Getting Out of Dodge

No, unfortunately, not our move time yet, but I surely needed a break. The state architect decided that the facility needed handrails on both sides of all corridors so a mad dash ensued this past week to start getting that accomplished. Also, going on was a ribbon cutting ceremony with hundreds invited to tour Friday, then a job fair (to which about 500 applicants were expected) all day Saturday, then a Founder’s dinner Sunday.

Deciding I’d about had enough of the commotion and stress I decided to load up my RV and bail. My good friends from WI, Andy and Jackie, are volunteering at Cibola National Wildlife Refuge and I dearly wanted to visit, so I took off early Saturday morning to do just that. Using the poorly maintained Ogilby Rd. west of Yuma, north to Hwy. 78, full of dips and curves, I arrived in one piece around 11 a.m. Once at the visitor’s center I checked in with Jackie before pulling across the narrow road onto BLM to boondock.

What ensued from there was just pure fun and relaxation. It was so good to just visit with friends, hear nothing but silence from the surroundings, and see clear open vistas, it was almost magical. We went out jeeping and rockhounding all day Sunday to the point of exhaustion and I saw many new to me sites, including Indian petroglyphs drawn on disintegrating sandstone which looked as though they could wash away in one good gully-washer rainstorm.

What is it about connecting with friends and sharing loved activities and good meals that feels so good and rejuvenating? I’m not sure, but the euphoria lasted most of the day until I pulled back in to tackle yet another week of this interminable project.