into the parking lot, an old man slouched over in a trenchcoat wearing yellow cowboy boots and a Jim Beam ball cap shuffles out of the casino with his oxygen tank in tow to get a smoke. Seriously.

I pulled into Reno about 7:30PM (and moved from Mountain to Pacific time somewhere before then). I was thinking about crashing at another Best Western but it was not easy to find so I just rolled right down the middle of downtown Reno, under the 'Biggest Little City in the World' sign, and into Harrah's Casino.

I wanted to check in quick but the lady at the desk insisted that I sign up for the Total Rewards card. By signing up for the card, I immediately saved $25. I am also sure that I just got added to every mailing list in the nation. The $25 I quickly gave back at the $1 slot machines. However, luck turned fast at the video poker machine so I am now staying for free, had dinner for free, and will ski for free tomorrow. I like 2009!

Tomorrow I head to the North Shore to do a little more skiing.
Hank

Day 36 - It's All Over But The Skiing

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The last day of skiing Utah. Three days; three completely different skiing experiences. The first day was snow with a little powder. The second day was a dump. Both days the valley was wrapped in by clouds. Today it was clear skies with wisps of clouds whipping by. You could see the mountains on both sides.

The 12" inches of overnight snow turned out to be about 5" inches. The snow was a little heavier so I re-rented the fat skis.

They were still dynamiting for avalanche control today and with the clouds moving by the mountain was a little surreal. It was a little like that moment in Boogie Nights where they go to rob the drug dealer and his assistant keeps setting of Snap Pops all through the scene.

Ok, I'm multi-tasking and watching TV right now. Has anyone seen those Snuggie commercials (the blanket you wear)? Is it me or does it look like cultwear? Anyway...

So I only skiied one place in Utah. But that is ok. I probably crammed five days of skiing into three because of the powder and the lack of any lift lines to speak of. I am totally spent.

I wandered into a Super Target to get air freshener (see previous note on hotel room smell). Wow. These places are HUGE.

Did you know Jeff Goldblum was in Death Wish?

I've tried to find a reason to spend any time in downtown Salt Lake and, after re-reviewing the Lonely Planet Southwest Guide, there is none. I'll drive through but don't think I'll stop. We'll see. I spent enough time there in 2002 during the Olympics, anyway. Quite frankly, it looks like there is nothing interesting between here and Reno/Tahoe. Could be a loooong ride.

Hank

Day 35 - Avalanche Control

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I'll be a little more vociferous today. Although me writing about skiing is probably no so exciting.

Unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable! There's a bit of a snow storm in the Salt Lake area. Over two feet has come down in the last 24 hours. At least on the mountain. Where it counts.

Everybody keeps saying how people in Utah are so nice but they drive like a bunch of cranky meth addicts.

I had a bit of a slower start today and did not roll out of the hotel until 9:30AM. After yesterday, I knew I was going back to Alta. At a minimum, I could ski over from Alta into Snowbird so it did not make any difference where I started.

As I approached the Little Cottonwood merge I found myself in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I knew it was a big snow but I did not expect to find half of Utah headed up to the mountain. So I curse the whole of Utah and waited for it to clear. What I found out later was that they did not open the pass until 9AM because they were clearing the road and doing avalanche control. Once they were done with that, it was just a zip up the hill.

Although half of Utah was not up the hill, there were still more people than yesterday. Anticipating the snow, I went ahead and rented some fat skis. "Fat" as in wide, not as in "phat". It was a good call. Yesterday was "powder" with a little 'p'; today was "Powder" with a big 'P'. Monsterous. Because there was so much snow they actually shut down some of the mountain (again, avalanche control).

I don't think I've ever skiied in so much BIG powder. I was surfing the powder all day long. The problem with so much snow is that it is easy to get stuck. I only got stuck twice all day but the hill was dotted with people digging themselves out of areas that were just to flat to plow through. Bouncing around in the snow was like flopping in a feather bed all day long.

So I left the mountain at 3PM today. Again, tired. I was thinking about heading down, getting a quick dinner, and getting to sleep early. It is supposed to dump another foot tonight so I have no intention of leaving until all the snow has been skiied. I was almost snowed out of the mountain this morning so imagine my surprise when I was informed that we were temporarily snowed in. They had to dynamite the pass for avalanche control. So I would have to sit and have a beer or two until they finished blowing things up. Then to add insult to injury, the bar was tapped out of PBR so I was stuck drinking Coors Light. For $3.50 a can. It was free in Golden.

Anyway, the road cleared and they released the herd back down the mountain. Tomorrow is another day. If my legs work, I'll venture up to Alta again. Why waste time learning a new mountain in all this good snow?

The journey is soon coming to an end. After tomorrow, I'll be leaving the Salt Lake area and heading out 80 onto Reno, Tahoe, Sacramento, and SF. I may peek into downtown Salt Lake on Thursday; I may stop in Reno to recoupe my trip costs; I may stay over in Tahoe to ski Homewood one more time.

I left San Francisco on December 3rd. I'll probably be back January 11th. The Post Office has been holding my mail. I am sure there is a bill I may have missed. I know there is a speeding ticket waiting for me. I missed a bunch of hockey games. And a lot of holiday parties. I left a bunch of Christmas items sitting on the trunk in my room. The rug has not been vacuumed in over a month. My hotel room smells like Taco Bell and sweaty ski gear.

I'm not going back to Wells Fargo. Not sure where I'm going yet. But I sure know where I've been.

Hank

Day 34 - Keep on Skiing

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Not much to write about when you ski all day.

I went to Alta today. It started snowing about 9AM and went on through the day. Alta is one of the last, if not the last, ski-only places. I had been here once 15 years ago (or more) and not much has changed.

Skied on fresh powder most of the day. Did so many runs before noon that I had to take a long break. When I came back out, there was so much new snow it was as if all the tracks from the morning had never happened. Slid off the hill exhausted about 3:30PM only to find my car under three inches of snow. More shoveling.

Will go back to Alta/Snowbird tomorrow (you can ski across from one place to the other at the top).
Hank

Day 33 - Utah

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This will be shorter than yesterday's.

