Sunday, June 9, 2024 - Destination: Elk Creek Campground, 581 County Road 241, New Castle CO 81647
This was the big day, we were preparing to hit the road. There was an almost electric atmosphere of excitement about road tripping. After we finished loading the van, I took a quick shower. Jason, Maelyn and I drove to meet Katie and Renee for breakfast. That had taken one for the team and gone to the restaurant early. There is typically a 20 to 30 minute wait to get a table. Their sacrifice was definitely worth it.
I was in great spirits. After breakfasting on a fabulous burrito, I asked Jason to drive because I was feeling a bit woozy. Evidently, I had OD’ed on Ibuprofen last night in trying to keep the sciatica in check. The ride was uneventful, but beautiful. We got to Glenwood Springs around 2:15 pm. There is an amusement park up the mountain above the town, centered around a cavern. I rode the gondola up to the park with the kids. While they went into the cavern, I took a few pictures and rode back down.
The next few hours were a pleasant oasis of solitude. I sent one of my high school classmates, Kenta, a picture I had taken of Glenwood Springs and we texted a bit about where she had lived there. I spent some of the time in the van writing a bit and keeping Benjamin company. Upon their return, the kids showed me some pictures and told me of their good time in the cavern.
The campground was 15 or 20 miles from Glenwood Springs. We stopped and fueled up and then proceeded to the campground. This is a wonderful place. Our campsite is about 50 feet from Elk Creek, which is running full with snow melt. There is a constant but soothing roar of rushing water. The campground owners switched us to a premium site that is next to a bridge which gave us more privacy. The living side of the camper is parallel to the creek. This would be a good place to camp for a couple of weeks and write.
Monday, June 10th – 13th, 2024 - Destination: Adventure Haven RV, La Sal, Utah
I slept well last night, and I am at peace today. Maelyn is sleeping soundly in her front seat bed. Jason and Katie are still asleep in the top side tent. They really seem to enjoy it. I snuggled Benjamin’s quilt over him, and he is still sleeping soundly. I got up and tried my new Bodum mini drip coffee maker. The results were pretty decent. I prefer it over the AeroPress Go. I think I will go for a short walk.
I am becoming more concerned that my back and leg problem is more than just muscular strain. I will have to do the best I can until returning to Waynesboro. I am determined to continue on. Katie and Jason are being incredibly helpful to me. They are taking Benjamin for walks. My plan is to use the opportunity they are giving me to do some straight and level walking on my own to strengthen the muscles. We shall see.
We spent a pleasant morning breakfasting next to the creek. Katie, Jason and Maelyn took Benjamin out for a bit. They went to the dog run and then to the game room to play Foosball. I took a shower. When done, I noticed there was standing water in the shower. I checked the gray water tank levels and it said 75%. The water drained when I emptied the tanks. I guess I can’t totally rely on the tank level meters.
We got away a bit after 11 am. We followed the Colorado River most of the day and I drove the majority of the time. We stopped at the Kokopelli trail head for a much-welcomed lunch break. I walked Benjamin to a small bluff above the river. To my surprise, there was a raft flotilla at the boat ramp. I am guessing there were around 14 boats.
We continued on via a scenic by-way to Moab. The drive was absolutely spectacular. This route took us on less traveled roads with unobstructed vistas of mountains, gullies and plains. Jason took over driving to let me take pictures. By the time we got within 10 miles of Moab, I was feeling pretty jittery due to all of the coffee I drank. No bueno. I need to remember to hydrate with water.
The kids went to a grocery store, and I crashed in the van for about an hour. I felt much better after that, and we proceeded on to the campground about 20 miles away. The campground has 5 spots with a view of the mountains. We were the only ones there. The downside is that the campground is among a cluster of buildings and next to an RV junk yard. The name of the campground has a stronger emphasis on Adventure than Haven. On the other hand, the owner seemed nice. Katie and I joked that the junkyard was the remnants of the RVs from previous campers who had been murdered by the owners. We were having flashbacks to Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. EEE-EEE-EEE.
I rolled out Starlink for the first time. It works great. I still need to try and salvage the WeBoost Drive to recover my investment and hopefully improve driving connectivity. I brought along my WeBoost RV Destination, but it is now old hat. My Android phone is equipped with Wi-Fi calling which works extremely well with the new setup. Starlink has turned out to be the ultimate communications solution.
