I woke up earlier than Tad and Gaila today, and what startled me was a lot of noise from a Raven or Crow. Too huge to identify since I’m not a birder.

What I found was a half-eaten squirrel that was laying on Gaila’s bike seat. She asked me in Lee’s Ferry if I’d save her from snake bites and I said yes. So, I went to the bathroom, walked back, thought of using our last sack we’ll use for garbage, but elected to use part of the beer’s packaging to pinch the tail of the mutilated squirrel and chuck it into the nearby bushes. They aren’t up yet, and I’m devising when I’ll tell them–before, during or after breakfast. Ha!

I must say, even with something like this, these two genuine people are incredible to travel with. It’s fun to watch Tad get excited to get yet another national park stamp in his passport while Gaila points out how cute he’s being. They are, in the absolute, well-traveled. I’m very grateful that I decided to stay with them and take in all these sights with them. It was a hard decision, for going solo was part of the lure of this trip for me. Why go alone if you don’t have to?