Finally and too much of a good thing

Bighorn Sheep - young and old

Good things happen when you least expect them to. Ever since I arrived here a couple of months ago, I have been asked if I had seen any bighorn sheep yet. No, despite having hiked in areas the sheep hang out; we had come across their droppings and bedding but never seen any sheep. I had not seen ANY wildlife, OK some lizards. It is winter and the turtles, snakes and other critters are hibernating. So you can imagine how happy I was when we finally

Bighorn Sheep

saw them. Right there next to the main road through the Valley of Fire. We were driving to our hiking spot when Ron spotted them on the mountain side, a herd of at least twenty bighorn sheep, including some newborns, yeah!!!
What a way to start the day. We ended up hiking for four hours through one of the most amazing and beautiful areas of the park. Every time you turned

Sandstone - NOT photoshoped!

around there was another surprise waiting. The sandstone formations kept changing colors and shapes; white, red, yellow, purple, pink, stripes, circles,

Pre-historic creature?

alcoves, windows, arches. These wonders of nature were formed 150 million!! years ago through uplifts, faults and erosion. The explanation seems too simplistic to explain the diverse landscape. I feel that any explanation takes away from the magic of this area. It would be like knowing how a magic trick works. It felt a little overwhelming walking amongst so much beauty.

Window in sandstone

White, red, purple...

It never ends

Rainbow colored sandstone formation

Desert marigold

Eroded sandstone

A valley of colors

Life is like grains of sand that come together to form a rock; one of those things that came to me while wandering around all these sandstones. Don’t ask me what I mean by that. I would like to leave that up to your interpretation.

My backyard

Overton is a small town. There are no fixed population numbers to be found anywhere, but during the winter months the population increases by a couple of hundred.

Downtown Overton

Snowbirds from the northern states, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and even Canada, come down here to escape the deep freeze and all that snow in their states. The population for the Moapa Valley which encompasses an area of 44 square miles is approximately 8,000. Robbin’s Nest, my current

My ice-cream and sandwich place

home, is a community within the community; 150 mobile homes and a handful of RVs and trailers. If you stay long enough you get to know your neighbors.
Overton and neighboring Logandale melt into each other and they almost turned into bedroom communities for Las Vegas sixty five miles south.

Cattle in front of Mormon Mesa & Virgin Mountains

What once used to be farmland has turned into unfinished gated communities and large out of place homes on one acre lots. The development boom has come to a screeching halt with the bust of the housing market.

Old meets new "Cinderella Castle"

Robbin’s Nest is located at the south end of town, budding against the Overton Mesa. It is pretty cool to have your very own mesa in your backyard. I have walked out the backdoor and hiked / climbed over the foothills and slopes looking for a way to the top of the mesa. Not always easy and there has been that

Undeveloped housing lot

heart stopping moment once or twice (not to worry, I am always careful).

My backyard - Overton Mesa

Hiking around the desert with its washes, gullies and canyons is very different from a walk in the woods.
You always wonder what the first settlers and pioneers must have thought when they came through this part of the country. I feel a little bit like a pioneer when I am out there. Thinking I might be the first to have come this way

The spot where I climbed atop the mesa

until I stumble over a beer can most likely tossed away be an ATV (all terrain vehicle) rider. It is frustrating to see what gets dumped in the desert; cars, fridges, computer screens, tires, cans, box springs, you name it. Nevada has a peculiar law, you are not allowed to pick-up anything in the desert that is older than fifty year because that is considered an artifact. All those useless, rusted cans miners left behind are considered artifact, you go figure.
The geological diversity of this area is quite astonishing. White and red sandstone formations in the nearby Valley of Fire, mudstone hills along Lake Mead and else where, conglomerate rock, aka cement rock, in the washes and as part of the mesas, limestone in the Muddy Mountains, silt, volcanic rock and much more.

Conglomerate rock on top of a sandstone rock

Often appearing all in the same area or with little transition from one to the next – millions of years old, mind boggling.

Shooting a Winchester rifle

In the past weeks I have been to the shooting range out back by the mesa a few times. Not to worry, I have not joint the NRA, just some target shooting. I wouldn’t call it fun. I was scared every time I pulled the trigger of the Winchester riffle. First there is the kick-back and then the loud bang or is it the other way around?

Bull's eye! from 100 yards

Ear plugs only help a little with the noise. We were aiming at targets between fifty and four hundred yards in the distance. I am kind of proud that I did hit all of them. It
also gave me a whole new respect for anyone who has to use a gun in their line of work. Television makes it look so easy quickly pull and shoot. We used a scope and it takes a while to fix on the target and actually hit it. Being in a stressful situation with a moving target, good luck.

