We finally turned a profit on our photography.  Let me tell you how…

After a full day of driving, we arrived into the very small remote western city of Blanding, Utah. We were curious to see if the Stone Lizard Inn would live up to its high marks on Travel Advisor, and wondering where we could find a gluten free meal for myself.  In planning, I had written to the owners of the Inn to get their recommendations. You know it is a small town when, the local hospital is recommended as the best option for a gluten free meal. Looking on the bright side, at least I’d be in the right place if the food turned out to be glutinous.

You can only imagine the look on my face when we arrived at Inn, and the owner informed us he had overbooked. It must have been a really good look of shock and disappointment, as he kept apologizing. He offered us a room down the road on his own dime at the Four Corners Inn (think of a tired Motel 6).

He followed us the two blocks down to the Inn, “Make sure these people are booked in your best room,” he said to the bored receptionist. With a wry smile she said, “of course.” We all knew right then that all the rooms were the same – awful.  At least it was free.  He then slipped us $50 for dinner (his wife had shamed him into this) and pointed us, while beaming, to the “only sit-down restaurant in Blanding.” Having no choice, we decided to eat there.  Miraculously the food was good, almost NY Diner quality.  We gorged ourselves and paid the bill – only $20.  At the end of Day 1, we were up $30. Ca-Ching! Photography can be profitable.

Stay tuned for more stories and adventures as we head into Moab.