A Day of Rest

Today turned into a day of rest. I had intended to drive east of our location today, just to explore and hopefully find a park or somewhere we could play. But it became pretty clear that neither of us were entirely motivated.

River was licking his paws this morning. I have been constantly aware of what surfaces he’s walking on in this blazing sunshine, and there were a couple of times that I feel like he was standing or walking on burning pavement. Three times, in fact, I picked him up and carried him until we got to a place that was less torturous. One time was a while back when we were on the high plains and I realized we were trekking over thorny brush, and the other two times were in town, when I felt like the sidewalk was burning. Being a barefooter my whole life, I can appreciate how a hot parking lot can take all the fun out the day.

So not only did we both get coconut oil treatments when we got in last night, but this morning, I also pressed cold wet cloths onto the pads of his feet when he was licking them. I checked for cuts and thorns and ticks, but everything was in order. I think maybe  a bit overheated but more perhaps a little bit of abrasion from all the running on sand for an hour and a half yesterday. 

I had the very last of the perishable food I had packed, which was brown rice and vegetable soup, for breakfast, and for lunch we went on a short trip to a place I found while looking for dinner last night. At Schwartz’s Krautburger Kitchen, I picked up an incredibly tasty thing with meat, cabbage, onions, jalapeno and cheese baked inside a homemade bun. It tasted like homemade, old world cooking. 

So from now on, until I can get to a grocery store or farmer’s market, I’m without fresh food. I have a big supply of nuts and seeds, so I won’t starve or even go hungry. But for now, I’m reliant on local restaurants

Today is setting a precedent for all future road trips. It’s mid afternoon as I type this and despite my concerns, I don’t feel bored or like I’m wasting my time in a new town by not doing and seeing everything there is to offer. It actually feels very beneficial to rest. We’ve been on the road and on the go for a week now. This is the eighth day. I think I’ll adopt this as a template and incorporate a ‘nothing’ day once a week. It feels very much like we’re taking care of our health and longevity now. The scenery isn’t going anywhere, and no matter how hard I try I’m never going to ‘see everything’.

And if we were out driving around, we would have missed all the excitement here at Motel 6. It looks like someone is getting baptized or married or something because there is a well dressed gathering of Latinos around the swimming pool. Some of them are carrying bibles and they’re singing The Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka Glory Glory Hallelujah). Shortly after this picture was candidly taken from inside my room, the crowd dispersed and the pool water was moving as if someone had been in it. And they were taking pictures of the men, individually standing with the pool in the background.
Tomorrow I get up early to drive an hour before teaching a 10am class, so I’m going to get everything packed up and ready to load into the car tomorrow and then going to bed early.


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