We had dinner and sat outside a lot. There was a 3,000-foot elevation difference between MOAB and the campground which made a huge difference in temperature. We played Old Mermaid which was fun. It is the same old game, just with an old Mermaid and not an old Maid. The sunset was beautiful. Unfortunately, it was cloudy enough to obscure most of the stars. The moon is 15% waxing, so it didn’t help with stargazing.
Tuesday, June 11, 2024 – Location: Adventure Haven RV, La Sal, Utah
I slept well and got up around 6:30 am to fix coffee and start my day. While everyone was sleeping, I worked on my journal. The plan is to take it easy today. We will hang out here this morning and then go into Moab to explore and do some tourist shopping. Most likely, we will go to Arches first thing tomorrow.
Katie and Jason are really interested in renting a jeep for flexibility. I think their minds are filled with visions of off-roading on rugged trails through red rock canyons. Ultimately, that vision was obliterated by a $350 a day rental cost.
Our first stop of the day was at a dog park in Moab. Benjamin needed a bit of time to stretch his legs unfettered from a leash. Sniffing around also tends to be a pleasurable activity for him in such places. We parked the van down the block in the shade of a tree
and walked to the park. My thoughts of a green grassy fenced yard, were quickly proven wrong by the sea of sand broken by a few shrubs and squat water miserly trees.
As soon as we stepped onto the sand, Benjamin started squealing in anguish and hopping around. I snatched him up quickly so that he didn’t burn his paws pads. Jason scurried back to the van for Benjamin’s booties. I had purchased a set of all terrain booties prior to the trip, just for this type of a situation. He resisted having them put on and danced around for a while in protest afterwards. On the other hand, the bright red booties made him look really snazzy.
After the dog park, we moved downtown and transformed into tourists rather than Bohemian wanderers. We were able to parallel park the van in the shade of store in downtown Moab. My only interest here was to find a new money clip. The one Maelyn had given me disappeared early in the trip. Luckily, I found a silver turquoise encrusted clip that I really liked in the first and only shop I went in. While I returned to the van’s air-conditioned comfort to write, the kids went a wandering.
Upon their return to the van, our focus shifted to the mundane. We found the closest gas station and topped off the tanks. From there, we moved to a local grocery store to restock the cupboards and refrigerators. Following a short, but successful grocery run, we headed back up the road for the cooler climate of the “Adventure Haven” in La Sal.
We spent a quiet, pleasant evening on the plains with our faces to the mountains and our backs to the RV junkyard. As of yet, no one has tried to sneak up on us. We feel very safe and content. As the sun began to set, so did Maelyn and I. She was first in bed ahead of the darkening skies. I wasn’t too far behind. Jason and Katie waited for the stellar display while enjoying the cool evening breezes.
Wednesday, June 12, 2024 - Destination: Arches National Park
Whether by luck, skill or pure stubbornness, Katie was able to get us a one-day pass into Arches National Park. We broke camp early in an attempt to beat some of the anticipated day’s heat. Having been given the secret password, I opted to ride in the back with Maelyn. I would tell you the password, but it is secret. The ride was a reasonably short distance from Moab, so we got there in good time. I handed my national park senior pass and driver’s license to Jason to present to the park ranger. In response to her comment that she presumed I was in there somewhere; I opened the small back window and said “Here I is!!”.
Arches National Park is quite a place. Wind, water, head and cold have sculpted the rock into spectacular formations. The name of the park derives from some of the more astonishing stone features where massive holes have been carved by nature that serve as a passageway through the rock. The heat of the sun is pervasive, and the cool shade of an arch is welcome.
Needless to say, I took some short walks and then sought the company of Benjamin in the air-conditioned comfort of the van. The kids braved the heat and made a number of longer forays. This was also birthday picture day. Annually, Katie has taken photographs of Maelyn on her birthday surrounded by purple balloons and numbers depicting her age.
After a glorious day of sightseeing, we returned home to our haven of adventure, tired but happy. We spent another pleasant evening sipping on cold brews and enjoying the desert’s cool evening breezes. Tonight, we all went to bed early.
Thursday, June 13, 2024 – Location: Adventure Haven RV, La Sal, Utah
This was planned to be a day of rest and we did our best to accomplish the goal. The camper didn’t move all day and neither did we, very much. All of us slept late and individually got breakfast as we rolled out of our respective beds. Our agenda for the day included idle conversation, reading, writing and playing cards. Occasional short walks rounded out the day. There’s not much else to say about a day like this other than it is a good thing to be a slug every once in a while. It renews the spirit.
