Utah

When Michal suggested we do a road trip together I suggested Utah.I wanted to see Bryce Canyon and other colourful gorges. He had already seen the Grand Canyon and I had seen none of the Great South-West. I figured too, that a direct flight to Salt Lake City would beat a longer flight to Phoenix and transfer to a flight to Flagstaff. After all, Michal doesn't have much vacation time and he'd want to do the trip over a weekend.

After checking distances from Salt Lake City he agreed that it would be impossible to pull off a meaningful visit to the canyon lands on a two day weekend, so he agreed to a 3-day trip. We set the date six weeks later for the weekend of April 24-26. He took on the role of booking the flight and rental car and I researched the route and accommodation. It was a plan.

Poring over maps and guidebooks of Utah rekindled memories of my past lives, on the far sides of life portals, when I used to plan biketrips through Europe and North America. It was such a thrill to build up to a major trip. Of course, a 3-day trip by car was nothing on that scale, but it is the first time planning a trip itinerary in years and just looking forward to such an adventure was an exquisite delight.

I say "was" because Michal found other plans for the weekend we were to travel and committed to them without telling me. Coworkers from his firm in Poland are visiting NYC that weekend so he welcomed them to visit him at home in Kelowna without telling me. He was hoping his employer in Kelowna would offer to pay their way from NYC and back if they could work a week there and gain some valuable Canadian work experience, but his employer has told him he cannot afford to do that. There is little chance they can afford it on their own but he has offered them that weekend and has to keep it open just in case they find a way to pay for it.

He expected I could just take the next weekend off but the next 2 weekends I am hosting a couch surfer from Brazil, Marcel. For my loss he agreed to lengthen our trip to 4 days. I hoped I could get either the Friday or Tuesday on either side of the long weekend in May off, but my work won't allow me. I suggested the following weekend but he isn't sure he can get 2 days off in a row, not after taking a week off this month.

My work agreed to hold the May 24-25 Monday/Tuesday vacation dates for me temporarily. I agreed to let them know for sure by last Monday. Michal promised to ask his boss for the same two days on Saturday and let me know before the end of the weekend. That was 5 days ago. I am not sure what to do now. Perhaps the trip will still happen, but for now I think it is best not to give it too much thought, at least not until the tickets have been purchased. If nothing else, I know much more about Utah than I have ever known before. :o)

"You can only lose what you cling to." -Buddha