St. George, UT July 12, 2012

Good thing I don’t have to work. I can’t imagine trying to get everything done! We have been using about every minute of each day doing our final preparation for the trip. Mostly, It has been running to banks, setting up accounts in Utah, shopping for IPad screen protector and cover, setting up autopay, new drivers license for Carol, wills, figuring out what I can do with the IPad, tweaking the itinerary and one or two hotels/huts, pruning some shrubbery, getting all our gear ready, trying our dirty girl gators, trying to organize and put stuff away, keeping the wife happy, and most importantly, sit outside each evening and have a beer while watching the hummingbirds and waiting for batfest. Carol finished work and her last day was yesterday. So now we are both retirees. It is hard to wipe the smiles off our faces right now. I shaved my mustache on a whim ( first time since 1977) and Carol likes it as much as I like her short hair. So, I will grow it back and she will let her hair get longer when we return. Weather update: It has been HOT the last few days. Like 7 inches from the noonday sun; there is a song there somewhere. Our first few days here were not that bad, 100 to 102 range, no worse than Denver has been. The last few have been crazy hot. Went to Walmart to check on cheap watches for Europe and got back in the car where the temperature said 117 degrees. It did come down to 113 as we drove a little, but it’s hot dam hot! So what does Carol get me to do later on? Walk up the street to Walgrens. By then it was 7:30, and down to about 100. We did stop by a little shaved ice hut and sat in the shade enjoying them and the people watching. Yesterday evening it rained and today the high was maybe 87. Much more pleasant. This just in, Carol has informed me that our pills weigh 2 pounds, 9 ounces. That will ensure that I take mine on time as every day is a little lighter. We are going to take a break tomorrow and drive around the area, see what is around, and maybe have a picnic if it is not too hot. A few more days and the real journey begins!