Hey! It's that same stupid
flower!
While trying to use the pay phone, two designer cars pulled up next to us. A blond woman lept out of the first car and bellowed (to, it seemed, no one in particular)
"WE CAN'T GET CELL SERVICE HERE!"
Then she came and stood looking at the phones as though they were foreign objects or something she had seen only in a museum.
I have to admit I was staring at her as one might stare at a loud brightly colored insect--repulsed, yet fascinated. She then turned toward us, seeing us for the first time, and stared hard, first at our grimy selves, then at our pair of backpacks, and then back at us, before dismissing us entirely. I resisted the urge to stick out my tongue.
While she conducted loud business, both on the phone and with others in her group, a voice said, "What are YOU GUYS doing?" We turned and saw a blond child of perhaps 7 peering at us from around the phones. I realized that this must be the child of the unpleasant woman.
I explained about our trip, and she was fascinated, yet could not understand why anyone would do such a thing. (the fact that we were carrying umbrellas in the desert will probably trouble her for years) Still, I hoped that I had managed to share some of the joys of a wilderness experience with her, when she announced in a voice not unlike her mother's, pausing between each sentence for better dramatic impact,
"WE are going to Palm Springs for the weekend."
"WE are going to stay in a big hotel."
"WE are going to go swimming."
I think I may have failed...
After we left them and trudged along the highway back to the trail, their car sped by and I saw her little face looking out the rear window and a hand waving goodbye. I must admit, I felt a little like Alan Ladd at the end of Shane.
Stay tuned until next time when you will find out if there is life after Warner Springs…