Odometer reading - 578.4
Was in my car, ready to go at 6am. Well, I thought I was ready to go. I couldn't find my car charger for the GPS!! I think - in my infinite wisdom - I left it in the car, thinking that would be the SMART thing to do, so it would be just where I needed it. Nope. Couldn't find it. Checked the house, too. SO...at 7:25 I'm in Wal-Mart, buying a new darn charger. UGH!! Then, I leave the store, and am just barely out of town when my eyes start to burn and itch and hurt. Tears were streaming down my face. At first, I thought it was maybe the hand soap at Wal-Mart? Since I'd visited the restroom one last time before I got on the road? I ended up stopping at the Safeway in Milton-Freewater to pick up some eye drops. The store brand was $1.29, but my eyes aren't something I want to go cheap on, you know, so I got Visine. Before I'd driven 8 miles, I'd spent 20 bucks!!! Sigh.
Later on, I figured out it was actually the new suntan lotion I had, after I applied it for a second time and got even worse results. And at that point I was in the middle of NOWHERE Idaho, and I kept pulling off exits that had nothing. It was scary. When I did find a bathroom, I put as much water in my eyes as I could, and at first I didn't think that was going to help, either. There was a part of me that thought I was just going to have to get a hotel room and wait it out. But I persevered.
I accidentally put my iPod to play alphabetically by artist; I normally let it shuffle. Who knew I had so much Air Supply?! And those were followed by...Akon!! I couldn't get the stupid car charger to work for it, and when it ran out of juice around mile 288, I was still in the A's. When my iPod died, rather than scan and scan and scan for a radio station, I put in a CD of...medical terminology. Aww yeah. It kind of made the drive go faster.
Made it to SLC around 6, and the GPS took me right to John's* door. THAT is pretty awesome. It was my first time to meet John's wife, and she is a doll!! She had made dumplings for dinner, and they ate with chopsticks. I started out with chopsticks, but didn't make it long. :) We then went down to Temple Square and looked at a bunch of Mormon sites. It was like Disneyland - everything was clean, and there were flowers and fountains everywhere. Kind of ticks me off that a church can't find something better to do with their money, but whatever. Everyone was dressed up and very friendly, and answered any questions we had and even gave some tours. I've got a CD of pictures, but they're in the car and I don't feel like going back out - I'll load some later.
Slept like a baby on an air mattress. They're probably not good for long term, but I LOVE how you just sink in to them.
*I met John when he was a ranger at Bennington Lake. He then transferred to SLC, where he still works with the Corps (oohrah), but is now in Regulatory. He gets to tell people what they can and can't do on their own land, particularly when wetlands are involved.
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