My Adventures Living Daily Life & Traveling the World

This morning I woke up to my mom’s yelling and screaming. She was mad at me because I forgot the stuff we bought in Bingham Canyon on the bus. And of course it was 100% my fault even though she forgot to check as well. Whatever, I’ve learned to block her out a long time ago. Our stuff was still there when we checked, so no big deal. What really annoyed me today was the next part.

I hate it when people change plans involving me without informing me. I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE it. The only stop scheduled for the day was Glenwood Hot Springs. Nobody told us that we’d be swimming (apparently it wasn’t planned) so I didn’t bring a swimsuit. I’d have to pay at least $75 to get one there because it’s a tourist area. I would have loved to go in the hot springs, so it absolutely pisses me off that nobody tells me this ahead of time. No tip today for the damn tour guide!

So we were supposed to leave at 7:30 P.M., but this time it was the bus that did not show up on time. While waiting, I spent time looking around at all the different states the cars came from. I am really easily amused. I saw cars from Washington, Nevada, California, even Texas, Florida and Quebec. How many days of driving is that? I shudder to think. Around 8 George found the bus – it was parked in the next rest spot over because ours was full. There was apparently some miscommunication between the driver and George.

With so many delays throughout the day, we didn’t get to the hotel until almost 11 P.M. There was a Denny’s right next to the hotel, which was good. But of course nearly all 50 people rushed in there and it took over an hour to eat. At least I grabbed some leftovers for breakfast in the morning!

This morning, I was rudely awakened by the automated telephone system in the hotel. I didn’t get much sleep the night before, but since I had a five hour bus ride ahead of me, I figured it wasn’t a major deal.

As soon as I got up I was welcomed by a terrible nose bleed. It stopped soon enough, but I realized there were other noticeable things wrong with me. I was feeling dizzy, my throat ached, it was difficult to speak, and once every few minutes it was even hard for me to breathe normally. What the heck was wrong with me?

It didn’t matter, though. Being with a tour group meant I have to go with them or get left behind. I asked the tour guide for assistance. He quickly and easily diagnosed me. I wasn’t used to the high altitude. Having lived in areas at or only slightly above sea level all my life, it was hard for my body to adjust to the “tallest” state in the U.S. Denver was one mile above sea level. I also don’t drink nearly enough water, apparently.

After drinking a whole bottle of water, I felt better already, even if it was entirely psychological. I was still having trouble breathing, and my ears popped like crazy. I felt a lot better after sleeping for a few hours and chugging water bottle after water bottle. I paid for it by having to run to the bathroom literally at every stop.