a misdirected deathcab

the sun goes down quickly. as does the temperature. low of 4 degrees Farenheit on this nite. starting to get a little concerned i've driven all this way for nothing. don't know that i'll be able to see much of the grand canyon in the black of nite. can hardly see anything as it is. feels like i'm driving along an endless runway that leads just as likely to nowhere as to the grand canyon. the occasional car that passes is headed away rather than towards my destination. think i've got the deathcab going the wrong way.

i pass a mileage marker. grand canyon 32 miles. i'm unpleasantly surprised at my lack of progress. it's been over an hour since i passed thru flagstaff. it's supposedly 76 miles from the canyon. i've only travelled 44 miles? i pass another sign. altitude 8000ft. then another. altitude 8052ft. i'm higher than i've ever been before. in a car. altitude-wise.

a few lights shine in the horizon where this highway, and the next, intersect. the small town of valle, az. there's a gas station at the corner. i pull in. fill up - quickly. not into pumping gas in sub-arctic conditions. go inside. talk to the clerk. "do you know if the roads to the grand canyon are still open (at this time of nite)." "yup. all the roads leading into and out of the canyon are open." he continues, "...which is odd? every other year they'd be closed by now. but we haven't gotten any snow this year."

get back in the car. shivering from the cold. think it over. i don't want to get stuck in the middle of the grand canyon tonite. i'll come back tomorrow when it's hopefully warmer...

pull out into the street. gonna go back to flagstaff for the nite. goodbye grand canyon! for now... i notice someone waving at me. fred flintstone? what are you doing out here?... i don't stick around long enough to find out.