Day 7:  One More Day at the Dead Horse

Ava's Take

Despite disliking my surroundings and surviving an overnight torrential downpour, I managed to make a fabulous breakfast in my outdoor kitchen to get our day started. We originally planned to “stay put” for the day, reading, journaling and working on the blog. That plan did not work. I felt so restless and unable to sit still, right now I only feel good when I am moving. We decided to take a drive and explore Sedona.

We drove through Sedona, which was recommended to me by a friend back in Colorado. Sedona is gorgeous. I could easily spend a week there exploring the crystal shops and cafes and hiking the energy vortexes, none of which I could do on this round with the dog and the enormous blister on my right ankle…..so we kept on driving through. It was a hot day so we decided to explore options for swimming since there was no where to paddle board. There were some great options for us but none were pet friendly, as we found out when we got there, not that Freckles likes swimming anyway. Frustrated that there was no where to cool off and really nothing to do, we went back to the camp site and game planned a little more for the remainder of the trip.

Dead Horse State Park is a weird reminder of Colorado and I cannot wait to leave. The terrain, the altitude, the bugs, the night time chill - it all carries this sense of familiarity that I do not find comforting but rather feels stalling and irritating. But as much as the whine from my soul cries out to drive to California, I am terrified to actually arrive there. It’s “easy” road-tripping along and talking about how great it will be  when we get there. For months I talked about the trip and people would ask, “What are you going to do in California?” My response was that I would figure it out when I got there. Well now I am almost there and it is almost time to figure it out. I feel a sense of urgency to get there yet a sense of panic about following through. I don’t want to be where I came from, I don’t like where I am and I am scared to go where I am headed. At this point my best option seems to be to (1) trust in the original knowing that once I arrive in California, it will all come together and (2) devote my current efforts to enjoying the moment and the journey. I am coming to terms with the first one but the second one is evading me. Tomorrow we head to Lake Havasu which I hope brings better fortune with water than this place.

Dylan's Take

I must see the learned lesson in all challenges

Today was a difficult day, mentally.  I felt stuck and a car that was spinning its tires.  Ava and I both agreed that when we were moving towards CA our energy levels and conversations were more light and happy. 

We started the day off well with morning coffee and breakfast.  We then took to re-organizing the car and trying to get caught up on the blog.  Organizing the car and cleaning some of the camping stuff felt relieving and felt good to clear up our living situation.  It’s amazing to me how quickly you can make a home a home, even if it is temporary and mobile.  We wanted to hang out and rest and relax, this is what we felt we were called to do.  Instead we went to Sedona and met frustration with traffic and rain and a lack of knowledge of how dogs are not allowed in some parks (or at least the ones we wanted to go to) in AZ. 

Feeling defeated, frustrated, irritated, tired and hungry; we made our way back to the campsite with nothing to show for it.  After some reflection and conversation, we both were convinced that we needed to get to CA ASAP because that was what we were called to do.  We did not listen to our intuition and our initial intention.  This is something that is difficult for me to do, but the more I look internally and reflect the more I am able to listen to it.  I underestimated the difficultly that I would have with self –reflection and self-awareness and listening to my intuition.  An ever on-going process for sure!  I am just very grateful and fortunate to have someone with me that can help me through difficult thoughts and times.  I am ever thankful to Ava for being my best friend, business partner and soul mate.  I am happy to be doing this journey with someone and to share it with her as well as share with everyone that reads this.  Until tomorrow…