The Road Home

Early Monday morning, we pointed the truck east and disappeared into the morning fog, as we left Morro Bay behind.  Another house sit in the books, sand still working its way from places that will furrow my brow for weeks to come, and the question of who will be Morro Bay's next mayor unanswered for another week.  We carry with us the people we met, the souvenirs that would not let us leave without them, and a little of the central coast way of life.  

A little oatmeal breakfast from a vintage looking Mickey D's in Paso Robles.

On tap for us now, was a three day drive through some of the most desolate landscape I've traveled through.  But it was for a good cause...2 nights at the south rim of the the Grand Canyon.  The first night was spent in the Taj Mahtoyhauler, where we survived a night in the low thirties.  After letting a pricey breakfast buffet settle in our tummies, we caught a shuttle to the South Kaibab trailhead.  With a lunch packed and water stored, we headed down, so Beth could get a feel for the canyon she visited as a kid and the one I'd told her stories of.  After an hour of down, we found a great lunch spot, complete with entertainment...a squirrel.  The vista was spectacular, but the squirrel was insufferable.  Knowing how to work his audience, he earned some cracker crumbs from which he made a meal.  We took a crazy number of pictures, mostly of the squirrel, then headed up.  We did ooo and ahh  appropriately at the insurmountable rugged beauty we found ourselves surrounded by, discussed some science, and breathed heavily for the hour and a half it took us to retrace our steps back out.  That night we traded the trailer for a cabin on the edge and ended the day with a sunset, a meal, and a warm bed!

Our camp site at the canyon.

The mule train that delivered the mail and
groceries to Phantom Ranch at the bottom this
morning, now hauls out the trash.

These mules in a word are...incredible!

Uh-huh!

Beth can't resist, but...

...later at the top, found the error of her ways!!!

One step at a time.
No twelve step program here!

A couple of posers.

Soo, Good!

Today was spent on I-40 East in the desert southwest, watching mile after mile of empty openness pass before our eyes and wondering, "Why would anyone choose to live out here?"  But more power to them, it's just not for me.

Tomorrow we return and reacquaint ourselves to our home.  No animals to look after, no wondering if there is something else we should go see or do, and no more listening to the waves crash onto the beach in the distance.  Finding our normal again, restocking the cupboards, and finding our family and friends all over again.

My Zen from the Road: