Summer 2022 Boondocking with Cleo and Nova
I didn’t set out to prove anything with what my husband and friends considered an ambitious solo road trip. As I said in my first blog post, for years I’ve wanted to do a cross-country road trip in an RV. Turning 60, in retrospect, was simply a convenient hook for the trip. A way to mark the moment. To see parts of the county without the usual tourist experience of teleporting in for peak experiences. I wanted to give Cleo and Nova opportunities to experience different environments and maybe as a result become more confident.
We made it back home to Tampa only two days after our scheduled return driving 7,210 miles through 22 states with only one small mishap. We were able to find refuge and support at friend Michelle Huuhnke’s home after that stressful event. We raised some money for Cleo’s rescue, FurEver Friendz (thank you, friends and family!). And I returned home after 40 days on the road with a broken Netflix habit and the understanding that I need more contact with nature on a regular basis. I discovered too how many beautiful places there are in this county, many of them unsung.
It took courage for me to give myself such a gift. Like many women finding joy in taking care of others, for 30 years I’ve shouldered the responsibilities of family and community. But the nest is empty and I have time and resources. With Pluto transiting six of my major natal planets in the next ten years, I’m told by my astrologer to expect deep exploration and rebirth, a stripping away of the superficial. People experiencing Pluto transits typically let go of what is not working in their lives and/or re-engage more deeply with what is.
I’m feeling the magic of this astrological event, and a growing faith unaffiliated with institutional religion, that I’m an expression of a loving and benevolent cosmic force. The trip helped me to sow seeds – to trust my intuition and open my heart to what’s next for my life.
Highlights
As we drove into the area surrounding Zion National Park the gorgeous landscape brought me to tears. Being overcome by extreme beauty is disorienting. The terrain changed with each new twist in the road, each new spectacular view sufficiently dramatic to unmoor me. After a few days of driving in the area, I was able to get my bearings and we made it into Arches National Park.
The day opened up for us quite naturally to explore the park before heading to our next stop at Needles Outpost located a half-mile from Canyonland National Park. We never made it into Canyonland proper, but the drive to our overnight stay so close to the park guaranteed we would see the dramatic land formations so different than those we enjoyed at Arches.
A random visit to a BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campsite, Temple Mountain Townsite Campground, will be forever etched in my memory. We lost all WiFi contact. My last text to one friend was, “oh God.” Presumably, I was referring to the beauty I was seeing. After that text, I couldn’t communicate with anyone that we were fine for another 23 hours. My friend, fearing the worst, was not amused and prepared to wait one more hour before calling the Utah State Police. Fortunately, I got in touch just in time but I’ll forever regret causing someone who cares about me distress. The experience turned out well for us when the Henchman family from Maryland arrived soon after to share the campsite.
Surprises
There were some really interesting quirky RV parks I’ll remember fondly. I found family-run RV parks generally cheaper, friendlier, with fewer rules, and often with unique natural settings. Southfork Campground on the Rio Grande river was particularly spectacular.
For $36.40 with full electric/water hook up we stayed at the Crockett Frontiers Campground in Kentucky. The beautiful cemetery across from the entrance was where we visited to do yoga and read tombstones.
We stayed at the Sasquatch Farm in Tennessee a few days before arriving home. It was a strange delight. We did find Sasquatch. I purchased a Sasquatch t-shirt.
Winnie
I fell in love with that beautiful Winnebago Navion 2020. We were partners. Gorgeous, capable, and hardworking, Winnie took scrape wounds at the hands of her inexperienced driver without complaint. I filed an insurance claim to restore her to her beautiful self. There were a few tears when we said goodbye.
Road Conditions
Road conditions brought me to earth on the ambitious concept I’d imagined for the trip. Boondocking continuously without water/electric hook-up is difficult and really not possible 100% of the time. Unless one is willing to take the time to hunt down dump stations and truck stops. RV travel is an exercise in resource management. The solar power stayed charged to run the lights and refrigerator, but not the other appliances or the air-conditioner. My foodie friends love me in spite of my excessive use of the microwave for “cooking.”
