On Friday night while it sprinkled, we loaded up Hondie for the long haul.

Phew! Lot o' miles of highway under the wheels of Hondie. Along the way from Charlottesville, Virginia, to our California summer home, I documented the journey with my camera and camera phone via Twitter and Instagram. #HondiesLastHurrah documented the social media journey. Now, I bring you all the rest of the photos.

Starting May 9, we drove and drove and drove until we reached Albuquerque, New Mexico. Not much for photo ops along the way because I was either sleeping or driving. Then, we detoured to the Grand Canyon. So glad we carved out a day to see the sight. If it's not on your to-do list, you should you ink it on there. Pictures don't do it justice.

The breathtaking view of the Grand Canyon.

From Virginia all the way to the Grand Canyon.

Apparently, these little guys might have the plague.

Along the South Rim near the visitor's center, tourists can walk and take in the view.

I wasn't so sure about looking over the side.

Look at me, standing with the Grand Canyon.

Cole walked out to the edge while I stood far away and took pictures.

And then ... he sat down! Yikes. But, he made it back up to me all right.

Then, we hiked down into the canyon, along the same trail the mules take.

Cole enjoys the views.

About halfway down, we reached Ooh Aah Point.

Down 1.5 miles, Cole stretches out on the edge.

We actually don't recommend the bathrooms.

On the way back up, which was steep, we took a celebratory halfway up picture.

That's where we have to make it to. It's so far away.

We reached the last leg, the very straight up leg.

Woo! We made it back out!

After a tiring day of hiking, we spent the night in Vegas — sleeping. Not the traditional way to do Vegas, but we were beat. The next day, we drove back out to the Hoover Dam. It's an amazing human feat. We even plunged into the depths to see the generators in motion.

The next day, we visited another marvel, the manmade type — Hoover Dam.

The dam supplies water and electricity to the surround area/states.

We took a tour down into the cement structure to see the generators.

Then it was onward to California. As we crossed the California line, I added another state to my list — never been here before.

California!

Shortly after the milestone for Hondie and I, a clunky noise started to come from Hondie's backside. The fall damage came lose, but luckily, Cole and electrical tape had it handled. After 10 minutes, we were back on the road and safely arrived at our destination the next day.

On the last leg, Hondie has his first trauma. Luckily, Doctor Cole was on hand to repair the side panel.

Putting electrical tape to the test.

I spent a little more than three days packed into Hondie, and it was an enjoyable trip.

Besides these images, check out my Road Trip to California 2014 album. It includes a panorama of the Grand Canyon and me doing some gymnastics.

Now, I have Bay Area adventures to share, but those are for another blog another day. The summer adventures are just beginning.