We made it HOME with stops along the way

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Dear Faithful, Faithful Family & Friends, After a flat tire scare, which only turned out to be a stem, we visited the Pueblo and then headed out across the deserted desert to Page, Arizona. Wendy's childhood friend Carol Long lives there and was able to meet us for lunch. We then set our sights for St. George, Utah. The next day was the big push to get up the spine of Nevada while avoiding Las Vegas. As a storm was approaching we drove and drove until we reached Fallon, NV and Wendy's cousin Bob & Mary Oxley. They have a lovely home and insisted that we "sleep in". After dining us at local favorite restaurants, we knew we had to get across the Sierra; Donner Pass had been closed, but opened up and we purchased chains and took off. Although there was lots of snow, the plows had cleared US80 and we arrived in California. An important stop was next; we met our latest grandchild Nicholas Tracy who is our #10th. It was great seeing Rebecca, Lon, Katie, Lexie, and Gabe...only Abby was missing. This is the first time we have seen Lon out of pain so we know his shoulder surgery went well; now comes the physical therapy. Nicholas is, of course, the cutest baby ever! He is so good and only cries when wet or hungry...don't we all? Knowing we would see them all for Christmas made it easier to say "good-bye" and we hit the road for home. The Condor landed safely 13,500 plus miles after 3 months and 1 day. It was an incredible journey and we loved every minute. Thanks to all of you across the country who fed us, showered us, advised us, listened to our adventures, and wished us safe travels. We saw our country with clearer vision and liked what we saw. In small, unheard of towns that are a speck on the roadmap, we met ordinary folks who gave us extraordinary help with directions, helpful RV hints, and just downright friendly people. These are not the people you read about on the front pages of even the local paper. But, these are the people that make our country great and it was our privilege to meet a few of them. Our advice to any of you who have dreamed of doing this trek; DO IT! There is a lot to see in the USA ; it is a vast and diverse country and you begin to appreciate it when you take the road less traveled. The next blog installment will be from Africa (we think). Stayed tuned. love, Dave, Wendy, and Timmy in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. .."There's no place like home."

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