Today I did Arches National Park and then drove up here to Salt Lake. There is still plenty of snow on the ground and the high in the Park was 21 degrees - about ten degrees colder than yesterday.

I didn't realize how many arches and things I saw today until I went back through the photos. I covered most of the ground. I even did the Fiery Furnace because my uncle said I had to do it. I did a little off-roading but no where near the amount I did yesterday. Because it was so cold, most of the ground was pretty icy. Walking around was a bit of a challenge. A hat and gloves were a must.

The cruise control in my car appears to be working again so the drive was pretty easy up until Morak Junction. US-6 cuts up and over Soldier Summit. It is a pretty isolated route and I was crossing the summit around 5:30PM. With the sun going down and the occasional train passing one way or the other, it was a pretty scenic route. However, it was also a little alarming as the outside temperature gauge on the car hit -10. And this was while the sun was still up!

US-6 was closed at Morak Junction. It was an hour of sitting still and staring at miles of red taillights. Lovely.

I am now in Sandy, Utah, just south of Salt Lake. I stopped here because this is the most convenient spot for approaching Alta and Snowbird. Off to the slopes tomorrow (and it is supposed to snow).

Hank

Day 32 - Off Roadin'

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The day started off with a nice continental 'plus' breakfast (they had bacon and eggs) at the Best Western Canyonlands Inn in Moab and ended up with the quaff of ammonia and a used bath towel (not mine) at the Best Western Greenwell Inn across the street in Moab. Deja vu? I think not. Moab to Moab in 24 hours.

I was out and on the streets of Moab about 9AM this morning. Pretty empty (the whole three blocks worth). I went by the Visitor Center to see if I could get the lowdown on off-road openings and closings but Miss Jane behind the counter wasn't much help. Since blue was peaking out of the sky to the north, I figured I should duck into the Arches (National Park, not McDonald's) today.

I rolled by the local bookstore to get a laminated map of Utah and see if they knew more than Miss Jane about backroading. The girl behind the counter completely up-sold me into a spiral-bound copy of 'Moab Backroads & Four-Wheel Drive Trails'. I was thinking it would not hurt to explore the possibilities.

My original thought before I walked out this morning was that I was going to take the Kane Creek Canyon loop back into Dead Horse Point (this was before I saw a hint of blue in the sky). Once I saw the trail description in the book ("water crossing", "big ledge", and "signs of washout" and what-not), I decided I needed a less complicated route. Potash Road was described as 'easy' and it was on the way to the Arches so that could be an alternative plan.

Something happened on the way to the Arches. Maybe it was the octogenarians happily snapping their photo next to the park sign. Maybe it was the wandering look of Highway 279 off towards the Colorado River. Maybe it was the thought of being stacked up behind Ma and Pa Kettle all day long through the 116 square mile national park. Either way, I u-turned and drifted down 279.

Potash Road is "a well-maintained road suitable for stock, four-wheel drive vehicles. Possible muddy conditions during wet periods, the trail concludes with a scary looking, but relatively easy, climb up the Shafer Switchbacks." It is named for the potash extraction plant that marks the end of the paved highway and the beginning of the off-road area.

What is potash? Potash (or carbonate of potash) is an impure form of potassium carbonate (K2CO3). Potash has been used since antiquity in the manufacture of glass and soap and as a fertilizer. The name comes from the English words pot and ash, referring to its discovery in the water-soluble fraction of wood ash.

Who knew.

Highway 279 goes on for about 16 miles until you get to the plant. The road runs along the Colorado River, past three campgrounds, Indian petroglyphs, dinosaur tracks, hiking trails, Jug Handle Arch, and Long Canyon Road. I saw the campgrounds. Indian petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks are like 'free bird seed' in the Road Runner and Coyote cartoons - I don't think they exist.

At the end of this scenic drive a railroad track springs up and then a monstrosity of a production plant crawls out of the riverbed. The pavement stops and you slip past the factory on the left and up pop open spaces and a look down into the Colorado River. Whee.

That was the first mile or so - Shafer Basin. From there the trip gets scarier and lonelier. You wind your way up a switch back that gets more and more narrow, past a rock balanced on a pebble and up to the evaporation ponds. These are odd looking, large bodies of water in man made (or at least man re-enforced) holding pools. It looks like a toxic spill zone in the middle of nowhere.

Wrapping back behind the pools, you come to a cattle fence that marks the end of private land and the beginning of the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) zone. Above you is Dead Horse Point (know as such because this is where they used to corral wild horses and one time the ranch hands forgot to release the horses they didn't cull and left them to die with a great view); below is the Colorado River. You drive out to what is now known as 'Thelma and Louise Point'. Yes, this is the same point in the movie where they drive the car off the edge and Gina Davis' career goes to die.

All this is pretty wide open until you hit your first narrow ledge. 'Narrow' is defined as about eight feet wide with a rock wall on one side and a sheer drop on the other. You wrap around here to get to The Gooseneck where the Colorado River takes a hairpin turn and goes back on itself. Cool views from an open plateau.

At this point I was about two hours into the excursion. I could either go back and see what I had just seen again or push forward and through Canyonlands National Park (the Island in the Sky District). I chose to move forward.

You are greeted at the Canyonlands line by a sign showing you how much you have to pay to drive in (pay at the gate on the way out) and a slight, snow-covered incline. Here I saw my only other two vehicles of the day - going the other way. We waved politely and moved forward.

In the middle of nowhere is a Port-o-Let. Just in time. (it's actually a more stationary structure than a Port-o-Let but an odd place to find a restroom still the same)

I pushed on to the fork where you could either take the Shafer Switchbacks out Canyonland to Highway 313 or go further out along the White Rim to Musselman Arch. At the fork I was greeted by a sign that said 31 miles to Moab. I was also greeted by a 'Road Closed' sign blocking my way out the Shafer Switchbacks. With no place to go, I decided I might as well see the Musselman Arch.

