My Nomad Journey – Phoenix, Arizona and El Paso, Texas

Arriving in Phoenix, I visited one of my oldest friends, Shelly. She’s more like a little sister to me. We’ve been through a LOT together and separately. Lots of stories to tell (or not tell, LOL). I was looking forward to catching up with Shelly and her roommate, whom I’m also friends with. It was also an opportunity to experience the desert climate as it began to transition from boiling to beautiful.

Here’s what I did:

The night I arrived to Shelly’s place we settled in to visit, do the tour of the house, play with the dog, Henry, and all catch up over drinks and food. Other than a few things we had planned while there, most of the week was to be ordinary, as we all had busy work schedules. I got settled into the guest room and we set up for the week of my visit.

In addition to catching up and cooking, we took Henry on walks in the neighborhood. This area of town is suburban and further out from the center, but also closer to some of the northern mountains and higher elevations, within a reasonable drive. In her neighborhood was a large hill that backed up to the house, with a nature area and wildlife, including coyotes and other wild critters. She and her roommate mentioned several sightings of the wildlife and, while I was there, they even say a coyote stalking them and the dog from the other side of the back fence! The sunshine and dry air were amazing and it was good to be wearing shorts again, after the cold temperatures in Seattle, the mountains and the coast.

I kept up my routine of getting to the gym for workouts and, occasionally, heading to a coffee shop to work, to change up the scenery. Shelly and I went on a hike with her business partner and their dogs. The 3 of us humans and 3 doggies hiked a rustic trail with lots of rocks and some pretty intense uphill climbs! It was a sufficient workout to follow with brunch on a patio and a nap later in the day.

Also while there, they had other friends visit from Southern California. We all spent the evening playing cards and games and getting rowdy like the old days. Lots of one-liners were traded over the playing cards and competition for points.

I taught some classes online and recorded some podcast episodes, along with other work. I was extremely grateful for the comfortable accommodations and companionship with good friends. While we didn’t do anything touristy or adventurous, it wasn’t needed. I’ve been to Phoenix many, many times over the years. I’ve had many family and friends who lived all over the city and have explored a great deal of the area. As with Seattle, it was good to settle in and have some normal activity and rest. I took some naps!!!

When it was time, I loaded up the car and hit the road for Texas. This is a very long drive to San Antonio, so I broke up the drive with a stop in El Paso for the night. I arrived with time to unload the car at the motel, then head out for a gym workout and then something to eat. Last time I came through El Paso, I stayed more in the central part of the city. This time I stopped further to the east. I wanted to be closer to the other side of town for when I left in the morning to resume the drive. After my workout, I drove around parts of the city I hadn’t previously explored. Like other large cities, it was filled with freeways, shopping centers, strip malls and traffic. I did discover a cafe that had lots of plant-based options for food. I grabbed a vegetarian burrito for dinner and followed that with a stop for a scoop of ice cream. Back at the motel, I cleaned up, prepared for the next morning and headed to bed.

From there, it was the long drive to San Antonio, across the western half of Texas. This part of the state is large and desert and semi-desert terrain. Here, you’ll find 85 mph speed limits because there aren’t many stops for long stretches of miles.

I’ll share more about San Antonio in my next post!

Here’s what I learned: It’s always great to spend time with my friend-family and I’m grateful for having Shelly in my life. We have so much history that we can get into deep conversations about things and also say almost nothing at all at times. Either way, we get each other. We also often experience similar lessons in life. I loved seeing her being successful and growing in her business and life. I can’t wait to see what unfold for her in the year ahead!

One more thing I learned… As I live this nomad life and spend more time on the road, I’m controlling my driving much more carefully now. In my younger years I was a hellion on the road. In my adult years I still had a bit of a heavy foot. Now, I can’t afford traffic tickets or accidents. So I drive the speed limit – rigidly! At most, I’ll allow up to 5 miles over. I use my cruise control to force me to stick to the speed limits. However, now that I’m being such a compliant driver, I notice how many other people are NOT! The amount of people I have on my ass, tailgating, dogging me, and just generally making the road unsafe – while I’m driving the speed limit, not slowly – is astounding. And… I have to be honest and say, I was once an asshole like them. It’s hard to look in the mirror sometimes.

Here’s what’s next: The journey to Miami continues. Next stop, San Antonio. Then a few stops on the way to Miami and South Florida. After Florida, I’ll head up to Atlanta, Ga to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with another of my oldest friends, Heidi. I’ll camp out in Atlanta through December and the end of the year, helping house sit while she travels and spending time with her dog, Bella.

As always, please interact with this post. I love getting your questions, your thoughts, and your comments. I’ll reply when I’m able.

Please enjoy yourselves in this week ahead and look for another update from me about the adventures of the journey. Be well my friends!

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