But also: I'm so very proud of Lilly. She worked and went to school online. She got her degree in Spanish Literature and this was our time to go and celebrate.

So damnit. To the desert we will go. The actual traveling was not without its challenges. I'll just say I'll never book anything except airfare through Alaska Airlines again. "Oh, we just pass along the reservation." Uh huh. And Budget? Nope. Suck it. It was 230a before we were in bed.

4a is frickin' early. But it's the only time of day when it's not stupid hot. It turns out Skyline and White Tank Mountain Regional Parks have great trails. It also turns out Salvation Peak on the edge of Hell's Canyon Wilderness is inaccessible because the fancy-pants stupid-expensive resort has it landlocked. But there are plenty of game trails (hello, burros!) in the public land that isn't private that are good walking.

And then there's Vulture Peak. From some angles, it looks absolutely unclimbable. Straight up. But there's a 200 foot scramble from the south side that gains the summit without too much death defiance. Lilly and I were up and down before the heat started cooking us.

Between Lilly's graduation, desert adventures, warmth and the pool for Mrs. Moosefish it was a good trip. But you can bet I was stoked to see Tahoma lit by the setting sun as we came in for a landing in Seattle.

📍On the lands of the Yavapai people.