Our second zero feels very similar to our first, except I actually went out to breakfast instead of lazing in bed.
Nick and I walked to the Boxcar Cafe, hoping for a good breakfast. Unfortunately for us, they were closed today. Fortunately for us, Joe Dirt drove up just as we were starting to walk away. He wanted breakfast, too, so he drove us to the Elk Horn, which is about 2 miles away from our hotel. Funny how things work out like that sometimes. :)
(Joe Dirt met some amazing Angels who are letting him stay at their house and borrow their car - hence the cookies he baked yesterday and his ability to drive us around.)
It was all wonderful - the food, the company, the coffee, and the staff who worked there. The omelette I ordered was exactly what I wanted, full of fresh vegetables with a side of tomato and avocado. The coffee was excellent and I enjoyed multiple cups while talking with Joe Dirt (the waitress had some sort of sixth sense because she always showed up to refill my cup just as I wanted more). The staff were very friendly and treated you like family. As I said, just wonderful.
Meet Joe Dirt - for you movie buffs out there, it shouldn’t be difficult to see why he acquired that trail name
Once back at the hotel, I rummaged through the hiker box and scored some KT tape, which could be very useful given how things have been going for me lately. I’m pretty sure my ankle annoyance is peroneal tendinitis, so I spent some time researching and then practicing how to properly apply the KT tape to support my ankle. I think it will help, at least a little. Thank you, random hiker, for this amazing hiker box find.
I also spent over an hour doing much-needed body work, thanks to Wanderful Bodies (wanderfulbodies.com). I feel so much better, and so does my ankle. I know I should be stretching more out there on the trail and will do my utmost here on out to make it a priority. In my ‘normal’ life I stretch every day, but on the trail it’s much more difficult. It’s like flossing for most people - I know I should do it but somehow never get around to it. (I say for most people because I enjoy flossing. If you fall in the ‘most people’ camp, you should try Cocofloss - coco for coconut, not cocoa - it’s a game changer).
Finally, we treated our hiking clothes with Permethrin since we’ll be headed into Colorado and the land of annoying insects.
And that’s all, folks. Besides talking to Theresa and my mom (and eating), our second zero wasn’t any more productive than our first. I’m not sure I’m mentally able to take another day off, but I know I need it physically. I’ll survive, I’m sure, even though I haven’t yet managed to steal one of Nick’s pillows.
Time for more legs up the wall.
Flowers around town:
