Adventures to Nowhere — Rocky Mountain Yogi

A few weeks ago That One Guy (TOG) and I went on an adventure to nowhere. It wasn’t literally nowhere- I mean everywhere is somewhere right? We headed out to Dugway Geode Beds. We’d been talking about going to the geode beds for almost 9 months and now it was finally happening. At first I was apprehensive about going- I mean COVID. I am a rule follower and I didn’t want to break the rules by leaving the county. I was also worried- what if we got sick while we were on our journey? I had read about people feeling a slight sore throat one day and then on their backs barely breathing the next day. I didn’t want to be in the middle of nowhere and not have a way to get home. Most of the time we were away we were going to have no cell service. I didn’t want to be trapped without having a way to communicate.

Finally after my hesitations and the governor’s opening of inter county travel we headed off in TOG’s RV on our journey. I told my kids exactly where we were going and hoped for the best. The trip included a 35 mile jaunt down the Pony Express Highway. Don’t let the word “Highway” fool you- this is an unpaved road with no bathrooms, hotels, restaurants, gas stations, or cell service. There was real benefit in taking an RV with a refrigerator, stove, toilet, and shower, even if the road was bouncy and dusty. While we traveled down the bumpy road things in the RV jostled around. While the only noise we heard was the RV going down the road, that became quite a noise! At one point TOG had to pull off and check everything, re-securing objects and furnishings. He had been so calm and calculated in trying to figure out how to travel safely. When he got stressed over the noise I had to laugh to myself.

The first night we didn’t go all the way to the geode beds. We parked on a side trail in the desert. It was so silent and stark. As I mentioned there was no cell service. I was amazed how quickly my thoughts of COVID and the craziness of the news, social media, and what everyone seemed to be talking about went by the wayside. I was able to enjoy reading- a hobby that seemed to be sidelined forever by my looking at the latest COVID information.

The next day we continued our journey to the geode beds. TOG managed the windy, dusty, unpaved road like a champ. I would have turned my little Prius back miles earlier. When we arrived at the geode beds we saw hills of grey sand. I was curious and cautious. I wasn’t sure we were going to find anything in these hills. There was another car parked in the distance from our stop. We got out and started digging in the sand. In the desert we had no shade. While it wasn’t too hot, the sun was relentless. Armed with my shovel I attempted to find geodes. At first I kept thinking, “I don’t know. My back hurts and it’s only been 5 minutes. How am I going to manage for hours here?” Then I found an interesting rock. It was a broken piece of geode. Inside were purple sparkles surrounded by what looked like a translucent flow of white marble. Oooh! That was cool. I dug some more. Quickly, more and more pieces were showing up. Some were more beautiful than others. I was quickly making a pile of interesting rocks. The pile was getting really big. I started to throw some rocks back into the hills because they weren’t as stunning as the most amazing rocks. Did I say I was tired after 5 minutes? 5 minutes had turned into an hour and I was getting really curious. I had gone from “this is hard and miserable” to “a kid in a candy shop eager to see what the next find was”. Soon I noticed that TOG had taken a break and I decided to take a break also.

Sitting by the RV off to the side of the road there were even geode bits just littering the side of the road! Another family had made it to the geode beds and children poured out of their van. The kids were jumping up and down with glee as they spied the shiny rocks in the hills. I then spent my time reading while TOG raced his remote control car and flew his kite. It was once again wonderful to be so distanced from our daily reality that we could really enjoy the rest of the world that had been here all along.

By early evening all of the other geode bed guests had left and we were treated to a stunning sunset and breathtaking moonrise. We reveled in the nature and isolation. It was a bit of a challenge and TOG managed to get a fire going- fiddling with his propane tank flame. I felt so at peace in this little tiny part of the world we were visiting.

In the morning we went back to our geode hunt. At that point I had discovered that the hammer stored in the RV was a great tool for breaking open geodes and finding the treasures inside. I never realized how much joy I could get out of smashing things! The single focus of concentration and energy on the hardness of a rock was like getting out all my anger over COVID and the world that it had changed. I got a bit overzealous at times and some of the rocks got smashed to bits. That’s okay though, there were still many others for me to smash about. I had another lovely time searching and discovering. It was another candy shop day for me.

On the way back home we once again traveled down the desolate Pony Express Highway. Again we kicked up dirt and bounced on a remote and desolate road. This time however we saw a few cars coming in the other direction. It was a Friday and I imagine people were starting their weekends. Perhaps they too were in search of geodes and solitude. About thirteen miles in (or out as it were) we saw a stopped care with a man facing the the opposite direction on the road. It looked as if he had a couple of people (including a child) in his car and it seemed that he was changing his tire. He started to flag us down. TOG rolled down the window.

WOAH! Woah! I know what you’re thinking. Why in the world would TOG roll down his window on a desolate highway? Why would TOG roll down his window in the middle of a pandemic when you don’t know who’s carrying COVID and who isn’t. Because, well, that’s the kind of guy that TOG is. That’s why we are together- because he has two of those traits I was looking for in a partner- kindness and compassion. He has others too (if you haven’t read my blog post, “Love isn’t love till you give it away” you should) but these two were very evident at the moment.

Anyway, TOG asked what the guy needed. Apparently he needed a different wrench for the lug nuts on his tire. Lucky for him TOG is kind and TOG’s RV is sort of like the Mary Poppin’s bag of RVs. He had plenty of tools right there. And he was able to help the stranger. The poor man could have been stuck for hours (or all night!) without any one else going by and no cell service. TOG was a real hero here and he didn’t even think twice about whether he should help or not. To him it was just the right thing to do at that time.

Shortly after helping our fellow traveler my phone started getting cell service. The texts were pinging and I had the opportunity to check the news. No miracle had happened with COVID. Cases were still rising and people were still making good and bad choices. After being gone for only a few days I was refreshed and reluctant to come back to the reality that is our current state. I also know I can’t just run away- that isn’t going to change anything for us. I know the world has been in far worse shape than it is now. And people have had far more horrific things happen to them. That doesn’t make the pain of the here and now any less painful. I know I have to come back and feel my pain and keep up my hope. Memories of my journey to nowhere will help to keep my spirits in check.