Firing a six shooter 1858 Army revolver

After shooting a six shooter 1858 Army revolver

The second time out shooting we used a 1858 six shooter Army revolver. That thing is loaded with black powder and 44mm lead balls, no scope, no support stand, just free standing. When you shot that thing you can’t see anything but lots of smoke. Hard to believe they used those revolvers in the Civil War. This is just one way to entertain yourself around here; bingo at the Senior Center or the movies are other possibilities.

Overton movie theater

When I arrived in Overton shortly before Christmas I had planned on staying two or three nights. It is now mid March and I am still here. Spring has sprung and the wanderlust is setting in again. Feeling the warm air through the open windows of the truck is wonderful. I have decided to leave by the end of the month. After some consideration I’ll be heading to Palm Springs to spend a couple of days at the Dinah Shore Women’s Event before heading east. It won’t leave me with too many extra days making it back to New York City, but so be it.

A year in review

The past twelve months have flown by faster than any other that I can remember. It is hard to believe, but it has been a year since I left New York City that cool rainy day in March. And now I am here in Nevada basking in the sun. I once again drove out onto the Mormon Mesa to find a tranquil spot to soak up the sun and to read. Unfortunately, I left my book at home (check out www.matriarchsthebook.com by my friend J.D. Fox. A legal thriller for a good cause). Fortunately, I brought pen and paper.
Overton is a very quiet place; however, up on the mesa it is even quieter. I am looking over this big flat covered by sage brush, creosote and other desert shrubs, no humans. The desert is starting to turn green with lots of new growth. I am surrounded by mountains, the Virgins, Muddy and Mormon Mountains are the large ranges.
Last February I was in the final stages of getting everything organized for this journey. I was going crazy. Overwhelmed by everything I felt I needed to know about the camper. Dealing with insurance companies was another big headache. One company for the truck and my apartment, another one for the camper. Who would insure what? The homeowner’s insurance or the camper policy? I got as many different answers to the same question as people I talked to. It was a nightmare. That on top of figuring out how many watts my inverter would need to run my computer on the camper’s DC power. Watts, volts, amps, AC or DC power, all very confusing. If you are drawing a blank here, then you know how I felt.
I drove a little over 25,000 miles in the past twelve months. I haven’t done much driving since I returned to Overton from my southern Nevada excursion in January. 25,000 miles of very different terrain. I don’t remember every road I took, but when I look at my maps and especially my photos (11,000+) I do remember little details, the smell of the Juniper trees up in the Dalamar Mountains or the smell of celery near Oxnard. There are not too many countries where you can drive that many miles and never really see the same thing twice.

Bryce Amphitheater

I haven’t written anything in detail about what I did or where I was in October. Most of the time was spent in southern Utah. It is one of the most amazing places I have seen so far. The area is “littered” with National Parks: Canyonlands, Arches, Bryce and Zion in addition to magnificent landscapes in between. I hiked almost fifty! miles throughout October. It gave me a very different perspective from just driving through. None of the parks were crowed at that time of the year, especially on the trails that were more than one mile long.

Zion - so much beauty

Every time I left one park I asked myself how could the next place possibly get any better. Amazingly they always did. The geology in this part of the country is fascinating. Parts of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and Colorado were covered by water millions of years ago, that combined with volcanic eruptions has made for an incredible landscape.
What is my favorite place?

Alabama

I have seen the beautiful beaches of Alabama, the pancake flats of Texas, the Pacific Ocean coastline, the mountains of northern California, the

Bryce - rainbow colors

rainforests and desert of Washington State, the spires and hoodoos of southern Utah and Arizona and much much more. It is very difficult to name one place. I did like Etna in northern California a lot.

Scott Valley

Scott River

Etna is situated in the Scott Valley and has a population of less than 800. Surrounded by mountains and golden fields. When I visited the fields were harvested and the colors were stunning. To me the town just had a very nice feel to it.

Etna

But if you ask me what will I remember the most, it will be the kindness of complete strangers; like Kate in Texas who runs a Bed & Breakfast. She prepared lunch for me despite the fact that she does not serve lunch and that she is not allowed to sell food to people who are not guests. We spent almost two hours talking and eating. I made a donation. Or Kinsey, a fellow traveler in Montana, one of only two solo women travelers I have encountered, who left fresh tomatoes and some potatoes at my door before she headed out. The campground manager who gave me scallop squash and cherry tomatoes because I couldn’t find any veggies at the small supermarket. The store keeper in Augusta, MT, who made me a cup of hot chocolate (with milk) on a cold and rainy day.
The RVers in Oregon who first watched me put my camper back on the truck and then invited me to dinner. My neighbors here at the campground who invite me over and always make sure that there is at least one non-meat dish for me.
The couple who invited me to Christmas dinner, Henry and Tyann, who have become friends and had me over for dinner several times since. They have made sure I don’t run out of my special dark rye bread which they bring back from Mesquite. They even have given me a ride to Whole Foods in Vegas so that I could stock-up on some good cheese. My hiking buddy Ron makes sure I have enough fresh coffee in the house. You have to know there is only one supermarket in Overton. Which is fine for all the basics, but they don’t carry things like good cheese or a wide variety of produce. Vegas is sixty plus miles away and Mesquite forty miles, ONE way.
Never mind all the friends and friends of friends who let me stay with them. Some I hadn’t seen in decades.
It is these and many more encounters that I will cherish the most.
Thank you all!!
As much as I was frantic and crazed before I left New York, I am now panicked that I have to be back in New York City by June. It is not so much that I will be back in the big city, I do love NYC, it is more that I have to sell my truck. As mentioned in a previous post, NYC rent plus truck payments on a minimal part-time job are just not feasible. I am still hoping for a miracle.
Maybe now you understand why I want to continue traveling. There are so many more people to meet and places to discover. I have only been to twenty three of the lower forty eight states and some I only quickly drove through.

