I left Payson Wednesday morning and rode to Twentynine Palms, California. The northern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park is in Twentynine Palms. Thursday, I rode to Camarillo, California. I will be here until Monday. I spent much of today riding around the canyons in the Santa Monica mountains.

I am staying at an Airbnb. The man who owns the house is originally from Johnson City, TN. He went to Cherokee High School in Rogersville and East Tennessee State University. He majored in digital media and he now works developing video games.

I have not done much today. I visited with Elmer Jean, and then I rode south on Arizona Highway 87. It is the primary highway between Payson and the Phoenix area. It is a mountains dessert area with breathtaking views. I am headed to California in the morning. I am going to stay Twentynine Palms, California tomorrow night. The town is in the dessert near Joshua Tree National Park.

I spent most of today hanging around Payson. I did go see Montezuma’s Castle in Camp Verde, Arizona. The castle is an adobe structure built in the side of a cliff over 1,000 years ago. The natives used it as a dwelling for about 300 years. I will be in Payson one more day; I am going west Wednesday.

I left Weaverville last Sunday, April 17. Since then, I have mostly ridden by day and slept by night. I did spend two nights in San Antonio, TX next to the famous Riverwalk. If you have never been, it is worth a visit, but it is not on my list of places to return to. I spent most of the free day with Robert Cadena, an Army buddy, and his wife Eva.

Currently, I am in Payson, AZ. Another Army friend, Elmer Jean, is in the Payson Care Center. He has been there about four years. He had a stroke that left him paralyzed on his right side, and he is unable to talk. None-the-less, it was good talking to him, and I plan to visit again before I leave Payson. I am spending three nights here.

I meant to post to the blog every night, but the first attempt did not work, and I have not felt motivated to determine the problem before now. I hope that I can post every night.