Wawarsing to Maine

Sunday June 28, 2015
We are parked at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick Maine. It is raining, hard. It has been raining (hard) since last night.  The drumming of the rain on Shelly’s skylights made sleeping a pleasure.  Maine is beautiful. We are happy to be here.

This trip has been different from our last. I was amazed to count the days yesterday and discover we have only been traveling for nineteen. So much has happened. The days are long and full. So full that there has been little time to write, and even less access to wi-fi. I fear this will be a long post.

So, about ten days ago we made it back to the Catskills and the Piatek family. This is the home and family we left when we wandered off to Oregon together in 1974. H’s mother and brothers and sisters made their lives in the area and had wonderful children, one of whom is getting married in July. So, we are here, and we are cool because for the first time EVER since moving away, we feel like we have the time and the space to enjoy and explore, and hang out with family and eat a lot of cake from Cohen’s Bakery, and have our own space. (Instead of flying in and out for short and expensive visits.)

When we arrived on Friday, we parked Shelly in the shade of a lush Catalpa tree across from Babi’s house. She is “almost” 95 and still wonderful. Not surprisingly, the weather was hot and muggy, and I was just beginning to rebound from the effects of my allergy attack. To speed the healing, Wanda gives me samples of lovely soothing creams from the spa at Lake Mohonk, where she works, and I took my pills. After the hectic cross country trip, is good to be in one place for a while.  The dogs, who seem to be a big hit with everyone, are behaving admirably.

Family lunch on Saturday comes from a good new Asian restaurant in Stone Ridge. This was good, but if you know H, you know he was disappointed - when we come to Babi’s house we eat Polish food, or we used to. Now, the food at the Polish restaurant in town is terrible, and at her age, Babi doesn’t cook anymore. 

We spent the next five days eating, visiting with family, talking about wedding plans, relaxing and having a lovely time. On Wednesday morning, we headed out again. It was a beautiful day. Hank drove through Connecticut, into Rhode Island.   

Getting into the New England spirit of our trip, I ate my first lobster roll on a bay side deck in Narragansett, R.I. The waitress claimed their lobster rolls were rated 9^th in the state. I’d give them a 14. However, next door at a fish market I was mesmerized by a thick filet of local striped bass that had our name on it for dinner.

After lunch we drove into Massachusetts, through the town of New Bedford to look at an ancient church whose red and historic tower that drew us off the highway and through the crowded streets to find the building. Then we drove on.

It was a long day of driving - including a stint in rush hour traffic getting through Boston. We spent the night at Burlingame State Park in Massachusetts.  Once parked, I roasted the beautiful striped bass with lemon and olive oil. YUM

Though the location of the park, surrounded by three bodies of water, and lit at dusk like a French Impressionist painting, was lovely, the park was noisy and crowded. We left in the morning, just hoping to get somewhere to stop and rest. I think we were burned out. It had been a long drive – no matter how you looked at it … and stressful in ways both good and difficult. 

Our next goal was simply to reach the state of Maine, with a quick stop in New Hampshire at the state liquor outlet.Finally, around noon on Friday, we began seeing signs for Portland (and moose) and lobster, on the road. 

So now, we are here, loving the delicious local seafood, the exquisite green trees, the vast swaths of land and blue water, and some time to unwind and eat, and eat. We plan to spend our time working our way north to Acadia National Park, but every day and every mile so far has been beautiful, rain or shine.  More later.There is lots more to say about Maine.

All the Way Across (and other stuff)

June 20, 2015

One pill makes me sleepy and the other makes me shake … 

To back up a little, remember the beautiful pool I mentioned in the last post? In that little town in Nebraska where everything was pleasant, a danger lurked that I did not fully understand for two more days when I began to itch. 

First a few spots on my upper thighs appeared, then a spot on my right palm. While driving in Ohio I noticed that the back of my neck not only itched, but was swollen and hot – even my ears were hot. In a smart move I removed my rings and pendant. This turned out to be very smart, because in about an hour the itch on my palm had spread to my whole hand – and then across to my left. That night, I could not sleep for the itching and swelling and welts that were now all over my body. 

