Day two of Road Trip Central (well, day three by the time I type and post this), and already I’ve had a "bathroom incident" under a bridge. Sadly. I can't even describe exactly what happened, and I’m writing this from a place of semi-mortification, but Amy and Keith and I agree that it’s a noteworthy moment in our journey so far. About a half hour after having what I thought was a light dinner of salad and chips and salsa at Applebee’s, I had an oh my god I must find a bathroom now situation – in the middle of the flat treeless lands of Utah, on the open road, no rest stop, gas station, restaurant or pretty much anything in sight. Luckily, Amy was driving and, understanding the urgency, pulled off at the next immediate exit. Keith quickly noticed a railroad bridge that offered privacy the side of the road did not. Amy and I hopped out of the Vanagon to scope out the potential scariness of my would be squatting ground, and, after briefly surveying the scene, decided it wasn’t too bad. Maybe a little squishy but not too bad. I’m grateful for Keith’s sharp eyes and his quick thinking in helpfully tossing me a roll of toilet paper before I made a beeline for the marsh lands. As I teetered down the rocks into my descent of shame, I scared off a little prairie dog, got my foot stuck in mud--at least I hope it was mud--and suffered the mosquitoes who gleefully swarmed in blood-sucking anticipation. While it’s a challenge to find a silver lining at times like this, all I can say is that it was necessary and totally worth it. And, my wonderful friends took our setback in stride, brushing off my embarrassment with sympathetic comments about how this sort of thing happens to everyone. Does it? I haven’t heard too many accounts, but I suppose it's the sort of thing people don't really talk about. Except me. Geez. This is the kind of story to save for my kids someday.

Back to the actual details of our trip, we left Seattle around 2:30 on Saturday and drove until around 11pm. Near the end of our day, we came upon a fox who decided that the middle of a lane on a freeway was as good a place as any to sit for a while, much to our surprise and dismay. Amy swerved and managed to miss the fox, but that led to a few thrilling/scary moments of van rocking. After that, we were all tired and shaken and decided to set up shop at a rest stop in Oregon to get some sleep. Camping at a rest stop was a new experience for me. Surprisingly, I’m enjoying my little bunk in the Vanagon. It’s cozy up there, even if the trucks at the rest stop were impossibly loud. We drove all day yesterday and reached Zion late at night. It’s much more peaceful on campgrounds, and there was a major wind storm throughout the night, sometimes so strong that the sides of the top of the camper started to flap. Sleepily listening to the wind was extremely cozy. Hearing things flying away and crashing in the wind was sometimes alarming.

Zion is beautiful. No matter where you go, there are beautiful rock formations around you, and I have to wonder if the people who live here are constantly in awe of their surroundings. I hope to post pics soon, but I’m running out of time right now. We did a couple of shorter hikes today and have a longer one planned for tomorrow. It’s super hot during the day. We drink lots of water and are addicted to Chex Mix. The people we’ve encountered who work at the park or in town aren’t all that friendly, which is weird. We had an exchange with a particularly snippy park ranger early this afternoon. She was young and irritated with us for not automatically knowing where we needed to go for a particular hike. Most of the restaurants don’t have a full bar (only beer and wine), and we discovered that some require you to order food if you would also like a cocktail. Utah.

There aren’t showers at this campsite, so tonight we decided to pay $4 each a nearby resort to take an 8 minute shower. I have to say it was the best 8 minutes I’ve had in a while. Absolute heaven. It only takes a little deprivation to make you appreciate the everyday conveniences. It also makes me glad that I only have to share my little bunk with myself. Camping in itself is actually pretty fun, but not being able to hop in the shower when you want is a struggle. When we’re not out and about doing stuff, I’m having a great time reading and writing and listening to music.

More details soon, but for now I must go. It’s pitch black outside and we need to sleep soon.

My question: how is it possible that I have internet access but no shower?