Last night we boondocked at the Flying J Travel Center in Brookville, PA. Spending an extra day with Janice to fully explore her biogas research project meant I’d need to improvise our travel schedule. We are expected at a friend’s house in Illinois on Friday. The only way to make up the roughly 700 miles would be to cancel a few reserved stops at a winery and a brewery and take a more direct route. Time to try out parking lot boondocking.

At the Flying J, we watched the trucks come and go and shared the parking lot with a couple of dudes living out of their cars, Nomadland style. Maybe given a choice they’d live no other way. It’s easy to imagine myself in similar circumstances if my luck and fate shifted. God bless them.

The Flying J was a functional camping experience. There were no beautiful trees shading my morning yoga or space for the pups to play off-leash. After a brief coffee, we topped off the gas tank and hit the road. An hour later we pulled off at a rest stop, spread the yoga mats beneath the trees and fixed breakfast. Love this solar-powered vehicle.

Truckers have become my best friends. Sure I grip my steering wheel every time they pass, bracing for the wind shear. And yet, I frequently find one to follow who chooses a pace that fits my own. Yesterday I had a great trucker friend who for hours provided excellent guidance. I basically did whatever he (or she?) did, switching lanes for cars entering the highway, and swerving when he did to avoid road debris. Daily driving for four to six hours a day requires enormous focus. Driving conditions are unpredictable. There are constant dangers. Blown out tire debris to avoid, road construction, motorcyclists zipping past with abandon, and drivers with no patience for my often slower pace.

Day # 7, Cleo and Nova are adjusting to the routine. Cleo, who lived on the streets as a young pup, has better skills for adapting to new situations. She watches and responds to changing conditions with all the survival instincts that come with knowing how to fend for yourself. Nova, the protected beloved baby of the family has WTF moments. Yesterday she crawled all 40 lb’s of her hairy self into my lap, sending laptop and coffee to the floor. She’ll get two melatonin chews today.

If you enjoy this blog, please consider donating to Furever Friendz, Inc., the Spring Hill shelter where we found Cleo. Please adopt, don’t shop when you are ready to bring a new pet into your family.