A trip to the pharmacy early in the morning recommended Calamine lotion and Claritin. Mild relief only – the welts were on the march – ebbing occasionally and then rushing in again. I really am not sure of the cause of the reaction, but the chlorine in the pool seems to be a likely culprit though it might have been unfamiliar pollen or grasses in any of the lush green parks where we stayed, or it might have been something in the food we ate … I may never know, and neither did either of the doctors I saw on two visits to Urgent Care in Ohio. 

 

Thank goodness for H, who, after noticing that the knuckles in my hands had disappeared, located an office close to Mosquito Creek Park where we were camped. And, thank goodness for modern medicine.  On Tuesday night I was given a shot of a steroid and I told to expect results in a few hours. I was so relieved to think this was over, but I was MUCH worse all night and returned to Urgent Care in the morning for another shot, and a prescription.

 Now, though I am much better, if I am moments late to take my drug cocktail of Prednisone and Benedryl the itching starts again and the welts raise their heads. All of this points to the fact that when traveling anywhere, especially to new, unknown and remote locations (as we like to do) it is important to be aware of the location of medical facilities and be prepared for emergencies. Exactly what this preparedness should look like is an unanswered question, but this experience has reduced my sense of security a little bit. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

On the plus side, while I rested and reclined on the camper couch, H drove, and yesterday, day ten of our trip, we arrived in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, our number one destination. It is such a pleasure to suddenly be in a familiar location, to turn off the GPS and head to H’s favorite place, Cohen’s Bakery.  Then (and only then) did we head to his mom’s home.

Now we are ensconced with family and old friends, and enjoying some needed down time among the trees and birdsong. Family lunch today, fresh berries for dessert.  Also, phone calls to plan for our time and visits while here. Next week we will continue to adventure, adding more states to the 18 we have so far visited in our trusty camper Shelly.  However, this will be home base for the month.

Yay for us, we made it across the country, back to the very place where H and I met and began our adventure together, a cool 41 years ago this week.

PLEASANTVILLE

Aurora Nebraska  June 14, 2015

So far this trip can be best described as a drive-thru flyover. We have stopped for nothing; not the Pendleton Mills, not a photo of the stunning red rocks in Utah. We ignored Wyoming for the most part, missed the great Salt Lake, did not stop and see Victor, and passed under the Great Platte River arch  at 62 miles per hour. After all the miles of open land and farms and the occasional mall, we had no high expectations of Nebraska.

We were wrong, at least here in Aurora. after 1500 miles of travel, five states in five days. Serendipity has deposited us, down a long road lined with corn fields as far as the eye can see, road weary and saddle sore in Aurora, a classic American town that looks and feels like the location of the movie Pleasantville. 

 This town well-kept  Best of all, the campsite, in the park, behind the fabulous water center, welcomes campers for free, for up to four nights.  That’s where we are today, day six of the trip.

The streets here  are paved with red brick and lined with. mature trees in full summer leaf. The houses are in the Victorian style, or bungalows. Fresh paint, large lawns, flower filled front gardens. A beautiful, large and important building in the center of town is rich red clay and brick. There is an old bandstand, of white marble, that I think was where George made an impassioned speech in the movie, Its a Wonderful Life.

We spent a peaceful night sleeping in the quiet park. I spent the early afternoon swimming in the perfect pool at the edge of the park. $3.00 for the pool and the showers. The water and air temp both 84 degrees. My dishes are washed, we are both showered, the dogs are happy. All is good here so we are staying another night, relaxing and refreshing for the next leg of the journey. As I said, this place is truly … pleasant. It gives me that slightly hypnotic sense of having stepped back in time (which I do not consider a bad thing.)

 There's an Old-fashioned ladies dress shop with mannequins in the window. The bar and grill is exactly what you'd expect, and closed on Sunday.The people seem genuinely nice, such as the old gentleman watering the flower baskets on the lamp posts who pointed us in the right direction, or the couple who admired our dogs,  or the lovely lifeguard at the pool who told me about her home town– in glowing terms. 

Even in the course of these few days, we have established a travel rhythm. H drives two hours, I drive two, then H takes over til we camp. In this way we have been traveling more than 300 miles per day. The usual schedule is 9 – 4:30 on the road, and then the long evenings to enjoy in camp. We prefer parks, state or otherwise to RV parks. Most nights have been without services (and two were free), but we did spend one night in a KOA in Wyoming (for the showers) It was surrounded by enormous white crude oil tanks. There is a boom in this area because of all the oil coming in via fracking. Its been great for the local economy we are told.

