Travel in the Time of the 'Rona

In my little corner of California, there are plenty of people who are militant about wearing masks.  As I traveled through Nevada, it was just as bad.  The few stops I made in Idaho, no one seemed to care.  But cross into Montana, at least in West Yellowstone, and we were back to "mask nazis".

In Reno last night I walked into my favorite casino--and even with my mask on, the cigarette smoke hit me like a 2x4.  Now, the particulate matter comprising cigarette smoke is no doubt significantly larger than the 'rona virus, and it got through my mask without a problem.  Yes, I know that masks are supposed to protect others, not me, but I'm convinced that cooties can travel through a cloth mask in both directions.  And it amazes me how I can't get the 'rona if I'm eating, drinking, or smoking, but I can by playing a slot machine or walking from the front door of a restaurant to a table.

Of the many frustrating experiences I had, one stands out.  I was in the vicinity of Old Faithful,  it was warm out, and I wanted to refill my water bottle (which I got 4 years ago in Vulcan, AB, Canada).  There was a bottle refilling station in the gift shop, but I'd have to wait in line outside because they were only letting so many people in the gift shop at once--while wearing masks.  The line was long.  There was another filling station just outside the small restroom building across the street; it had a line, too, because it seemed clear the restrooms were being cleaned.

I walked up to the front of the line and said, "I don't need the restroom, I just want to fill my water bottle."  The response:  "We're sanitizing it right now, come back at 2:24 (it was 2:17 at the time)."  What did they do to the water bottle filler to "sanitize" it, run a Handy Wipe over the activation button?  Where did the "time until sanitized" come from?

It reminds me of one of the ideas floating around for opening school.  Half the kids would come to school on Monday and Tuesday, the other half would come to school Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday would be used for "deep cleaning".  What the heck is "deep cleaning"?  I'm trying to imagine the custodians at my school adding this "deep cleaning" to their repertoire.  I'd be surprised if they did anything other than rush through the classrooms with a can of Lysol, spraying all the desks.  Quickly.

Some people choose to freak out about the 'rona.  My position is clearly summed up in the picture here.

But it was nice to get out of the Sacramento Valley for a bit.