In the last exciting episode of “RVSue and her canine crew,”
RVSue discovers to her dismay that she and the crew must leave their mountain camp in the Manti-La Sal National Forest in search of a dairy product.
“Dang! We’re outta’ milk!”
Wednesday, July 3
Not only do we need milk, it’s been a month or more since we’ve graced the interior of a laundromat. After breakfast, blog, and bath, I gather and sort dirty clothes, towels and quilts and dump it all on the PTV’s passenger seat, creating a heap as high as the headrest.
On the way down the mountain, we stop at Lake Hill Campground.
The place is empty. I park next to the water spigot and open the door for the crew. Bridget and Spike are excited to jump out and explore while I fill up seven jugs.
When we were here last it was the hottest part of the day and very unappealing. This morning the air is fresh with a woodsy smell. Birds sing their merry chorus from the spruce trees.
Further down the mountain we pass a camp with horses.
What fun it must be to explore the forest on horseback!
When Sanpete Valley appears, I have to stop and take another photo. I can’t resist!
Hmm . . . Bridget and Spike have been quiet all the way down the mountain. I guess they’re mountain dogs now. I’m feeling great, too. Ha! The Desert Woman has become Mountain Woman.
What a difference in temperature!
I should’ve come down here first thing this morning. I can’t leave the crew for long in the PTV in this heat. We’d better do laundry first. They’ll probably be allowed inside. Then we’ll go to Wal-Mart, get groceries, and head back up the mountain.
I cruise Ephraim from one end to the other and back again.
And again. No laundromat. I pull over to the curb and ask the first person to come along — a young woman, “Is there a laundromat in this town?”
She pauses to think for a moment.
“I don’t think there is. This is a college town. It must have a laundromat.”
Another thoughtful pause. “Sorry. If there is one, I don’t know where it is.”
Instead of going to Wal-Mart, I drive to the other end of town.
It takes too long to walk the Wal-Mart parking lot, shop, and get back to the PTV. Darn! So much for my shopping list! I was going to buy a memory card to store my photos. And I wanted to look for a quilt set to freshen up the BLT and . . . Oh well. Another day .
I park at a small grocery and race inside.
I speed-shop, grabbing milk and a few other items.
I ask the cashier about a laundromat.
“You have to drive to Manti,” she says. Manti? Another ten miles just to do laundry.
Living full-time on the road requires extra effort to accomplish ordinary tasks.
When I lived in a regular house, I turned the tap for all the water I wanted. Now I have to drive to a place to fill up the BLT’s tank and fool around filling jugs at a spigot.
At my former home, I had a large Maytag washer and a large Maytag dryer a few steps away from the clothes hamper. Now I have to drive down a mountain and another ten miles, lug the laundry inside, drop a handful of quarters, and wait.
But you know what?
When I turned the tap I didn’t listen to birds sing or breathe in fresh, heavenly scented, mountain air. When I did the wash, it was a chore that I performed automatically.
Now doing laundry is an adventure!
What we could do is go to Manti, get the laundry done, and then take the Manti Canyon Road along Manti Ridge. We could look for streams and wildflowers. There’s a campground up that way, too.
It’ll be a fun outing!
Will RVSue get her laundry done? Will she drive the PTV off a cliff? Will Spike hide out in Manti Canyon?
Tune in next time for another exciting adventure of “RVSue and her canine crew!”
rvsue
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON THROUGH MY LINKS!
I appreciate every purchase, large or small. Here’s a sample of what readers bought:
New Balance Men’s Walking Shoe
Police Magnum Pepper Spray with UV Dye
Portable External USB 3.0 Hard Drive Storage
Sunny Health & Fitness Twister Stepper
Stainless Steel 14-inch Skewers, Set of 6
21-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner
