Day 50 August 6, 2016 Las Cruces, NM to Home

Our last day. Tonight we would sleep in our own bed at home.  This would be as long a day as yesterday plus we were stopping to visit a friend in Phoenix.  So, we were on the road shortly after 7:00.  We drove west with the sun at our back.  We were definitely in the desert of southern New Mexico.  At one point we were warned of the potential of dust storms, but the wind was quiet. We had over 100 miles to drive to the Arizona border.  Crossing this border also meant we were again back on Pacific time.  Yes, home was getting closer.

The drive across much of Arizona was uneventful.  Again, gas stops, rest areas, and a little exercise.  As we drove through Tucson, we saw the signs for Saguaro National Park and the Desert Museum, both of which we had visited on previous trips here but not to be done again today.  We kept moving to Phoenix.

We wanted to visit our friend Paul Chapman.  He had been Patti’s friend for over 30 years and Dick’s for over 20.  He had had to move from Minneapolis to Phoenix because the cold became too much of a problem for him in the winters.

After he showed us his new place, a home with good support services, and then we were off to have lunch together.  He was transported by the van for the home and we followed to the restaurant.  We had a delightful time with him, catching up on each others’ lives, and eating delicious sushi.  We were so glad we had decided to make this stop.

But, the siren song of home began calling loudly.  By a little after 3:00 we were on the road again.  We were happy it was a Saturday so we had little traffic as we crossed Phoenix to get back on I-10.  We drove west for a bit and then used a connector road south to I-8.  This would be the road that would take us back to San Diego.  As we drove west again, we could see bluish mountains through the desert haze.  It was now over 110 degrees.

We passed through Yuma, Arizona and crossed the Colorado River back into California.  That put us immediately in the Imperial Dunes.  These were the huge sand dunes that had been used as the location for the first scenes in Star Wars on the planet Tatooine where the droids landed ahead of the storm troopers.

As we continued to drive west, we passed huge sets of solar arrays gathering sunlight and turning it into electricity.  Huge tracks of the desert are now being turned into these arrays.  Renewable energy, for sure, but a problem for desert wildlife such as the desert tortoise.  Then as we began to climb into the mountain range that separated the desert from the coast, we saw the giant wind turbines slowly rotating to produce more electricity.  These are springing up all over the country, especially in the West.  Again, good renewable energy but often death to flying hawks and eagles.

The climb up the mountains is like climbing up a pile of boulders that seem to be piled everywhere.  It is strange to see but the road demanded full attention so no photos.  The road climbs over 4000 feet starting near sea level.  Once we were high in these mountains, the sun began to set.  It was glorious to be driving into a red sky.  By the time we started down the coastal side of the mountains, dark was settling in.  We made it home shortly after 9:00 pm Pacific time.  Whew!  After over 700 miles this day and over 11,000 miles total, we were very glad to be home.

The next morning we unpacked the car.  As we moved the bags and boxes from the car into our living room, we could see that we had carried an awful lot of things on our journey.  We did have the satisfaction of knowing we had used most everything other than some canned food and the warmest clothes. 

Our plan had worked.  We had gone where we intended to go, visited the people we wanted to see, and saw the sights we wanted to see.  We had learned so much as we went along. We felt very full.  But, now it was good to be home again.  Soon we will be planning our next grand adventure.