According to my meteorological model (WeatherUnderground), January 17th is typically the coldest day of the year in Des Moines. Today we commemorated the occasion by going swimming. That means we are now past the darkest and the coldest day of the year. Bring on Spring!
Jerry, Sheila, Nikki, & Sam came to visit yesterday. They came for lunch and Jerry brought his fishing boat so we could get out on the lake. Andrew, Mari, & Elliot had fun on the boat and Lucia and Rose were happy play with Sheila and Nikki again.
I had a 1/2 day today at work, thanks to some snow in the Cincinnati area, so we took the opportunity to hike Camelback Mountain. It is a very popular hike in the area with limited parking. We were happy to be able to do it on a weekday. The parking lot was still packed and we had to follow someone to their car in order to get a spot.
We thought that hike would be similar to the Piestewa Peak hike that we did a week back, but although it is about the same length, it is very different. It is more of an elevation gain and a lot of time is spent bouldering. A ranger at the beginning told us that in the past year there have been 281 rescues and 6 fatalities on the trail. I can see how that could happen, but as long as you are in good shape you would be OK.
There is a walk near our campground that we have done a couple of times. It follows the campground roads to a short off-road trail.
I noticed recently that our hitch was coming unbolted from our frame. There are supposed to be 8 bolts holding the hitch in place, and we were down to 5. This is a problem. I found a shop near where we are staying where we could get it fixed. They replaced all 8 bolts and the hitch is stronger than ever. The funny thing is that they had to grind off the other bolts. It seems that with our truck things are either falling apart or stuck together.
In order to replace the hitch there was a chance they would need to drop the fuel tank. I allowed the fuel level to get way lower than I normally would. I guess it got too low because after leaving the shop and heading to the gas station I sputtered out. I actually had to walk to Lowe’s, then the gas station, back to the car, then another trip to the gas station to get the fuel level high enough. Eventually she started and I was able to make my way home. I did reward myself with a stop at Carl’s Jr for a Western Burger.
I feel like I am becoming more at ease with some of the stresses that this trip throws our way. Things are going to go wrong with the car, with the RV, and with our plans. We have been dealing with it for 6 months and we have 6 more to go. We are going to do this thing. Just like with parenting, sometimes we need to adjust our expectations.
At the end of the day yesterday I was able to go for a walk with the kids down to the lake. The sun found its way out of the clouds for a beautiful sunset. The mountains opposite the sun had a beautiful purple color to them and Elliot made the connection with America the Beautiful, “Purple Mountain Majesty.”
It rained overnight, rolling in just as we were going to bed. It was the most rain we have seen in a while and the most rain Phoenix has seen in even longer. Everyone was excited and the little girls couldn’t wait to put on their rain gear and get outside this morning.
This afternoon we did two hikes in Phoenix. We went to Hole in the Rock first, which was very short and very easy. It was so easy that we decided to go to Piestawa Peak, another very popular hike that is much more challenging.
Near our RV park.
We had a hard time finding a campground in Phoenix that met our criteria. Many of the campgrounds here are 55+, which we definitely do not qualify for. We ended up about 45 minutes north of the city on a lake. It is a nice place and I am sure we will find plenty to do over the next few weeks.
We have been on Pacific coast since the end of September, with our first ocean visit on September 30th. Today, just over 3 months later, it is time to say goodbye. We have loved our time on the coast and at the beach. We said goodbye with ice cream on the beach.
We started off 2018 with a hike to Potato Chip Rock. It is a popular hike about 30 minutes outside of San Diego. it is 4 miles uphill to a cool rock formation, then back. It was maybe one of our hardest hikes of the trip so far. The uphill part was long and hot. Many folks who set up for potato chip rock actually don’t make it because it is just too strenuous. Once we made it to the rock there was a rather long line to get our picture, but we decided to wait. There is actually an easier way to get there that most folks opt for, but it is a shorter, steep walk along a road.
Our picture experience was interesting. Mari was ready to let her legs dangle off the edge, but Susan and I were not. Susan says that getting out to the rock was the most stressful for her, but once we were out there I was ready to get down. I had the same feeling I had at Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, where it just didn’t feel safe. We got some quick pictures and then it was back down the hill to get to our car before the city park closed its gates.
