New Shores

“If we were meant to be in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet” anonymous

I sit gently rocking my chair in the shadow cast by the Bus, feet up, dog by my side and Teresa in her lounge soaking up the last of the day’s sun. Spring is springing here in the desert and the temperatures continue to creep slowly higher with each passing day. The evenings and mornings remain cool and it’s not uncommon for temperatures to swing 30 degrees from sunrise to sunset. But when the sun is shining (and it’s almost always shining here in Mesa)

the weather is absolutely magnificent. T-shirts and flip flops are the uniform of choice and as one day melts into the next the memories of winters spent shoveling and thawing perpetually frozen feet have slowly begun to fade. With each new day, it becomes more and more difficult to envision a path that leads us back to the cold, gray frost of another frozen winter. So from here forward, we hope to limit our exposures with snow and ice to cones, cups and post cards. We will see how it goes….

I realize it’s been a few months since our last post, but rest assured we’ve been busy. The holidays quickly passed, but not without a much welcomed visit from both Paige and Ashley. We know that as the girls grow older, our times together will be fewer and the opportunities to have them both under the same roof are rarer still. So for those reasons we attempt to always make our times together as memorable as possible. I stumbled across this

quote by Og Mandino, I have no idea who that is, but thought it summed up how we view our time with these two special ladies. “The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories”. I promise we will not fail for lack of trying.

With that in mind, we did our best to pack their visit with lots of activity. Dancing on New Years Eve, a trip to the Phoenix Zoo, lounging at the pool, pickleball and plenty of ice cream. In addition to the ordinary, we also hit the trails in an effort to share with them the thing we loved most about the area. With Paige here only a week, time was tight, but we managed 3 hikes, climbed over 3,000’ and covered just over 15 miles. We chased a waterfall on the

Blue Wash trail north of Scottsdale and pushed out 6 miles on the Midlife Crisis trail, taking in grand views of the Phoenix metro area along the way. But the best hike of her visit was definitely old Flatiron. This is one of the hardest hikes in Arizona, and certainly the hardest in the Phoenix area. All told, the trail stretches 3 miles up and climbs 2,650’, with most of the elevation gained in the final mile. Although we gave it a valiant effort, we were turned back just short of the peak. Physically, I know we were all capable of summiting, but there were some rather hairy sections with steep drops and steeper climbs that had us all on edge. I think the going up was easier than the idea of heading back down and turning around to see the path back home was more than a little intimidating. Slick rock faces, limited hand holds and temps in the 50’s made it tough to keep going. Regardless, we made it to within 800’ of the summit before stopping to enjoy the view and heading back down. Not completed, but one we will remember and talk about for years to come.

All too soon, the time had come for Paige to pack her things and return to Iowa and her studies. And even though we were saddened to see her go, she left behind smiling faces and happy people filled with her infectious joy.

With Paige safely home our full attention turned towards Ashley, who would be with us for two additional weeks, just long enough for one more big adventure. Early January found us with the Bus packed up and heading north on a good old fashion road trip to Sedona and the

land of the famous red rocks. While there, we managed two more hikes, Bell Rock and Devil’s Bridge, both great hikes and well worth the effort, even if they were a little on the crowded side. For me, the best part of the trip would be taking Ash on her first boondocking excursion. Roughly 10 miles south of Sedona, we left the highway and headed down a washed out gravel forest road. Not familiar with the area or the road, and seeing nothing but rocks and potholes ahead, I was a bit nervous when the Bus left the pavement. The road was navigable, but not much more than that. To say that it was rough was an understatement and we found ourselves barely pushing 10 mph, dodging big rocks and small rocks and washboard sections the entire way. But fortune was on our side that day and at mile 4 we came across the perfect perch upon which to park for a few nights. Wide open spaces, no city lights, no country lights, no traffic, no anything really. Nothing but stars, warm campfires and the best company one could ask for.

Now the trip did take a…. strange turn, certainly one of the strangest coincidences I’ve experienced. And while I’m not a big fan of Facebook, the app more than served its purpose on this occasion. While parked at our very remote boondocking site, Teresa happened to be on Facebook and came across a post from Sara, who was the maid of honor in our wedding. Turns out she and her husband Frank (both still living back in Wisconsin) were in Sedona for a short vacation. Now, we hadn’t talked with Frank for at least 5 or 6 years and it had probably been a good 3 since we last spoke with Sara. Certainly a strange coincidence we were all in the same part of the state, no? Well, after trading a few messages back and forth, the uniqueness turned strangely stranger. Turns out Frank and Sara also decided to drive down some random gravel road in the middle of nowhere and boondock with their vehicle for the night. In a rather bizarre twist, they happened down the same road, passing within 50’ of us before coming to a stop for the night less than one mile from the Bus, neither of us knowing the other was there. After trading a few shocked messages, we made arrangements to have them over the following morning where we shared a cup of coffee, a few stories and lots of laughs. Of all the people in all the places.... Life is strangely wonderful at times.

