We Said Goodbye to Arizona....AGAIN!

...ok, but we mean it this time. Seriously!

This is the paid follow-up to: My Cat Almost Died on Our Way Out of Mexico. If you don’t have a paid subscription, don’t worry. That post is free, and the next one will be too. This post is for the people who fund my master’s degree and adventures with paid subscriptions—as well as those who have appeared in my blog posts and videos over the years. Thank you!

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I shared in May that we had said goodbye to Arizona for good. It was time to move on to Mexico and then New Mexico before starting the long trek east. However, two of the very first friends I made in Mexico weren’t there when I arrived. They had left a few weeks earlier for their summer jobs as volunteer camp hosts in the national forest.

I hadn’t seen them since March 2022. I had promised to visit them in the forest several times over the last two years but never got around to it. I knew it was now or never, so I messaged and asked where they were and how to get there.

I left the beach for the forest.

When I reached out, they seemed skeptical that I would actually show up. The drive from Mexico to their campground was eight hours, and half that time was up steep mountain roads.

It was a hell of a detour to take when I was supposed to be rushing home to see my family. But, I couldn't just not see them before leaving. They were the last set of friends I hadn’t said goodbye to yet.

“I can’t believe you came all the way up here!” the husband, Art, greeted me. “I just can’t believe it!”

It was so good to see them, and I had an amazing time in the national forest. So, where was I?