Homeward Bound

Well, here we are in the Sunshine state, sitting in a serene RV park at the foot of the Eastern Sierras. It’s been a long journey. Unlike the other 36 states we have visited, my license plate no longer makes me a target. And, I don’t have to answer the question “Are you running away from California too?” No I am not. In fact, I am doing the opposite and running towards it. It’s the last lap, the final countdown, we’re coming on final. When we crossed the imaginary line between Nevada and California the guy at the agricultural checkpoint saw our plates waved us thru as if to say, “welcome home”. 

We left Boise full of excitement and energized for the last leg of our journey. This was the only place on our year long trip that we visited twice. We have so many friends and family there and we’d been there the two previous summers, and it was on the way home, we couldn’t pass it up. More BBQ’s, swimming pool parties, and bike rides along the Greenbelt- we love the town. There were also some new experiences this time around- A color war (teams attempt to hit opponents with dye filled socks), a father and daughter trip to roaring springs (google “Roaring Springs Water Park, Meridian. “Cliffhanger”…yes my fearless 10 year old went on it), and my absolute favorite, the Eagle Rodeo. Let me foot stomp on this one… if you’ve never been to a rodeo, GO! Seriously, I can’t believe what a great event it was for the entire family. At any rate, it was a fitting way to end the trip. The fact that we had been to Boise at the beginning of our trip gave us some unique perspective. As we traveled down the greenbelt bike path, we passed the same RV park where we had previously lived for nearly a month, it was like a trip down memory lane and it reminded us of where we were as a family back then- we had just left the military, didn’t know anything about RV life, and didn’t know what we were going to do in the next chapter. All that has changed, and after reminiscing in Boise we realized just how much we have grown and more importantly how God has been guiding us this entire time. Whenever you look back, it makes it easier to look forward.   

Now, let me be the first to say that this doesn’t mean that the road ahead will be easy. When we departed Boise it was like any of the other travel days we had embarked on, but it would not end that way. About two thirds of the way into the trip, along a remote highway near the Oregon/Nevada border, the truck started to act up. We stopped a few times to examine the situation and each time we were able to start up with seemingly no issue (FYI- never pull out onto a dirt road with a trailer if you don’t have a way to turn around #45_point_turn). After about an hour of hobbling along, we finally started to realize that perhaps it was more serious. I told Nikki we may potentially need to get a tow. The word “tow” ignited a new level of panic. We were 12 miles from the nearest town so I was going to see if I could make it there, it had an RV park and a small airport so I figured it would be a good place to get help. We made there but even in desperation I decided this wasn’t the stop for us- the empty gravel lot with multiple Scorpion like insects crawling along the ground (google “Mormon cricket”) manned by a young guy who had possibly been cast for a role in the next Stephen King horror movie all convinced us that we were going to press to the next town. So we kept moving, but finally I had to wave the white flag.  This was the first time we had broke down on the road, and it was in the middle of the desert. We were 60 miles from our RV park, the only realistic place that could help us with the vehicle. Sometimes God takes us to the middle of the desert, but he never leaves us there. God showed up in the form of A-1 towing service, Dave’s auto shop and the Silver State RV park. Within 60 minutes of calling the tow company, the vehicle and RV were rigged for tow, Dave’s auto shop agreed to take a look at our car the next day (this was the 4th shop we had called, everyone else was booked), and the RV park gave us a site to stay at indefinitely even though they were completely booked. To cap it off, in less than 24hrs our vehicle was fixed. I can safely say that our trip to Winnemucca, NV did not go the way I had envisioned, but that’s ok because no story worth telling ever does.  I guess the major lesson to takeaway as you think about your future and make your plans… remember that we are never guaranteed tomorrow, that our plans are not infallible, and that we need to enjoy the present. As Nikki always says, “Everyday is a gift” (FYI- you’ll see that phrase again from her)

Although unsure of how the truck would perform, the Lord pointed me to a verse in Psalms which provided comfort as we left for Mammoth. “Some trust in chariots, others trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.” (Psalm 20:7) My trust shouldn’t be in a vehicle, in my plans, in my efforts, because all of those will fall short at some point. This episode and quite frankly the entire RV trip has taught me to not rely on my own efforts, to stay reliant on a Him. We pulled into our site last night after driving 330 miles and had no issues. We are enjoying the last days of our trip along McGee Creek. We’ll spend the time intentionally remembering the events of the last year, laughing about the fond memories, laughing even more about the ones we’d prefer to forget. It’s surreal, it’s sad, it’s a multitude of emotions. I don’t know where to begin. We will have completed one year on the road in an amazing country. By the end of the week, it will all be over. We’ll be resting at my folks home in L.A., talking story and starting the next chapter of our lives…. At least that’s our plan for now! 🙂 

Look forward to connecting with our you all in person. 

Much Aloha, Loco and Nani