My trip has once again taken an unexpected turn, and here I am up on the Mogollan Rim with Bernie.
I hiked Willis Creek Canyon on Sunday morning and it was beautiful. Lovely narrows sections, and the creek was flowing, so it was fun to see erosion in action. The problem was that there was water flowing everywhere due to monsoon season, making Skutumpah Road difficult to drive. I drove across a creek too quickly because I was worried about getting stuck in the mud and bottomed out pretty hard. My car immediately started making a terrible sound.
My options had suddenly become limited. I was going to do some canyons near Escalante, but that would involve driving 50 miles down Hole in the Rock Road, which isn't paved and has no phone reception. I could just imagine my car dying and being stranded out there. Meanwhile, Bernie was texting and asking me to meet him at Knoll Lake up on the Rim. It made sense to be closer to Phoenix and have a second vehicle, so here I am.
Bernie taught me how to fish on Monday. Luckily, we didn't catch anything, although he assured me we'd throw back whatever we caught. I also got stung by a bee for the first time and was surprised by how much it hurt and how long the pain lasted. It was awful. But overall, it was a nice, chill day. It's always a chill day with Bernie. If he were any more laid back, he'd be dead.
It was my turn to choose our activity for Tuesday, so we went swimming in East Clear Creek and rock climbing. I had to hike around the top of this cliff and rappel down so we'd have a top rope, and I totally freaked out about the rappel. The anchor was low, so it was an awkward start. Then it was time to climb, and Bernie saw exactly how uncoordinated I am. Within 10 minutes, I remembered why I don't like climbing. I didn't make it to the top and even fell down after making it back to the ground. So embarrassing. But at least we did something involving a harness and rope.
Today was Bernie's turn to choose again, which means we were up at 7 a.m. but didn't leave camp till almost noon. He wanted to fish. Blah. At least I have a good book. I can't complain too much about relaxing at the lake, but we have very different ways of doing things. He makes me crazy because he suggests 9 million things but then doesn't actually want to do anything. To be fair, I make him crazy because his dogs can't touch my bedding and my allergies are bothering me and I always want to go go go. But for some reason, it works. I love being with him, and for some reason, he feels the same way about me. I'm just hoping I don't get woken up with a Wet Willie again tomorrow...
I hiked Willis Creek Canyon on Sunday morning and it was beautiful. Lovely narrows sections, and the creek was flowing, so it was fun to see erosion in action. The problem was that there was water flowing everywhere due to monsoon season, making Skutumpah Road difficult to drive. I drove across a creek too quickly because I was worried about getting stuck in the mud and bottomed out pretty hard. My car immediately started making a terrible sound.
My options had suddenly become limited. I was going to do some canyons near Escalante, but that would involve driving 50 miles down Hole in the Rock Road, which isn't paved and has no phone reception. I could just imagine my car dying and being stranded out there. Meanwhile, Bernie was texting and asking me to meet him at Knoll Lake up on the Rim. It made sense to be closer to Phoenix and have a second vehicle, so here I am.
Bernie taught me how to fish on Monday. Luckily, we didn't catch anything, although he assured me we'd throw back whatever we caught. I also got stung by a bee for the first time and was surprised by how much it hurt and how long the pain lasted. It was awful. But overall, it was a nice, chill day. It's always a chill day with Bernie. If he were any more laid back, he'd be dead.
It was my turn to choose our activity for Tuesday, so we went swimming in East Clear Creek and rock climbing. I had to hike around the top of this cliff and rappel down so we'd have a top rope, and I totally freaked out about the rappel. The anchor was low, so it was an awkward start. Then it was time to climb, and Bernie saw exactly how uncoordinated I am. Within 10 minutes, I remembered why I don't like climbing. I didn't make it to the top and even fell down after making it back to the ground. So embarrassing. But at least we did something involving a harness and rope.
Today was Bernie's turn to choose again, which means we were up at 7 a.m. but didn't leave camp till almost noon. He wanted to fish. Blah. At least I have a good book. I can't complain too much about relaxing at the lake, but we have very different ways of doing things. He makes me crazy because he suggests 9 million things but then doesn't actually want to do anything. To be fair, I make him crazy because his dogs can't touch my bedding and my allergies are bothering me and I always want to go go go. But for some reason, it works. I love being with him, and for some reason, he feels the same way about me. I'm just hoping I don't get woken up with a Wet Willie again tomorrow...
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