We awoke in the morning to the sound of others tearing down camp. Sleep haze filled my eyes as I walked out of the tent and past the cold dusty campfire ring. We had no more wood and the coals were doused in water; there would be no campfire this morning.
We walked over to the dining hall in Market Plaza and feasted upon the toils of the national park service minions. The coffee was weak, but it was warm. The breakfast burritos were quite filling though: fried peppers, onions, cheese, mushrooms, and eggs; they came with a heaping side of potatoes. The otter kept us company at the table, though he was more interested in sitting there quietly than eating breakfast; the slacker.
Eventually our bellies were full and we had caffeine running through our blood and we wandered back to the campsite to tear down the tent and pack the car for the last time. It was a bittersweet moment as we tore down the tent for the last time this trip; I could feel that we were winding down, and getting ready to rush home. My new tent is quite easy to put away, I feel I should mention. I've worked with tents that take careful folding to get them into their bags and even then you need one other person to hold the bag as you shove the tent into it. This is not the case with the REI Base Camp 4; the bag it came with is quite reasonably sized. I can toss the tent poles into the bag, then roll or fold up each piece individually and shove them into the bag, then still zip without any problem. After a week of setting up and tearing down the tent, I believe we've become rather proficient at it.
Anyway, after camp was torn down and the car packed, we parked the car at Market Plaza and then caught a shuttle to Yaki Point and begun the loop west along the South rim trail. It was fairly windy near the edge and Margaret's hat wanted to run away; it ended up being bungied to the back of my pack.
The hike was beautiful, and we were alone for most of the time when we were farther East. As we came closer to Mather Point it became more and more crowded. At Mather Point we looked at the time and realized it was getting late and we wanted to make it to Albuquerque. We bailed on the hike, but decided we would come back in the fall and attempt to hike to the bottom.
I drove the car out of the park, following the maze of signs for the exit. Upon exiting the park, we discovered a small pizza place to eat. The food was good, but it didn't arrive quickly, so we were delayed for a while.
Eventually we hit the road: East on 40. Cruise control was set and the goal was to not adjust it or hit the breaks. We pulled past trucks and RV's, got passed by small convertibles, and had to hit the breaks when a little sports car pulls parallel to a tractor trailer ahead of us.
Albuquerque was reached after several gas fill ups and hours. We checked into the world famous Albuquerque Holiday Inn. The towels were in fact quite fluffy and the air did smell like warm root beer. Dinner was served at a 1950's style diner next door the the hotel; neither of us could finish the generous portions of deliciousness. We then went to bed and awaited the next big day.
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