Hurray for infrastructure projects

(Big exhale)

I’m back on the road. Back to my normal life. My vagabond life. And it feels a little weird to have a totally open agenda. No appointments, no routine, no one with whom I must mesh my existence. I don’t need to hurry back from a short trip to help anyone out. I’m gone for good — well, except for a brief return to clear out Lou’s shop and sell his truck.

(Big exhale again)

So… Yesterday I got as far as Ironwood Forest National Monument outside Tucson. I’ve been there several times before but now something was different — other than my state of mind. The last couple of miles of road before the turnoff to a camping area had been utter crap. A layer of asphalt had been coming up in chunks. It was so bad people had been driving on the much smoother dirt shoulder. But now:

The new paving is a surprise since this is just a lightly traveled road out in the boonies, not some high-priority thoroughfare in town. Maybe it’s a sign for me. Or just a sign of public works working.