Breaking and Entering....not if you don't get caught!

Two posts in one day! Crazy! We had a lot to tell, but it was narrowed down to the rattlesnake story (see below), and this one. Fun times.

We had finally made it out of Nevada, and we were so excited to leave the nothingness behind. We got into Utah and it was.....exactly like Nevada. Ugh. For a very long time it looked exactly like the state that we had just left....brown, no wildlife, mountains in the background. The only thing different was more wind. Directly in our faces. At 30 miles an hour. *Awesome*. I don't think either one of us had a really great feeling about our first few experiences in Utah (it has since gotten WAAAAAY better).

One of our first days, we encountered these heavy headwinds, and they kept our progress to an average of 6mph and below, which is incredibly defeating, especially on flat land. One of these nights, we couldn't make it to our destination for the evening, so we stopped in the tiny Utah town of Minersville. I think the population was 870, but I can't be sure. There is no motel/hotel/hostel/campground in Minersville, so we had to improvise. We made our way to the Beaver County Fairgrounds, right on the outskirts of Minersville. I think they have a different idea of "fairgrounds" than I do, but it was still kinda neat. There was a large red building that had a giant garage (probably for housing the maintenance equipment), and on the other side was a concession stand-type area. This area had a flimsy overhang, and there were some picnic tables underneath. There was a huge set of bleachers, and they looked out into a strange looking rodeo arena. There were a bunch of cows that were being held on the outside of the arena, and we made friends with them. There was also a giant playground, right next to the bleachers, so all 12 of the Minersville children could play while their parents watched the...rodeo? Cattle sale? Not really sure what happens in there.

Anyway, the fairgrounds hadn't been in use for a while, but it was still well taken care of. Some children were playing on the playground when we got there, but they left when it started to rain (yay rain!). Bethany and I thought we scored big time....we would just sleep in our sleeping bags on top of the picnic tables. We would be under the overhang near the concession stand, so the rain wouldn't be a problem, and we wouldn't have to pack up a tent in the morning, so we could get started faster.

Then the storm got worse. A lot worse. Because it obviously hadn't rained in Minersville for the last decade, the winds whipped up the dust, making it nearly impossible to see 5 feet in front of you. On top of that, it was raining. It was a pretty nasty predicament, but fortunately we weren't on our bikes when this started! Just for kicks, Bethany and I decided to try all the doors to the red building, just in case one was open and we could go in and wait out the storm. And guess what. One was open. I KNOW! I didn't believe it either. Well, it wasn't "open" so much as it was busted. The deadbolt was closed, but the door frame had been messed with, and it didn't lock to anything. The door led to the room right behind the concession area...and it was carpeted and well-lit due to some fantastic skylights. It was so tempting....we could just move our stuff in, stay the night, and be out before anyone knew we were there. So we did. We moved our stuff in and prepared to make dinner in the kitchen area on the stove (using all of our own equipment....we didn't want to use anything of theirs). The storm had calmed down, and it was clear outside again, but we were already making ourselves at home inside. We made some nice food, and just as we were getting comfortable.....every single neighborhood child and their parents came to play on the playground. Oy.

We though we could wait them out...how long could a kid possibly be entertained on the playground? More than anything, we were worried about being caught inside a building where we certainly didn't belong. I don't think anyone would believe us when we told them the door was already broken. Sure. At some point, someone went around and tried to open all of the doors EXCEPT the open one that we had found. Oh, man. Talk about having your heart stop. How awkward that would have been? If it were just the kids, I'm pretty sure I could have scared them away, then made a break for it. But their parents were there, and I didn't think Bethany and I could do the ole' "Hey, look over there!" with them.

So we sat. Every muscle tensed. For three hours. Three. And I had to use the restroom for atleast 2 1/2 of those hours. I'm talking maximum discomfort. And the restroom/port-a-potty is outside the building, not inside. That just made perfect sense. It started getting really really dark in the room, and Bethany and I were positive that the kids couldn't play in the dark. Well, I did some recon (I'm sure most of you can picture what I looked like...dressed all in black with a little blue skull cap. Crawling around and popping my head around corners. I looked like a thug, for sure), and of course there were lights on the playground. Of COURSE! Which is why they were still there after it had been dark for an hour. Ugh. Good parents playing with their kids. Can't stand 'em.

Bethany was 100% certain that we were going to get caught, because my hacking cough returned at just the right time. Doesn't it always?!?! I was the human noisemaker for about 1/2 an hour, and Bethany started to think of ways to smother me without actually killing me. Although I'm not entirely certain that the second part was as important to her.

Anyway, the only thing that got these people to leave the playground was a second round of rain. As soon as their headlights were gone, I ran so hard into the port-a-potty that I almost knocked it over. I'm not even entirely sure that I closed the door. Poor panicked Bethany wanted to go back outside and continue with the original plan to sleep on the picnic tables, but after we were certain everyone was gone, we just kinda fell asleep. Stress can really take all the energy out of you.

So, from now on, we're not going to enter (because technically there was no "breaking") any buildings unless there are no playgrounds. That is a valuable piece of advice for all of you. Utah is full of excitement already, and its just getting better!