Rest up…

When I was going to sleep my first night here in Tucson I was a little down. I was exhausted from the long day in the heat, and was starting to think that there was no way I would be able to carry this through for another 52 days. It seemed like it was going to be an awful trip, and that I was never going to make it. Luckily, when I woke up the next morning I felt rested, and much more like myself. I had hit a wall the day before, and I just needed sleep. I wasn't quite ready to get back on the bike and ride for a long way, but I was feeling more like finishing the trip was feasible.

Most of the first day was spent sitting around and relaxing with Alison in her apartment. It was nice and pleasant provided that we were sitting still, but the second we got up to do anything it was too hot.

Eventually we got up the nerve to leave the house, and I thought I might incinerate the second I touched the sunlight…good lord is it hot here! We ventured out to the Apple Store to see about the iPhone I had pre-ordered. It turns out that if you aren't there the day of the launch to pick it up then they sell it! Damn! No new iPhone for me yet, but I am working out the details of a plan to have one shipped to me later in the trip…

After that we went out to lunch with Mark, Amy, and Eva. I have to say that Eva is one of the most well behaved babies I have ever met. She sat quietly while we ate and talked, and then spent some time rocking back in forth in Alison's lap playing with her monkey toy. Adorable.

The meeting that day was down at the Little House. A nice group of folks thoroughly dedicated to the program as it is written. We talked about sponsorship, and the conclusion among most of us was that they are needed for working the steps through, but that the fellowship as a whole takes over after that and things can be worked out that way. No one person can't have all the answers, that's why there are all of us!

After the meeting I had a chat with Bill about the way that things always seem to work out the way they are supposed to. That we are always in the right place whether we think so or not.

My second day here in Tucson I woke up and knew that the rest of the trip was going to be just fine. It was great to have a couple of days to relax, but it is getting to be time to move on, and I can feel that. Alison goes back to work at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow, and I have a date with an old friend in Las Cruces.

Betsy and Whitey had us up to their condo again this afternoon for some more laughter and fun. It was damn hot out there by the pool, but it was nice to see them again before we all head to San Antonio.

The meeting was the Sober Living Group and the Pima Alano Club. Several topics were discussed, but the gist of it was the obsession and the spiritual cure for it. The meeting was big, but still had a small intimate feel too it.

I had a brief talk with Mike afterward about anger and fear. We had a nice time talking about the nature of our malady, and the idea that other people usually see the change in us before we do. He shared with me that other people tell him that he is doing great, but that to him he still feels like the same person. I related, and told him that at some point we begin to feel it, and that is when the magic happens.

I also got the chance to meet Alison's work friends. They were all very nice people, and knew far more about me than I thought they would. (Thanks, Alison) It was nice, though, to see the people who surround Alison in her "natural habitat." Thanks for taking care of her, guys. (That includes you too, Mark and Amy.)

So that was my resting time in Tucson, and tomorrow the adventure continues…

P.S. Although I didn't get a new iPhone here, I did get a new custom motorcycle accessory courtesy of Alison. So here's what happened. Alison saw my wrists:

This is a result of a gap between my jacket and my gloves. (I'm sure Death Valley had something to do with this...)

Alison is a knitter, and immediately found some yarn. The result was custom sweater cuff to fill the gap.

 

Now, saw whatever you want about me wearing knitted cuffs to ride a motorcycle, but I have Paddington and Pooh Bear in the back seat, and the cuffs were made with love, so there... Thanks, Alison!

Nothing

 When I got out of bed in Las Vegas I was on a mission. I wanted to get out the town with billboards for dentists (Yeah, really) and get to Tucson today. Looking at the maps and such I figured I could get there for an 8 o'clock meeting if I was moving most of the day. Mike had told me the night before to avoid the Hoover Dam because of construction and the idea of sitting still on the bike for an extra hour in 100 degree heat was not at all appealing, So I went south on US 95 through Laughlin and back up to the Interstate to get back on 93 south. It added about an hour to the day, but at least I was moving.

The day was long, hot, and windy, and I started to wonder what had possessed the white man to settle in the desert here. I can't imagine hiking through hundreds of miles of desert, looking out at the horizon seeing the constant heat waves, ("Look Johnny, the whole earth is on fire.") with no water nearby, and the wind blowing sand in your face and thinking: "We should stay here. Sure, we cant grow anything to eat, and there's hardly anything to kill and eat, and I feel like I might die at any moment, but I think this place is perfect." Seriously!? And then we went to great lengths to kick the native people out! At least they have generations of experience living out here, and know all the tricks. What the hell is wrong with us?!

I saw Nothing today. Really. There is an abandoned truck stop and wind in Nothing, AZ and that's all.

The day grew hotter and I had to stop more often for rest and water, and all I wanted was to get to Tucson. I had about an hour left to ride and I stopped in Florence to go to the bathroom and got a message from my friend Betsy. She was at a meeting already, but willing to leave it to ride out with Whitey and meet me on highway 79 to bring me home. I got back on the bike with something new to look forward to, family to lead me in…

About halfway down 79 I saw the sunset on my mirror and stopped for a photo:

Then I turned around to leave and there was the moon:

Then I got to ride on facing the moon and it started to cool off, it was the perfect last stretch of road to end the long day.

Betsy and Whitey were waiting at a turnout, and I was spent. I was ready to get anywhere, and told them so. They led me in to their condo for amazing food and healthy laughter, two things I desperately needed. Alison drove out too, and joined us for a nice relaxed evening. It was the first day I had missed a meeting, but it wasn't for lack of trying. And besides, I hung out with some other sober people, and that's what counts. I was reminded that this is the most wonderful family in the world. What a treat to have people who will drop everything and come lead you home! Thanks, Betsy and Whitey, It's just what I needed, and by some magic I may never understand, you knew that! Awesome!