Moab - Day 2

Something you may or may not know about me is that I have a fused back. You know that little part that arches inward, otherwise known as the lumbar region?  That part of my back has plates, screws,  a titanium cage insert and bone grafted from my hip. Not too much fun if you want to know the truth.  I had three surgeries in 6 months to ensure that part of my back never moved again. Ever.  Needless to say, sleeping is something I had to relearn. I now need a minimum of four pillows just to make sure I don't wake up in crippling agony from sleeping in the wrong position. Hubby likes to tease me about my pillow addiction, but he knows it's really not my choice. Because of my not-so-bionic back, sleeping in a tent is a tricky thing. I need my pillow collection AND a quality air mattress or the misery will quickly set in.  I used to have a wonderful camping air mattress. It was a Sofina self-inflatable air mattress that kept me comfortable over five years worth of camping trips. And then one side of it died... and for some reason Sofina doesn't make them any more.  We have bought three air mattresses in less than a year, trying to find one as awesome as the Sofina.. no luck so far. Before we left for Moab, Hubby and I went to Cabela's ( The Disneyland of outdoor equipment for those that haven't been there.) to get an air mattress because surely this fancy camping store would have the best of the best. Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that they carry the same models as Kmart. Ugh! Not one Sofina in sight. We bought an expensive Coleman air mattress and hoped for the best.

Fast forward to our stressful first night at Moab. We were tired, we were worried about the truck, we were FREEZING because of the Spring cold front that was expected to hit that region for one night only. We did our best to huddle under the mountain of blankets and sleeping bags, on the comfy air mattress, with the tent heater doing what it could to keep hypothermia at bay. EXCEPT.... the air mattress refused to hold air. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It was after 11pm and we had inflated the stupid thing several times in hopes that maybe we just weren't getting the valve closed completely. To make matters worse, Moab had received a lot of rain the morning before we arrived so the ground was damp and it didn't take long for the chill to seep through our tarp, the bottom of the tent, and our lame-o deflated air mattress. Have you ever slept on a cold water-bed that leeches the heat out of you until your bones are chilled? It was a lot like that. Combine that desperate cold with the extreme pain my back was suffering from due to the unforgiving hard ground, and it was a complete recipe for disaster. I tried making a bed with my pillows and using clothing to rest my head on.. it was the best I could do. In all, I think I slept an hour total that night and I was not a happy camper the following morning. Hubby hadn't slept much better.. he was also cold and had to listen to my miserable whimpering all night.  I think we were both relieved when the sun finally came up and we staggered out into the desert morning to begin day two of our camping adventure.

It could only get better, right?

After shaking off the chill and the ache in my back, we enjoyed an excellent camp breakfast, complete with hot cocoa and Redvine "straws" (Hubby's favorite!) and chatted about what we should do that day. Mom and Dad needed to get their trailer's heater working because they had also spent an uncomfortable night trying to stay warm, and we needed to check on the ailing truck at some point. But first things first... we cleaned up the breakfast dishes and the adults climbed into the Jeep while some of the kiddos followed us on the four-wheelers for some sight-seeing fun up Sand Flats road.  Even though Mom and Dad had camped in Moab before, they had not seen this part of the area so it was fun to show it to them. We laughed about the misadventures my little brother always seemed to find on those long-ago vacations as we admired the rock formations and deep canyons that surrounded us on all sides.  I told Mom that it was as if I could hear childhood echos all around me. I could easily imagine my younger self scrambling over the rocks and chasing lizards in the desert. Good times!

Conversation I had with Ella while overlooking Porcupine Ridge:

Me: "There's a lot of great rocks up here. Ella, do you collect rocks? There are some neat ones here you could take a few as souvenirs."

Ella: "I used to do that when I was a kid, but I grew out of it."

LOL! (Ella is 12 and she is indeed very grown up!)

We headed back to camp where the kiddos took turns riding the four-wheelers and Hubby and I decided to attempt to repair our crappy air mattress before trying to find a new one in town. Mom and Dad also got to work trying to fix their heater. We were happy to be in Moab but we all knew we needed a better night's sleep if we were going to enjoy the rest of the trip.

After clearing off the picnic table and re-inflating the air mattress, we proceeded to rub our hands all over it and lay our faces/heads/ears on every part of the surface to look for a leak. Mom wondered out loud what our neighbors must think of the spectacle and I had  to laugh with her! I am sure we looked like lunatics out there, alternating between rubbing the vinyl surface and laying our heads down on it. Freak show anyone? Ultimately, our mattress massage worked because we found a tiny imperfection on the bottom of the mattress, clearly a factory defect, and we decided to try taping over it with the manufacturer's "repair tape" and some heavy duty duct tape on top of that. I crossed my fingers and hoped it would work because we wouldn't really know until later that night and by then it would be too late to get a new mattress.  We also "fixed" Linzie's air mattress that hadn't held air the night before either.. except her issue was that she hadn't closed the valve.. at all! We had a laugh and reassured her that she would sleep better that night now that the mattress had a chance to hold air.

While we were playing air mattress doctors, Dad had managed to repair the trailer heater so now that all was well in our camp, we decided to head to town to check on the truck and get a carwash to clean the salt off of the vehicles from the trip over the snowy summit the day before. The girlies were a bit squished in the two vehicles but they kept their smiles anyway. Have I mentioned how much I adore these kids?

The auto shop hadn't started on the truck yet so there was no happy-fixed-truck news for us that day. We washed our vehicles and stopped at the store to pick up a few things we needed at camp, and we headed back toward Slickrock for some four-wheelin' and camp chillin'.  I think that afternoon was the first time I realized just how over-prepared we were with food. Mom had brought enough to feed an army and so had we. We set out a sandwich and salad buffet for lunch which effectively killed everyone's dinner appetite, much to Hubby's dismay. (Not to be deterred, he made his fajitas that night anyway, even though everyone was still full from lunch! But we loved the tantalizing smells coming from the skillet nonetheless!)

After the stress involved in getting to camp the day before, we needed a down day to just do whatever. The girls had a great time taking off on the wheelers, exploring the area and enjoying their moto-freedom. We went with them on a few rides, discovering sandy trails full of "whoop-dees" and sharp berms, and the back side of "Fins N Things" that had an axle-killing rock covered in tire marks. I think Hubby decided right then and there that he would ride "Fins N Things" at some point that trip, whether I liked it or not. That's my guy! He's adventurous and mostly fearless.. I love him to pieces for it!

Around the campfire that night, Emily entertained us with her Russian alter-personality. We laughed until our sides hurt as she described various horrible things that they do to dogs in her "Homeland" ... Not even kidding... truly horrible things! But her comedy was spot-on and the laughter was medicinal for all of us.  We kept the fire burning hot as S'mores were made, marshmallow bunnies were sacrificed to the fire gods, and one by one our blinks got longer and the yawns began. It was time for bed and we we crossed our fingers for a comfy, warm night to rest and recharge.

The question is... did the mattress hold air?


Coming soon - Moab Day 3!