Winnie’s generator, powered by the diesel engine, will power the microwave and air-conditioner but is unpleasantly loud. Managing water supply is another important task. Traveling with a full water tank lowers gasoline mileage. Yet arriving at a boondocking location without water means you might not shower that evening. I learned to use the many convenient family-run RV parks when we were between farms I found listed on Harvest Hosts.
Letting Go
On day #14 in Cornell, Wisconsin at our campsite at Burnet Island State Park it became clear that I needed to do some cutting if we were to make it back home when expected. I had to let go of the lavender farm in Quincy, Washington. A disappointment for sure. We turned south as we reached western Montana to begin working our way to southern Utah, an important destination to slow down, a climax for the trip.
California was easy to let go of, mostly wineries anyway. Gas was reported to be selling for about $8 a gallon. At the start of the trip, gas prices all over the country were rising. What could I do? The trip was in motion. To a friend who asked how much the trip was going to cost I replied, “have no idea, we’re going to find out.” And my generous husband didn’t insist on a budget, God bless him. But I observed limits. Never ate at a restaurant, and limited souvenirs to a few gifts, some coffee mugs, and a Sasquatch t-shirt.
Oregon too off the itinerary. I felt this loss. Did I mention I’m shopping for a tow-behind camper? I’ll be back.
Breweries and Wineries
Breweries got cut first. I enjoy beer only a little and breweries commonly offer their parking lots for RVs staying overnight. My overnight at the Flying J gas station taught me that boondocking in a parking lot is a pathetic experience. Walking Nova and Cleo on cigarette-strewn patches of grass of the typical gas station parking lot is not fun. In spite of the original plan, we didn’t make it to a single brewery.
We boondocked early in the trip at a few wineries. One, in particular, Uwharrie Vineyards, is a bird sanctuary and quite lovely. And yet, looking ahead I realized the wineries we’d planned to visit were often miles from major highways adding hours of drive time. I like wine as much as most, but not so much the winery vibe.
Farms
But the farms, oh the family farms, how I loved them. The family farms were almost without exception enjoyable. With friendly hosts and beautiful natural settings, I was more than happy to add mileage to the journey to reach them.
I had the chance to visit Janice Kelsey, an online friend introduced to me by my USF Patel College buddy Li Zhu. Janice’s property in Pennsylvania is a farm of sorts. She farms biogas for research funded by the USDA. Learning about the operation and the hope she is offering to citizens in third-world countries for energy independence is inspiring. I had a chance to interview her about her work in this post.
Third-generation cattle farmers Patti and Mark at Holmes Farm in Rosebud, Montana hosted us for a night. We had a marvelous time learning about Angus beef farming. The cheese at the Finney Raw Dairy in Hildale, Utah was amazing and the owner was very informative about infamous pedophile Warren Jeff’s history and the polygamist culture of Hildale. I found the A&H Farm in Kansas remarkable. The family (9 kids!) work together to combine farming with agritourism. The farm store was a magical place for fresh produce and locally made souvenirs.
Manhattan Community Garden
Cleo, Nova, and I, out for our walk the evening of our stay at A&H Farm, discovered by chance the gorgeous Manhattan Community Garden. Member Alan gave us a tour. He had many interesting things to say about gardening in a state like Kansas where chemical companies rule. He said no one uses the word organic or talks about regenerative farming in this part of Kansas.
Why did I do the trip like this?
A big surprise was how much I enjoyed the driving, I felt like royalty sitting high up on equal terms with truckers enjoying the view from big picture windows. Friends and neighbors hearing of my plans advised that I was trying to cover too many miles in too short of a time frame. I listened politely and kept my own counsel. I knew what I needed. Sure I ended up cutting out some places, but the daily intensity of moving to a new camp was exactly what I needed. My mind was totally absorbed by the practical demands of getting through each day, and adapting to a new campsite each night. One big surprise was how much I enjoyed the driving. I needed a reset, but only a gentle one. There was no life crisis. Not the kind, for example, depicted in the riveting movie Wild about Cheryl Strayed’s odyssey or that of the father grieving the loss of a son he never really knew in the movie “The Way.” There was no existential crisis about who I am or the meaning of life. I simply needed a bit of a challenge and private time to gain perspective. The trip helped me to sow seeds – to trust my intuition and open my heart to what’s next for my life.
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