Getting out to and back from the Musselman Arch was one scary flippin' ride. Take the old Pennsylvania Turnpike, combine it with the narrowest and highest parts of Highway 1 (PCH), add a few 40 degree inclines, and throw some ice and snow on top of all that. Oh, and it is all 'narrow' with very few opportunities to turn the car around (you would have to back down the way you came). And, no cell phone access. At the end, you're about 40 miles from the nearest town and 30 miles from the nearest paved road.

By the time I got out to Musselman Arch I was three plus hours into my ride and starting to have a slight case of vertigo. Musselman Arch is a 100 foot by five foot rock bridgeway that connects two points together. There is a fifty foot gap on one side and nothing but air on the other and a long way down from the top. The sign says no bicycles. You've got to be kidding me.

I was the nearest person for probably a twenty mile radius, it was about 35 degrees outside, and a nice northerly wind was gusting. I was not walking out on that arch. Quite frankly, I was checking the time and thinking about the temperature and more than a bit nervous about the icy incline along the cliff ride back. I was having visions of a 2,500 pound vehicle careening down the canyon with me having to jump out the side door. I turned around and started to creep my way back.

The road through Canyonlands was closed so I had to double back from whence I came. After a slow decent back to the Moab-Canyonlands fork, I was able to pick up the pace. It is amazing how much open ten feet of road looks after the gap I came down through.

Coming back to the Canyonlands/Potash boarder, I found my road blocked by cattle. Big, nasty looking cattle. In the middle of the road. They stared at me. I stared at them. I figured I was going to have to wait this one out. What was the worse case scenario? One of those Volvo-sized cows rams my car. I had just risked life and limb to get down this far and I would be damned it Tuesday night's steak special was going to stop me now. I pushed on past the cow. And I pause to take some pictures. Take that, cow!

I zipped out the rest of the way. Back past the narrow ledge. On beyond 'Thelma and Louise Point'. Past the evaporation ponds. And down and out past the potash plant. The sun was going down but I had time. And I actually had some road to drive on. Let's go see the Jug Handle Arch!

I raced down along the Colorado and made a quick turn into Long Canyon Road. The Jug Handle must be back here. Again, the road narrowed and inclined. The snow piled up. I found myself working up switch backs with more and more snow and ice and greater and greater inclines. There was not much sun left. The snow was turning to ice. The car was starting to slide. The room for error was about two feet.

At this point I gave up on the Jug Handle Arch. It was too late and too dangerous to keep going up. As scary as the trip to Musselman Arch was, this road was again giving me the vertigo willies. Fortunately, there was no death drop-off here. Just the fear of sliding down backwards into the rocks below and bursting into flames. I speculated that Rangers did their rounds about once a week. The beef jerky and mountain dew would run out well before then. I would not be found for days. Darwin Award.

After a very... slow... decent, I was back out towards the highway. As I stopped to cross the railroad tracks, I looked up. There was the Jug Handle Arch. At the beginning of the Long Canyon Road. I had almost died for nothing.

I turned out back past the Colorado River. The sun was setting. I tried to find the dinosaur tracks but couldn't. I looked for the Indian petroglyphs but only saw black blotches on the rocks above. The car crawled back into Moab. It had the rugged look of an off-roader (I had sped it through an ice puddle back behind the evaporation ponds and gotten the perfect red-splotch job). I pulled into Eddie McStiff's (yes, that is the name of the place) to get some grub and catch the end of the NFL playoff games. There are no beautiful people in Moab. The snaggle-toothed waitress took my order and left me alone.

To continue the day's adventures, I decided to check into the other Best Western in this god-forsaken spot on the map. The homely looking staff checked me in and noted that there was 24-hour free coffee and tea as well as a fitness center in the back. I rolled the car around to the back and popped the door to my room were I was greeted by the fresh scent of Pine Sol and the fine feel polyester. The biggest risk (and mistake) I had made all day was not checking back into the Best Western I had stayed at the night before.

It's midnight. Tomorrow I will see the Arches and then disappear up 191 towards Salt Lake City. I'll probably crash somewhere around Price (mid-state). If all goes to plan, I'll be back on a ski slope in a day or two.

Sorry for the ramble. Too tired to go back and edit. The possibilities were explored.
Hank

Day 31 - A New Year And A New City

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I am in Moab, Utah. There was snow on the ground from Vail to here. The Utah-Colorado boarder was a practical white-out with not much brown to be seen on the ground.

Lost a half hour out of my life in a Wendy's at Grand Junction. I would have left to go somewhere else but there was a car on fire in the road blocking my way to the other side of the highway.

The I-70 drive was easy, although I am still getting used to 75 MPH speed limits. There was nothing eventful until I went to take US-6 just over the Utah boarder. First, AAA's directions were probably written by someone from AA. And I quote, "Take exit number 214 towards Cisco. Drive for 0.5 miles. Turn LEFT onto US-6. Drive for 0.2 miles. Keep RIGHT to stay on US-6. Drive for 5.2 miles. Make a Uturn. Drive for 0.5 miles. Make a Uturn. Drive for 3.1 miles. Turn LEFT onto UT128. Drive for 17 miles. Make a Uturn. Drive for 2.2 miles. Make a Uturn. Drive for 26.4 miles." How many Uturns? So I followed the intent of the directions rather than the law.

Second, US-6 is a non-maintained US highway. That means that they do not plow. Ever. So this stretch of highway looked like an episode of Ice Road Truckers meets Mad Max. The town of Cisco is even more inviting. It was nothing but broken down cars and crumbling buildings covered in a foot of snow. No sign of life. Very spooky.

Miraculously, Utah Highway 128 sprung up perfectly paved and plowed. The Colorado River Byway, as it is known, is one of Utah's scenic highways. This one winds its way down to and across the Colorado River where it chases that all the way to Moab. Again, if I had followed the AAA directions I would have gone down I-70 to US 191 and missed all of this adventure.

After almost killing 15 thanksgivings of wild turkeys, I came to the 1916 Dewey Bridge which is one of the first bridges built to cross the Colorado. While the towers still exist with their dangling suspension lines, the actual bridge does not. A newer span has been built beside it. From here, US-128 plays duck and chase with the Colorado River. At some points the river was racing with rapids and ice flows; at others, the river was clogged with frothy snow. Pretty cool.

