WEDNESDAY, 9/26

WEDNESDAY, 9/26:

     When Bill got up about 6:00, the outside thermometer read 28 degrees!  But typical of the Southwest – once the sun came up, it warmed up quickly. 

     Made it a slow morning because Bill didn’t sleep well last night, so just took our time doing everything so he could relax and doze if he felt like it.  Ate breakfast outside for the first time in a while.  Another beautiful, bright blue sky morning!

     Made our way into GCNP about noon.  Have I mentioned how gorgeous the road into the Park, and the first 15 or so miles into the Park (leading to the Lodge & other facilities) are, with the aspens at their peak?  Still takes our breath away.

     Went directly to the General Store at the campground to get WiFi.  Estimated we had about 2 hours worth of computer stuff to do.  Weren’t through at 3:00, but took a break and walked an easy ¾ mile trail which connects the campground to the Lodge.  A lovely forest walk, with some views of the Canyon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

       Poked around the Lodge for a while, got a couple of postcards, then walked back. 

    We’d packed some sandwiches, and were pretty hungry by now, so picnicked at one of the porch tables outside of the General Store.  Very serene, with the dusk coming on and a very pretty little tree right dabbled with scarlet red leaves in front of us – I thought maybe a Hickory; Bill thought a Willow.

     Then went back inside to finish  uploading pictures for the Blog.  Had quite a few to upload, and the WiFi was weaker than typical, so took some time.  I wasn’t quite through by 7:45, but Bill said he was exhausted & wanted to leave, plus the store closed at 8:00, so we packed up and drove home.  Will finish tomorrow. 

     Turned on the heat as soon as we got home!  We both read a little . . . I stayed up later than Bill reading my Ranger Confidential book.  Am nearing the end, and am reading each chapter with trepidation now, because you know that one of the three Rangers whom she’s woven throughout the book (with whom she worked and supervised)  dies at the end (she says so up front), but you don’t know which one. And you’ve come to love & identify with each one of them.  And she structures the last quarter or so of the book in a way that each chapter is a narrative of one day or incident in each of these 3 Rangers’ lives, and so as you begin each of these closing chapters, you wonder, “Is this how the day started when this Ranger died?”