Well it's with mixed emotions that I report we are heading home, all be it slowly!!! We have truly had a marvelous adventure, but we are ready to enjoy some time at home before having to heading back to school. However, we weren't ready to cut out of California and pull one or two of our typical crazy all night cross country rides, so we have been taking our time.
We left Sequoia on the 17th, but unfortunately, before we even got down the mountain, we realized that the good old Silver bullet was going to need some TLC if she was going to make it home. Stopping in at a Nissan dealership in Bakersfield, we were pretty distraught when the mechanic told us we'd need a new Cadallidic convertor and the truck would need to go in for a couple of days. Erik had his doubts and after further discussion and the better part of the day, we left with a few minor "patch-up" repairs done. We got as far as Indio, California that night, but it was obvious that the car wasn't performing any better. So the next morning, we were back at another dealership. Fortunately, this mechanic was much more optimistic and got us back on the road by 2:30 in the afternoon (without having to dole out 1200+ for a new convertor! Later that day we drove the Sonoran National Monument and saw a beautiful dessert sunset. We got as far as Tucson before stopping for the evening, but before we called it a night we had dinner at a fantastic and very authentic Mexican restaurant - Mi Nidito - I highly recommend it to anyone passing through that area in the future.
Before leaving Tucson this morning, we took a side trip to Saguaro National Park East for a very scenic bike ride (and an opportunity to work off some of that Mexican food). There was a great variety of cacti along the 8 mile loop trail we rode, as well as great views of the mountains. What's more the weather was perfect - a storm was brewing and the clouds made for a beautiful sky and relatively mild temps for the duration of the ride.
Saguaro
M and the boys on our ride
Blooming barrel cactus
Evan with a tall saguaro cactus
A nice specimin
Leaving the Tucson area, we took yet another detour. This time south to Erik's old stomping grounds in Fort Huachuca. We toured the whole base, visited the museum (which Erik says hasn't changed one bit), and even rode to the end of the canyon road where Erik let the boys and I ride our bikes downhill all the way back. Apparently this is something he himself has fond memories of doing as a child.
The old pool in Ft Huachuca
After having taken this stroll down memory lane, we visited Ramsey Canyon, a hummingbird sanctuary maintained by the Nature Conservancy. We had a picnic and a very brief stroll there, but were a bit disappointed not to have seen as many hummingbirds as we had hoped. So we headed north again to meet back up with Hwy 10 and to continue our slow trek east.
Tonight we are in Alamogordo, NM. We plan to spend tomorrow night at Memaw's and then the next two nights with Bill and Christy and kids before making it home on Wednesday night.
Hope all is well with each of you. We are looking forward to seeing many of you again soon. Thanks for sharing our adventures by following our blog.
6 comments:
I enjoyed the update, although Erik did phone recently, so we had already heard about the "car giblets". Sounds like things worked out OK - just too bad you had to lose the time on the road.
The old Huachuca pool looks a bit sad. I'm glad you guys got to visit the post - hopefully the old homestead (where we lived) is gone now - it just made me sad to see it all boarded up last time we were there.
We had the same experience at Ramsey on our last visit - very few hummingbirds. Not sure what the deal is with that.
I know you have a long drive from Alamagordo to Mimaw's, but we are glad you will be seeing her again on your way home.
Nice photos - as always!
I have truly enjoyed reading your blog. It looks like you and your family had a great time. Some of the pictures you took were amazing...have a safe trip home.
Clara
(Mina's sister)
hi Evan and Ian have you had a fun
time in California?I am so happy
that you guys are coming back.So we
can spend the night and have fun
with us.
P.S Brody and I are so happy!!!
see you soon.
Jake
Hi, Myers!!!
Jake, Brody and I just looked at your recent pics. My internet was down for a while and I hadn't checked in since you visited Amy. It looks like you had another wonderful trip. The scenery and wildlife are amazing, though the mama bear would have freaked me out! She and the cub were so cute. Brody was quite impressed with the boys in the giant sequoia. I cannot believe how many miles Evan and Ian have hiked. More than most adults, I'd be willing to bet! Thanks for the postcards. The boys have had theirs on the fridge, but I only discovered mine today - buried in a neglected stack of junk mail.....I checked the "yes" box.
I can't wait to see you all soon! Be safe!
Kara
Cool...Ft. Huachuca! I haven't been back there since about 1987. We tried going on a fishing trip to Parker Canyon Lake in the spring...unfortunately, it snowed and we froze our butts off. I can't tell you how many hours I spent at that pool. During the summer I'd be there every single day from opening to closing. Was the bike ride up to the cemetery and back? That was always fun...at least cruising downhill all the way home was fun. That's too bad about the hummingbirds. Many moons ago, I had a friend who was the son of the park ranger there and I remember hummingbirds everywhere.
Hi Michelle, Erik and boys! I just wanted to say hello and tell you how much I have enjoyed drooling over all of the amazing pictures you've posted! Green with envy is definitely an understatement---I love the one of the boats and the Golden Gate Bridge and especially the one with Michelle and the boys in the corner of the shot, at North Dome. And I love the one of the sunset at Big Sur. I hope you guys have a fun and safe trip back to AL and let me know when you're settled back in so I can come over, I still haven't seen the renovations!See you soon,
Alanna
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