Somewhere along the way the canyon walls rose up, the red clay came back, and it began to looks like Monument Valley, again. I wanted to do the bigger loop around Castle Rock but the road was closed due to snow. In the middle of all this, I saw a large truck towing a pirate ship. Seriously. Don't know where it was going but there it was.

Moab still has it's Christmas lights up. The town has two Best Westerns and two book stores. I went to Sgt. Pepper's Records to buy a CD because, after 2250 miles I have become bored with the music I bought. The dude behind the counter asked if I wanted to sign up for their frequent buyers program and I declined as I doubted I would be a frequent buyer.

Now I am watching Alabama trying to catch up to Utah and it has dawned on me that I am in Utah which would explain why everyone is so excited about this game. Go figure. Go Utes.

Hank

Day 30 - Thirty Days On The Road (or Turn West Young Man)

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When we last left our intrepid traveler, he was perched at over 10,000 feet in the Rockies in a blink on the map called Fairplay... (yes, I left off in Denver but it's my story so I have the right to re-write). Some of you have been here form the beginning; some have been added along the way. It's been seven days since I put fingers to keyboard. I'll do my best to make this quick (newbies can go to the bottom and see the entire story).

I did see Denver. My cousin put me up (put up with me) from the 18th through the 23rd. After the kiddie Christmas party, the next day we made a jaunt up to Lookout Mountain where Buffalo Bill is buried. Supposedly, our grandfather actually sat on Buffalo Bill's lap (I have a ticket stub to the circus) so I guess we kind of completed a circle of some sort as her kids sat on his grave and wondered why you could not see the bones (they're underground).

You can clearly see Denver, Golden, and other places from the top of Lookout Mountain... despite the tangle of telephone and communication towers that have been barfed up upon the hillside. We made out way back down the hill, past the buffalo, and onto Morrison for lunch. From there it was a rush to a midget basketball game.

On the 20th, I went up to Boulder where I wandered the town while my cousin and her family took in the Chronicles of Narnia: The Musical (coming to a town near you). Boulder is where the University of Colorado is located and may also have a worse homeless problem than San Francisco. Most dread-locked 'Trustifarians' looked like they were bumming money for a ski pass or the next Big Head Todd concert. The campus was nice. I think I spent more time in the library (because it was cold) than my previous family generations that attended the school.

On the 21st we took the kids to the Coors Brewery in Golden. It's a tour. In a brewery. You are allowed three free beers every 12 hours. Later, had a nice dinner that night in Cherry-something with Leslie's mom and friends. The waiter ripped us off $16.

On the 22nd, my last healthy day, we went into downtown Denver to see the Capitol and the house where our grandfather grew up. In the projects. The house is a few blocks from the capitol so I guess it was a nicer neighborhood when he lived there. I am sure the same liquor and lottery store was there in the 1910s, too. The Denver Capitol took seven years to build. Pooter McGee, the tour guide we had, was probably a classmate of my grandfather adn there for the building's opening. Did not absorb much of what he said as I was mesmerized the coke-bottle glasses, the clacking dentures, and the mounds of hair growing out of his ears.

Went to the top of the dome where the Denver history museum and the library were pointed out. Since we had at least a few generations from Colorado, I wanted to go to the library and see what I could find on the genealogy floor. A library is not a good place for a six and eight year old. Found a few articles in the Rocky Mountain News tied to relatives (including my sister's namesake; my brother and I still think we should have named her after the horse) and then we had to leave.

Somewhere in there I did get to make a trip to the local library to get more 'Hank the Cowdog' books on CD (don't ask). My cousin gave the directions to the library to the eight year old as a test. We all failed. The first turn we made was incorrect. The six year old proceed to tell the eight year old and I that we had done it wrong and now we were all hopelessly lost and we would never find our way home again let alone to the library. The eight year old, being male, rationed off the missed turn as part of the plan and the way we were going would get us there, too. The six year old countered that we were all stupid and that we were now going to starve to death because we would not get home for dinner. I proceeded to explain that I was not lost and I knew exactly how to get home and that I may even know how to get to the library, too. The eight year old concurred and, once again, we were both declared stupid and the six year old broke into tears. At that point, the eight year old hauled off and slugged the six year old and I threatened to pull the car over.

We found the library, got 'Hank the Cowdog', and got home all shiny happy people with mom none the wiser.

I met an old EDS-days friend for a much needed drink that night.

We were supposed to ski Copper on the 23rd but the weather turned cold and I got sick. I spent most of the day trying not to make other people sick. Hopefully, I succeeded.

Pulled out of Denver on the 24th to go to Vail. Denver is at 2,500-something feet (hence, the mile-high city; it says so on the 13th step of the capitol); Vail is at 8,500 feet. The top of Vail is over 11,000 feet. Taking a head cold from 2,500 feet to 8,500 feet is not a good idea. Pulled into Pepe's in Vail miserably sick and horribly clogged. Went to my room to die.

Spent the 24th through the 26th in the hotel room. Finally, on the day when the high was 8 degrees, I gave up on homeopathic healing and went to the emergency room at the Vail Hospital. Saw Dr. Robert and told him I had finished a box of TheraFlu, a bottle of NyQuil, a bottle of Motrin, too much vitamin C, and enough water to float a battleship around. He needed to give me something to kill what I got. So, Dr. Robert gave me Azithromycin, Prednisone (some sort of steroid), and Prometha-something with codeine. Two days later, I was out on the slopes (so it worked).

Skied Vail on the 29th by myself and the 30th and 31st with my sister. All three days were awesomely sunny. Vail does not suck. Skied today in flat light but good snow.

Tonight is my last night in the lap of luxury. It's starting to snow again but I think it is just going to be a dusting. Tomorrow I go to Moab, Utah. Why Moab? Because it is the only 'city' near the Arches National Park (which I have been told I have to see). The drive to Moab will take me down along the Colorado River (Colorado River Byway) and across one of the first bridges over the Colorado River. From Moab, I will attempt to see both the Arches and Dead Horse Point (where Thelma and Louise drove off into the canyon). This may mean two days in Moab in the dead of winter. Then it will be off to Salt Lake City and Alta or Solitude or Park City for more skiing. Since I visited the Vatican just a few months ago, I may also visit Temple Square. And then it will be the long, lonely ride to Reno (eight hours from Salt Lake) and a final burst of skiing in Tahoe (depending on how I do in Reno).

