April 30 – May 1, 2013.
Stage 7: Grand Canyon NP to Tucson, 5 hours

One step and one day closer to destiny. Have I ever told you that border crossings scare the piss out of me? Tucson was the final layover before crossing into Mexico, where my Odyssey truly began.

My friend and former outside sales representative, Dan Maloney, hosted me for two nights in Tucson, greeting me with a fresh margarita and his mama’s famous enchiladas. We had a crazy night of lots of catching up and too much booze.

The following day, while I was racing around Tucson gathering up the final items I would need for my Odyssey and freaking out about my date with destiny and the Mexican Frontera, Dan reached out to a friend who owns a home on the beach in Bahia de Kino, asking if he could recommend good lodgings in the town. His friend went one better and offered to let me stay at his house with he and his friend. They were heading down for the weekend and said they would be happy with my company! What good luck! It is always nice to have a landing pad for the first night in a foreign country.

With my plans set I was able to relax that final night in the USA, getting a good night’s sleep, and waking up long before the sun so I could hit the road early.