Day 2 National Parks 2011
Up at 5:30am, without a sleeping bag it is 20 degrees
chillier to sleep in the car. At 6:20am, the sky already
felt warm. I got up to pee overlooking
the beautiful sunrise paint the canvas of the sky and the desert. I felt my chest congested and my sinus on
fire. Hot water canteen was still warm
after 26 hours. I recited my Buddhist prayers and rolled off
at 8:30am.
Ely Shell gas station was
where I pulled over for a total wipe down.
It felt really good. The baby
changing station was totally convenient for this wash process.
I stopped at Subway for a grilled cheese sandwich. A foot long with half this, half that and turned it into two sandwiches. The man layered it all perfectly beautiful like a commercial and each bit tasted just like how he layered it. It’s not that he did not work fast, but he was perfect and precise. The way he worked was a very beautiful process to watch. I somehow swallowed my half sandwich in a flash.
I called my sister to let her know where I was and that I was still alive. I continued my drive after that.
I stopped at Subway for a grilled cheese sandwich. A foot long with half this, half that and turned it into two sandwiches. The man layered it all perfectly beautiful like a commercial and each bit tasted just like how he layered it. It’s not that he did not work fast, but he was perfect and precise. The way he worked was a very beautiful process to watch. I somehow swallowed my half sandwich in a flash.
I called my sister to let her know where I was and that I was still alive. I continued my drive after that.
I was tired at 1:30pm at Utah Salt Water Lake area on
i50. With the window down, it was warm
wind that was blowing. I took a 30
minute nap sitting up and ate the rest of my sandwich even though I wasn’t
hungry. It felt really good to see the
vastness and feel the wind and listen to the wind.
The vastness of land, horizon and the lack of city urban suburban life was what I needed. The section of Ely to Delta was confusing, tiring, stressful. I knew once I got onto i70, that it was all going to be okay. i70, I missed you, the Vermillion Sandstone Mountains, Grey Black Metals of Goblin Valley etc.. I really missed this area. It physically scares me and I find it visually beautiful, turbulent stormy wind is hard on my mind. Yes the cross over from Nevada to Utah was strange, I wonder if it just is like this in borders of states.
It was 68 miles to Ely city from the city of Eureka, then to the Delta and
to Salina city was another 224 miles. Then another 277 miles to Rifle city in Colorado. I stopped to have dinner there and It was already late, the sun was setting at Grand Junction. The station had gross restroom and shower laundry facility. I decided I didn’t want to eat there. I pulled over at the Olive Garden Sign and stopped at a restaurant where I had red potato. It was frozen and microwaved, it was half warm and cold, full of fresh red onion. Seriously, all of this had hazard written all over it and I did not register. I swallowed it and then spit it back out. It was all gross.
I drove to a gas station with a restroom sign that read, “Absolutely no men allowed!” The female staff told me about Glenwood Spring Hot Spring etc… and said all of Colorado is beautiful. I pulled out and drove across to La Quinta Hotel parking lot next to Sonic and slept in the car. It was a full parking lot at 10:30pm.
Miles driven today 569 miles
Time on the road 14 hours