So much for quick. I figure I will be back in SF sometime around the 11th.
Hank

Day 22 - The Illness

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The weather has caught up with me and I am under it and I am sure most of you are over it. Hopefully everyone has gotten to where they need to be for the holidays. I am on my way up through Loveland Pass to Vail to meet up with my family.

I had a good time in Denver up until the time I got sick. Now I am feeling Grinchy so I will tell you all about it later.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, etc., etc.!
Hank

Day 16 - Turn Towards Denver

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Woke up to more new snow this morning. I am beginning to tire of sweeping the car off each morning. Seriously, it's getting old.

Everybody in my hotel got up at 4AM to go shoot something.

No skiing today. I rolled down the hill into Denver. The roads were pretty well covered the first third of the trip. I am glad I took the 160-112-285 route instead of the larger freeways. First, I don't think I would have saved any time going the longer route to avoid the passes; second, I would have missed out on some pretty cool views.

Today I stumbled into a kiddie holiday party that my cousin was hosting. I think she had thirty kids going apesh*t all hopped up on sugar cookies and Capri Suns. It had a nice holiday spirit. However, hasn't anyone heard of egg nog or grog for the adults? A little something to take the edge off? You can't spell Christmas without the 's', 'm', 'a', 's', 'h',or 't' which spells 'smasht' (or at least that is how it is annunciated after you've had a few).

I forgot to mention that I almost was asphyxiated by the snow at Wolf Creek yesterday. Hit a hidden rock with my demo skis and went butt over teakettle and face first into six feet of snow. Was kind of peaceful for a bit until the snow started to rush in around me. The snow was so deep that when I was finally able to get myself righted it took me fifteen minutes to get to my ski that was five feet behind me. I could not get any leverage out of my legs because of all the powder so I had to use my one ski as a pounding board to make a platform to shoot my way across the snow like a seal coming out of the water. I would have laughed if I had seen this from the chair lift as I am sure I looked like some sort of wounded manatee for a bit.


I just read in ski magazine that John Oates is a huge skier. I can't go for that.

I passed the 2,000 mile mark on this trip just before Denver. And I've still got some more seeing and skiing to do. Tomorrow I will tool around Denver for a bit. My grandfather grew up here so there is a little family history here.

I'll probably move to radio silence until I have something interesting to write about.
Hank

Day 15 - Ski It Off

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As I mentioned, the trip has now turned from "see" to "ski" With all the snow coming down I couldn't see much anymore if I wanted to anyway.

Durango was a quaint little town to do two nights in, even if my old hotel produced no ghosts. Snow was still in the air the morning I pulled out. Whereas the drive to Purgatory was fairly uneventful (but is it really?), the ride to Wolf Creek was a bit of an adventure. The snow got thicker and thicker the further I crawled up the mountain. I don't think I've seen snow like this since 2001.

Wolf Creek blows the doors off Purgatory. Four lifts were running so there was zero wait. Wolf Creek had twice as much open ski terrain and twice as much snow. I took my sister's advice and rented some wide boards. Well worth it on a day like today.

It was still dumping when I packed up my things for the day. I wanted to clear the pass with a little daylight left. And that ended up being a good plan.

I'm a few hours outside of Denver tonight. Tomorrow I will see my cousin Leslie and her family. I have a few other old friends in Denver that I will probably look up.

The hotel I am staying at is a real step down from The Strater. I think it is Guns and Ammo week. The room on one side has some dude who has been on the phone with his wife for the last hour plus. Oh yes, I can hear the whole conversation. No, it's not any good. The room above me has someone watching TV at ten billion decibels. That's not any good either.

So as much as I complained about BlackBerry, I'll give a plug to Cannon cameras here. Like a fool, I did not pay attention to where my camera was so when I got out of the car it rolled into the snow next to it (it's about 12 degrees outside). There it sat until I noticed it was missing at least a half hour later. This is also after I moved my car. So there I found my digital camera. Buried in the snow. Under half a tire tread mark. So I picked it up like a broken bird (cursing under my breath), brought it inside, wiped it down, and - bingo - it still works. Whaddaya know.

Did I mention I saw buffalo today?

Anyway, since I missed all the holiday parties in SF, my holiday party starts tomorrow.
Hank

Day 14 - Friggin' Blackberry

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I'm depressed. My Blackberry phone crashed (again). The tether is broken.

I spent over an hour on the phone being bounced from Blackberry support to AT&T support and back. Like a fool I tried to download upgraded BlackBerry operating software and that is what caused the issue (although Blackberry took no responsibility). So AT&T needs to ship me a new phone. Or I can drive to Denver to get a replacement.

So this took a great day and made it ok. For a bit.

There is a winter storm warning in effect until Thursday. Durango got 16 inches in the from noon Monday to noon today. They expect another 10 in the town by tomorrow morning.

I doubled down on my room in Durango and stayed the extra night. I skied Purgatory , now called Durango Mountain Resort, today. Powder was up over my thighs. Would have been great if it wasn't my first time on skis since last winter. Ok it still was great. Wore myself out digging out of snow most of the morning and then eventually found my ski legs. Temporarily lost a ski on the first run and then dropped my goggles off the lift before the second one. (The Crackberry incident makes the trifecta for the day.) Still, a bad day skiing beats a good day of work.

For Pat who worried about the stray dogs and what would happen to them, I passed three of them on the road yesterday chomping on an elk carcass. So my assumption was correct. Nature finds a way.

Forgot to mention Cowboy Bruce from yesterday's notes. He is the Durango equivalent of North Tahoe's Tie-Dye Bill. Cowboy Bruce was telling everyone who would listen, and some who wouldn't, about his saddle and the moose he killed. I suffered through the story twice.

Also forgot to mention that most of the drinks we free as people kept buying rounds.

