Desert to Sea and back again

It's been a time of creative logistics. After three days back in the land of dry deserts, toting several days of water and supplies and searching out shelter from the wind, I picked up an e-mail that my Grandfather Parnell had passed away. Thoughts of him filled my head as we pedaled through the desert and Rick and I formulated a plan for me to be able to attend his memorial service. Fortunately, we happened to be thirty miles from an interstate highway. Logistics involved a hitched ride, a rental truck, the stowage of our gear with the Hill family at their ranch, a home for the men of our family with Brad and Amy in San Diego, an airplane flight for me, a ride with my brother Parnell's family, and then all the same in reverse. It means a lot to me to have been able to participate in the celebration of an important mentor in my life.

We're back on the bikes, now headed into Joshua Tree National Park. Geometric stacks of tumbled boulders and Fall desert wild flowers decorate our view. Thanks to the National Park Service literature, we're finding the names for all our desert cactus finds.

Tarn writes (he really is writing now!!!) We got a big gourd. I drew on it. We went on a hike and I got lots of stickers in my shoe.

Markos: Yesterday we biked to a cafe and a guy was sweeping in front of it. We asked for some water. Then he asked us if we wanted a cold drink and we said, "Yes." Sampson and Dad went in and brought out two beers and one Gatorade that was lemon lime and we drank it in front of the store. When we were about to leave he gave mom a pink bandanna and us a black bandanna and the cafe was called Slash X Ranch. Today we had blue corn pancakes for breakfast. After breakfast Sampson got his cavity filled and after that we had lunch and one hour after nap time we went on a hike. I got a cholla cactus ball in my shoelace and I found dead cholla cactus too.

Sampson's journal entries continue to detail our Disneyland experience. I will be updating the Disneyland blog entry with his extensive documentation of our day at Disneyland.