Park, Pee, Pandemic

It was a nice spring day on April 2, of this year, so my spouse and I traveled to Devil's Lake State Park to do some hiking.  State parks in the southern part of the state were closed on April 9 due to the Covid-19, so I am not sure when we will next get to a state park in this region.  Devil's Lake has a north shore and a south shore, with the lake between and the lake surrounded by large bluffs.  I picked the south shore as I  have usually found the north shore to be much busier.  We arrived early since we know crowds pick up about noon.  I was surprised at the amount of vehicles in the parking lot near the east bluff when we arrived, but more surprised at the number when we completed the hike of the Grotto's trail, which is the same trail we used snowshoeing several weeks ago. Well, peeing in a time of pandemic is different, but I found out from the wife it is more difficult for females.

Old foundation near Grotto Trail

After completing the Grotto's Trail I hiked up to the confluence with the Balanced Rock Trail as my wife headed back.  After that short trek, I turned around and met up with her.  Social distancing on the narrow Pot Hole and Balanced Rock Trails would be difficult  so we chose not to do those trails.  I thought that they should institute a one way route for those narrow trails.  At the time I thought they should make them one way during the Covid-19 outbreak.  When I caught up with her, which was not hard to do, since I can get 1/3 more distance, but fewer steps in the same amount of time, we decided to walk along the south lake shore. As we approached the main restroom building next to the concession stand, I thought perhaps they may open as you could hear the fan and see lights on.  No, they were not open and the sign on the door with its map directed people to the privy by the east bluff until the restroom opens. 

Boulder field

We continued on our way and made our way to the parking lot that serves the west bluff hiking trails, and the boat landing.  Well, that restroom, a privy, was closed due to the Corona virus.  That means there was only one restroom open for all of the people at the south shore. When we noticed the privy by the boat launch was closed we both thought they are concentrating everyone to one toilet building, which to us seems to increase the chance of getting the virus. So we turned around and hiked back.  It is amazing the amount of persons we saw.  Families, people that were even older than my wife, and young people.  Plenty of Millennial aged young adults.  We sat on a bench and ate a protein bar, and then we continued on our way.  It was actually interesting to watch people.  As we passed the concession stand a man walked up to the main restroom and saw it was closed, but he must have misread the map because he went to the nearest toilet building east.  We continued to our car which was before the privy.  

Rock Outcropping

As we walked back from the west parking lot I noted to my wife that I would need to use the restroom before leaving.  My wife said she would wait until we got home due to all the touching.  I then said well, I only need to touch the door to get in and get out. She then said, well, that is thinking of yourself.  She then went into a litany of the 1001 items a female needs to touch to go number one.  Given the litany of items you might as well being doing number two, too.  It was a rather detailed explanation.  She said there should be a blog post about this, which is why I am writing this blog, but really she did not have to give so much information. It was a case of TMI.  The State is nice enough to put hand sanitizer in the restroom, so I added a touch.  Good thing my wife has a nurse bladder.

Small stream

As I approached the privy, or restroom, I noticed a line of several women cued for the women's restroom.  As I got closer I saw two I-generation young ladies, perhaps 17 to 20, looking around and moving toward the men's restroom.  Someone let them know I was coming up and they started to step back to let me go ahead, but I told them, being a gentleman, to go ahead and use the toilet. Both went in at the same time.  It took them quite some time to exit, as three persons went into the women's restroom and exited before those two exited the men's restroom.  Maybe they tried to figure out how to use a urinal.  By this time the man who had been looking for a toilet arrived as did one or two other men and many more women.  While waiting in line as those two I gens used the men's restroom, I said to a woman near me that this reminded me of years ago going to a movie at the Orpheum theater, Indiana Jones, and there is a long line for the women, but no line for the men.  As I entered the men's room I see a female exit.  That female, happened to be a friend of the woman I was dating (my future wife).  Anyway, as the young women exit the privy at Devil's Lake, I use my foot to keep the door open, and only needed to use one hand to retrieve hand sanitizer and the other to open the door. I then cleaned my hands after exit. Thus, my hands touched only two non personal items, the hand sanitizer and the door to exit.  We both had hand sanitizer with us, and a set of wipes.  I did not have the litany of bathroom effort that my wife decided to pass and wait the hour drive to home.

View of one of the South Shore Parking lots

A week later, the Governor ordered 40 state parks and recreation areas, mostly in the southern part of the state closed. But, he kept state trails open. In March they waived the fee for state parks, but we already have our pass.  Perhaps the no fee decision led to overcrowding, and the vandalism that occurred at some state parks on which the closure order was based.  As the world waits out Covid-19 we are not sure when we will once again be able to go to a state park, at least in the southern part of the state.  Our thoughts now turn to what will be open for camping, and when.