Later, we drove through a wild storm in Utah, watching lightning flash and the storm approach across the vast open sky. And we drove across lots (and lots) of vast open land – referred to by family members variously as “the big nothing,” and “the place where America stores its “empty.”  (Thank JZ) This is not exactly so. There has been lots of rain this season, so the vast stretches of land along the roads is filled with life, wildflowers, grasses, cattle, antelope. The fifty shades of green we are seeing is in strong contrast and lovely to the dry grey gold of our southern travels last winter.  I do recall that this was the scene of the Dust Bowl, so, even the rain squalls that keep arriving are vey welcome.
And of course, seeing the Rockies appear on the horizon has never failed to thrill me.

Early on in our trip we determined that our primary goal is to get back East and see family and friends and eat lobster. All the things in the middle are less important. So we are hauling. But we are really glad that we have stopped our eastward tear long enough to enjoy and appreciate the beautiful place we are in now.Tomorrow it back on the road.

A note about finding serendipity (AKA Aurora Nebraska) – we found this using an app called AllStays that showed it on the map along I-80. There were no signs on the road, so without our technology, we might not have found it. 

Time to Go

Today is 6.9.15, a pleasing number. My son was born on 3.18.81 so I have always considered these multiple of three dates good luck. I hope so, because we are taking off again this morning. As exciting as it is to leave on another adventure, I am writing at 6 am because I can't sleep.I can attest that the birds started singing at 5:30 - but not at 4:30.

Prepping for this trip was easier than last time simply because we now know what we are doing and what needs to be done. As we traveled last winter, H and I developed a great rhythm for taking care of what needed to be done, quickly and efficiently. This has carried over so that packing and planning is fairly seamless.  I am also pleased to note an advantage to total home leaving means that my refrigerator gets cleaned several times a year. This in itself makes travel worthwhile.

Traveling in summer will be different in many ways from snow-birding. One thing for sure, especially once school is out, there will be more competition for camping spots, more people around (no parks to ourselves seems a safe bet), and higher prices for camping and gas. On the plus side, longer days, lots more light ...though if this morning is any indicator, based on my previous tendency to rise with the sun and sleep when its dark, I will be getting lots less sleep.

It would be nice to say that we are traveling lighter this time, but traveling cross country, even in summer requires that we carry clothes for heat, sun, rain, swimming and potential cold. Also, we are going to a wedding so party clothes are included in the mix. Now that we know how much time we have for reading we are carrying an impressive library of books to read and trade. We also know that it is fairly easy to cook great meals in the camper (Shelly in case you forgot). Once again I have packed the pressure cooker, and this time, mostly basics to be rounded out by local produce to be found at farmer's markets along our route.  (Mmmm lobster, raspberries, home grown tomatoes.)

My  art supply kit IS lighter this trip. I learned that in spite of my most creative intentions, I have little time and less focus for making art. My camera is my creative companion. The pictures I took last winter have provided endless inspiration for me and for my students.

Speaking of which - the time we have been home has been as busy and as full as my time on the road. I like this idea of interweaving travel and teaching, making art and thinking about the art I will create. Since I have been home my teaching schedule has been full, and my studio filled with work in progress. I hung a show of my own work last week, as well as a display of student art at MAC. I entered my senior's work into a contest, and got juried into a new show set for the fall. Not bad for three months. Now I will have some fallow time before I return in August to teach several workshops and prepare for the show in October. I like this ... keeping busy keeps me happy and focused.

So, to quote my dad once again ... We are off, the Captain shouted (and the oars began to leak.)

Wish us well .... and follow our adventures.  By the way, I have fixed this blog so that YOU (dear readers) can respond directly to me in the comments below (at least I hope so.)  Happy summer.

The Last Part of the First Adventure

We were back at the beach where we planned to spend the rest of our time before returning home. The weather was almost constantly beautiful. Every day and every night provided magnificent sunrises and sunsets and long walks in the sand. The days were growing longer, and we enjoyed every moment.

