We had planned to go out, but we didn’t. I knew this was going to be a hard trip, and this was where it set in more than before. (Please take note that I will frequently complain about this. Things are never as simple as they seem.) We just vegetated at the hotel. Nick and I made a circuit of the grounds every hour and a half or so, but that’s the furthest any of us got. Both of us felt guilty for holding the other back, but we both needed to rest. It was a beautiful day but we just couldn’t drag ourselves out of there. We even sent out for Chinese, which wasn’t nearly as good as in South Carolina. This time the pool was warmer, but the spa was cold. We went in both of them anyway. Maybe we’ll see the Natural Arch on the way back; maybe not. Since we have so little energy now, I don’t know what we’ll be running on by the time that happens. But I do know this location is so good, we’ll be staying here again.
During our peregrinations around the grounds, which included a secluded waterfall you could barely glimpse, Nick and I met a woman with two tiny dogs. There were any number of dogs and cats in our wing, and I was glad so many were there. It underscores a need for this kind of place.
Anyway, this woman had a tiny car, the two dogs and a serious mobility problem. On top of this, she just wouldn’t shut up. She came and went several times over the course of the day, and seeing she was one of those talky types, I did my best to avoid her. But finally I saw her having some sort of problem, which I thought was with tangled dogs, but turned out to be a key card issue. Hers had apparently expired, and I had, coincidentally, locked myself out of the hotel entirely, and Joyce was napping. This woman, who is rounder and shorter than I am, declared she had to pee, so Nick and I raced off to the front end of the hotel where you can walk right in to the desk, thank God. I explained, they believed me, and I got us each a new key card. Nick and I raced back out and gave her the card. I thought that was that.
A couple of hours or so later, all five of us were touring the grounds once again. The little car, little round woman and little dogs were gone, but there was a cane on the ground. Joyce thought it was hers, until she picked it up and we realized it was too short by half. So this woman had gone off in her car without her cane. We didn’t know if she was coming back, so we took it to the desk. We were feeling real sorry for her because, unlike Joyce, she absolutely couldn’t move without her cane. Joyce only needs hers on uneven ground and stairs without railings. But she did come back, and when she thanked us, explained she always carries several. Anyway, that was our excitement for the day. And it was about all we could stand, anyway.
So here’s another picture I took the day before. Joyce is in it, but you have to squint. This was the welcome center in the tiny corner of southeastern Tennessee we drove through. They had it decorated all over, inside and out. Very appealing.
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