Hello! It’s me.

That’s me, getting ready to board a ferry to head to Arizona last week. There was so much optimism, so much excitement, so much anticipation.

But when you go on these trips, there are guidelines … things to take into consideration.

I enjoy heart-healthy advice as much as the next pup, #amirite?

Turns out area volcanoes heeded the advice as well. No smoking at any of the peaks we passed.

There’s a lot of pressure inside those domes … and we learned that there’s a lot of pressure inside of tires when you drive at a high speed in 115 degree temperatures. Somewhere in the Mojave Desert, we ping’d a CHECK TIRE SYSTEM warning light. Dad checks tire pressure … 43psi … we’re close to poppin’ the tires here! He deflates each time and tries to reset the warning lights … the tires are deflated but the warning lights won’t go off. He grumbles something about non-stop tire and warning light problems. Here’s my response.

I mean, Mom tried to get me to go to the bathroom outside, but it was 115 degrees and the wind was out of the Southwest at 115 miles per hour … not exactly conditions commensurate with a typical tinkling process.

Back in the air-conditioned comfort of a ten year old car with a failing digital tire measurement system, I hunkered down for the remaining 300 miles on our trip to Arizona.

Sometimes, the heat would get to me.

Are we there yet?

I decided I wasn’t thrilled with Arizona after we entered the state and got gas … and while getting gas, I learned it was 122 degrees.

122 degrees.

That’s 12*10 + 2.

That’s sixty degrees warmer than when it is 62 degrees. It’s the same distance away from 62 degrees that 2 degrees is from 62 degrees.

I started to think about what 10 weeks of hot temperatures might mean to me. I decided to not think about it!

With warning lights blaring, we arrived at our home outside of Phoenix … my worries about temperature heights were alleviated … it was a chilly 114 degrees when we arrived.

One thing about the Phoenix area … a dearth of ferns.

But I did chase a gecko across a searing-hot paved surface (#needbootstoprotectmydelicatepads) yesterday, so I am making the adjustment to my new surroundings.

And with that, our trip across the West is over. We’re in our home, now. No more rusted metal threats to evaluate in rural areas.

No more having to use my namesake to cleanse the car.

And certainly no more twelve-hour days sitting in a car.

From here on out, it’s fun in the sun!!