The Joy Ride Club: Return Trip From Diamond Hot Springs

The time was 12:45 am. We'd just spent a relaxing moonlit evening, surrounded by candles, as we sat in the warm and warmer Diamond Hot Springs, located near Spanish Fork Canyon, and marveled at the expanse of the starry sky. Like my friends and their friends, I chatted, snacked on nuts and granola bars, drank a sip of wine, and giggled. The entire experience was a rush: a 2.5 mile hike up, the 2+ hour hot springs soak during which I was treated to a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday”, and the hike back down.

The ambiance in the SUV was akin to a swamp at best, a combination of sweaty hiking scent coupled with sulphur from the hot springs. Within minutes we were on the road, and we gravitated to the topic on everyone's mind at 1 am Saturday morning: what to do about dating. Not that we don't, but how to do it better so the revolving door of first dates ends, at least for a while. Banter lobbed between the back and front seats like a ping pong match. Several shared stories, frustrations, and opinions about the drama of dating from age 30+.

 

Topics included what to say and what not to say in personal ads, and which dating sites are the best (and worst). A couple people focused on the relative ethics – or lack -- of leading people on in whom you are not interested. Managing expectations – yours and those of others – led to invigorating chatter about the point at which dating more than one person at a time was foul play. I think we revisited that topic several times over. 

People shared what they wanted and didn't want in a partner and/or relationship. Those who were on match.com mentioned whether they'd seen each other's ads and discussed the site's features. And then a deep discussion of the power of innuendos ensued. Innuendo-wise, a new word coined on the trip, means “pertaining to indirect or subtle references.” If there is a dating dictionary, innuendowise should be added. If I have learned anything about dating, it's sort of like charades. And you have to navigate without Google maps or a Garmin. Sometimes there are hints at what to do or say, and sometimes not.

Later on, the driver, who is an Elsewherian, shared his religious philosophies. “Where church is, I'm elsewhere,” he explained. He's very devout from the sound of it. At one time, he was a practicing Mormon, but he quit going to church. Two who were raised Catholic did the same. Even though I go to mass just about every week, and I cannot imagine not going, I understand that “fish out of water” feeling when you realize that your religion and your spirituality must part ways.

The evening ended for some at the parking lot of Sportsman's Warehouse, where those who'd left cars in the rear of the lot received a not-so-friendly flyer warning that if we ever parked there again, we'd be towed. Oh well, guess I know where I won't be able to buy my next pair of hiking boots. A smaller group of us made way to Village Inn for breakfast. The dating theme continued, in earnest, with yet another twist. What to do about the aggressive, won't take “no” for an answer female? We did not solve this, but we heard a legendary story about a determined female on the loose and we were subsequently sworn to secrecy. Censorship hits this blog again. Ouch.

 My friend and I left Village Inn and I dropped her off. What an amazing and exhilarating evening. 3:38 am was the time when I walked in the door. No doggie door needed to sneak in after a late night (yes, there was a time when I could have conducted training on how to do this). Wow, maybe I really am a grown up now. {Happy Birthday, me.}