Day 17: Mesa Verde

What a day! We are so glad we took in time at this park!


I always wondered what the top of a mesa looked like. I also knew how a wind could whip up a canyon! Our tent took an occasional beating, but not too worse for the wear. I did have trouble sleeping in the windstorm and rain, but it eventually cleared up.



At the same time, we are exhausted from traveling. 5 weeks ago we saw no reason to come home early on the 4th of July weekend. But now, we are all weary of the travels. So it is time to change some plans.


We are skipping the last campsite and heading to Colorado Springs tomorrow night. Then off to St. Louis for a few days with Sonya's parents. It got to the point that other than the fact that it promised to be a beautiful park, the only reason we were going was to stick to an itinerary that was our best guess. Hopefully we will get to that place later in life. It looks to be a beautiful area.

The boys and I spent some time comparing this trip to others. It will end up being 21 days, 7 nights camping, 5 campsite setups, and possibly over 5000 miles. Quite the task to accomplish with our kids at the stages they are. We are so glad to have the opportunity to spend this time together!

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Day 16: Off to Mesa Verde

We started out optimistic from Phoenix... But the air didn't work again.



So off to the car repair place again. They spent an hour and patched 4 leaked that occurred overnight? and then we were off for Mesa Verde.



Not realizing there was a time change, we made it here by 6:45 pm and had a whole group of tired-of-traveling kids and adults.



So we set up-ate-and went to bed at 10. Only one more tent setup left:)



Btw...still had air all day...we'll see...

~ Dave

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Day 15: Phoenix as it should be

Fresh towels I didn't wash.
Lunch on real plates.
A pool with lane lines for Abi to swim laps.
Filtered water in the fridge (what? Not a cooler?)
A loving sister & mother in law that arranged the lovely hotel room & left breakfast in the frig for us.
A movie inside while the temps outside soared to 118.
Dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant.
Gelato.






Tonight I am grateful for this unexpected break & ready to drive tomorrow with a refreshed spirit.

~ Sonya

A car that has a slew of new parts and once again has air conditioning

~Dave

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Day 14: More Itinerary Changes

Well, we made some changes to our trip itinerary. We were going to be in Big Bear one more night, then off to Glen Canyon, and then Mesa Verde.

Let me fill you in! We got up this morning and asked my sister if there was a timeshare space available in Flagstaff for Monday night. Next thing I knew she got us a timeshare in Phoenix for tonight and tomorrow night. We were fine with that because when the temps dipped at Big Bear while sleeping, and the thought of climbing that mountain again after Redlands time today, we were happy to leave.



So we got up, ate, went to the lake for a bit, packed up, visited the Discovery Center, and then headed down the mountain.


At 12:30 we made it to Redlands and my Uncle John had found a Firestone that would try to fix our air. Sweet! We dropped the car, hung out at McDonalds for an hour, and then Aunt Joyce started shuttling us to our cousin Tara's house. The plan all along was to meet up there by 2:30 p.m. and have some Hillrich time (my dad's sister and brother, as well as his kids live out in southern CA). WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Part of us wished we could stay longer, but we knew we needed to go.


You see, the mechanic did my oil change (we were nearing 3200 miles) but could not get the parts to replace the condenser... So we drove the desert from 6:30 to 11:20 p.m. with no air. You have to understand that when we pulled into Phoenix at 11:20 p.m. the bank signs were still reading 96! We were pretty hot.


But now we are in this beautiful timeshare and my sister Nancy will
be coming by at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and will guide me to her mechanic, and then back to this place. My parents, who were ready to head back to OH tomorrow are going to stick around an extra day as well! All in all we are very thankful for so many things!


I ought to get to bed.

~Dave


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Day 13: Trip to Big Bear

We made it to Big Bear. We followed 101 for quite awhile, which was nice since the air is cooler and the air conditioner once again proved to have failed. We will be trying to find ways to fix it tomorrow...

Anyway, we only got stuck in 20 min of traffic,which was not too bad for LA. The trip overall took us about 6 hours, give or take a few stops (Old Navy, lunch break, and potty break). Big Bear is beautiful! We are here for two nights, but do not know how much we will get to see. We are meeting up wit relatives in Redlands for the afternoons, and then climbing the hill and doing it again.

Those following faithfully, we are not sure what Monday will bring... It is really hot for an IL boy in the desert and our next campsite is predicting 101. Not sure if we will be able to get the air fixed and a little concerned as a father and husband on the best choice. We are trusting God to take care of it.

Thank you for following. Sorry no pics.

~Dave


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