Departing from Zion, I was quite ready to head home, even if it was a little ahead of schedule.
5/31: We bombed it across the Nevada desert, making record time as we skirted the infamous Area 51. We tried to keep stops to a minimum but did break for coffee at the Little A’le’Inn in Rachel, NV (population 93). After seeing nothing for miles and miles, it’s fun to come across little towns like this one, but without aliens in sight, we quickly returned to the truck for our final destination.
Our day’s destination was Tioga Pass in Yosemite. Entering on the Eastern side, we were able to briefly visit the scenic Mono Lake. A glassy, yet eerily still site, Mono was the home of military testing during the Cold War and lost its water for 40 years to Los Angeles. Apparently on the upturn, Mono is now a placid site lush with birds and increasing in water.
Desperate to get refreshed after a hot day driving across the desert, we found showers and milk shakes in the humid town of Lee Vining. We drove a few short miles up the Tioga Pass, finding not just cooler temperatures, but snow. On the Pass was lake-side camping just outside the official Yosemite entrance, where we arrived in short sleeves and flip-flops. We must have seemed an oddity to our fellow knit capped and gloved campers. It was the picture-perfect ending to our trip that began in furnace-like heat.
6/1: After our final stack of camping pancakes we headed home through the picturesque Tuolomne Meadows. It was a delightful surprise to see the “other-side” of Yosemite after years of sticking to the Valley. Camping, deer and small lakes abound, the perfect balance of solitude without the usual crowds.
After two weeks on the road we joyfully collected our babies (Bella, Guinness and Jasmine) and are now enjoying the comforts of home (not just one, but TWO showers and flushing toilets). Coming home could be bittersweet, but instead I choose to take what lessons I have learned in my time on the road and let them illuminate my daily life.
A few of my pearls of wisdom:
When God gives you a shower, take one.
Water is life. Really.
Know your limits.
A few basic foods make meal time simple. Same for clothes.
You don’t need to have everything figured out to have a great time and succeed.
Constant news is toxic. You live better without it.
Do one thing at a time.
Rising with the birds gives you the longest day for adventure.
Last, but not least, the best endings are always beginnings.