Hello Reader!

I think we left off in Palm Springs…

We spent a lovely night there and headed out early the next morning, hoping to beat the desert heat. We didn’t quite succeed. It was well over 100 degrees on the drive to Sedona, with our trusty little Honda Fit packed so full there wasn’t an inch to spare.

Odom drove the first stretch while I watched the endless wind farms roll by, those giant white blades slowly turning against the bright desert sky. There’s something mesmerizing about them.

Then came Sedona.

No matter how many photos you’ve seen, nothing quite prepares you for those deep red rock formations. They almost seem to glow from within. It’s easy to understand why so many people come here searching for something. Whether they find it is another story.

From there we made our way to Tulsa, which turned into a bit of a pilgrimage for us. The Bob Dylan Center was everything we’d hoped it would be. Thoughtfully curated, full of incredible artifacts, handwritten lyrics, and surprises around every corner, some making us quite misty-eyed! We could have spent another day there.

Texas was all about family.

We stayed several days catching up with blood-family, step-family, sisters, moms, and people we love dearly. Somehow family has a way of making time disappear. The days blur together in the best possible way, and before you know it, you’re laughing around another dinner table wondering where the week went. It was exactly what we needed.

Then came Kentucky.

Rolling green hills stretched for miles, one after another, and I couldn’t stop looking out the window. There was something peaceful about it all. The Honda just kept humming along, asking for little more than gas and a bit of faith on the steeper climbs.

And then… Pittsburgh. What an unexpected delight.

Bridges everywhere. Beautiful old architecture. Incredible museums. We wandered through the Cathedral of Learning, stood in rooms that celebrated cultures from around the world, explored museums, and walked in the footsteps of Carnegie and so many others who helped shape the city and even the country and maybe even the world.

And then... stumbled upon Randyland.

What a joyful, wonderfully unexpected place. One autistic man’s imagination poured into an entire house and yard covered in color, bottle caps, painted wood, handwritten signs, and pure optimism. It made me smile from ear to ear. Lifted both our hearts in ways impossible to describe fully!

Standing high above the city, looking out over the rivers and bridges, it suddenly hit me. We were almost there.

New York no longer felt like some distant destination. It felt real. Close enough to touch.

Our little Honda Fit had one more stretch left in her.

So did we. And now… here we are. New York. We drove coast to coast. Wow.

Now, for the first time in weeks, the car is sitting still. We sold her. We said goodbye to our faithful little Honda after thirteen years together. Handing over those keys was surprisingly emotional. (Sniff… sniff…)

I hope she finds someone who appreciates her as much as we did. She wasn’t flashy, but she never let us down, and she carried us through more adventures than I can count.

Later today we’ll board a plane for Scotland.

It’s hard to believe this moment is finally here.

It feels like every mile we’ve driven over these past weeks has been surely carrying us toward this new chapter. Every desert, every mountain, every family visit, every little roadside stop has been part of the journey.

I’m grateful for every one of them. Especially the Ess-A-Bagels!

The miles behind us feel like a beautiful goodbye. The miles ahead are still unwritten. And now…

It’s time to go. Our flight is this evening.

Here are a few photos from Randyland.