The first day of my grand tour was challenging.  Reaching “escape velocity” – enough to pull away from everything with so much momentum in my life took an incredible amount of energy. Just getting out of Phoenix with it’s constant hum of activity and early summer heat felt like standing up under double gravity. I’d prepared for months, packing my final things didn’t take long that day. I stopped by CO+HOOTS and said my last good byes for awhile. This was really it.

I made it to … Wickenburg, AZ a mere hour’s drive away but it felt like it took me a half a day to get there. And traffic wasn’t getting much past town since there was a fatal accident somewhere ahead on the 60. 

I actually took a brief nap and Imagined the stamina I’d want to have to drive what I estimated to be another 6000 miles in my future.

I remembered a shortcut out of town and got on my way.

Nothing, AZ

I stopped by a favorite recent camping spot: Burro Creek to see how things were looking. I love that bridge. 

This would be my home for the next 2 months: The exhaustion from leaving orbit left me taking another nap in a rest stop to work up the energy to press on. I had originally contemplated pressing on to Death Valley but admitted that I get to proceed with no agenda and no schedule and no demands. 

As I saw Las Vegas appearing on the horizon I recalled visiting Roger and Kate camping at Lake Mead – this would be where I spent the night with the faint glow of Las Vegas over the mountain a barely visible beam if light proceeding up from the Luxor.

I’d awoken this day truly feeling like I could create my own reality. To get myself in the right state of mind I drove to the city and spent the day luxuriating in one of the best massages I’ve ever had and soaking in the Mandalay Bay Spa. It gave me a whole new attitude.