Hopefully it gets better from now

I heard my alarm go off at 7:30 in the other room. But I wanted to sleep in a little. It was close to 8:30 when I got up. I started my supplements and checked e-mail. I took a shower and checked the weather in Zion National Park. I got dressed and packed my suitcase. I packed some food and supplements. I checked the website for the motel to see if they served breakfast. It was not clear, so I called. They said we could buy an $8 voucher good at two restaurants in town. We decided to bring oatmeal instead. Chris packed it and raisins and bowls. I hurriedly scattered a gopher mound and put a rock on it. Chris brought in the plants. I packed up my laptop and we moved boxes to the car.
Around noon we headed out, stopping for gas before leaving the base.
We drove for 5 straight hours, listening to a book on CD. I think I fell asleep for a short time. But the time did not pass quickly. Chris did not stop at rest areas or restaurants. I ate a tomato from the food box at 4. We pulled into the motel about 5. We checked in with the front desk and then moved into our room. There were no desks, only chairs. The view of the mountains was magnificent, but I was hoping for a less desert-like environment. Chris and I plugged in our laptops, but his did not wake up. He was not a happy camper. He fiddled with it for some time and then decided to just go to dinner.
Because the hotel restaurant is closed on Sundays, we went to a steak house down the road which was recommended by the front desk. There were no empty spots in the parking lot. We parked in back where deliveries are done. When we came inside, the manager asked if we had reservations, which we did not know we needed. He said he could give us a table but we had to vacate by 6:30. We agreed. We were seated and chose from the menu. We waited for the waitress to take our order. Then we waited for the food to be cooked. It was served at 6:15. I asked for to-go boxes and she said we should just enjoy our meal. Poor Chris had mushrooms in his which was not mentioned on the menu, but I got to eat them. There were lots of empty tables, unlike the parking lot. But the tables began to fill up at 6:25. The manager took Chris' credit card and I asked for a box. When Chris got his card back, we left the restaurant and got in our car and came back to the room.
I finished my supper in the room with a cereal spoon. Chris looked into getting tickets for the park shuttle. He had to use my laptop. But there were no tickets left.
We walked around the hotel's backyard, taking pictures of the creek and mountains beyond. When we got back, we hooked my laptop to the small TV. He tried to turn off the AC but it wouldn't so he had to pull the plug so we could hear. Then we watched three episodes of Call the Midwife, while cuddling on the bed. Afterward, Chris laid down to sleep and I turned to my blog. But then he got a phone message asking if he had spent $108 at Amazon. I checked my account, and no. So then he had to call the cc company and dispute the charge and order a replacement card. Sigh. Finally I got my laptop back and was able to type up my blog.
* The hotel website said they had a beach along the river. *