After 3 days in Sedona, we made our way back to Mesa Regal where we would enjoy Ashley’s presence for another week. For the last few days of her stay, we enjoyed a visit from boyfriend Griffin. While Griffin was here, we hit the golf course, played Top Golf and managed to tame Camelback, the most famous hike in Phoenix. All told we got to spend 5 days with this young couple, and loved every minute. We could not have been happier to

see the love and respect that Ash and Griffin seem to share for each other and we look forward to watching it grow with time. When Ash and Griffin finally left, our home was empty but our hearts were full. We had been given the gift of time and could ask for nothing more.

7 months have passed since this journey began, with the last 5 of those months having been firmly planted here in Mesa. We have been fortunate enough during that time to have had the opportunity to visit so much of this state and continue to be surprised with each new corner explored. We have hiked throughout the desert sands, scrambled up various mountain peaks and wandered along ancient canyons and cliffs. More importantly, we have met some incredible people and happened upon some amazing friendships. But as much as we have loved our time here, the call of the road has been growing steadily louder in both of us and the longer we remain rooted, the stronger is the urge to move. It seems as though the call of the road is becoming a roar!

In what feels like forever, 30 days from now the odyssey will begin for us again and it can’t arrive soon enough. As stated before, we have completely enjoyed our stay, but 5 months has been far too long to be in one place and what was once new and exciting has become routine and predictable. Routine is the anchor that defines the majority of our lives, but it is something that was noticeably absent from our lives when this grand adventure first kicked off. Freedom and adventure have been replaced by schedule and comfort and even though our worries and cares are so much less than most, one can’t help but feel at times as though we’ve fallen back into our old lifestyle. So needless to say, we are both unbelievably excited to pull up the pads, to top off the tanks and hit the road! Our plans our quickly taking shape and as of this moment, we anticipate being back on the road come April 1. For a teaser, I will let you know that the next phase is expected to touch 9 states, visit 11 National Parks, traverse 5,000 miles and encompass 4 full months and I'll leave it at that for now.

So here's to enjoying the last month of being grounded with eager anticipation towards flying once again soon. Can’t wait to see what lays around the next bend.

Brad, Teresa and Molly

“You cannot find new oceans if you do not have the courage to lose sight of the shore” unknown

Here is a list of some of our favorite hikes in Arizona. Enjoy:

Midlife to National Trail - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/midlife-crisis-trail-and-national-trail-loop

Blue Wash Trail - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/blue-wash-trail

Flatiron - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/flatiron-via-siphon-draw-trail

Butcher Jones - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/butcher-jones-trail

Willow Spring - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/willow-springs-basin-tank-via-bulldog-canyon

Blue Point Ovens - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/blue-point-to-the-ovens

Wind Cave - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/gaviota-wind-caves-trail

Hawes Trail Loop - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/hawes-trail-system-loop

Camelback - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/camelback-mountain-via-echo-canyon-trail

Devil's Bridge - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/devils-bridge-trail

Bell Rock - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/bell-rock-loop-trail

Soldier Pass - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/soldier-pass-trail

Aspen to Marshall Gulch - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/aspen-draw-to-aspen-to-marshall-gulch-trail

Cascade Canyon - https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/wyoming/cascade-canyon-trail

Jenny Lake - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/jenny-lake-trail

Tongue River Canyon - https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/wyoming/tongue-river-canyon

Here is a list of some of our favorite places to park the Bus so far:

Sedona FS525 dispersed - https://www.campendium.com/the-main-drag-525

Bulldog Canyon dispersed - https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tonto/recreation/camping-cabins/recarea/?recid=35555&actid=34

Grand Tetons dispersed - https://www.campendium.com/spread-creek-dispersed-campsite-2

Bear Lake State Park - https://www.campendium.com/cisco-beach-campground

Valley of Fire - https://www.campendium.com/atlatl-rock-campground-valley-fire-sp