Staying in one place for two week allowed us to make friends with other regulars - especially the three couples we met from Oregon. Hank found a great buy on the bread machine of his dreams. We drove to Santa Barbara to get it. On return, he dazzled our campsite neighbors with the smell of baking bread and babka. We learned that sharing babka (a sweet bread made with vodka, orange peel and raisins) is a nice way to make friends.

Much as we hated to leave, it was time to return home. To my surprise, the trip back took only three days (two nights). This means it only takes three days to get back !!!! if we stay on the highway.

We stopped at a roadside market on the way out of Carpinteria and bought citrus and strawberries to sustain us. I had been told that the route along I-5 was ugly and boring. Not so. We were amazed by the huge stands of almond trees in full snowy bloom that lined both sides of the road. Of course seeing these only reinforced the potential harm of the terrible California drought. Nonetheless, they were beautiful and fragrant and highlighted by beautiful sky.

We drove about 350 miles the first day - following the rainbows that stayed all day (and started our day as well.) Dinner at the Harris Ranch was not as good as we remembered from an earlier visit, but our randomly selected camp ground was a beautiful surprise - lush with soft, dewy green grass - which we were told become the "Golden Hills" later in the season and stays that way most of the year. On arrival, we spotted herds of elk on both sides of us. Very nice.

The next day brought us almost to Oregon, past the heartbreakingly low lakes at Mt. Shasta. We spent a very chilly night at a campsite that appears to be someone's backyard property, grabbed breakfast at a diner, and were home before dinner. What a trip.

Happily - all was well at home. Our cat was thrilled to see us, and and our bed was a comfortable as we remembered.One thing we knew for sure, we were home from this trip, but we want to go again.

So - tomorrow (June 9) we head out again. I am sure that a summer trip will be different from winter travel - longer days on the plus side, the heat that has descended so early this year, on the down. As Hank says, we will see.

Back to the Beach

Note: I am posting this after we have returned home, as we prepare for our next adventure.

MARCH 2015
Now, back in glorious Carpentaria, lolling on the beach and reveling in sunshine, surf and spectacular sunsets, it is hard to believe how much we did and saw the past few weeks.

That’s the thing about travel, the days tend to be rich with new, or at least, different experiences. A week can fly by with a month’s worth of stuff having happened.  So briefly to catch up:

After we left Clovis, NM we drove over 300 miles, climbing in elevation all day, and arrived in Tijeras New Mexico , not far from Albuquerque.

Nearing the RV Park we had selected, we noticed snow on the ground in shady areas along the road. But it was warm and sunny – tank top and sandals weather. 

I am always surprised at how different RV parks can be. Some are parking lots with a bathroom, service hookups and laundries, others are communities where many people live full time in their RV's.  And lots of things in between. This place,  just off the main road, behind a gas station, was a community, at least in winter when there are fewer travelers.

Here, the campsites stretched up a mud and gravel hill, woods stretched out in two directions. The office was large and inviting, and had a varied collection of books and CDs. The price was good and we were tired.

As we walked the dogs we met a park resident who reminded us that we were just miles from Santa Fe, and the Georgia O’Keefe Museum. He also said something about the park being kind of muddy when it rained, but we were standing in full sun ….

We awoke to 21 degrees, a frozen water hose and SNOW!Not a day to travel up to even colder temps and higher elevations. So, the lobby library worked out well.

We spent the day cozy in our camper, reading, eating, napping and watching a video.  As the snow melted, the dirt turned to mud, so thick it was almost impossible to walk around – the mud clogging the soles of my shoes (don't even ask about the dogs).



The next morning was so cold that the mud had frozen.  The sun was shining. We were able to head  up the Turquoise Road 40 miles to Santa Fe, climbing so high we were above the clouds. 

But first, Trader Joe's appeared on the horizon. From there, knowing that our larder was once again full,  I spent the morning at the wonderful Georgia O'Keeffe museum. I loved seeing the paintings, looking at photos of the artist, and especially, seeing her actual tools, view and work space. Mine is much messier.

We had a great lunch, and walked around the shops and galleries, and admired the architecture against the cobalt blue sky. Then, though I'd have loved to spend more time here, we were both hating the altitude and dryness.  It was time to head south to warmer temperatures.

That night the park on our route was Red Rocks State Park in Gallup New Mexico. Once more, we were awed to just wind up in a place so awesomely unique and beautiful, and just in time to see the incredible color of rock formations before the sun set. 

