A Walk to Remember Part 2
(This is an add-on to the previous post, ‘A Walk to Remember’.)
I have to tell you what happened after the great adventure on the mountain because it’s the funniest part, in hindsight.
After leaving the gift shop with the highlighted map of my hike in hand, I hobbled to the rental car in a daze. I was heading to Eugene, Oregon because the locals said it’s a place I have to check out. It was a four or five hour drive from what I remember and I was glad to be sitting down for the next several hours.
I stayed on the highway most of the way and turned off occasionally to drive through any town that looked interesting, but I was eager to settle in for the night and let my aching legs rest. The only thing I could do well at this point was to sit. As I entered the town of Eugene I found several roads blocked off for a fair they were having and managed to find a “mom-and-pop” hotel a couple blocks away.
I limped my way to the check-in area and was told the closest available room was up two flights of stairs all the way around back. Picture me leaning over the counter, grabbing the guy by his shirt and in a calm Clint Eastwood voice telling him-
“I don’t think you understand.”
“You’re going to go get that room and bring it to me.”
“NOW.”
“Thank you.” Smile.
But I didn’t, and of course he couldn’t so I sucked it up, grabbed my huge bag on wheels and lugged it up two sets of stairs, down the corridor and around the corner to the farthest end of the hotel. It wasn’t a fancy place but it was clean and the price was right. I collapsed on the bed, relieved I’d made it, until I remembered the other thing about mom-and-pop hotels. They don’t have room service and as fate would have it, I was instantly starving. Shoot me now and put me out of my misery.
I could hear the festivities a few blocks away. The traffic around the perimeter of town was too congested to get back in the car and find a drive-thru so I walked, the best that I could and tried to look normal. When you’re with someone or with a group it’s ok to look like you’re in pain, but when you’re alone and you look like you’re in pain you just look scary. I quickly got some sort of Greek style sandwich and grimaced the whole way back.
I was relieved to have food and get back to the room. I fell onto the bed, put pillows under my crippled legs and flipped through the tv channels. As long as I stayed in this position and didn’t move, the pain lessened and finally I had some relief.
That is, until I had to go to the bathroom.
I think I cried at that point as I considered my options. Pathetic, I know. Which is funny because what options are there? HOLD IT. AS LONG AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
Why don’t hotels provide bed pans? Shouldn’t that be standard for out-of-shape-people that hike to the top of mountains without stretching first? Imagine calling the front desk asking for a bed pan. You’re sure to be kicked out in a hurry.
At some point I surrendered. I think I crawled and whimpered and no, it wasn’t very sexy. No Nine And a Half Weeks movie premier here. I grabbed the Tylenol and anything else I could think of that I might need and crawled back to bed, propped my swollen legs up and settled in for a long nights rest.
The next morning I hobbled to the car with all my stuff in tow and settled in for an entire day’s worth of visiting Oregon, all from the car. But it was an adventure.
I have to tell you what happened after the great adventure on the mountain because it’s the funniest part, in hindsight.
After leaving the gift shop with the highlighted map of my hike in hand, I hobbled to the rental car in a daze. I was heading to Eugene, Oregon because the locals said it’s a place I have to check out. It was a four or five hour drive from what I remember and I was glad to be sitting down for the next several hours.
I stayed on the highway most of the way and turned off occasionally to drive through any town that looked interesting, but I was eager to settle in for the night and let my aching legs rest. The only thing I could do well at this point was to sit. As I entered the town of Eugene I found several roads blocked off for a fair they were having and managed to find a “mom-and-pop” hotel a couple blocks away.
I limped my way to the check-in area and was told the closest available room was up two flights of stairs all the way around back. Picture me leaning over the counter, grabbing the guy by his shirt and in a calm Clint Eastwood voice telling him-
“I don’t think you understand.”
“You’re going to go get that room and bring it to me.”
“NOW.”
“Thank you.” Smile.
But I didn’t, and of course he couldn’t so I sucked it up, grabbed my huge bag on wheels and lugged it up two sets of stairs, down the corridor and around the corner to the farthest end of the hotel. It wasn’t a fancy place but it was clean and the price was right. I collapsed on the bed, relieved I’d made it, until I remembered the other thing about mom-and-pop hotels. They don’t have room service and as fate would have it, I was instantly starving. Shoot me now and put me out of my misery.
I could hear the festivities a few blocks away. The traffic around the perimeter of town was too congested to get back in the car and find a drive-thru so I walked, the best that I could and tried to look normal. When you’re with someone or with a group it’s ok to look like you’re in pain, but when you’re alone and you look like you’re in pain you just look scary. I quickly got some sort of Greek style sandwich and grimaced the whole way back.
I was relieved to have food and get back to the room. I fell onto the bed, put pillows under my crippled legs and flipped through the tv channels. As long as I stayed in this position and didn’t move, the pain lessened and finally I had some relief.
That is, until I had to go to the bathroom.
I think I cried at that point as I considered my options. Pathetic, I know. Which is funny because what options are there? HOLD IT. AS LONG AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
Why don’t hotels provide bed pans? Shouldn’t that be standard for out-of-shape-people that hike to the top of mountains without stretching first? Imagine calling the front desk asking for a bed pan. You’re sure to be kicked out in a hurry.
At some point I surrendered. I think I crawled and whimpered and no, it wasn’t very sexy. No Nine And a Half Weeks movie premier here. I grabbed the Tylenol and anything else I could think of that I might need and crawled back to bed, propped my swollen legs up and settled in for a long nights rest.
The next morning I hobbled to the car with all my stuff in tow and settled in for an entire day’s worth of visiting Oregon, all from the car. But it was an adventure.
Comments
The Girl Scout training came in handy when that bear was chasing me and I tripped on a rock and fell on a snake and then turned around and used the snake to strangle the bear. : )
Happy!