Car rental tips from a beginning hiker

It is important, when arriving on an 8 day trip, to make sure you have rented the car for all 8 days and not just 7. That way, you will not encounter the maniacal glee of the Budget counter clerk as he tabulates the late fee for bringing the car back 24 hours tardy vs. recalculating your rate via upgrading your car for just an additional 220 dollars.

Ron took this all with much grace, especially in light of the fact that I had only recently revealed that the trip I planned in order to get some warm sunshine, was having a weather downgrade as our departure ticked closer. The forecast for Sedona was only for highs in the 40s with a good chance of snow. My decision to book us in for a 3 day stay lends validation to the grading skills of my San Diego State professor way back in 1991, when, despite significant effort on my part, I still only earned a D+ in meteorology.

But back to the hiking. Ron, despite his assertion that he would be getting all of our hiking plans from the front desk clerk at the Sedona Real Inn, did some actual research and handed me a list of 10 hikes to choose from. I perused my options and chose the Fay Canyon trail based on numerous reviews that said anyone can do it and good for small children.

For hiking gear, I chose my Vera Bradley quilted backpack in black and pink. For emergency food, I threw in a fun size Reese’s supplemented with a Twix. Despite all suggestions to the contrary, we chose to carry no water, but did discuss, as we hiked, that it would have been smart to do so.

I offer the following two pictures partially as evidence of my efforts today but also as continuing evidence of Ron’s suspect photography skills. In photo one, you can see that Ron managed to take a pre-hike picture of me, but omitted much of the gorgeous red hills behind me. In the second photo, I am standing, victorious at the end of our journey, but Ron proves finally and unequivocally with my disappearance into the shadows that he does not even look at the camera as he takes a photo. I have long suspected this to be the case but feel firm in my convictions after today.

We finished off the hike with a quick stop at the outhouse. As I entered, I was reminded of my travels in Costa Rica, wherein, at each and every toilet, I told myself not to put the TP in the bowl due to plumbing issues and yet still, mere seconds later, dropped that wad of TP right in. Here, I entered that stall and repeated over and over…don’t lock the door, don’t lock the door…and succeeded, newly invigorated and capable from my epic 3 mile hike. I did ponder the series of events that led some kind soul to come back to the outhouse with a Post-It and some packing tape. I’ll talk to you all again from Phoenix, barring some Ron or Valerie calamity that needs to be shared sooner.