In the morning, our map showed that the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest was just ahead.  This was a site I have always wanted to see. I was not disappointed. What moved me the most, among the stunning shapes and colors and the sheer empty enormity was the rock with hieroglyphics from an ancient native American..

This stunning scenery did not even begin to prepare us for the magic of Sedona, which we arrived at on a Saturday morning. The place was so crowded that lines of traffic stretched for miles on the road coming in from both directions. We spent the day, fighting for parking, crowded among people, and finally drove on - it was hot and we were ready to get back to the beach.

Driving out of Sedona heading east took us along more stunning and terrifying roads at the edge of cliffs, but we made it to a campsite by dark, and were back on the road in the morning. One more night, back at the desert camp near Joshua Tree National Park, and a half day more on the road, and we were back at the beach.

 See the next post for the final installment of Snowbirds Winter Adventure 2015.

Then I will have to begin the next adventure - Cross Country Summer . ... coming soon

The Stars at Night ARE Big and Bright

Tuesday February 10, 2015
Today we are in New Mexico again, and a lot has happened since my last entry, so to catch us up …

New Mexico Sunset

After the caverns, we spent several days on the road in Southern Arizona, where we visited Bisbee and Tombstone. The drive into Bisbee was an interesting drop into a red rock canyon. It’s a classic old west town famous for its copper mine and the turquoise jewelry made from the mine products. The streets of the old part of town are lined with shops and galleries, but in my opinion, the prices were way high and the merchandise targeted at tourists.

It did not help that the weather was grey and chill. The best thing to come out of that visit was the discovery of a writer of mysteries, JA Jance, whose character Joanna Brady is sheriff of Bisbee. I really enjoyed the book I found in an RV park library. Tombstone was also all about the tourists, but it was fun to stomp along the boardwalk streets, in front of the saloon, watching the desperados getting ready for the 3:30 shootout. On the way out of town, heading to a place to spend the night, we bought local pecans and pistachios from a good old boy nut farmer along the road.

The following morning we headed to New Mexico, where the sun came out illuminating the dry golden grass that lined the highway. We spent two days and nights at Rock Hound State park, high on a hill in a dry camp site. The first day and night were beautiful, the sunset took hours and was the most intense colors, with a backdrop of city lights from distant Deming. The second night a wind started to howl, buffeting the trees and our camper on the hill. So we headed out early -  Texas bound.

From that point on, the weather turned nasty. We entered Texas in El Paso, where, as in AZ and NM we passed border patrols. The air was polluted – making my eyes and nose run. 

In my opinion, Texas is just ok – or less. Though I enjoyed another trip here a few years ago, I did not love it. First of all, it does not know that it should be warm and sunny and have Florida-like beaches. Also, Texas is very big, which means long drives when traveling, and it has weird frontage roads that can make getting places, and getting back, very confusing. This approach does keep local traffic off the highways, and that is good, because in the cities, there is LOTS of traffic. This brings me to something else I don’t like about Texas highways. There are way too many animal corpses on the roads. Deer, (I counted twelve in one stretch,) skunks, wild boar, even an antelope. I wonder if the 75 mph speed limit has anything to do with it, or is it just a side effect of endless roads through empty, dry, mostly flat, country.


I love the colors in the sky

Also, (don’t tell H), but Texas has a bad political rep among some of my nearest and dearest. However, H’s sister Anna lives in Austin now, in a new house, and so was on our travel agenda (as long as we are traveling we may as well go to Texas.) And, she has a pool. So we traveled hundreds of miles through bleak weather and scenery to spend a week with her. The weather throughout the week was cold, rainy and lousy, the perfect time to be in a home, sleep indoors, watch lots of movies and eat great food. But I never made it into the pool. On the plus side, we were introduced to Central Market. In my opinion, hands down the best food store I have ever experienced. Let’s just say that we ate well (and often) in Austin.

Speaking of food, on our way to Austin, after a long rainy morning, we drove into Fredericksburg – the first sign of a ‘nice’ little city we had encountered. Instead of rocks, tumbledown stone houses and tumbleweed we found lovely shops, a wide main street and a distinctly German flavor. We had lunch in a German Cafe and bought pastries in a German Bakery. As we drove out, toward Austin, I was surprised to see that the road was lined with beautiful wineries and vineyards. Who knew Texas made wine?

