The Final Leg Has Been a Fitting End To An Amazing Year on the Road

We came to a place that has been a favorite for us in the past, Sedona, AZ. As we plan for our future in San Diego, we have been able to spend the week relaxing during the day at the pool and purging our RV at night as we fit in a hike or day out shopping in Sedona in between.  The temps have hit highs of 106 degrees here so we have to pace ourselves and drink lots of water. Our time is short to be free of the obligations that are already in place immediately upon arrival back in San Diego.  So we are cherishing every minute.  The kids both start one week of cooking camp on Monday the 17th and follow that up with two weeks of Gateway Camp.  They are excited to be attending with their friends Ryan and Hajar.   Erica has created a new website for her practice and already has clients waiting for her return.  I have begun to explore jobs in banking and have applied for a position with my former employer that would be a dream job for me.  Things feel that they are as they should be and I am optimistic that everyone will find the change exciting and the adjustment back to a more sedentary life to be without too much drama.  

As planned, the day has arrived that the kids and Erica and I have dreamed would happen for years.  I have only had one dream but anyways...we begin the process of adopting a four legged member of the tribe on June 22nd and hope that the home visit and adoption process leads us to a happy pairing with a rescue dog.  We stopped into a few Goodwill stores to find some dog paraphernalia and had a lot of luck.

We have spent the last week and a half touring Southern Colorado and the Sedona/Cottonwood area of Arizona.  A real nice surprise happened when a neighbor here at our campground recommended eating a short distance from Cottonwood at Haunted Hamburger in Jerome, AZ.  The town is apparently haunted and many of the buildinga and business cater to the ghost hunters.  We had the best evening out here and plan to one day return.  We have so many places now that we hope to one day return to across the US that we will spend our lifetime trying to get back to them all.

Prior to our arrival here in Sedona/Cottonwood, AZ, we hit a few more National Parks in Southern Colorado which included Great Sand Dunes, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde before heading down to Four Corners National Monument.  Erica hiked high into the Sand Dunes while the kids and I speeded down the steep dunes.  The workout was intense and everyone could not stay hydrated in the dry desert sun.  The experience was a real highlight for the kids though.  Traveling through Southern Colorado between Great Sand Dunes and Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of the most picturesque drives in the U.S, following a river that runs along Highway 140 with mountains on both sides feels like a movie setting and those who are lucky enough to own land here protect the views very well by not overcrowding the area.  Mesa Verde was educational as we took two hiking tours of the adobe cliff dwellings of Balcony House and Cliff Palace.  The Ancestral Puebloens were great engineers as approximately 70 percent of the dwellings are thought to be original from around 600-1200 AD.

We have seen so much and experienced a lifetime of travel in such a short year and we all look forward to returning tomorrow to the place where it all began 365 days ago.  

Peace and Love