Waiting

Having finished lesson planning for one class, I really need to look up information I'll need to build one of the other classes I'll be teaching. See, each class has certain objectives that a professor should build into lesson planning. These "learning outcomes" are what's expected of the students. For example, in my Freshmen Composition class, it's expected the students understand audience, purpose, genre, context, organization, formatting, and a host of other things by the time they leave my class. That way, the next composition course in sequence can build or "scaffold" on top of that.

Feeling somewhat satisfied with the general overview and lessons I have planned, I need to get into a town or somewhere with better internet. This camping spot has had good internet service, but not now. Perhaps a tower is down.

Besides, I really want to have some more of that rye toast at Cowboy Smokehouse in Panguitch. Texture-wise, it is some of the lightest, airy rye bread (while still being flavorful) that I've ever tasted. I must have more.

Besides, with the rains from the past two days, all the delightful orange mud from the hills is making my shiny new floors dirty with Buena's paw prints or my footsteps. That's the one hazard of camping in Utah during monsoon season. Lots of mud ends up inside your rig.

So I pack up the RV. There's not much to pack, really. I'd already put all the stuff I'll be transferring to the Xterra in one area. All I needed to do was shut off the gas to the stove and put away the tea mug and water-boiling pan.

I'm driven by my stomach as I think about how perfectly the Cowboy Smokehouse makes scrambled eggs, light and fluffy like the rye toast. The smoked bacon is thick, and the hashbrowns are an added bonus.

When I get there, I'm not disappointed. Even the iced tea is freshly made. I'm surprised there's only three tables at 9:30 in the morning. My food comes quickly, and I work on the computer while eating. I leave the young gal a nice tip since the business is so slow. I don't know what she makes, but I saw a sign in the Family Dollar on Monday. They're hiring for $11 an hour. That's peanuts! An insult! Bupkis!

I head south, trying to think of where to do laundry. Hatch has a laundromat, but I'm not sure where to pull money out of the bank. I don't think there's an ATM in that town. Kanab also has a laundromat, but it will be hotter in Kanab, and I'm not ready to go into the heat.

In the end, I get off 89 at 14 and head west. It will be cool up on the mountain, and if I really feel compelled to do laundry, I can do it in Duck Creek...or Cedar City.

But, I'm in no hurry to get down from this mountain. Or do laundry.

So I take a little side street, which leads to a dirt road, which leads to another dirt road with a sign "Mammoth Cave." Of course, I have to see what this is, and I get way back in a pine forest with a path through it when it starts to rain and hail, so I wait it out beneath the pine trees.

But someone with California plates beeps at me from behind. Sorry, I didn't see you, buddy! I think and pull forward enough for him to pass. For awhile, I just enjoy the sound and looking at the rain through the trees.

It's still raining as I pull up to the Mammoth Cave lot. It's an actual tourist destination because there are all kinds of signs, fencing, designated parking, and restrooms. I don't feel like getting out in the rain, so I turn around. Now I know it's here. I'll be back.

As I splash through smaller puddles and avoid the larger ones, I think about how I'm really delaying decision making about how to get to and from Lake Havasu while making a stop in Vegas to pick up Larry. I woke in the middle of the night with a terrible thought about the Xterra's engine age. It's at 289,000 miles. It doesn't like to go over 65 mph, and the radiator and oil levels must be monitored regularly. It's sluggish up steep hills, and semi-trucks often pass me on those hills. How will the engine fare in 107-degree heat in Havasu? Should I worry about that long stretch between Mesquite and Vegas? Or Vegas and Searchlight? Or Searchlight and Laughlin?

Or, am I worrying needlessly? I'm not having engine trouble. I just have to baby the engine a little bit. Maybe I drive south to Havasu at night? On Monday, I'll be driving to Vegas in the heat of the day, though. Will it make a difference?

The minivan is back in Grand Junction, so that's another option: Drive the Xterra up to Junction (400 miles) and take the minivan south through Monument Valley and Flagstaff to get to Havasu. (The only downside to the minivan is that it won't do for dirt roads, and I am hoping to show Larry some stuff on some 4wd trails.)

The rain is still pouring from a grey sky by the time I get back to the intersection at 14. I pull into the little parking lot and pull out the ukulele. I haven't played since early June. I strum a few songs to see if I still remember something.

Then I get to work on the blog. As I type, the clouds break apart. Rain puddles glisten in the sun, and the day heats up again. It's still chilly enough for a sweater on the mountain, but the sun feels nice.

I go outside to look around. For a moment, I'd thought about camping here. Not anymore. There's a "no overnight camping" sign at the edge of the lot.

Onward, I go!