Shelly in the Grove of Live Oak

I cannot talk about Texas food without mentioning BBQ, an irresistible favorite for H, (and my son and my son-in-law), but not me. The night before, road weary and hungry, and still miles from Austin, we had dinner at Linn’s BBQ. The sign outside says the world’s best. Maybe not, but the ribs were good and H liked the way they were served with pickles, onions and pickled jalapenos. I liked an impressive display of beautiful canned fruits, pickles, quail eggs and preserves. They gave me a downhome feeling – a Texas sense of place.

So does the friendly and gregarious way that Texans seem to talk to strangers, and each other. They (waitresses, camping receptionists, store clerks) call me “sweetheart, love, darlin’.”  It always takes me a moment to figure out who they are talking to; kind of creeps me out and charms me at the same time. One thing that surprises me here is how rarely I actually hear a good ole Texas drawl. Where did they go? I was about to find out.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

After a week in Austin, we drove north, a different route from the one we came in on (the mere thought of revisiting that drive made us feel ill.) As it turns out, the finale of our Texas trip made up for the rest. We camped at Friendship Park, on Hord Creek Lake in Coleman, in a grove of Live Oak, next to a lake, where herds of deer shared the vast gold grass fields. We had almost the entire, enormous, park to ourselves and it was 75 degrees and sunny, and peaceful and beautiful. The man who registered us was the quintessential Texas gent, hat, drawl, sunny disposition. With our senior citizen card (sigh), it cost $8 per night. And, as promised, the stars at night were … glorious.

My favorite part of this adventure however was our Sunday breakfast at Tiffany’s in town. Grits, biscuits and gravy, juke box, accents, sweet talk. It satisfied every appetite and made us both feel good.

On Monday, we were back on the road, and made it back into New Mexico (318 miles) in time to camp in Clovis, near the border. This town is home to stock yards and railroad trains – we left early (enough said about Clovis.)  Today, Tuesday, we are close to Santa Fe in Edgewood, at a great RV park. Tomorrow, we are going to the Georgia O’Keefe museum and I am so excited.  I’ll tell you all about it next time.

Caves

I have never been in a cave, and I am more than a little claustrophobic. In fact the idea of visiting the Colossal Caves Mountain Park, located in Saguaro State Park in Arizona hit several of my fear notes, (in alphabetical order) bats (which are park of the cave system,) caves and deserts. Other than that I was really looking forward to it. On the topic of fears, as I mentioned in the last post, we were camping, alone, in this desert park high on the mountain, with no services (read cell phone connections) in a locked campsite. However, we had committed ourselves, and  selected our campsite. There was lots of daylight left and nothing much else to do so we took the opportunity to spend the afternoon touring the  cave. However, before signing up for the tour, I verified that there would be no crawling through tight places (the very thought makes me panic). The experience was amazing, we walked up and down 360 steps, between the cave walls, awestruck at the shapes looming in dimly lit darkness, and respectful of the terrifying dark spaces that were just off the carefully maintained path. This adventure became and a precursor to an even more awesome cave on the following day.

These photos taken at Colossal Cave do not begin to capture the sense of time and earth I experienced under the ground. I am glad I went. I did not see even one Cave Bear, but our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. I am now able to identify "cave bacon" on a moment's notice.

The following day, emboldened by the amazing and fascinating experience in the first cave, we headed down the mountain (me happy to have survived the night). After H's visit to the Air and Space Museum, we headed to Kartchner Caverns to "experience a stunning limestone cave in Southeastern Arizona that boasts world-class features. This “live” cave, discovered in 1974, is host to a wide variety of unique minerals and formations. Water percolates from the surface and calcite formations continue to grow, including stalactites dripping down like icicles and giant stalagmites reaching up from the ground."

We spent an hour and a half exploring this underground landscape. Photos are not permitted to protect the delicate formations. What an experience - we toured the Big Room, learned the amazing story of the how this cave was discovered and, for me, found an previously untapped interest in geology. Check out this video to get a sense of the cave. In my opinion, the video fails to express the sheer enormity of the space within the cavern.  This place came highly recommended as a MUST SEE. I agree. If you ever get the chance to  visit, do.  In addition, the campsite, where we spent two nights, was beautiful, and offered great desert hiking.

