July 28, 2023 On the Road Again

I went to a Pink Martini Concert with friends Wednesday night, got home too late for me (in bed at 1:00 AM), and I paid for it Thursday. I had to get up at 5:00 AM. For weeks we planned to leave on the 27th, so there was no grace for me.

Last night after arriving at our room in Wendover Utah’s Super 8 and catching a whiff of their toxic air- deodorizer, Evening in Paris, used liberally in lieu of cleaning, I sank into deep exhaustion and despair. Terry tried to assure me the smell would be gone if we opened the windows and went out to eat.

In Wendover, if you’re not going to a Casino your selection for restaurants is nil after 9:00 PM. It was 8:15 when Terry Googled for choices and found The Copper Kettle—a fine local establishment with excellent reviews. We pulled into the last parking space. The windows were filthy. I glanced at the kitchen— bad idea. We had to wait for table. We were seated at 8:45. I ordered a salad. I ate a few bites. It was the end of the evening. I shouldn’t have expected fresh vegetables. Terry was right, on return to the room it was just fine.

We have made this trek many times including last September. Nothing is new except the loss of businesses in the small towns as they fade away. And for us it’s the addition or expansion of our route—we pass by Fridley and continue up north. But that’s our later story, and our purpose.

Right now the hills in the near distance look like so many we’ve passed over the years. I remember best the ones I’ve passed on solo trips. I recall my drive from Skagway to Anchorage Alaska. These hills right now in Wyoming look like the hills in Yukon Territories Canada. On that trip I bought a holder for my harmonica to help keep me awake. The first song I mastered was “Oh Susanna.” That came to me before White Horse only 100 miles away. But that was it. I tried some Dylan, some Neil Young. Ha!

When I stopped at a drive-thru coffee place along the Richardson Highway, the barista asked if I were a musician. I couldn’t think of one female harmonic player. So I asked if she had heard of Peter, Paul and Mary. She said no. I said, “Well you’re young and it was a long ago.” She asked me to repeat the name of my band. “You mean Peter, Paul and Mary?” She said ya that’s it. I flipped my harp up and into position and played “Oh Susanna” as I drove off. I never said it was my band.

I’m replaying the audiobook “Paddling North” by Audrey Sutherland so Terry can enjoy it too. It keeps both of us entertained and alert. She suggests “Go light, Go solo and Go now.” Everything Terry does on his Zero motorcycle is solo. My plan is to do some solo multi-day paddling trips. I’m anxious to try out these beautiful paddles I saw in the Piragis catalog and the gorgeous solo canoe I saw in their shop in Ely. I’ll keep you posted on this venture.