.
"The road goes on forever, and the party never ends."
- Robert Earl Keen
While we continued to head south, closing the gap between us and our awaiting friends, I use the radio silence to explain to my Mia, who she would be meeting later in Kofa. What a daunting task for her.... Trying to sort out the names of people in relation to my stories about them. She's heard the names over & over from me during the last couple of years, but this is the first time she'll be dropped **********-dab in the middle of them. She did great and it went exactly as I predicted. Nice people being nice to each other, no worries.
Upon my arrival, I am overwhelmed by the faces I see. Some of these folks I haven't seen in two years, since we froze our water bottles off in the Inyo Mountains above Death Valley. Robb & Cat suffered through those nights, as did Pasquale & Kristina and Chris & Sharon. I think they have all forgiven me for that one, as we were all
much warmer in Kofa.
Some people I get to see more often, like Chuck, who came to Wyoming just last May. And Mark & Brooke, who travelled to Utah with us, for a Father's Day trip last summer. Greg & Samantha made the Father's Day trip too and then Kofa, as well. Greg gets huge points with me for being an amazing Father to his little girl. Someday young Samantha is going to truly understand what her Dad has done for her. And won't she feel special and adored when that day happens....
Then there were others who I hadn't met in person yet, but I've traded numerous pm's & emails with, like Mark aka, crawler#976. Mark and I have an affinity for the same saloons in the San Juan mountains of Colorado, and I bet he knows a few good beer joints in AZ, too. But it was ok that my drink of choice is Crown Royal (
God Save the Queen), while he likes a good single malt. Heck, it wasn't even an issue that I don't run a 2M radio. (
Who would I talk to up here anyway?) We didn't have to agree on
everything. We just poured a couple of drinks and talked about the bars and stars.
A Landcruiser camper set up spied en route in Quartzsite, AZ -
I finally got to meet Kyle in person. You may know him here as Rockcrawler, owner of the ultimate Jeep Scrambler. Kyle also has a very nice Four Wheel Camper that he brought to the shin-dig. It was the first time we'd met in person but we have spoken several times before. The night before he went to pick up his camper, we talked on the phone until the wee hours of the morning about the benefits of owning a FWC. I had been in his shoes once before and I wanted to be supportive and encouraging. (
And maybe, just maybe, he'll let me drive his CJ-8 someday...) I have a feeling he hasn't missed the check he wrote for his FWC, since it left his hand. His camper is well appointed and it will serve him and his family well.
Al was there and bless his heart, he didn't offer me any Tequila this time. He had his cantina open for business though. It's nice in life to have things you can count on. Al's well stocked bar, his knowledge of the southwest and his generosity are just a few things I know I can count on. Parked right beside him were Michael & Amy and Uwe & Srisuda. These are quality people. The kind of people that just make you feel good inside when you're hanging out with them.
Do you have people like that in your life? You should. Even if a couple of weekends a year with them is all that I get, I still feel lucky.
.. :beer:
