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The changing landscape never ceased to impress us as we crossed through Arizona and Utah on our way to Colorado.  The sky was clear and we could see for miles, our sight blocked occasionally by the giant red rock formations of Monument Valley.  This was a long travel stretch, devoid of trees and towns.  We stopped for the night at Gouldings Trading Post/Campground hoping to get into a campsite.  It was late, and they were the only campground for miles.  I called for reservations earlier, and the attendant told me she had one site left and asked me the size of our RV.  I told her 31 feet and she said we were too big for the site, but we could “dry camp” across the street for $10.00 less, but no water, sewer or electricity.  That seemed a high price for us to park in a parking lot, but it looked like we had no other choice.  We pulled into the campground a few hours later and I went in to ask again if they had anything available, hoping our luck had changed.  She asked me what size we had and this time I said 30 feet.  She said she had one spot left, and it would be very tight, but we were welcome to try.  Loving a challenge, as well as electricity, we decided to give it a shot.

Dan drove the RV carefully down the very narrow road, cutting between the campsites.  The campsites were on both sides of the road, and the sites were so small, the RVs were nearly on top of one another.  We found our spot and it would be tight.  One one side was a Danish couple in a 28 foot RV backed in at an angle, as were most of the campers.  On our other side, parallel parked, taking up 2 spots were a German couple.  They were travelling with the other German couple also parked parallel.  The back of the site was a fence, and across the road,  the other RVs and especially a large pickup truck, crowded right to the edge of the road.  There was little room for Dan to back in, but that was what he had to do. 

Tristan took his usual spot at the back of the RV, right on the fence line, and I guided Dan in from the front and side.  This is where it turned into a circus.  As soon as Dan started to back up, everyone came out to give advice.  The Danish guy is saying something in Dutch and pointing one way, two German men are at Dan’s window giving him directions in German, one of them pointing one way, and the other pointing the opposite way.  The Dutch guy starts talking to  me, then the Germans and all I can say is “Yes.  I see.”  Which of course I don’t.   At one point Tristan is in the back waving Dan on, I’m motioning for Dan to back up, one German guy is in Dan’s window miming him to turn his wheels the opposite way I’m saying, the other German guy is motioning for him to stop moving, while the  Dutch guy is telling him what I have no idea.   Dan is like a deer in headlights.  He keeps turning the wheels first one way then the other, but is too confused to actually step on the gas.  I step up to the window, parting the crowd.

“Dan, what’s the problem?”

“Everyone is telling me different ways to go.  I don’t know who to listen to.”

“Well, unless you speak German or Dutch, you need to listen to the person speaking English.”  That seems fairly obvious doesn’t it?

We finally get everyone cleared away, and Dan backs the RV perfectly into the spot.  Well not perfectly the first time, it took several times of going in and out, but finally the RV was in with the back bumper an inch off the fence and the front tire just barely off the road.  We did it!  Triumphantly we swaggered up to the office to pay on our fee.  On the way back, I stopped to talk to our German helper.  He didn’t speak a word of English so he fetched his wife.  She told me they were travelling in a big group of RVs touring the Western United States.  They were having a great time.  They had parked their RVs parallel  as the site was too small for them to get their 28 foot RV in.  (Score one for team BeDell and our parking prowess!).  She was very nice and we talked for a few minutes.  After spending so much time in other countries, it’s so nice to see other countries enjoying the US. 

Even though we were packed in like sardines, we really enjoyed the campground.  The campground was encircled by high canyon walls.  That night it was pitch black with a thousand stars and we were serenaded to sleep by the far off yip yips of coyotes.  Wonderful. 

The next morning, Dan and I got up early and walked around the grounds.  We were treated to a beautiful gold and red sunrise.  Hanging high above, between the canyon walls, was cloud shaped in the form of an angel on its side.  We watched as the sun came up, eventually washing the gold  to white and our angel gradually blended into the sky.  A perfect day was ahead of us.

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