A Trip Down Memory Lane

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Grand Canyon, AZ – Albuquerque, NM – 449 miles
Total miles: 1381

After saying goodbye to the gorgeous Grand Canyon – a bit sunnier this morning but still very unseasonably cold - Albuquerque is the next stop, crossing the Southwest on I-40. The last time I did I-40 across the Southwest was on September 11, 2001. I had been on an early morning flight from Atlanta to San Francisco and when all flights were grounded we landed in Oklahoma City. I was fortunate enough to get one of the last rental cars available, asked the woman sitting in back of me on the plane if she wanted to drive to San Francisco, and we hit the road. It was an eerie trip – I really didn’t have any idea on how to get to California and wasn’t even particularly clear on where Oklahoma was. Thanks to AAA and constant phone calls with Steve we made it to SFO in three days and I was never so glad to be home. This time I could enjoy the scenery a bit more – I remember the first time I saw the buttes stepped back against the desert I was in awe. The first time through we stopped in Gallup and did our bit to help the American economy and enjoyed passing through once again – the Native American crafts are truly marvelous there.

And now we have to share some sad news with you. This morning we received the news that Steve’s dad, Louis Walter Gold, had passed away. Louis was a 45 year survivor of diabetes but that terrible disease finally took its toll on him and he passed away peacefully early this morning. Steve has flown to Baltimore from Flagstaff to be with his mother and sister and I drove to Albuquerque. Lauren is flying out from Boston to meet me in Albuquerque and we will drive back together to Baltimore.

Louis was my father in law for nearly 37 years and I loved him for his laughs, his martinis, his love of his family and just about everything about him. In truth, he was really the father I never had as a grownup and he filled that very important place in my life and heart.

Please remember in your thoughts and prayers a very wonderful, kind, funny, sweet, warm man who meant the world to Steve, Lauren and me.

This will be the end of my blogging for this trip.

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Photos

Louis Gold
A warm, sweet wonderful man who we all loved dearly.