The room of pots found in the Southeastern Utah area.
Ruins with a restored Kiva that you can actually go into.
Inside the Kiva.
After visiting the park, I got on my bike and headed to the day's route. But I was stopped by Rob. He let me know that he was not feeling right and was going home. I was sad to see him go home because he was my riding buddy...well we didn't really ride together but I would see him and ride with him in short spurts most days and it was nice. But he needed to see a doctor and I certainly didn't want him having to be taken out by an ambulance.
Recapture Reservoir. That was only the second body of water we saw on the trip (besides some little flowing rivers in the canyon).
Still on the hunt for more ruins, I was searching every nook and cranny I rode past for anything. Finally, I spotted a small granary! I parked my bike and took a short hike, trying to get up to it. I never could get close enough to see inside. Bummer, I wanted to see if any baskets or pottery were left inside...probably not but maybe. As I was coming down off the rocks, one of the guys behind me was waiting for me. He wanted to know what I was doing. I pointed it out to him. We were the only two to see it. The little black rectangle in about the center (but to the left) of the picture is the opening to the granary.
We passed through a forest of tall pines. It didn't last for long but it sure was pretty.
On the other side of the forest was farmland but with no houses...I guess they all drove in.
I was biking down a hill, coasting really. I spotted a man pushing a bike and asked him if he had enough water. He told me he was low so I stopped. I gave him what was left in my water bladder which didn't amount to much. I talked to him for a few minutes. He was carrying an old, but large, backpacker's backpack with things strapped all over it. He had a second, smaller backpack attached to his handlebars along with some grocery bags with food and juice. But he only had one water bottle. He told me he was going to Phoenix. Knowing he was going to be going through some LONG stretches without access to water I made him take a water bladder. He was still looking for a place to put it as I rode away.
Here was a man who was struggling to make it to the next town, still some 17 miles away, or so. He looked to be carrying everything he owned in the world. He had only one bottle of water and a bottle of juice (I don't know how big the juice bottle was). There were no houses to stop at and ask for water along the rest of the day's route for him. The sun was shining and it was quite warm. He was moving a lot slower than I was because there was no room on his bike for a person, just all his stuff. And it was mostly uphill to Blanding.
I am so ashamed to say that I withheld a 20 oz. bottle of water from him when I could have spared it. I was being selfish and only thinking of myself (in the off chance that something went wrong between here and there). I still had a little water in my main bottle and only had about 5 miles to town where I could refill. If I had to, I could have gone without the rest of the way. I don't know who he is, his story, his name, his background...nothing, but I have thought about that man everyday since. I feel so guilty for my selfishness and pray for him that all the kindness that strangers showed to me (and I withheld) is also offered to him despite his bedraggled appearance...an offer of water, juice or a sandwich.
It kind of reminds me of an activity we did for seminary one day. The class was broken up into 6 groups. Each group went out one at a time. We had to do certain things like skip ten steps, run around a tree 3 times, that kind of thing all the way around the building. We were all timed and the winner was going to get a reward. Some groups came back pretty quickly while others seemed to take a long time compared. When it was our turn, we went out and saw someone working on their car in the parking lot. Some people that knew him said hi and continued on. Then there was the woman walking down the walkway toward the building carrying a tall stack of something. She stumbled and managed to drop them all over the ground. Some people passed and others stopped to help so everyone had to wait. Then we passed by a girl (our age) sitting on the curb crying. I don't remember if anyone stopped to ask if she was ok or not...I know I didn't. We made it back in to class and got our time. After all the groups had gone, the three people who I mentioned came into the room. They had been working with the teacher. The activity was not about making it back to class the fastest but about helping those around you. My group didn't win that day...and I failed the test this time as well.
As I got into town, I had to go to the bathroom SO bad! But I passed a pioneer memorial park and you know me, I love pioneers and had to stop! I took a walk through the park looking at all the buildings and trying to see inside them as well. It was pretty cool. I wanted to go find the temple but suddenly, I was distracted by the need to go find a bathroom pronto...then food, that I completely forgot until the next day. It wasn't visible from the main road though or I would have noticed and went to see it.
The campground was actually 8 miles North of town so after I stopped for a shake and ate my lunch, I continued on.
The campground was all by itself out there. It was pretty neat. The first thing you see when you get past the trees is an old log cabin. Then, to the left, is the "old town". It's a restaurant, saloon and 4 rooms upstairs that they rent out. There were cars parked there every time I went up there to get a picture so I finally just took it with cars ruining the shot.
I went exploring and found two old outhouse, the owners' house, a dump yard and a large boulder with a rope dangling from it. I tried climbing it but the fibers splintered off and dug into my fingers. There wouldn't have been a view up there anyway because it wasn't big enough so it wasn't worth it to me.
Rob and his wife stopped by the campsite and said goodbye to everyone. We tried to figure out a way to get me and my bike back to Orem but everyone had come down with full cars so in the end, Rob left his keys with me so I could drive back to Orem and they would come get the car from there.
I made some pudding and tried to give some of it away to people but everyone (except Robert, the driver) was already full so he took some but I still ate way more pudding than I should have.
3 comments:
Was Rob okay? I'm sure I'd be taken away on a stretcher waaaaayyyy before that!
You are too hard on yourself, Tiffany. I know that you are a very kind-hearted person. You did stop and give him water and your water bladder. That's a lot. I think that if that man needed more, the Spirit would have prompted you to leave more and you would have done it. He had juice and probably other people stopped to see if he needed water too.
I think you are being too hard on yourself, Tiff. You're a really good person. I remember a woman who appeared to be drunk or high orsomething. She said she had walked like 17 miles or something. She asked for a ride. I had kids in the van, and I was too afraid to help her. I did go get her a drink, but I didn't giver her a lift.
Rob had to have quadruple bypass surgery and have stents put in. He was 9% blocked in one artery and almost as much in the others. He was still doing pretty good though riding without oxygen.
Maybe I am being too hard on myself but I do know that I am a selfish person...and I need to improve that. Adam is so giving (to those he knows as well as those he doesn't) and I am constantly aware of that fault in myself.
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