I knew I was in the back country when I overheard a couple of grizzled old timers bemoaning the state of kids these days. "This new generation does not even know how to pitch a tent." Unless you were a grade school drop-out, I think most people learned this (as Eddie Murphy said, 'no thank you. I'll take the zero.').

Best line of the night, "Stick around cowboy, you may like it here." Seriously. Giddyup.

Tomorrow I will head to Wolf's Creek (or "Crick", as the locals call it). The snow there is supposed to be even more epic than here. Then I'll head north to Denver.

So my trip has turned from see to ski. Most of the updates from here on out may be boring. Especially since it seems like it will be repeatable powder days for the foreseeable future.

Hank

Day 13 - Let It Snow

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Added a few more people so start at the bottom for those who are just joining.

Been drinking since 2PM so I'll try to keep this short. Right now this is reminding me of a Pete Townshend lyric ("I lived hippy jokes getting stoned insane 'till the rain looked just like snow"). Except it is actually snowing.

Staying at the Strater Hotel in Durango. I was going to save money by staying at yet another Best Western but walked in the door here and got sold. It's awesome. Shoulda brought a girl but I think I packed her in my other bag.

So started my day at Mesa Verde. The high, according to my car, was 19. Once again had the place to myself. One thing I think I have convinced myself over these last five years is to avoid small talk with people at all cost but I have found on this trip that the small talk unlocks a lot of things.

I did not realize that the heart of Mesa Verde is 20 miles from the actual turn off. I asked the ranger at the gate about hiking in the park and he thought I was insane. So I hiked by car, The drive was as scary as the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the dark of night at the dead of winter. No guard rails. Ice on the roads. But it was worth it. The cliff dwellings are amazing. It was me, two japanese tourist, and eight cameras the whole way.

As I headed out of Mesa Verde the snow started to fall. It continued to snow as I pulled into Durango (two hours later). My first stop was the El Rancho - a local hangout. It was dumping when I pulled in so I wanted to get the local take on skiing (I am no longer sight seeing), Heard great things about Wolf Creek. And heard good things about Purgatory. Given the fact I am ten beers and four Jack Daniels into the evening. I think it is Purgatory tomorrow. Seriously.

I became a 'made' man in Durango somewhere around 3PM (Kyle will know what I mean). Don't think I wanna leave. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

They expect 6-12 inches of snow just in Durango tomorrow. Supposedly this hotel I am staying at has ghosts. I see dead people.

Hank

Day 12 - Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

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Each day is like opening up a new page. I woke up to snow on the ground this morning. Sweet.

I had big ambitions for the day. Too big, even before the snow on the road. I was thinking I was going to cover about 185 miles and three parks. I made about 120 miles and two parks.

Monument Valley was AWESOME. It was like having my own four-wheeling snow park! There is a 17-mile dirt loop that wraps in and around all these massive crimson sandstone towers. Some of these towers are 1200 feet and it is like the earth just crumbled around them leaving table tops spotted around the landscape. I speed in among the giants like a game of Grand Turismo.

Along the way a stray dog started to follow me. I must have been five miles from anywhere so I wondered how that dog got out there. I didn't want to feed it and I certainly was not going to give it a ride so the best I could hope for was to not run over it. The dog started running along side the car so I figured I had to accelerate to lose it. I swear that dog kept up at 25 MPH. Soon he was fading in my rearview mirror so I pulled off for another view.

Sure enough, as I turned back to get in my car, there was that dang dog again. He kept showing up like shoes in George Bush's face. So I sped off again.

Anyway, I spent a few hours playing cat and mouse with a rabid dog and marveling at the monuments. This was the landscape that John Ford and John Wayne shot a few westerns in and I got totally lost in it. Again, awesome.

Four Corners is about 100 miles away from Monument Valley. All that is there is a marker on the ground. I felt compelled to go so I can say I did it so, I did it. I stood in four states at the same time. It only cost me three dollars. Of a more interesting note, my trip mileage passed 1,500 miles just before I go to Four Corners.

So I was not going to make it to Mesa Verde so I had about an hour to waste. And the opportunity was presented as the Ute Mountain Casino sprang up in front of my dashboard.

What a depressing, smoke-filled place that was. Here I found all the Indians who were supposed to be selling me stuff on the road today. Everybody was smoking and playing nickel slots. No one looked happy. One old man in a Cowboy hat had a cigarette burn on the back of his jacket up around the shoulder blades. How do you do that? I quickly burned ten dollars myself at the dollar slots and ran towards the door. I could still smell the smoke ten miles down the road.

So tomorrow's plan is adjusting. I'll see Mesa Verde in the morning. I suspect that may be like Monument Valley. I'll be in Durango in the afternoon. By Tuesday or Wednesday I expect to be skiing somewhere. At this pace, I don't think I will see California until 2009.

Hank

Day 11 - Buh Bye Canyon. Hello... Kayenta?

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Moving from days to dates.

I pulled up stakes from the Grand Canyon today. In three days I saw three different weather patterns. When I arrived, it was sunny, calm, and cool. Yesterday was cloudy, calm, and cool. Today was sunny, churning, and cold. I walked the Rim Trail to the Hermit Trail and determined the Rim walk was not so wimpy. There were a few minor uphill grades and with the moderate wind in the morning I felt like I could be pushed down into the abyss at anytime.

The wind continued to pick up throughout the day and you could see the shadows of the clouds race past over the peaks and troughs of the canyon. By midday I was not going near any ledge without a railing.

I cleared the East Gate around 1PM and started racing northeast to Navajo Monument Park. Not before a few more stops to peer over the canyon edge just a few more times. The views were so spectacular that you really just wanted to stopped and absorb, weather aside, but I snapped a few pictures and pushed on.

The wind was howling and clouds continued to whip past overhead. As I left the Canyon it looked like low fog was rolling in the distance. However, as I got further up the road I realized that this was not fog but red dust swirling in the air. I've never been in a dust storm before.

