We have been together every minute of every day for the past 12 years. We figure that equals at least 24 years together for the average married couple….or maybe closer to 36 years.
And we have loved every minute of every day of all these years that we have spent together. This week we are celebrating our life together that started the second week of May in 2011.
We headed off to a campsite in the grasslands on the Mogollon Rim. In only 24 miles and 40 minutes from our cabin we were settled in to our campsite!
We hiked all over these beautiful grasslands. This is where we want our ashes spread. We will hike together through all eternity on these vast endless fields of gold…..
One morning, as we headed out on a hike, we sent a message to Candice. She is in the homestretch of her 200-day 50K World Record streak. Day 200 is May 23rd. Every day is hard, but perhaps the last few days are some of the hardest. As Dionne Warwick sings in My Eyes Adored You….”so close and yet so far away.”
At our campsite…
My favorite place to cut Dan’s hair—in the middle of nowhere.
Dinner our in the midst of all this beauty!
Coldest night EVER in eight 5-month long road trips and almost four years of sleeping in the camper….18 degrees!
Luckily, years ago I had made a quilt and fleece blanket, and knitted a throw blanket and felt blanket for the Turtle. We cuddled together under every one of those blankets (with even our heads under the covers) and were toasty warm. Good thing we like each other an awful lot!
Out the window of our camper as the sun rose over the grasslands…
Our breakfast in the Turtle…..yum.
On our roadtrip in 2016 we explored the amazing National Grasslands in our country that stretch from North Dakota to Texas. We danced in the fields of gold at Buffalo Gap and the Oglala National Grasslands.
And of course we danced once again in our beautiful grasslands on the Mogollon Rim!
A few years ago we found a 1959 deserted homestead nestled in the center of these grasslands. This has intrigued us—who lived here, for how long, were they happy, why did they leave? We returned last year and again on this trip to this old ranch.
It is our grassland dream homestead.
How we would have loved to have lived here, raised our children here, and had our grandchildren visit us all summer long. We know that this is just a dream. It would have been incredibly difficult to build a home, barn, fences, and dig our well, raise livestock, grow our vegetables, and stock up for the winter. But it’s a beautiful dream that we share.
Whoever lived here clearly loved their homestead. There is a front porch with steps where someone lovingly wrote in the concrete, “WELCOME July 31, 1959.”
“Welcome.” What hopes and dreams they must have had as they wrote this message to their family, friends, and for those of us who happened to drop by their home 64 years later.
The water tank and snug barn which has several well-built stalls:
Look at the sturdy fencing….this family intended to keep their livestock safe and to live here for a lifetime.
We can find nothing about the history of this charming homestead that is hidden in the middle of the Coconino National Forest. So we will claim this as ours, and it’s history will be the dream life that we have lived here happily together and are still living.
During the four days and three nights that we spent on our beloved grasslands, we saw birds soaring in the blue sky and awoke to their morning songs. The cattle, who are always curious when someone new appears on their land, came by to show off their new babies, welcome us, and say “hello.”
A horny toad even walked with us for awhile down the dirt road.
The coyotes serenaded us as they sang under the bright full moon. But we never heard or saw another person exploring these beautiful public lands. This is heaven on earth for us!
In the distance our camper is nestled in the middle of the grasslands. What a lovely place to celebrate 24 years together—Danny and Vicky.
And to spend days on end with the love of your life!
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