Wowzers!

    The final week is here. We are in drive mode and heading south one day at a time. We are finding the beautiful weather to be very distracting. Yesterday was the first day we made it over ten miles! Currently, we are in Santa Barbara, California about 100 miles from our final destination for year one. I'm still in shock that it's been a year already. As much as home sounds so good (and boy does it) we finally hit the beautiful southern Cali weather. Mid 70's everyday with blue skies and happy bus dwellers. I even got the flip flops and shorts out of the closet. I can't recall the last time I had shorts on and my pasty white legs show it. Back in Michigan I hear they have 40's and rain. That sounds terrible to me but friends and family will be there and I can't wait for reuniting with everyone and Mom's scrumptious enchiladas. 
    With the loss of our trailer in San Francisco, our bus is riding better than ever. She was such a good little trailer but definitely weighed the bus down. We keep up with traffic (kinda) and are currently figuring out what gas milage we get without it. With moving everything inside, the bus has developed a bit of a "funky" smell but being on the move everyday seems to whisp it away with the wind. In our travels south, there has been a multitude of things holding us up. One being the opportunity to get in the kayaks again. It's been so long without them that every interesting place we see we get them down and explore. Highway 1 was slow going for a day too. It only took one day of curvy and hilly roads to realize we don't have to do that again. Beautiful but annoying. On top of that, we found the best produce market I have ever been too. The prices were so low that we couldn't leave and kept going in for more. We have become like rabbits eating only veggies. Avocados were only 25 cents, so guacamole has been on the menu almost everyday with the purchase of 16. 
    There seems to be a renewed feeling in the bus. For a short bit, the three of us were sick of the cold and rain. With being in the warmth and completing the biggest adventure of our lives, we seem to be nothing but smiles. So many folks in the beginning of our idea and adventure told us it wouldn't work but here we are. One year later being funded by you. I can't thank you enough everyone for being there for us! I'm looking forward to being home and doing my final blog of the year looking back on everything that's happened to me. Life is so very good!