Sometimes you have to concede. After three weeks of schedule shuffling, Maddie and I decided to get some rest and relaxation during the last week of the trip. Chris and Sophie were down at the beach with Matt and Donna and the girls, so we decided to push through and drive from Estes Park, CO to the Isle of Palms, SC. I guess the trip would have been more extreme if we went from sea level to 14,000 feet instead of vice versa.

Matt and Donna have always been a blessing to us. The invite to hang out at their house for the last week of our trip is great. In fact, they invited us when we were struggling through the mechanical issues with PB&J. It will be nice to spend some time with the rest of the family.

I have joined the masses as we complain about the cost of pretty much everything. Before we drove out of town, we stopped to grab a sandwich. In Estes Park, the same sandwich, at the same fast-food restaurant, that we bought a few days earlier, was 32% more expensive! I’m not sure how the locals afford it here.

For years, Chris and I drove out west for climbing and site seeing trips, and I never could figure out how the drive home always felt longer than the drive out. The drive back this year was no different. Maddie and I swapped driving responsibilities. Unfortunately for her, I had the first shift. This left her to try to sleep on the wonderful roads that I shared last time. I will say though, the roads all the way back to (and in) South Carolina, were subpar, especially the transitions between the roads and the bridges. It became a game for me. When I saw what I will call a ditch (a bump or dip) in the road, I would try to get lighter in the seat. Did I mention how long the drive back was?

Maddie slept through the wind farms of eastern Colorado and western Kansas. I didn’t want to wake her up to get a good picture, so this is all that I was able to get. By the time we got to the Kansas City area, we both were pretty beat, so I pulled into a parking garage for a couple of hours before Maddie started her next shift.

Here are a couple of the pictures that I grabbed from the video of the storms that I talked about. I was disappointed that I didn’t have more to choose from.

Overall, we have done well with traffic. Maddie did have several slowdowns as she drove through Nashville. It felt weird going less than the speed limit. Before we left, almost a month ago, we decided to stay under 70 MPH to help with gas mileage. This wasn’t too bad when the speed limit was 65 to 70, but when the speed limit was 80 MPH, people were passing us like we were sitting still. The plan has worked pretty well. We are averaging 17.46 MPG over 5820 miles so far. Our best tank of gas yielded 20.3 MPG, and our worst only got us 13.5 MPG. The latter was when we were on the off-road trails in Utah.

As we entered the house in the Isle of Palms at 4:30 AM, we were welcomed by Donna’s new entry stairway decorations. We are getting reminders of the current sermon series everywhere we go!

We found three mermaids at the pool the next day.

I have to say that it is nice to settle down for a bit. Rushing from place to place, searching for free camping, and dealing with the masses at some of the places that we visited can become stressful. Chris and I have taken peaceful walks on the beach each of the last two evenings as the sun set. It has been nice spending time with her.

Since sleeping in, lounging on the couch, and taking walks on the beach aren’t as exciting as some of the adventures that Maddie and I have had earlier on the trip, I’m going to call it a wrap on the trip blog. It has been nice sharing our trip with you all. I hope that you have enjoyed our time together. I will be making a recap video, but I won’t promise a completion date. We have a pretty busy schedule once we return to Powdersville. Next Wednesday, we are blessed to be able to cook and serve breakfast to all four Powdersville schools and the Anderson 1 administration. If you are subscribed to this blog, I will make a post with a link to the video once it’s complete.

I spent time in Ecclesiastes 3 this morning, and I thought back over the trip as I read those verses. How true the Preacher’s statements are. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. On the Last Hurrah Trip, there has been a time to get up early and push hard for the summit, but now is a time to find satisfaction in our toil.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-13 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

My friend, in all of this, may we not miss the opportunity to do good by seeking to be happy. I love you in the Lord!

Because He Calls, Old Climbing Dad