Frank Lewis (View on flickr)

Dad - Abbott Fay at park near Grand Junction (View on flickr)

We just got back to Peru from a whirlwind trip back to the US. It was great, and exhausting. First, we had to take a 10-hour bus down to the coast from Cajamarca, then an 8-hour bus from Trujillo to the capital of Peru, Lima. Then we flew for ages to Boston, and we arrived in time for the main event that timed our trip: The 80th birthday celebration of Nancy's dad, Frank Lewis. We went to her brother Dan's cabin in New Hampshire and had a delightful celebration.

Then we flew to Denver and got to see Randy's kids, Elisheba and Mark, and drove to Grand Junction, Colorado to see Randy's parents. We got to walk with them and see their new home at the Atrium living center in Grand Junction - they have a beautiful cottage, complete with even more space than they had before, a garage, and a meal a day at the nice facility next door. Very good setup.

Then we drove back to Denver and had a get-together with friends which was an absolute delight. Several friends came to say hello, and even one set of bike tourists we'd never met, Nick and Dave, two impressive young men who are about to set off from Denver on their way to Panama. Thanks to all of you who came and who couldn't for your friendship! Thanks, Ann, for the delightful hosting of the party!

The last couple of days were spent frantically trying to arrange all the gear we wanted to take back with us (warmer stuff for the mountains, new stuff we'd ordered and bought, etc.) It was incredibly stressful for me, especially when I decided to take my BOB trailer back with me instead of continuing using panniers (story to come). The change was a little risky, as I hadn't used the BOB since 2004 and it's been sitting lonely in a corner of Elisheba's garage. I was really afraid that I'd forget something that would make it unusable, or that it really wouldn't suit me, or that something would get lost in the airplane ride that would mess it all up... I haven't been so anxious in years. Anyway, we got it all packed up, got on the plane, and made it back to Lima, took the 9-hour bus back to Trujillo, and got all set up at the Casa de Ciclistas again. (It all worked, and I'm happily riding with the BOB trailer. I'll write more about that later.)