Well, we are ready to head out in the morning; canning is packed, suitcases are full, overnight bag stuffed, toiletries repacked, laundry done, house cleaned, fridge and freezer cleaned out, odds and ends sorted, cooler full and road trip reading materials readied so, off we go.
But, wait a minute; given the pandemic underway it’s not going to be so easy is it. Well lucky for us we took the same trip in May when we came to the lake so we at least know what to expect. Most folks were buttoned up in their homes back then scared to go anywhere so the roads were clear and the truck stops/gas stations empty. Hotels too had low occupancy and upon check in we were greeted by a lone gloved masked person behind plexi-glass who quickly checked us in no muss, no fuss and certainly no physical contact. I’m not sure he said much to us or even made eye contact for that matter. We ordered take out in the evenings so had little to no contact with humans during the four day road trip home.
We weren’t that concerned but my Flagstaff women friends were plenty scared for us. I think they thought it totally acceptable for us to stay contained in our car during the entire trip with, maybe, a few road side potty stops along the way. I think they forgot about fuel stops where, masked up, we took our chances in the restrooms which were spotless with cleaning people at the ready. I must say though that avoiding touching anything while using the facilities was no small feat. They had the coffee and pop stations cordoned off providing individualized personal service which I appreciated. We were on our own selecting snacks so took our chances that the last person to touch what we happened to pick up wasn’t infected or if they were the virus was snuffed out between contacts. We arrived at the lake safely and, after some quarantine time, we returned to some social contact the rest of the season. We cancelled our summer and fall travel plans which was fine by me. Paul’s new bread baking business kept him busy enough over the past six months that I don’t think he noticed the lack of travel too much.
If it were only up to me, I would stay here at the lake for the winter but it’s time to check in on our other home along with catching up with friends and family in Arizona and California. We are expecting a safe road trip heading west but, with covid cases spiking, we will be even more cautious on our return to Flagstaff. We are taking more road food with us this time but still need to make pit stops and book overnight hotel accommodations as we are way too old to sleep in the car or, worse yet, camp out in November. I am looking forward to being on the road again and I’ll let you know what we experience along the way.