The Great Southwest Road Trip, part IV

After our final and unexpected stay at the resort, we headed out for our two day trip home. For our last cool location, I had booked us one night in a cave house in Arizona. It was a bit out of the way, but I figured this trip was all about experiences and not expediency, so what the heck? What the heck, indeed.

We once again found ourselves outrunning various thunderstorms as we headed to yet another impossibly remote place up an impossible rock and dirt road not suitable for any kind of car. This place entailed staying in someone’s home while they were there, something I have never done before. As we drove up, the F said to me, “ok, this is definitely the craziest shit you’ve ever gotten us into,” and boy, was it ever. 

It was an elderly couple and their six-year-old grandson living in a cave they carved out in the 90s and filled with junk...and also filled all the land around them with junk. They were self-confessed hoarders, and between the clutter and the claustrophobia and intense cigarette smell of the place, I was in absolute hell. The couple was nice enough and showed us their grounds and videos of the making of the place, and the boys were so happy to have tv again that they said this was their favorite place, but I could not wait to get out of there. Their generator was scheduled to go off sometime in the middle of the night, and sure enough I woke up at 2 AM in absolute pitch black darkness and had a massive panic attack feeling like I couldn’t breathe. I was close to getting up and feeling my way to the back door just to get some fresh air, but somehow managed to get back to sleep. The next morning I was itching to get out as fast as possible, but the wife wanted to show me videos of the making of the place, and the husband wanted to take the F for a ride in his souped-up truck, and then they wanted some pictures, and oh...I was so done. It was like visiting eccentric relatives. You know they mean well but you just want to get the hell home.

Thankfully our long drive home went without incident and we’re now safe and sound. Unfortunately now I have to deal with the very unpleasant reality of my event which haunted my whole trip - Delta cases in California and everywhere are just going up and up and up, and every day I was gone I got multiple requests for refunds. Now with the mask mandate and multiple anecdotal cases of vaccinated people we know catching Covid, I have to ask myself if it’s time to pull the plug on this event entirely. I had always said I refuse to run this event if I have to be the mask police, and yet here we are. I am currently at 50% my usual capacity. Is it even worth it? There’s no money to be made at this point. But I do still have potentially 600 people coming who have made plans and are counting on it, not to mention the staff. I am going to talk to the hotel today about my options - remember, it’s in my contract that I owe $200,000 if I cancel. It’s all an absolute nightmare and has caused me intense mental and physical stress. Every minute of every day I wish I had canceled back in the spring so I could just sit tight right now. I don’t know what to do. This is going to be my life for the next six weeks. Pure hell. 

Well, that concludes my trip recap! Eventful doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m so done with adventures for now. I just want to enjoy the relative safety of my urban home, get the kids ready for return to school in three weeks, and try some escapism in wedding planning. After I do 87 loads of laundry.