Road trip 1999
Spring break was approaching. Just like the winter break, I had planned nothing. Mark asked me if I was interested in going on a road trip to Grand Canyon. I didn’t drive then, but he said he was happy to drive the 8 hours to get there. 8 hours! I exclaimed. That was the longest I would ever be in a car. I worried about motion sickness and the toilet. But Grand Canyon! I had longed to see the place since I saw the photo my sister brought back from her trip ten years before.
We set off early in the morning and drove all day. When we got to the lodge Mark had booked, it was past 7 pm on our watch. We were famished and intended to eat at the attached restaurant. But the staff said the restaurant closed at 8 pm. We said it was 7 pm. They said, no, it was past 8 pm. We had forgotten about the time difference. They saw us distraught and offered to make cold sandwiches, which we devoured on the bed. I remembered that everything about the lodge was made with dark wood – the wall and the floor, the table, the bed, and all were covered by the warm red color of Native American-inspired design rugs or blankets.