Summer 2022 - Back in the U.S.

When we put together our nomadic retirement plans, we envisioned returning to the U.S.

from time-to-time to visit family, friends, etc. Our plan for 2022 was to spend the majority of our summer in Boulder, Wyoming, helping Sandy’s father with some maintenance on his cabin. We headed back home in early June, starting with a short visit in Denver. Somehow, we managed to plan our visit at the same time that our oldest child planned an informal wedding at the county courthouse. We adjusted our trip plans slightly so that we were able to attend the wedding and also spend a few extra days with Dan, Lauren, and Emalyn.

Next up – the cabin near Boulder, Wyoming. Work started in mid-June, re-roofing a lean-to, extending a split rail fence, and reinforcing the large deck. Our grandkids, Charlie and Amaya, visited us for three weeks and were a big help. Towards the end of the month, Sandy’s father organized a work week, with various family members showing up for additional chores, such as painting the cabins and deck, building walls on the lean-to to create an ATV garage, and taking a lot of old material to the dump. We also had some time for playing at Pinedale’s world-class aquatic center, complete with water slide and lazy river, riding ATVs up into the Bridger National Forest, and attending the Green River Rendezvous in Pinedale. The Rendezvous was very interesting and a lot of fun. It started in the 1830's as an annual event for mountain men, trappers, and Indians to meet, trade, and blow off some steam. It's now a well-done production with vendors, demonstrations, shows, dances, and a rodeo. We went multiple days and attended a lot of the activities.

Working at the cabin

Garage walls complete!

Ride with Charlie and Amaya

ATV ride with Gunner

Green River Rendezvous

In late July, we took a week-long trip to San Francisco, California, to celebrate my parents 50th wedding anniversary. They hosted a small family reunion with planned outings for the majority of the days, as well as group dinners each evening. The weather was great and everyone had a wonderful time exploring the city where they met and started their life together. After San Francisco, some of us travelled to Los Angeles for a quick visit with some extended family members, including my 94-year old beer-pong-playing Grandma. Sandy, Skylar (our daughter), and I took the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Oakland to Los Angeles. It was a long, scenic ride past farmland, through the mountains, and along the coast, and we really enjoyed the unique experience.

Celebrating in San Francisco

Coast Starlight ride to LA

Oma plays beer pong in LA

Back to Wyoming - in addition to working at the cabin, we also did some chores around the full-time house in Rock Springs, Wyoming – painting, tree-trimming, and a massive cleanout of old personal items from the garage and house. At the end of August, I went on my annual backpacking trip with my father, brother-in-law, and other friends. Coincidentally, our trip was in the Wind River Range, close to Boulder, Wyoming. We used horses to carry our gear in, plus we were able to ride in, but a shortage of healthy horses meant that 3 of us ended up walking out. We had great weather for our trip and managed to catch a lot of large fish for dinner.

Backpacking at North Fork Lake

Sandy, Gunner, and I started our return trip south on Labor Day. Again, a short visit in Denver, where we were lucky enough to celebrate Emalyn’s birthday. We also did some housekeeping, like car service and some medical appointments, before starting our drive through New Mexico and Texas and into Mexico.

The summer went by pretty quickly. We got a lot of work done and by the end of August, Sandy and I were tired of working and ready to resume our retirement in Mexico.

Ready for Mexico!