Family Mellmann

Patrick and I enjoyed one last meal together and said our farewells...again.  This time, it will be more than three weeks before we see each other again.  I'm sure I'll get used to this eventually... I hit the road around 10:00 and headed north.  My first stop was Tuba City, Arizona.  Tuba City sounded like a fun place to visit given my high school band experience (I played tuba), but then I learned that it has some history.  Tuba City is in the Navajo Nation.  Several Navajo citizens were part of the Code Talkers of WWII.  Marine Corps leadership selected twenty-nine Navajo men who created a code based on the complex, unwritten Navajo language.  This code was used to communicate military tactics and plans.  This system enabled the Code Talkers to translate three lines of English in 20 seconds versus the standard 30 minutes with existing code-breaking machines. The Code Talkers participated in every major Marine operation in the Pacific theater, giving the Marines a critical

Patrick and I finished out our day at Rustler's Rooste in Tempe.  Situated atop a...hill...it gave us some great views of the city below and a lovely sunset.  And the steaks and homemade baked beans were fabulous.