Skunked

What made us think we would be successful in the BLM's monthly lottery for Coyote Buttes North?  Was it the "Powerball Mentality?"  You know that mentality.  You buy a Powerball and you automatically think you're going to win.  You even begin mentally spending the money from your Powerball winnings.

Back on December 16th, we wrote this post about how my Mom played the Powerball:

"Well, the Lotto is probably gonna be over $600-million tomorrow. As you know, the odds of winning are one in a quarter-billion. My Dearly Departed Mom loved it when the lotto fever ran high. She would always go buy one or two tickets. Then she would call me and tell me everything she was going to do with the money like she had already won it and was trying to decide how to spend it. Lots of her theoretical spending spree was always directed toward me, myself and I. This put me in a position of having to thank Mom for spending so much money on my behalf. She'd say stuff like, "I'm gonna send you around the world, first class all the way," or some such thing. Well, what are ya gonna do? So, I would always say (quite nicely), "Thank You, Mom, that's very Sweet, I am looking forward to it." Mom generally only spent two bucks on lotto tickets. But she sure got her money's worth out of those two bucks. Her days were filled with delicious fantasies of a wild geriatric spending spree..PLUS she figured out to get me to say Thank You without ever really having to spend any money. It was a Sweet Scam and I loved her for it. I never tried to tell her she was crazy and talking through her hat. I just said lots of "Thank You, Mom" and let her totally believe her two bucks was her passport to Fantasy Island. It's quite innocent fun, actually. I am going to go spend two bucks in honor of my Mom. Then, I am going to pull her trick on some folks I know. I will call them up all breathless about how I am going to dump loads of money in their lap. It was be interesting to see how they react. What would you do with the lotto loot if you won?"

Anyway, we did the same danged thing with the BLM lottery.  We assumed we were going to win and starting thinking about the trip and who was going to come along with us and what a great day it was going to be and on and on and ON.  Why do we do this?

This morning, bright and early, we receive this cheery New Year's note from the BLM:

"Lottery run date: January 1, 2014
Dear John Parsons,

Unfortunately the dates and entries you chose did not become available to you in our lottery application process for a Coyote Buttes North permit. It is remotely possible the date and entries selected for your trip will be forfeited by the winners because of nonpayment or release.  If that happens, the dates and entries will become publicly available via the calendar application process.

Your unsuccessful lottery application was for:
Area: Coyote Buttes North
Number in group: 4
Requested Dates: 4/21/2014, 4/22/2014, 4/18/2014

As you were already made aware, your lottery application fee was non-refundable.  It cannot be credited towards any other permit you might be eligible for through any other lottery or calendar application process, now or in the future, for this or any other area.

However, your non-refundable fee will be used only for continued recreational enjoyment of the Paria Canyon and Coyote Buttes area, to the benefit of yourself and other visitors that will hopefully have the opportunity to visit some other time.  We sincerely appreciate your patronage and the critical assistance your non-refundable fee provides.  Thank you."

Well, we try to justify this craziness by saying it was a fun way to waste five dollars.  Actually, we all know that's pure BS.  Five bucks could have done a lot of other fun stuff us besides making us a loser on New Year's Day.  Who wants to be a loser on New Year's?  Huh?  Just tell me know wants to be a lower today?

Well, that's what we get for our five bucks.  A fine "how-do-ya-do," if ya ask me!