Decisions, decisions

This last year has been so amazing.  But if you had told me a year ago that I wouldn't be living on our boat in a tropical local, well I would have been really offended.  I mean we worked so hard to get to that place.  We had spent years and years planning and making shit happen.  So, how could we NOT be 'there'.  
Well, 'there' is a funny concept.  For some people it's a very specific destination, be it financial, spatial or mental.  For me it's been about finding myself.  I am so fortunate that I get to go on the journey with my love, my partner and that we have been able to show our kid that changing your perspective really can take you places; financially, spatially and mentally.  

And while the journey is never really over, it's time for this crew to put the wanderlust on the breaks for a bit.  It's really hard to travel for extended period of time.  Even if you take your house with you.  Even if you had every intention of that destination tropical local LESS than a year ago.  Especially when you sell one travel home for another.  I mean we had plans.  We acted on them and well... Life just says, "Try this... see what happens."
What can I say?  There IS something to be said for a full size kitchen (we love to cook) and level floors with a roof (can I say Yoga!).  And doors.  Doors are really nice.  From sea to the road... doors.  Don't shut a door in your house for just one week and see how it changes you. 

We are currently hanging out on the Oregon coast.  We are enjoying our freedom, but we are also ready to plant ourselves and make some roots.  Our biggest decision is deciding where we want to grow, where we want to be.  Because we are really ready to just be in one place.

Well,  I'm pretty sure we've got it.  We have seen enough to know where we fit, and what fits for us.    And, though we put it out into the universe on a many different levels, it's not here.  We found viable employment (thank you so much for the pats on the back~you know who you are).  We imagined ourselves in so many different homes that were so perfect for us.  Just.  Just not here.  We so wanted it to be.  We sort of planned on it.  Well, damn.... plans. Lesson learned.  Again.

You can tell when you visit a place if it will work for you.  You can feel it.  We felt it in Morro Bay, unfortunately the amount of work to living life ratio didn't fit.  Just because we want to settle down doesn't mean we want to become slaves to the man. 
So, while we aren't really ready to tell the world, we have decided were we call will home.   

I will say this....  we are selling our house in St. Augustine.  So it's not there.  But it is somewhere we have loved for a very long time.

I'm not trying to be obtuse.  I am just being real... we could change our minds again.  We already did 3 times this week, even after telling part of our world.  

The Grand Canyon

Another longish drive to our destination. We said when we started this whole thing that we were going to keep the time down to a minimum. Well... That can't always be the case... Especially out west. This was also way out of the way. But you can't take a cross country road trip without hitting up one of the natural wonders of the world. 

When we left Nevada the temperature was already pushing 90. When we pulled into the park there was snow on the ground. It was melting... But snow. 

The weather was actually perfect while we were there, upper 60's/ lower 70's during the day and 30-40's at night. 

We arrived kind of late in the day, so after we found our campsite we made our way to the rim. There were a few snowballs flying a long the way. And it turned out that it was more of a hike than we thought to the Visitors Center. It was closing as we walked up. So, we did what all the other 5 million visitors a year do and went to Mather Point for our first glimpse. 

Nothing can really prepare you for your first look at something so incredibly immense. The scale is unfathomable. There were several times I heard children ask if it wasn't really just a picture. I thought it myself. It's just so very vast. And spectacular. We are so lucky too because while we were there the sky was clear. A lot of the time there is a haze the hangs in between the rims. 

We walked along the rim and stopped at the geology museum where we learned about the Canyon's formation. There was so much information; 3-D models, lookout points with reference markers, hands on activities. 

I was surprised by how 'Disney' the place was. Between shuttle buses and gift shops and restaurants our little family was overwhelmed. It wasn't until the next day when we left the bus drop off point and hiked the rim trail did we really get somewhat of the experience we were expecting. A huge portion of the Canyon's visitors use the shuttle system to go from stop to stop and never wander down the trail. Some can't, for others it's just not their thing. I feel like if you can, you should because then you can really feel what the Canyon has to offer. You can just be. 

But I digress...

On day 2 we were able to get to the visitor's center and Coco picked up her Junior Ranger book. 

After an awesome picnic on the rim we went back to the campsite where she got to work. Homeschooling at its finest I tell you. She is completely immersed in the environment. You can not get that in a classroom.  

Our last day we took the Desert View Drive. We stopped at the Tusayan Museum and Ruin and then the Desert View Tower. 

As a side note, most of the architecture from the 1920's was designed by a woman architect. Unheard of at the time. 

Coco earned her Junior Ranger Badge.  And I mean earned. They don't just give those things out. Which I think is great. 

We had to change campsites, and when we pulled up to our new site we had neighbors, of the wildlife variety. Five elk were taking their own respite not 25 feet away while we had an afternoon cup of coffee. A herd of deer wanted to join the party, but were denied by one of the elk. Pretty damn cool. 

We weren't able to hike down inside the canyon this time, so when it was time to check out we were ready. 

Still amazed by the number of people that were there. And if/when we do it again, we will approach the Canyon from a different location while looking up at the rim. 

I'm so glad we took the time and went out of our way. Everyone should see it for themselves. 

Making It Up as We Go Along

We had a plan. We always have 'a plan'. We also have learned that 50 percent of the time our plans change. 

So, the plan was to go to Blythe, California and stay for a week(ish). We had to take care of some responsibilities and it was on the way to where we were going to meet up with friends (a couple of weeks later). 

We pulled into Mayflower Park and immediately knew we did not want to be there for the week. It was an RV park style camp area (not our thing) and there wasn't anything to do. Since we hadn't made any commitments we decided to just stay for the night. 

We did get to stick our toes in the Colorado River, and we had somewhat functioning wifi for the first time in ages. 

The new plan~ the Grand Canyon. 

So, the next day we left Cali and stopped  in Nevada. It was, hands down, the WORST driving conditions we'd  had so far. While the scenery was gorgeous no one could appreciate it because it was super windy, dry, rough, and the rolly roads left us all with a little motion sickness.  

We stayed the night at Big Bend on the Colorado Park. Because we knew the camping at the Grand Canyon was dry camping, we had to fill up our water tanks and dump out our holding tanks. Also, after such a shit drive we needed the reprieve.