Other than the beauty of the stars in the utterly dark night sky, and the interesting shapes of the cacti, I cannot say that I see much beauty in the desert – at least not here, and not now. But I am fascinated by the history of these ancient places. Rock formations are millions of years in the making. Indian tribes lived on this land 800 years ago, and a huge saguaro hit by lightning will take more than two years to die, so, I am in no hurry to leave.

Today we are in Tucson. Tomorrow … we’ll see.

Dry Camping

January 24, 2015

I had never even heard the words dry camping in combination until recently, but sometime last year, when the van was new to us, a very intrepid friend came to visit and told us of her adventures in a similar vehicle, in which she said she could camp anywhere – even the side of the road, the desert or the woods. She could do this because the van was self-contained – it had its own lights, water and propane stove. I heard what she said, imagined her in the wilds of nowhere, but I could not imagine myself camping anywhere but the types of places I had already seen – surrounded by others, in contact with “civilization.”

How wrong I was! And, how glad I am to have experienced dry camping for myself. I wrote about the first time, back in Big Sur on the mountainside over the ocean. This was a matter of necessity. But, then our entire time in Carpinteria, we camped without connecting to water, electricity and Wi-Fi, hardly a hardship because all we needed was either in the camp or the town.  And it greatly reduced our nightly costs.  
But, the night after we left the beach, I got my first taste of really DRY camping – a night on the desert – at the South foot of Joshua Tree National Park.

Just as the sun was setting we pulled down a dusty desert road off the highway and saw several other campers, spread across the sand. We pulled in (no sign-up, no fee) and parked just in time to see the sun set. The night sky offered us a personal planetarium experience, howling coyotes were the only sounds. We woke as the sun began to rise, lighting the desert with pastel light and a soft wind.  The dogs loved it too.

That day, we drove through Box Canyon, the desert road defined by soaring and varied rock formations unlike anything I have seen. We spent the afternoon and the night at the Salton Sea. Here too, we camped dry – with no service, but a few other vehicles around us, and access to really nice bathrooms and showers. There was little to see and do at the Salton Sea, so we headed out of California to Arizona and family. What a great time we had in Scottsdale. Great food, great wine, great company, great citrus and great fun. (Thank you Jaki.)  A highlight for me was our trip to the Phoenix Museum of Art where I got to see work by some of my favorite abstract expressionists. Lovely museum.

Yesterday, slightly spoiled by “normal” life, we headed out of Scottsdale, stopped for supplies, and drove south toward Tucson and the Pima Air and Space Museum high on H’s list of things to see.  We arrived in Tucson too late for a full visit to the museum, so we headed to Colossal Cave Mountain Park. Camping was ten dollars for the night, and talk about dry – we spent the night high up in the mountains, surrounded by cactus; saguaro, prickly pear, barrel and aloe (that I recognized) as well as mesquite. We were the only ones in the entire park. The only creature we saw was a beautiful hawk. The only way to describe this experience is to compare it to backpacking in a camper – spooky, self-sufficient and spectacular at the same time.

I am surprised to discover that we enjoy the simplicity of dry camping. The water we use is the water we carry. This means that I pay attention to how much is used for washing dishes and flushing the potty. Most places, even without services, have places to dump “grey and black” water, and hoses to fill tanks. Not all of course, so we need to be aware of the amount of water we carry. When we are connected to electricity, I have access to our combination microwave /convection oven. Without connection to electricity get power to run lights and refrigerator, heat and hot water from battery and propane.  We depend on our propane stove and (yikes) pots and pans for cooking. I have found that a pressure cooker is a great tool for cooking yummy food with little energy. Some mornings what I miss the most is toast.

On the plus side, the absence of connection means the absence of TV and other outside noise and news. We have our Iphones so we are not completely detached; except for nights like the one in Colossal Caves, where there is no service of any kind. The longer we go without TV etc, the less we miss it. It is surprising how much we find to talk about, how many books we can read, how peaceful the silence can be and how competitive we are becoming at 500 Rummy.

Most of all, I find we are both greatly appreciative of how little we need to be comfortable, interested and content with what we have.