Dirtbag Writer

Have Ruby, Will Travel

Posted on 08. Sep, 2009 by Writer in On The Road

I wake slowly with my feet dangling out of the back of the car.  It takes me a few moments to recall where I am after digging myself out of the stack of pillows and blankets I had piled over my head to hide from the rising high altitude sun.  I reach for my glasses and see that I had parked the car at a perfect angle last night.  Sweeping views of the distant Wind River Range are framed perfectly in my open-aired bedroom window – my Subaru hatch.

I rise and take in the incredibly fresh air, a welcome relief since California fires have yet again made the air in Salt Lake totally suffocating.  Another layer is a must this morning as the wind whips wildly across the Wyoming plains.  I make lunch and stuff my climbing pack full for the days adventure.

I simply reheat my leftover coffee from the night before like I so often do as my thoughts drift back a few years to my first morning waking up in Ruby and to frozen solid coffee. It was Christmas Eve morning and a whim the night before had sent me packing up the new Subaru and heading south to the red rock desert of Southern Utah.  Just days old I had already affectionately coined her Ruby and was trying not to obsess over the fact that I simply could not afford such an impulse adoption.

Uncertainties with school and relationships had left me longing for the calming comfort of the red rock desert. Having never traveled to or camped in the desert alone – I was scared yet determined.  I wanted a different life.

Tired and weary from too many thoughts, I found a campsite along the Colorado River and crawled into the back of my new wagon.  I put on my hat and gloves and crawled into my not-made-for-winter sleeping bag.  As the heat dissipated from the car, I wedged a few extra blankets around the bag and looked forward to morning.  Amazingly, I slept better than I had in months.

The sun didn’t rise over the tall sandstone cliffs until late morning.  I crawled to the front seat, turned the key, and watched the thermostat read a chilly 17 degrees.  I craved a sip of my coffee from the night before but it was frozen solid.  I started the car and headed off towards town in search of a warm brew.

I was not one to have a car define me but Ruby propelled me into something new.  I spent that day hiking and discovering the Needles, now my most favorite place on Earth. I grieved my past and recent losses while wandering through the most beautiful landscape I had ever seen.  Although my new life was not yet apparent I was curious and couldn’t wait to see what was in store.

Now just two yeas later me and Rubes have already shared a lifetime of experiences together. I shed my pack, crack open a Pabst, and hop on her back to watch the late sun cast all sorts of colors on the Winds.  The ice-cold beer soothes my fingers that have been shred to pieces by the sharp limestone of Wild Iris and then the full moon rises and soothes something deep inside me.  I retreat to the tent tonight and whisper goodnight to Ruby and thank her quietly for all the adventures and bravery she has inspired in me.

Tags: Adventures, Changes, Matador