Breakfast in Richfield, Utah, the start of Day
3. Our first buffet. Of the trip. The Gigs seemed to be in good
humor. Durango relayed his fears about the trailer and Lulu's
possible overwrought reaction to Wanda, Wanda being the only one
who had been told prior to departure that we would be spending a
night in a trailer. Durango can't remember the exact words, but
Wanda said something like if Miss Snooty Britches doesn't like the
trailer she can sleep out in her van.
We left Richfield and headed toward Capitol Reef
National Park. A frenzy of photo taking
erupted at our first sighting of Redrock, as it always does.
Homer came up with his third variation of what
would become his daily ritual of repeating his incredibly clever
idea that the Gigabees should have flown to Vegas. This obsession
began when Homer was riding with Lulu to give our van a short
respite, and Lulu was lamenting the long drive to Utah so soon
after having been there. And so Homer suggested they should have
flown to Vegas and meet up with us via rental car. Lulu then told Homer
this was a great idea and lamented him not suggesting it
sooner. Apparently this was one of the rare times in Homer's life
when one of his ideas was not met with instant derision and
ridicule, and so it became a moment of supreme glory for him, over
and over again. He had no clue that poor Lulu was just trying to
make conversation to combat the awkwardness that can occur when
conversing with Homer.
Capitol Reef National Park was very nice. We ate
more barbecued chicken with a deer family and some Germans. One
seems constantly to see Germans when one is in the Southwest.
After our feeding we drove the scenic route into Capitol Reef,
gradually leaving pavement as we drove into 
an ever narrower
canyon. Finally we decided we had ventured far enough and turned
around. Durango led the way. We lost the Gigs on one of the bends
in the road. Durango pulled over at a wide spot and waited. And
waited. And waited. We grew concerned. The Simp Twins were
sent out on foot, back up the canyon, to find the Gigabees. And
then there they were, acting all lolly-gaggy and oblivious
to the living hell they had put us through just so Picture Boy
could pose some photos looking as if he was falling off a cliff.
As we left Capitol Reef Jack went into his now
regular post-feeding nap mode. The drive onward to Bullfrog was
through a virtual lunar landscape. It is not known at what point
Jack regained consciousness to once more view areas of the Earth
he had never seen and might never see again.
We reached Bullfrog. Durango's tension level
elevated as he prepared himself for the horrible moment when Lulu
saw the trailer, called a Housekeeping Unit in the Orwellian Lake
Powell Houseboat nomenclature. So, Durango was pleasantly
surprised when we pulled up to our 'Housekeeping Unit' and Lulu
did not rebel and launch into one of those typical only child type
tirade tantrums.
The 'Housekeeping Unit' trailer night was nice.
It was a big trailer. Durango slaved over a hot oven cooking a
delicious Chinese Chicken Vegetable Concoction. The post-dinner
conversation turned macabre when after four months of preparation
and planning Homer decided the the night before the houseboat
float he should look at a map. So he looked at a map of Lake
Powell. The map was to a large scale. Not the small scale of your
standard Rand McNally map. Homer was horrified. How could we
possibly make it such a long distance to Rainbow Bridge? Just look
at the map. It's a long
long ways. Don't worry, Durango said, it's
not a problem, we'll make it to Rainbow Bridge, tour boats go
there every day and back from Bullfrog. But it's so far Homer implored. We won't be doing anything but a highspeed rush to
Rainbow Bridge. It's not a problem Durango would repeat like a
broken record. Durango spelled out the pertinent statistics.
Distance. Mileage. Time. It's not a problem long-suffering Durango
said over and over again. But poor dim-witted Homer's eyes would
glaze over and he would look back at the large scale map and crank
up once more the litany of we can't get to Rainbow Bridge. At one
point Homer even managed to involve his slightly less annoying Simp Twin
in the purposeless whining. Only after Durango
showed the twins the pre-trip contract they had signed in which
they agreed that Durango would not tolerate pointless endless
itinerary discussions did they finally abort their first mutiny.
It would not be the last time Durango would have to wave the
contract in the troubled twin's faces.
Going to bed brought some relief and a good
night's sleep prior to the start of Day 4, on the houseboat.
