Hello. It’s me!

Baseball is played in nine innings … sometimes more if the score is tied after nine. But there are games where the home team is in total command … leading 11-3 or 7-0 … and the TV announcer says “We Go To The 9th” … and s/he says it with an attitude like “CAN WE JUST GET THREE OUTS AND GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE?”

Our trip heads to the 9th inning, and we’re ahead something like 33-2. Oh sure, the evil doers tried to muck up the trip by tying the game at 2-2 by harming our air conditioner, but ever since then we routed the competition and it wasn’t even close.

So we entered the 9th inning today by enjoying a couple of hours at a NEW NATIONAL PARK.

This place had it all … SAND!

Yes, those are PEOPLE walking out to the giant dunes … just to give you some perspective on what’s goin’ on there.

When we got to the dunes, I asked around … “What’s it like out there?”

Chet here tells me that it was “sandy” out there.

Thanks. Chet.

Once again, I wasn’t allowed to enter the Visitors Center. Chet wasn’t allowed in either.

Dad says, “Why don’t we just go back to the RV and I channeled my inner Amy Winehouse saying “NO, NO, NO”.

So I waited for Mom to come out.

Moments later, we were off to the dunes. Oh, the excitement, the anticipation … and then … “THE HEAT, THE HEAT, IT’S TOO HOT ON MY PADS, #OMFG (oh my furry God) MY PADS ARE BURNING, I’M OUT, GET ME OUT OF HERE, GET ME OUT OF HERE, SHADE, SHADE!”

So that was that. Forty steps (ten per foot) and I was outta there, #amirite?

I sat in the RV for an hour while Mom and Dad enjoyed lunch and discussed some of the odd sightings at the National Park.

Then we got in the rig and decided to cross the Continental Divide. I kept my thoughts to myself.

Why keep my thoughts to myself? Well, I’m not a fan of ups and downs, lefts and rights, and bumpy roads. I like a well-manicured Interstate Highway, thank you very much. But Mom said the only way we were getting home from where we were was US-160 through Southern Colorado. Turns out it was a scenic route.

We didn’t tip over, FYI.

Oh.

We continued on that road down the hill on the left …

We landed tonight, outside of Durango, CO … Dad picked a KOA where they promised him a good start to the day tomorrow (and a hand-delivered pizza after we arrived).

Dad will need a good start to the day tomorrow. We’ve got one out in the 9th inning, and we’re just 440 miles from closing out a big win. If all goes well, we’ll be home tomorrow evening, where I’m told that temperatures are hovering around 110 degrees. Sounds lovely!