Friday, June 14, 2024 - Destination: San Juan Inn and Trading Post, Mexican Hat, Utah
Having reached a elevated level of relaxation from our down day, all of the members of our merry gang were somewhat unmotivated. I was up at my usual 5 am and fixed coffee as quietly as I could. Jason was next to arise. Shortly after Jason crawled out of the overhead bunk, Maelyn scurried up the ladder to snuggle a bit with Katie. We spent
a leisurely morning performing our breakfast routine. After a bit of time lounging the cool of the morning, the spirit finally moved within us and we broke camp. I started driving that day, with Katie riding shotgun.
Our route took us through miles of sparsely vegetated desert. The vista of gently rolling hills was broken only by a few mesas and outcroppings of red rock. Occasionally, the road passed through passageways cut through the rock formations. As the day progressed, the sun baked the day into the low 100s. As they say, “it was a dry heat”. I think this is to convince you that since there is low humidity you won’t feel hot. This may be true to some extent, but once the thermometer reads well over a 100, it is “HOT, HOT, HOT”! We kept Benjamin Buttons’ booties on him so that he didn’t fry his tootsies on the pavement.
Most of my life, I have heard the expression, “It was so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk”. As an aside, I will let you know that I actually tried this years ago when I lived in El Paso, Texas. I decided to put this saying to the test one bright and sunny day with temperatures in excess of 120 degrees. Yes, it was a dry heat. Well, I cracked an egg and broke it open on the sidewalk as if it were a frying pan. Low and behold the egg cooked to a beautiful Sunnyside-up right there on the sidewalk. My glee vanished quickly when I realized that this mess would not be easy to clean up.
Moving back to the story, we finally approached our destination. Katie spied the Mexican Hat Rock off in the distance on our right. The is a natural rock formation where a sombrero like rock formation is balanced delicately on a red stone pedestal. Shortly after passing the Mexican Hat Rock, the road abruptly drops through a cut into the shallow canyon carved by the San Juan River over the millennia.
The San Juan Inn and Trading Post is an old motel and restaurant perched on the side of the canyon. Most assuredly, this location was chosen because it is the easiest place to cross the San Juan River. If you pay attention, you will notice that inns and trading posts tended to crop up at the sites where fords, ferries and bridges made it possible to cross rivers. Budding entrepreneurs of all types found it attractive have a place where there customers would come to them.
We arrived in the heat of the late afternoon and checked into our double room suites. After unpacking in our respective suites, we all reconvened to have supper at the motel restaurant. Upon entering, you walk directly into the bar area which was a bit on the warmish side. We first sat at a table there, but a screaming bambino urged us to move into the adjacent room. Katie spotted an open table directly under the air conditioning outlet and we claimed that as our own.
Cold beer and standard bar fare were the primary entries on the menu. There was one big difference. Instead of using buns on burgers and tortillas on burritos, this restaurant used fry bread instead. This made for quite a tasty difference and made sense since we were located in the heart of Navajo Tribal lands. Fry bread as a staple among Native Americans dates back to the time they were displaced from their homelands. Their traditional staples of corn and beans could not be grown in the barren lands that became their reservations.
Our waitress was a lovely young Navajo girl of high school age. She had been on the job for only a couple of weeks and was a bit shy at first. After working on her a bit, we were able to get her to open up and giggle a bit. Of course, once opening up, here sparse words became a torrent. It was fun.
After satisfying ourselves with a frybread wrapped entrée of our choice and several ice cold beers, we moseyed back to our rooms. Katie, Jason and Maelyn walked Benjamin down to the river for a while. After that, it was getting a bit late for Benjamin and I, so we headed off to bed. The kids sat on the upper deck of the motel playing cards in the cool evening breezes. This had been a special day for Katie and I. She, Darlene and I had stayed here almost 20 years ago to the day.
Saturday, June 15, 2024 - Destination: Monument Valley
This was to be our day of adventure in Monument Valley. Benjamin and I arose early ready for the day. Upon rapping a few times on the kids door, I soon realized that they were a bit slow moving that day. A bleary eyed Jason opened the door and said they would all be ready in a few minutes. I took the opportunity to move my things and check out of my room. I had only been able to reserve two suites for a single night which meant bunking up the second night.
Following a great breakfast, all but Jason prepared to head for Monument Valley. The plan was that I join Katie and Maelyn on a morning truck tour of the valley while Jason would join them for an afternoon trail ride. Jason stayed back to dog sit Benjamin and do laundry. We left for Monument Valley a bit tight on time, but confident that we would make it.
