I was sitting at the counter of the hamburger stand, waiting for my hamburger, when I saw another woman fall to the ground. She was across from me. She looked into my eyes and put her hand out, and all I could do was stare. I wanted to help this woman but I was frozen.
Someone yelled is there a doctor here? People couldn’t use their phones because of where we were, in a giant, hilly forest. I yelled there’s a phone in the bar and pointed, and someone ran over there. I wasn’t about to leave—I was too hungry. Besides, there were so many people in here. One of them could easily do it.
I got my burger. It was as good as could be expected. Just then my girlfriend showed up. She asked what all the fuss was about.
“Another one hit the deck,” I said in a low voice. “They can’t take it.”
She showed concern for about thirty seconds, said that she needed something to drink, a surprise given that she hates drinking anything besides coffee and alcohol, and then went shopping in this giant tourists’ shop. That was fine with me.
I didn’t want to stuff myself. I wanted to leave room for tonight. And I wanted to get back outside. I figured that it would be around seventy degrees tonight, maybe more, but that that would feel cool since I was acclimated to the heat. I was finished eating, just drinking ice water now, sitting on a stool at the counter, waiting for her to come over with a big paper bag full of stuff for me to carry.
We still hadn’t seen the room here at Canyon Lodge. I’m sure it would be a let down, for several reasons. The room at Old Faithful Inn was incredible, as was the Inn itself. I wish we could have stayed there another night, but I was impressed by this fireplace too, so I was contented.
I had been planning this trip for a while, and all that ruminating and yearning is part of what had made it so good. I had already been here a hundred times, when I was at the gym in Pacific Grove, when I was driving on a sunny day, when I was sitting down to watch a movie at home, every time the thought of Yellowstone putting a smile on my face. In my head, I wasn’t there—I was here. Now I’m here, really, and I am so happy because my wishes have all come true. This trip marks the end of a chapter of my life, a happy ending for once.