Past Cameron, dirt was constantly being swept across the road like snow drifts. In addition, the landscape went from earthy red and tan to ghostly gray and white. I thought I was passing through a chemical processing area as there were so many mounds of 'sand' piled up around the road but then I noticed that the fences went up and over these things. It was not piles but rather mounds of white earth. With the wind screaming in all around, the scene made for a remote planet landscape.

So I continued to watch the land morph as I went on to Tuba City inside the Navajo reservation (which is a huge and barren piece of land, by the way). Trailers, rusted out cars, and signs for dinosaur tracks speckled the rode side. Tuba City's population looked like the extra Navajos from a John Wayne movie with a few skid row winos thrown in. I was the oddity.

Outside of Tuba City I saw my first tumbleweed in action. I've never really seen tumbleweed move before and in the wind they had to be rolling around 30 miles per hour. Tumbleweed would shoot across the highway and splinter off a bumper or roll playfully along side a car for a while and then swing off into the desert. Fortunately, the wind was now a tailwind so the ride was fairly smooth. The red dust also seemed to settle down before I got to the Navajo National Monument.

At Navajo National Monument, the wind continued to accelerate. According to my dashboard, it was 39 degrees outside. As I pulled up, two rangers were struggling to tie down the exterior doors which has been torn from their hinges. I half expected to see Margaret Hamilton fly by on a bicycle.

The Navajo Monument was ok. After the Grand Canyon, the canyon was nice but not magnificent. The cliff dwellings are considered sacred ground so the closest you get is standing on a ledge on the opposite cliff. In the wind. And the cold. You really can't see much and in a photo it looks like a sixth grade diorama.

Tonight I stay in Kayenta. I pulled up on the town around dusk. You could see the outline of the tall towers of Monument Valley (or so I think) eerily in the distance. The Best Western I am staying at is excellent even if I do hear the wind rattling around outside.

I noticed both in Tuba City and here a number of scraggly stray dogs running/hobbling around in the reservation. Also, the trailers out number the houses by at least 20 to one within the reservation. Different world.

It is supposed to snow here tonight. After cooperating from San Francisco to the Grand Canyon, the weather is going to make the trip interesting from here on out. I was going to try and do Monument Valley, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, and get to Durango tomorrow but we'll have to see how that plays out. I figure I'll either end up in Durango or somewhere outside of Mesa Verde (Mancos). I'm going to restock up on supplies so I don't end up like the Donner party. Maybe I can chase down one of those stray dogs.

Hank

Day 10 - Into The Canyon

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Number 9, number 9, number 9...

Today I dove into the depths of the canyon. That is after I got up at 5AM to see the sunrise. Unfortunately, the sun was late and did not appear until 7:35AM. Fortunately, the killer elk had vacated the front lawn. Unfortunately, they were replaced by a bull elk. Bigger. Badder. Six points per antler. This guy was probably 1000 pounds and not too happy to have me disturb his nap. For more on elk, check out http://www.bowhunts.com/elk.html.

Being up at 5AM enabled me to interact with the hotel night staff. There is a reason these people are on night shift.

So I re-racked and arose at 7AM to watch the sun come up over the canyon. It was not as spectacular as I suspected. I stood in the cold for about 45 minutes waiting for something to happen. It ended up being like bad sex. Which is worse than no sex because at least with no sex there still is the fantasy.

It was too late to start the day over so I gathered a pack and headed to Bright Angel Trail. I had asked the troll on the night shift which trail I should take and she pointed me to another one because Bright Angel had too many switchbacks and did not give as wide a view. After having done the trail, I am sure that she did not like the trail because she threw a shoe the last time out there.

There are basically five big trails in the canyon. The Rim Trail which rolls along the top of the rim and is for the infermed or people you see on Willard Scott Smucker's jars. The South Kaibab Trail which requires you to take a shuttle form the Visitor's Center to get to it. The Grandview Trail which, per the guide, "the payoff is an up-close look at one of the inner canyon's sagebrush-tufted mesas" and is probably to be avoided by the allergeric. The Hermit Trail which was 8 miles away. The Bright Angel Trail which was 0.2 miles from my door (according to the sign outside). I went for convenience.

Bright Angel Trail is a 12.2 mile round trip from the top through Indian Gardens and on to Plateau Point. You drop almost four thousand feet by the time you get to two thousand feet looking over the Colorado River. Again according to the book, "day hikers and first timers should strongly consider turning around at to safely make the hikes." Ha.

Bright Angel Trail is also used by pack mules. According to the signs, you are supposed to yield to the mules and follow the mule guides directions. They need to make mule diapers. The trail has a generous portion of mule droppings and urine. Mules make the same mess as horses and their urine looks like thick English lager. The total hike is 12.2 miles but I bet I put on another mile or two dodging mule poo.

Mule excrement aside, the change of colors and climates on the way down is amazing and cannot remotely be appreciated from peering into the canyon from the top. In my head I could hear Ricardo Montalban doing the voice-over...

"The jaunt down through the canyon yields a subtle change of textures and tones that is aesthetically pleasing to both the eye and the soul. The canyon is like an elegant woman, my friend. As she sublimely moves from chalky grays to amber reds and on to deep greens and dark corinthian browns, each turn reveals a tantalizing piece of her beauty and a dazzling glimpse of her depth. Oh yes, she can be a fickle dance but if you warm her heart you can capture her spirit."

Going down is easy. And I could really see and feel the color changes (the further down you go, the more moisture you encounter). Indian Gardens is about 4.1 miles down and is an oasis in the middle of a pretty dry climate. The trees all had yellow leaves and a creek rippled through two camp grounds and a mule barn. This was the only place on the trail with potable water as the other stations had been shut down for the winter.

On the other side of Indian Gardens, the trail forks. You actually have to pass through/over the small creek on your way to the Plateau Point trail. The other road takes you to the Phantom Ranch where people can camp overnight. I had passed a few of those people coming up on the way down and they looked like the walking wounded.

Once you cross the creek, the land goes back to cactus and rock. The sign says it is 1.5 miles out in the open to Plateau Point (yes, the math does not work) and you walk out across the plateau with canyon walls far out to all sides. It seems like forever; however, the trek is worth it as you stand about 2000 feet over the roaring Colorado River. You can actually hear it as you approach the end.

