You know you're heading to OAZ when...

Yep, you know you're heading to Ol' Airy Zonie (OAZ) when you file your temporary forwarding addresses with the USPS.  You know you're heading to OAZ when you buy 6 gallons of RV antifreeze for your pipes. Yep, you know you're heading to OAZ when Sweetie Susun sez she'll have all her stuff packed and ready to go by October 12th.

The trees here are starting to turn colors.  The squirrels are burying their nuts and spiffing up their nests.  Thursday's high temp of 89 broke the 1957 record but today couldn't even top 60.  Over two inches of rain has come down since Saturday.  Yep, Fall is quite literally in the air.

Susun spent 12 hours over the past few days tidying up her half of our basement.  She did an outstanding job and now it is my turn to see if I can do as good or better than she did.  When this time of year rolls around, the pace of our lives definitely picks up. There is a tangible sense of urgency.  We've been through this drill ten times since we began our migration gig in 2010.  We have "The List," of course, but by now the "terms and conditions of our migration are burned into our brains.  We somehow instinctively know what needs to be done and when and how.  We know how to turn up the heat under our feet to move faster with focused purpose.  Yep, it's that time of year once again.

The truly cool thing about our migration this year is that we're flexible.  Yes, we will be ready to leave by October 12th.  But we don't necessarily HAVE to leave on that date.  If the weather is nice and we feel like lingering longer, we are free to do so.

If the weather is turning bad, we're outta here for sure by October 12.  However, we might just want to leave early so we can park our rig in the Sunset Campground at Bryce Canyon National Park and day hike day after day on those Terrific Trails traversing Hoodoo Heaven.

We've both agreed it's time for a change in the way we travel south to OAZ.  This is the first year we will be towing a 15-foot trailer and traveling together in the cab of Annie, our 1993 Chevrolet C2500 3/4 ton pickup truck.  It's a whole new pair-o-dime.

Staring at a Bryce Sunrise in April 2013.

Frankly, the allure of hanging out in Bryce during the glorious fall weather there is quite nearly overpowering.  We had our first taste of The Fall @ Bryce in 2001 when we volunteered 4.5 months for The Dixie National Forest north of Escalante, Utah.  We were required to travel often from Escalante to Panguitch in Garfield County, Utah.  That's how we had occasion to pass through Bryce many times in September and October of 2001.  We would often take our small tent and camp there amid the Fall Splendor of Bryce Canyon.

Every National Park is special.  Each National Park has its annual cycles and seasonal highlights.  Bryce Canyon National Park is blessed with a plethora of seasonal highlights, indeed, even DAILY highlights!  It's a fabulous, fantastic, fairy-tale kinda place when conditions conspire to focus the seasonal spotlight on Bryce.  That's why we are so smitten with the idea of leaving early this year.

Luckily, we have our GO TO GUY to watch our backs here in Idaho Falls.  Porter W. proved his mettle this summer in so many different ways.  He was easily the most enjoyable young man we both had the privilege of working with since we moved here in 2007.  He's a BYU-I Business Major.  His LDS Mission was in Norway and he's fluent in both speaking and writing Norwegian.  We couldn't possibly ask for a more reliable, dependable, trustworthy individual to do what needs to be done to put our place to bed for the winter.

This is the first year we've had the option of leaving with no fear of "what might not get done."  In past years we've always had to stay here to make certain that certain things got done...and done right.  This year, that's not a problem, thanks to Porter.  He charges $15 an hour and gives you $30 an hour of value.  He's that kinda guy.

So, yeah, that's why we got this here hankering to leave a little early this year.  Fall in Idaho Falls is a many-splendored thing, too.  Don't get us wrong.  There's plenty of allure to stay here, too.  It's just we hear the siren call of Bryce beckoning.  It's a siren call that reaches deep in our psyche....one that touches our the very roots of our Spirits together.

It's going to be very interesting to see how this year's seasonal migration actually shakes out.  Will we linger longer?  Will we split south sooner?

One thing's for certain--when you file your postal forwarding orders, you're know you're gone.  It's now just all a matter of the dates and the details.

Thanks for reading!  Happy Monday and Many Cheers, jp