As we approached the entrance gate to the tribal park, our tour departure time was upon us. We asked for directions to the tour starting point at the gate and received some rather cryptic directions. Rushing off to meet the tour, we assumed that the tour would originate from the horse stables. Wrong. It took a bit of off roading to get the stables, learn our mistake and then turn around. We arrived disheartened at the tour departure point in the main parking lot a full 20 minutes late.
Katie parked the van and approached a group of women chatting near some trucks. They spoke for a minute and one of them pointed to a truck parked about 20 yards away. Katie scurried to the truck and had a brief encounter with the driver. She hurried back to the van with a triumphant grin and informed us that all was well. Our driver had patiently waited for us since we were her only riders.
We grabbed our stuff and rushed over to our awaiting four wheel drive one and quarter ton stake bed chariot. Our drive was a plucky Navajo woman named Lorraine. After apologizing profusely, we scrambled up the ladders to the seats bolted to the bed beneath a canopy offering much needed shade. Without hesitation, we lurched off down a potholed dirt road headed for the Wild West.
Monument Valley was made famous by a number of western movies directed by John Ford and staring John Wayne. Interestingly enough, the memory of John Wayne was celebrated here. A cabin he once owned is a stop on this tour of the Navajo sacred lands. The Duke’s movie roles were those of cowboys and a cavalry officer fighting Indians on what was in truth their tribal lands. I chose not to probe this question.
Lorraine proved to be a world class off road driver. She knew when to attack the sandy trails full throttle and when to gently caress the gas pedal. Driving in deep sand is an art form. Having spent numerous years driving the beaches of North Carolina, I learned how easy it is to become helplessly bogged down. We found out later that Lorraine had been taught to drive at the ripe old age of nine and had been traversing these paths ever since.
Our two hour tour of Monument Valley was a special time. We had the opportunity to enjoy sights inaccessible to unaccompanied tourists. Lorraine took us to a number of places where we were able to stretch our legs a fully enjoy the moment in the spectacular surroundings. She was quick to point out formations resembling either human or animal form. At one point another Navajo tour guide gave us the treat of a native flute serenade in a natural acoustical shell carved in the stone by wind and water. The tour experience was as much about the spirit of the place as its form.
Lorraine treated us with honor and as welcomed guests. I felt that she gave me the personal respect of being an elder. Her mischievous side peaked through when she tried to get Maelyn to roll down a long sandy slope. There were sparks of Lorraine’s childhood that would momentarily shine through. Another facet of her personality that became quite apparent was her intolerance for idiots and people showing disrespect for common sense, as well as the clearly posted rules for visiting the park. Several times she would stop short and bark orders at wandering tourists to stay in their cars or get back on the road. With a shake of her head we would once again roar off on our own adventure.
We got back to the parking lot in good order and said our goodbyes. At one point, I had told Lorraine about the “spirit” quest that I was on. She jokingly said that she would go along with me. We left her with our thanks and a hundred dollar tip. Katie, Maelyn and I walked over to rock and had our picture taken to duplicate a treasured picture of Darlene, Katie and I taken 20 years before. As we drove out of the park, we passed Lorraine sitting in her truck and waved goodbye. The wistful look on her face made me wonder if she was only half kidding about joining me on my quest. It was probably a fantasy, but reinforced the growing feeling that I would someday be able to connect with other people in a meaningful way again.
We got back to the motel in time for the kids to go back to the tribal park for their horseback ride. I slept most of the afternoon. When they got back and they relayed that they had been refused the ride. Maelyn was too small and couldn’t control the horse. As a result, they poked around the visitors center and ended up driving to Gooseneck State Park. It is an area where the San Juan River makes a series of horseshoe bends. Shortly after the got back, we had dinner at the San Juan Inn. Their specialties are burgers and tacos on fry bread. Quite tasty.
The first night, we had two two-bedroom suites which worked out well Unfortunately, the second suite was only available one night. While it was a hot day, the evening was predicted to have much cooler temperatures. I opted to spend in the night in the van because the bed was much more comfortable to me. After dark, I slipped out to the van and opened the door and windows that had screens. An older couple walked and sat at a table near the van to enjoy the cool of the evening. In a bit, no one else ventured out and I enjoyed the cool desert breezes alone. I slept quite soundly that night.
