Spring Break for Dummies

One year when I was attending Utah State University, my friends Crystal, Cari and I decided to go to Moab for Spring Break. We wanted to see Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and spend some time camping and enjoying the great outdoors.

Just before we were to go on our trip, I visited my parents for the weekend in Wyoming. The following Monday I drove down to Logan to pick up my friends and we were on our way.

We had planned to stop for the night and camp out at a campground halfway to our destination. It was getting dark as we neared the place we were going to stop and camp. Imagine our dismay when we discovered that the campground was still closed for the winter. I guess we neglected to check the elevation and availability of the campground. (You mean there is still snow in the mountains in March? No Way!) Oops!

No problem, right? We felt a little silly but figured that we were young and didn't really need THAT much sleep. So we decided to drive on to Moab. We were jamming to Bon Jovi and having a great time cruising along in my little Volkswagen Jetta.

We finally arrived in Moab around 2 a.m. Keep in mind that I had been driving approximately 9 hours that day. We drove through the deserted city streets of Moab to the KOA so we could pitch our tent and FINALLY get some sleep. When we got there we couldn't believe that it cost $35 per night to pitch a tent! Being the poor college students that we were, we decided to see what else we could come up with. After all, there was only 5 or 6 hours of nighttime left, right?

On the way back through Moab I noticed a flashing red light behind me. It wasn't a bar of lights like on a police car; it was just one flashing red light. Since it was late and I was pretty tired, I was confused.

Me: Hey, what is that?
Cari and Crystal: It's a police car! Pull Over! PULL OVER!
Me: WHICH WAY?
Cari: Left!

I'm good at following directions, so I signaled and started to move into the center lane.

Cari: NO! Right! RIGHT!

Great! So now the police officer probably thinks that I am drunk! He walks up to the car and asks for my license and registration. I tried to look all cute, blonde and innocent as he questioned me.

Officer: Do you know how fast you were going?
Me: Um... about 60?
Officer: Do you know what the speed limit is?
Me: Isn't it 65?
Officer: The speed limit changed to 45 mph a little ways back, didn't you see the sign?
Me: I guess not.

So he heads back to his car. My friends are whispering, "oooh! You're going to get a ticket!" and I am thinking that maybe $35 to pitch your tent isn't that bad after all.

When he came back the officer said he would let me off with a warning, and I swear Cari and Crystal seemed a little disappointed that he wasn't giving me a ticket... but I may have thought that because I was pretty out of it.

Anyway, we ended up spending what was left of the night parked out in the middle of nowhere in my Volkswagen Jetta. We were trying to get some sleep and freezing our buns off! Did you know that it is COLD in the desert at night? Do you know how hard it is to sleep sitting up in a little car with all the windows fogged up?

The next day we made it to the campground that we had reservations for... in Dead Horse Point State Park. I think I probably looked like a dead horse by then!