Well this is it for me…the apex of the pre-trip journey, which has indeed been a journey in itself! Today I am going to Flagstaff to spend some time (a lot of time actually – 5 nights!) with my good friend Scott. I love Flagstaff with all my heart but this trip, it’s just to spend the time with him, as I’d not have time or money at this point to go up there just to go up there. And this is it, my final uphill (no pun intended, with the 7,000 ft gain in elevation to get up there). I know after this big trip, all the hurdles of time and waiting are behind me now.

All the hours poring over the budget, ticking every single dollar and cent spent, taking from the “$150/month Grocery” budget column if we had to allocate dollars to the “dammit we didn’t see that expense coming” column (who needs groceries anyway?); all the nights hanging and pinning maps, tracing routes, scouring guidebooks; all the movies having anything to do with Asia fact or fiction rented and watched from Netflix; all the hockey games played and paid for as our special treat to ourselves, knowing it will be years before we can play again (*twitch *); all the days beating my head against the wall or hitting the pantry early enough in the day to warrant intervention in frustration with a 9-5 world of jerks who want to book a vacation they can’t afford in a bad economy.

On the other side of this trip to Flag…the absolution of all that! When I get back, there is nothing more but a few final days of work for the next couple of years (!!!), packing boxes, finishing immunizations, finalizing itineraries (so much as they can be from this side of the globe, until it all goes haywire the minute we step off the plane in Delhi anyway : ) ), and my oh my, what a life this is!

For now, I am going to see my friend, go play in the creeks of northern Arizona, see the dances on the Hopi Indian reservation, play some ping pong, drink some Flag Brew, and enjoy the life on this side of that hill. The two sides of this mountain look very different indeed; but both sides beautiful. Enjoy your life.

Peace out til next week.