The trek back is pretty dramatic as you come in closer and closer to the canyon walls. On my way back through Indian Gardens I encountered a deer and her doe. Then, once through the Garden, you start the long climb back up. End-to-end it took about six hours.

I got to the top about 30 minutes before the sun went down. That gave me time to check out the other Rim lodges. After staying at El Tovar, the Bright Angel Lodge looked like Stuckey's. The other lodges were newer and less 'charming'. However, if I had not been spoiled by El Tovar, the Bright Angel would have been a good, more cost-effective alternative.

The sun going down on the canyon brought an explosion of colors. It is really amazing over the course of a day how many different colors the canyon turns. From the top to the bottom and from dusk 'til dawn, and Ricardo Montalban aside, it is almost chameleon-like. As the sun dipped on the western ridge, all of the sudden peaks and spires lit up in burnt oranges.

Alas with all my talk about the 'fullest' moon, the night had the moon dodging the clouds. Cool from a sky perspective but not much to light up the canyon. There is a sixty percent chance of snow here tomorrow night. But it is time to move on and tomorrow takes me up the road to the Navajo Monument and Monument Valley. I'll probably spend part of the morning wandering the Rim one last time (dodging septuagenarians) and then I'm off. Heading northeast. I smell snow.

Hank

Day 9 - Livin' Large In The Grand Canyon

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Yes, I have not seen my place for eight days. And hell is freezing over as there is snow in New Orleans. Looks like more snow there than in Tahoe.

The EconoLodge was really not so bad. Good night sleep, free cable, a muffin and the USA Today in the morning... But I did not see much of Flagstaff outside of the Walmart and Taco Bell. The Walmart has anything you need (and some things you don't); Taco Bell does not have a breakfast burrito. Doesn't McDonald's even have a breakfast burrito??

So today I took the long way to the Grand Canyon and saw Sunset Crater and the Wupatki Ruins. Sunset Crater is wild. It's like landing on a black Mars. Trees look like they are planted in loose pavement. If the volcano had been in a more hospitable environment, there would be a rain forest here. Instead, it's like being on an empty planet.

Moved from Sunset Crater to the Wupatki Ruins. Which are even in a more inhospitable place. I did a little off roading in between. On purpose. It was a good idea until all my stuff started sliding around.

The transition from Sunset to Wupatki was going from black to red-brown. The Ruins had a good museum and a good self-guided tour around the ruins. Every seems a little baffled about why the Indians would have abandoned this types of dwellings. For the most part, they left for two reasons - bad harvest or too many dead people. Kind of like the reason people leave Detroit.

To get to the Grand Canyon via 89 you pass through the Historic Cameron Trading Post and Lodge. Um,... yeah. From there you take 64 to the East Gate. On the way you sweep past the Little Colorado River Gorge. Which you think is incredibly impressive. Until you get to the Canyon. The Ranger at Wupatki told me to skip the first Scenic outlook and just go to the second. Should have listened. At the first Scenic, the Navajo salespeople there have carefully constructed a chicken wire fence so the only way to get to the overlook is to pass through all the vending stands. I hope my family likes authentic Navajo because that is what they are getting for Christmas.

The second Scenic overlook has a much smaller Navajo sales stand. Apparently, this group did not get the smoke signals about how to funnel people in to buy your stuff using chick wire. I was able to sneak by. As the Ranger warned, and unlike the first overlook, there are no guard rails here. Numerous hand-painted signs on the way to the edge warn you to keep your children and pets in check as there is a 3,000 foot sheer cliff at the end. And there is. But, wow. Again, this is a wow until you get to the real ditch.

So I came into the Grand Canyon through the East Gate and drove along Desert View Drive. There are too many outlooks (points) to be counted. The first one and first big 'wow' was at the Watchtower. You see a 180+ view into the Canyon. Big. BIG. Of course, being the first stop meant that it also had a wide variety of park souvenirs one could by. Since nothing could top the Dale, Jr. "88" Mountain Dew ball cap I had bought at the Flagstaff Walmart or the 24 dollars worth of beads I purchase for the price of Manhattan at the Navajo stands, I was able to avoid the temptation..

Each Point I popped into on the way to the South Gate just gave jaw-dropping views. The (almost) full moon started showing up in the sky when I got to the South Gate Visitor's Center. The Visitor's Center is obviously geared towards the large summer crowds. It is big and well laid out; however, it was like a ghost town with the winter crowd. Basically, I only saw four cars and a school bus for most of the day. And I saw two of the cars and the school bus multiple times before I turned up 64 to the East Gate.

I pulled into El Tovar, the hotel I am staying at on the Canyon Rim, just before sunset. This place ROCKS. Even though it does have a bit of The Shining going for it (and it being winter time does not help), I highly recommend this place. It is so choice. My bathroom is the size of the hotel room I had in Rome.

So I watched the sun go down over the Canyon; unloaded and unpacked; got a big meal in the old school log-cabin roofed dining room; and then stumbled into a heard of Elk in the dark outside the hotel door. I though they were moose (meece?), at first. These animals are HUGE. There were about eight of them and each one had to be at least 6-4 to the top of their head. I think Santa is missing some reindeer. And they were no more than ten feet away. Note to self: watch out for Elk poop when leaving the hotel in the morning.

Anyway, tomorrow I will try and get up to watch the sun rise on the canyon (5AM) and then hike down in. We'll see how far I get. The high today was, maybe, 47. It was usually around 43 most of the day. The low tonight is supposed to be 27 but it will probably be 19. I am already digging into my ski gear. There is snow/frost on the ground. On the flip side, it's been clear blue skies the last few days and that should continue until Sunday.

I wrote most of this in front of the fireplace, under the moose head, in the lodge entry. Did I tell you this place is awesome? At this point, room service has turned down my sheets so all I will have to do is remove the mint from my pillow, pull back the 800 thread sheets, and slip into bed. I may have to apply some of that high-end moisturizer from the gift basket as the sun and dry air seems to have damaged my skin a little bit. This sure beats the EconoLodge.

Hank