A tribute

I'm home. Life is again finding a routine and the weekly map has shrunk back to the 100-ish mile radius I seem to bounce around in. So before daily life starts fading the sound of the open road completely, there is tradition to hold to. So a tribute. Almost three months, twelve states, ten national parks, ten attractions, and over 9,500 miles on the road.

Weirdest moment:
Getting offered a box of cheerios by a french lady at Arches NP visitors center. True story.

Scariest moment:
Tie. 1. First night sleeping in the car. 2. The elk right outside my rent at two am at Grand Canyon. I thought it was a person till the munching noises started.

Favorite item:
Prescription sunglasses. These things are amazing!

Favorite smell (Logan asked):
Alfalfa. Instant good childhood memories.

Best moment:
First successful night camping. One set up tent and roman for dinner and I was king of the world.

Favorite spot:
Powell Point, Grand Canyon, at Sunrise, alone. Indescribable

Funniest moment:
Getting spooked by a huge crow as it flew out of the back of a truck right next to me with a mouthful of hamburger buns at Yellowstone. Hard to explain. But I laughed out-loud for five minutes standing in the parking lot.

Favorite food:
Tie: 1. Cherry Chip cookies from King Soopers (Colo Grocery store) They are sooooooo goooooodd! 2. Corn Shell things at YWAM flagstaff ( I still have some... though very crumbled 3. Choc Pasta. The best road trip desert on the planet. (if you like pasta raw)

Favorite Animal:
Kangaroo mouse in Joshua Tree. He hung out around my campfire for half an hour.
2nd place: Buffalo, Grizzly bear, Road runner, Jackrabbit... being chased by the Coyote, Prairie dog town (I forgot that they bark!)

Merit Badges:
Setting up the tent in a down pour (all thanks to Dad's '65 army poncho)
Sleeping in the car
Hiking with out air (living at sea lvl has finally caught up with me)

Biggest surprise:
Getting a new camera as a gift. Its soooooooo nice :-)

Best accomplishment.
All of it. Hiking to the top of the Great Sand Dunes, sleeping in the car, going alone, hiking the Flatirons, and way to many others to name.

Favorite Town:
Ouray, CO. Now more then ever
Followed maybe by Aladdin WY, Pop. 15

Best Locals tip:
Elevators in the Luxor in Vegas. Its like a cog railway :-)

Favorite People:
Nathan and Jill. They earned it.

Fun-est...thing:
Building sand castles at White Sands NM. It had just rained and it was perfect.

I found another mans shoes down this road, and miles later I found grace for both of us. I found that sometimes the ugliest, hardest parts can hold as just as much beauty, even if you can't put it on a postcard. And somewhere, between sunrise at the canyon, and the midnight in the city, I found my first love. I didn't expect this trip to have been as big as New Zealand. Looking back I have no idea why. In the end it has held more change in my life then the last time I exited for three months. Two years ago the end of that trip was the start of a chapter in my life. Now, the end of this trip, seems to be signaling the same. The close of a season, and the start of something new. This time, it feels like the air after a hard rain. And I am excited.

"There is supposed to come a point. When someone walks up to you and says. It is different now. That the paper doll didn't disintegrate, she bloomed. That invisibility is a trick of the heart as well as the eyes. That he was wrong, and you are beautiful." Someone did.

Soli Deo Gloria