Day 29, Monday, October 21, Zion National Park, Hurricane KOA, site 116

After my posting last night, i sat outside for more than an hour in the dark. The sky was covered completely in stars, galaxies and constellations. I cleared the picnic table and just lay on it for 30 minutes staring at the sky wondering just what was out there. With hundreds of billions of stars in our own galaxy, and an equal number of galaxies, and perhaps the same number if universes somewhere in the void, only the most skeptical of people would doubt that there is not or was not life out there somewhere. But whatever the truth is, if we are only some minor part of all of this, a speck of dust in the cosmos, where does it put the even more minor troubles and trials we face in our daiky lives. Triffles.

For one of the first times on this trip, i hit the sleeping by nine last night, looking forward to good night's sleep. Then, at 1030, i was awakened by a series of bangs, like someone pounding stakes into the ground, and that is exactly what it was. Obviously, the late-arriving couple were novices at camping. I did not mind the banging, as it was both understandable and forgivable, but whst was unnecessary was their continuously opening and slamming shut their car doors, shut at least a dozen times, until midnight (note...you don't close it completely, out of respect for your fellow tenters) and the the grand finale, locking their car remotely, sending the car's horn blasting through the desert. I ignored the two of them completely this morning to avoid preaching to them about camp etiquette. First time campers probably, snd probably the last.

After that, another ten of a day, Got on the road at 930 after a final conversation with Pierre, Roxanne and Jappy (Donner's temporary girlfriend) and my new neighbor, Bob B from California, who took me on a tour of his newly custom-outfitted Mercedes Van. Splendid. i am beginning to wonder if that maybe the way to go. But where would i park it in DC? Then again, with that, or with the van Pierre and Roxanne have, maybe, like Tom Dooley, i would never return.

I told myself, no more photos today, but the drive to Zion was too splendid not to take any, so i took many on the fly. The only setback on the drive was cruising on the highway bordering Vegas. Ugh. Concrete, steel, and traffic replaced the beauty of the mountains and deserts, but that only lasted for 30 minutes before we were back in our element.

I had not made plans for a bivouace tonight, trying to juggle priorities. My first priority is to get the Defender serviced. After i discovered a Jiffy Lube 8 miles away from that KOA in Hurricsne (yes, the one that does not allow dogs in cabins), i decuded to tent there for the night, especially since my second priority is a shower, and my third, laundry, so thst's where we headed. We pulled in after 289 miles at 4:30 my time and got a convenient site, but i waited till the sun set before setting up the tent because the tent pad was in the line of the sun. Donner fed, camp set up, shower taken, laundry being done right now, we are looking foward to a relaxing night tonight, although with 44 degree temperature versus 60 last night.

Tomorrow, after the Defender is serviced, we will head through Zion for a quick drive thru, and then make the two-hour drive to the the Grand Canyon north rim before it closes next week. If we have trouble finding an open campground like last year, at least i know the great site i bivouacked in last year. Last year, my plan was to make it to the North Rim, but when i was within two miles of the camp there, someone told me it was closed, so i turned around, bivouacked for the night in a splendid viewpoint, and headed to the south rim the next day. That was quite fortuitous since Donner took seriously ill that night at the Grand Canyon and had to be rushed to a hospital in Flagstaff where he spent the next three days. Lucky us, again.

Below is a photo of our home for the night. Zion is a hop away, as is the Jiffy Lube. And the shower and laundry right next door. And dogs all over the place. What more could a road-camper and his dog ask for?

Ed and Donner, from the road