After that amazing hike up and down Ruby Mountain, I passed out in the tent. I’d set it up under the shade of few tree branches so I was good to go for a restful nap. That is until the sun was directly overhead turned my tent into a sauna. Waking up sweating from the blazing heat, I climbed out only to find all sorts of flying bugs biting me up in places that weren’t even exposed. They climbed under my T-shirt, had a feast on my ankles, danced on my back, chewed skin right beside my hairline, and finally, made a dessert form the one place I’d expected to have bites, my arms.
Update on the bug bites twelve days later:
Both hubby and I still have welts and they still itch like crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. I’m still not sure what insects decided we were too delicious to pass by, but I can tell you that I never want to encounter them again.
I had to get out of there somehow. One of the locals told us about a nice easy and short hike near some beaver damns. At this point, I was up for anything that got me some relief from the critters chewing on me so we poured ourselves into the truck and headed on down the road. With the windows up to keep the bugs out, I gave a silent prayer to the air conditioning Gods for the short relief from the sun.
It was a short ten-minute drive up the mountain . The rise in elevation cooled the air just enough to make it comfortable. We parked alongside the road and began the climb down the mountain, making our way through the shade provided by trees and bushes. The breeze was heavenly. This trail is well marked and even had pamphelts pointing out interesting facts along the path.
This hike was so easy, I didn’t even break a sweat. The final back up to your car has a slight incline, but in my opinion, it’s nothing to worry about. Especially since the National Parks Service have installed benches, allowing for individuals of all abilities to take a break and simply enjoy the peace and quiet of the natural surroundings.
My favorite part was taking my shoes off and dipping my toes into the icy water. It was cool and refreshing.
When we returned to the campsite it was a little cooler so I climbed back into the tent and watched Deadpool. For dinner, I had another sandwich, not squished this time, and basically passed out right after the credits.
The next morning I woke early and kicked hubby out of the tent so I could break it down before the bugs and sun were too much to bear. He loaded up the back of the truck in record time and we were off to our next destination, Strawberry Bay Reservoir in Utah. Let me tell ya, that was a disappointment, to say the least. I’ll explain more in the next update.
Sorry for the late updates. Blogging on my phone isn’t ideal, but without WiFi, and often even cell service, it was difficult to stay on top of it. I’ve scheduled a few more updates from the last week. I hope to be caught up and be able to finish out my road trip blog by the end of July.
Stay tuned. There’s a lot more to come!
Click here to learn more about Ruby Mountain.
