It was a long time in the planning.  A long time – inspired by dreams of a new truck.  What better thing with a new, reliable truck than a road trip!  (Read my blog “Tribute to a Truck” to see what I had to give up, still breaks my heart.  It went to a good home, though, so have to move on.)  Of course family came to mind.   Two trips morphed into one and plans came together, including delivery of said new truck.

It was the perfect time of year.  Wild flowers in Utah were at their spring peak.  Penstemon painted road cuts a bright orange.  Blue flax poked out of roadside greenery.  Lake Powell was a planned stop.  The temperature was perfect.  Coop played in the water.  The view of the diminishing water source was alarming.

Crossing into the Arizona desert didn’t show off with any flowers but the colors of the mesas and rock formations made up for it.  My favorite southwest flower is the bougainvilla, and it was in profusion for all of my southwest travels.  Once I was on the coast there were flowers and blooming trees that were now unfamiliar to me, but my favorite, the jacaranda, was still showing off.  I had visits with all my family and a couple of friends.   The trip was a success in many ways!

Another part of my road trip plan was to distribute The Sparrow’s Choice, of which I have plenty of copies to share.  I visited six states and numerous locations in each of those states received at least one. 

Books were surreptitiously left or volunteered up front.   My book is now in Nehi, Utah, Prescott, Az, Phoenix, Poway, California, Rancho Santa Margarita,  Dana Point, Mission Viejo, Placer County, Monterey,  and Ft. McDermitt, Nevada.  Even if no movie producers pick up a copy of my book, I wish happy reading to all those who come across it.

As a bonus to my trip, I was able to bring home a gate that my dad built 60+ years ago.  For years it served as the crossing point from the front of our house to the back, hanging there keeping us little kids secure through our vulnerable years.  It served as my back stop when I learned to ride a unicycle.  And dad built it…

After being stashed in my mom’s shed after the addition of a garage, the gate now has a new home.  It’s exact function hasn’t been determined but it’s glad to be stationary again.  From Phoenix on it was tucked in the back of the truck, silently enduring a 2000-mile trip tucked under camping equipment, scavenged rocks and sliding around on sea sand and miscellaneous souvenirs I tossed in the back of the truck.  It had a couple of days to stretch its boards a bit in Mission Viejo.  It handled the trip like a champ.

It will have a good view wherever it ends up.  It may become house decor.  I’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime, it’s wondering what kind of place this is – distant hills, big pines, cooler temps and new smells.  It wonders where the bougainvillea went 🙂

It was the perfect time of year.  Wild flowers in Utah were at their spring peak.  painted road cuts a bright orange.  Blue flax hid in the roadside greenery.  Lake Powell was a planned stop.  The temperature was perfect, though the view of a diminishing water source was alarming.  Crossing into the Arizona desert didn’t show off with any flowers but the colors of the mesas and rock formations made up for it.  My favorite southwest flower is thand it was in profusion for most of my trip.  Once I was on the coast there were flowers and blooming trees that I hadn’t a clue about, but the jacaranda, one of my favorites from my days in Southern California, was still showing off.