Time is a great healer... but a lousy beautician.

- Anonymous

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Wrap up 2 - Home again

As I write this last entry to my trip, I'm taking a good look at what we have accomplished and realize that the most important thing was the renewed closeness in our family. We have all grown even closer than before, which is great. But we have also learned to see ourselves and each other in a different light.

  • Dennis and I have learned that our girls are grown up. They can handle themselves in most situations with a confidence even some adults lack. And we can trust them to solve their own problems without interference from us.
  • Azoica has matured into a young adult and has the skills to handle being a "grown up." She can also hold her own in most driving conditions.
  • Peekaloo's strong - sometimes fierce - personality has been tempered by close-quarters contact. But don't mess with her or her family; she's still fierce when riled!
  • Indi-Mac knows how to stand on her own two feet and has learned she can tackle the toughest trail... if given enough Gatorade...ammo, some chips if you have them... (inside joke)
  • Bowser is a resourceful buddy and knows how to travel well. An old dog, he learned a new trick: how to unzip the tent door.
  • Dennis has learned not to stick his thumb in front of a sharp hatchet. Mallets are still optional.
  • I have learned that I'm able to handle my bike in most conditions without panicking... and that a gel seat pad doesn't really help much.



Now that trip is over, I considered ending the blog. However, I have another motorcycle trip lined up for November. I also realized that a lot of odd, funny, crazy things happen to us most times we ride. So I've decided to continue the blog. I won't be posting daily - trust me, my life is not that interesting, even to me. But I do intend on posting occasionally, especially if I run across a particularly nice stretch of road.


Many thanks to all that read my blog.

Friday, October 21, 2011

Wrap up 1 - Missions

Funny: "acequia", in puertorrican Spanish, means "drought"
Now that we were in San Antonio again, it was time to get all the National Park stamps we needed. We began with the furthest one, Espada, which also has a nearby acequia (aqueduct) that was built to irrigate the mission's crops. Imagine the time and effort it took to build this long, at times elevated, stone aqueduct without modern tools or transportation. It's amazing to see the 500-year (and counting!) staying power of such low-tech workmanship. In our high-tech "disposable" society, this acequia is a sobering sight.


We also ended up "breaking in" at the Visitor Center of the Espada

Monday, October 17, 2011

Settling back

As many may have gathered by now, we made it home safe and sound and, as is usually the case after long absences, the little intricacies and interruptions of daily life took over and.... well, let's just say that time slipped by. I will soon wrap up the few details left of the trip. Nothing much exciting but plenty of thank yous to post.


Two weeks at home and we were back on the road. This time just Dennis and I. We made a mad dash to Flagstaff the first week of October to pick up