Things I forgot.

On the road to Arches National Park we saw an actual cowboy herding cows across the road.

Grand Canyon to Zion

This got lost in the ethernet, and I was able to post it only now, at home, from a computer.  It is from 6/24.
We woke up yesterday in weird non-daylight savings mountain time in Arizona and went to bed in smoky southern Utah. In between, we drove through Zion and did a little afternoon hike in Zion Kolob. On the way to the Colob,  we had some spectacular views of the terrible Brian's Head wildfire.

The Way Home

Had dinner in Memphis, went to bed just over the border in Mississippi, currently in a rather empty part of Alabama: rolling hills,  piney woods, humidity. The men are in a crazy hurry to get home. There isn't much to see here,  but if it were up to me,  both coming and going would be slower and more spontaneous. As it is,  we are barreling through 3 states trying to do 10 hours and 50 minutes of driving before midnight.

Final thoughts about the trip:
1. I really like camping.  I like going to sleep with a view of the stars and waking up cold (when that happens). I like trying to solve problems using whatever I have on hand.  Water spilled on dirty clothes and we can't tie anything to a tree? The car has a lot of hooks and we have a lot of paracord. Pita chips crushed to bits? Terrific topping on a boring supermarket bagged salad. I like that every camp site is unique. It might be a parking lot,  or you might be camping next to 900 year old ruins. I am tired of chain hotels.

2. I don't really understand the Southwest.  But I am intrigued. I was startled by the complexity of the ancient civilizations and I began to see the beauty of the desert.

3. I will miss these family trips. We have another decade living with Ellie at home, but that is a different thing than kids-plural.

4.  The national parks are unbelievable.  We got into them all for free; didn't pay admission once, because Ellie is a 4th grader, and the "Every Kid in a Park" program allows every 4th grader and their family have a year's pass to all national parks.  But nevermind the cost savings... we paid for a family pass 2 years ago and it was an $80 well spent.  Thank you Teddy Roosevelt for Yellowstone and every American wonder that came afterwards.  When we compare the frustration of finding out that giant meteor crater is privately owned, and would have been $72 for the family to visit to the incredible access to the Grand Canyon, Bryce, and Zion, not just free, but 24 hours a day as well...we are so grateful to our incredible national park system.

From our driveway, 9:45pm

An Acrophobe's Nightmare

Jelly-legs. Daily. Sometimes more than once a day. I didn't get enough credit for sheer will. I didn't prevail every time,  but did most times. And I tried not to allow it to impact the others.

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Watching the kids gives me jelly-legs, too.

Bryce Canyon

Arches 

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde

Mesa Verde

The Long Road

Today we drove. Oklahoma City to Memphis. Our now-standard Wal-Mart lunches, which are easy to find,  reliable, inexpensive, potentially healthy (depending on your choices), and can save a trip if we need anything else,  from an extra tarp, to glow sticks to underwear. Mom gets hummus, carrots and kombucha,  Ellie gets a snack box or Mac and cheese, Jeremiah gets a premade sandwich,  Dad gets different things,  and we all get mango spears, cherries, grapes, apples, oranges...fruit.

Other than the Walmart stop,  a couple of gas fill-ups, and a Starbucks stop, we drove 486 miles. Starbucks was the most exciting:  Phil's pocket quietly ejected his keys while he was enjoying his iced coffee. We figured it out a hundred miles later,  but luckily we were in Arksnsas, where people are kind,  so we have a promise that the manager will mail them to us tomorrow. In the meantime,  my keys are clipped to my belt loop.

The day ended with a lovely visit with one of Ellie's oldest friends, Ella, who met us with her parents at a Chinese restaurant in Memphis, the same one we stumbled onto 6 years ago, the last time we came through the area. Ella and Ellie first met in Chongqing on the day they were both put into their new family's arms.

Listening Library

The Last Gunfight: The Real Story of the Shootout at the OK Corral: Jeff Guinn
Skeleton Man: Tony Hillerman
The Great Taos Train Robbery and other stories: Tony Hillerman
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian:  Sheman Alexie
Bean Trees: Barbara Kingsolver
Carsick: John Waters
Travels with Charlie: John Steinbeck
Captain Hook: James V. Hart

Books read:
Leslie: Lassoing the Sun, Mark Woods
Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey
Phil: a book on ancient geography for work
Jeremiah: The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown
Skeleto Crew, Steven King
Ellie: The Warriors, book 1

Bed

After taking a right turn at Albuquerque like Bugs we shoulda taken a left ) we made it to Santa Fe to stay in an AirBnb that Phil booked. It has running water (we put away out water jugs)  a fridge  (no ice in coolers, and space for whatever we like), walls (we hear some fireworks,  but no neighbors), showers (the joy of being clean! )toilets in the building (no more star gazing bathroom trips ),  and beds. Not just a bed for us,  but a memory foam mattress.  I may live here. I love the way camping makes me appreciate how much I have.

We hung around the house,  all exhausted, then took Ellie or for a birthday dinner. After,  she insisted we all wear out sulky glasses nonchalantly into the grocery store, and then we went home for birthday Monopoly.

This is where we took a left turn at Albuquerque, in tribute to Bugs Bunny