Sunday, June 16, 2024 - Destination: Grand Canyon's Trailer Village RV Park
After a restful night, I got up and wrote a bit. I am very pleased at how well the solar panels on the van are working. Yesterday morning, the house battery charge was down into the low forties percentile range. Over the period of the day, the solar panels brought it back up to 88 per cent full in spite of the drain of two refrigerators. This morning, the battery level was in the 35 percentile range, so we fired up the generator to top off the batteries.
We had breakfast at the San Juan Inn. I had a breakfast burrito with a hatch style green chile sauce (whatever that is). Quite delicious and filling. After breakfast, we packed up and set out for the Grand Canyon. This is my first day of riding in the back seat. Maelyn allowed me into the most exclusive back seat “Camper Club”. Jason is driving and Katie is riding shotgun. It is fun watching them operate as a family on vacation. They work well together and are a wonderful couple.
Before leaving, I bought two books of a trilogy on Traditional Navajo Teachings. They did not carry volume 1. We stopped at the Gouldings Lodge gift shop to see if they had it. Evidently, the lodge is on the site where John Wayne had a cabin. I have been intrigued by the acceptance of all things John Wayne here in the heart of Navajo Tribal Land.
At one of our stops along the way, we realized that the generator was still running along with the house air conditioner. When the generator is in Automatic Generator Start (AGS) mode, it cuts off when the vehicle starts. Evidently, this is not true when the generator is started manually. It really wasn’t an issue, but we used more fuel that day.
We approached the park from the east on Arizona Route 64. This road parallels the Little Colorado River Gorge. You begin to get spectacular views of the gorge as you approach the canyon. Once we reached the Grand Canyon, we made several stops at overlooks to drink in the wonderful sites.
Upon arrival at the campground, I was pleasantly surprised. I had expected a cramped parking lot type facility, but rather found one that was well maintained and typical of a state or national park. Our site was oriented such that the camper provided shade from the afternoon sun. We had a pleasant evening. Watched a movie, Frybread Face and Me.
Monday, June 17, 2024 - Destination: Grand Canyon's Trailer Village RV Park
We took a leisurely approach to meeting the day. After breakfast and a couple cups of coffee, the kids embarked on a day exploring the canyon. A shuttle bus serviced the campground which took them to the trailhead they had chosen. They spent the day hiking down into the canyon and exploring Grand Canyon Village. That afternoon they returned tired and happy.
Benjamin and I took the opportunity to have a down day. We napped and did a lot of nothing. At one point, I did ride my bike down to the camp store for a couple of grocery items. Given my sciatica and bum leg, that went much better than expected. The altitude was my primary enemy. After a pleasant day, we settled in for the night.
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 - Destination: 1325 West Culver Street, Phoenix, AZ
We all rested well and were prepared for a long day. After breakfast, we broke camp and headed eastbound out of the park. While retracing our entrance route, we caught glimpses of the Grand Canyon and Little Grand Canyon. Once we hit Route 89, we headed south. I was anxious to show Katie, Jason and Maelyn a few of my favorite spots in northern Arizona.
About half way to Flagstaff, we took the road into Wupatki National Monument. This leads to a fabulous ruin of a Native American town situated in the red rock high desert of Arizona. The kids hiked out to the ruins while I stayed back with Benjamin. Walking was still proving to be a challenge for me, so I opted to save my steps for later in the day. Upon their return, set the WAyBAC’s destination to Flagstaff.
As we traveled, Jason and Katie became curious about the fields of dark black rock formations. I pointed to the conical hill and mountain formations. They realized that we were traveling through prehistoric volcanos that had spread red orange seas of molten lava across the plains. They were seeing the remnants. As we approached Flagstaff, the volcanic mother of this region came into view, Sunset Crater.
We didn’t actually go into Flagstaff. I had looked on the Internet to locate some cowboy dives I had enjoyed in my youth, but found that they had been swept away like tumbleweeds in the desert wind. Katie and I had much deeper plans for that day. I stopped momentarily at a Safeway store and bought a few long stem red roses. Subsequently, we set course for Lake Mary and Mormon Lake only to be surprised by the endless developments and shopping centers that had erupted on the face of the landscape like the painful red spots of shame on the face of teenager.
After a few miles, the landscape reverted to its natural glory with a new and improved stripe of asphalt running through it. Katie, Darlene and I had traveled the same road twenty years ago, give or take a few days. It was on our great bonding tour of the southwest. Darlene and I had become quite serious about each other. What was important was that we would fit as a family. Our current trip retraced some of the routes that we had taken.
Some months before our trip, I had asked Katie if I should propose marriage to Darlene. Katie’s response had been to wait. I don’t think that she felt either of us was ready. Somewhere in New Mexico that changed. We were laughing our way across the southwest in a happy journey with out care or worry. I believe that it was in Santa Fe that Katie helped me pick out the ring and then led Darlene off in a diversionary tactic. She also played a favored romantic song on a portable sound machine when I dipped on one knee at sunset on a promontory overlooking the Grand Canyon.
Flagstaff, Lake Mary and Mormon Lake were our destinations after the Grand Canyon both then and today. Then, we had stopped and wondered at the beauty of Upper Lake Mary. Today, we stopped and spread some of Darlene’s ashes under a shade tree on the banks of the lake where the soft lapping of waves could be heard as they reached the shore. A single red rose marked the spot.
From Lake Mary we proceeded onto Mormon Lake. On our bonding journey, I had made reservations for us to stay in cabin at Mormon Lake Lodge. For weeks preceding our arrival there, I had prepared both of them for the pristine beauty of the lake and the melt in your mouth Porter House steaks at the lodge. With our anticipation and appetites at a peak, we rounded the curve in the road only to find a dried up lake bed. Oops. I can’t remember a time where two women made sure that I was well aware of my shortcomings. Albeit good natured ribbing, I was still a bit red faced.
We made the best of it and checked into a lodge that had fallen on hard times. The beer was cold and the steaks fair. It was our cabin that was the highlight of the trip. I had rented a two room cabin so that we could maintain some decorum. We checked in to find that it was probably a favorite among the fraternity brothers of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. The cabin’s logs were deeply etched with hearts, initials and colorful slogans accompanied by phone numbers quite reminiscent of a bus station bathroom stall.
We settled in and finally headed for bed. All of a sudden Darlene and I heard a loud cackle of laughter through the thin plywood wall. She had turned off her light only to be presented with a planetarium like display of light shining through a myriad of holes in the wall. We all laughed ourselves to sleep that night. There is far more to that tale which begins with some bad guacamole, but will leave that for another time.
Fast forward to today and the WAyBAC machine hummed along the same curves approaching Mormon Lake. Katie and I were chuckling as our memories were stirred by the pleasantries of the past. As we rounded the final curve, I was finally vindicated after 20 years of shame. Low and behold, there was water in Lake Mary. Admittedly, it wasn’t back to its original glory, but it was a lake reborn.
We drove down to the lodge and cruised around for a few minutes. There was new development there and the lodge was in good condition. After a bit of conversation, we found a spot behind the lodge on a reed ringed pond. We waited until no one else was around and we held another short moment of remembrance. Again, we spread some ashes and left a single red rose. We said our farewells and returned to our journey.
From Mormon Lake, we travelled through the forests to the edge of the Mogollan Rim. Our route descended into the desert and ultimately led to the interstate highway leading into Phoenix. My sister Suzanne and my niece Jorie live there. We were looking forward to a visit. I had rented an Airbnb in downtown Phoenix so that we could have a comfortable evening. We spent some time at Jorie’s and became acquainted with my grand-niece Aurora. After a long, glorious day filled with happy times and memories, we settled into the luxurious casita on West Culver Street in Phoenix.
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 - Destination: Covered Wagon RV Park
Katie, Jason and Maelyn were scheduled to fly home that afternoon. We were in no rush and spent a leisurely morning lounging in the spacious two room casita. It had a private yard where Benjamin could roam freely. Katie helped me with the BLOG from a technical and structural perspective. I took them to Pappadeux which is five star Cajun seafood restaurant in Phoenix. After lunch, I took them to the airport for hugs, kisses and goodbyes.
After that I moved to the Covered Wagon RV park in downtown Phoenix only six blocks from Suzanne’s retirement home. The campground itself might register at a one or two star facility, but everything worked. There was a single tree on my sight that did provide a bit of shade in the afternoon. The entire campground was surrounded by a cinderblock wall that shielded the inhabitants from whatever lurked beyond. Once inside the gates, there was some sense of security.
Benjamin and I went to Suzanne’s that afternoon. She and I had dinner with a friend of hers in one of the retirement home dining rooms. It was quite pleasant. We went back to her apartment and chatted a bit before Benjamin and I headed back to our adventurous urban RV resort.
This had been a wonderful time with my family. It was a time filled with new adventures, revisiting pathways fondly trod in the past, as well as celebrating deeply cherished memories. I was once again on my own and ready to renew my quest.
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