self portrait at sunset

Colorado – where to begin

I guess at the beginning of my time spent in Colorado. So much has happened in the last three weeks that I am still trying to digest everything. This was at the beginning of October. I am once again in rewind mode.

OK, I drove down from Wyoming into Colorado on highway 125. I had spent the night at a campground in the woods. According to my Street & Trips map there was a shorter road back to the main road instead of the eleven mile dirt road into the woods. Well, let me tell you not every map is correct. The shorter way out turned into an eighteen mile, one and a half hour nightmarish drive. I looked at it as an adventure and after I managed to maneuver the truck with the camper over badly washed out dirt roads and up short steep inclines I figured I can drive that truck anywhere. All that bouncing up and down caused a minor earthquake inside the camper. As they say on the airplane “Open overhead compartments with care, items might have shifted.”

Aspen trees - fall colors

The last stretch out of Wyoming was supposed to be just a short drive; that is if you are not talking on your cell phone (hands free) and miss your exit. Forty additional miles do not sound like a lot, but that’s a good hour of extra driving.
The scenery changed immediately once I crossed the border into Colorado. Aspens in their golden fall foliage and the big mountains just as you would expect from Colorado. I had planned on camping in the forests near Walden. When I arrived in Walden (pop. < 1,000) I wasn’t sure where to find the camp spot. [caption id="attachment_1351" align="alignright" width="300" caption="My spot at the Walden reservoir"][/caption]

I asked a woman walking by and she said the place I was looking for was another twenty two miles away. I was in no condition to drive another five miles let alone twenty two. I tend to fade by three or four o’clock in the afternoon (driving a five ton vehicle is work). Fortunately, the woman had a terrific suggestion. I could just camp right by the reservoir, no charge, people do it all the time. Wow, sounds great, I had enough water in my tank and thanks to my solar panel my batteries stay charged. Lucky me, view onto the reservoir, a lone camper in the distance, mountain ranges in the east and west and a setting sun – life is good. It was too bad that the nearby refinery was humming all night, small price to pay.

Main Street Walden

The next morning I found out to my amazement that the town has a free dump and fresh water station for RVs! I emptied my full gray and black water tanks and filled up with enough fresh water to last me through my visit at my friend’s place in Denver.
The drive to Denver was sprinkled with mountain passes, 10,000’ to 12,000’. I just take it in strides, the drive up is slow, but I enjoy the drive down when I just coast down the mountain. Only too bad when there are slow pokes in front of you who constantly have to hit the brakes at every little curve, very annoying.
The Aspens were not at their peak fall colors yet, but it made for a nice patchwork of colors among the pine trees.
I was looking forward to getting to Denver. For one, my friend Zoë Lewis (check out her website www.zoelewis.com) had a concert that night. Her performances are a ton of fun. I always leave her concerts a different person. She is a very talented singer songwriter, musician and storyteller. Try to catch one of her performances near your hometown. The concert was great, and Zoë was pleasantly surprised to see me. A great evening all around.

Downtown historic Salida

The other reason I was looking forward to visiting Denver was that I would get to spend some time with my old high school friend Alex whom I hadn’t seen in twelve years. And I would get to meet her 19 months old son Daniel and her partner Skeeter. It was great, lots of catching up and thanks to summer like temperatures dinners out in the backyard.
I spent four days in Denver, not doing much of anything, it was wonderful. I needed a little break from driving and from being on the go all the time. I hate to admit it, but I slept in the house, I abandoned my camper :(.
Best of all, (next to spending time with my friends) I was able to stock-up on my black bread. Thanks to Mike at Rubschlager who told me where I could get it and thanks to Jeremy at Sunflower Market who put in a special order for 12 lbs; I am set for the next couple of months.
I had not planned much of anything for Colorado other than the Denver visit. But since I fly by the seat of my pants I decided to pay Mesa Verde in southwestern corner of Colorado a visit.
I don’t like to drive down the same road twice, and since I took the loneliest highway in America, aka highway 50, to drive from the West Coast back to New York a few years back I opted to take highway 160 instead to get to Mesa Verde. First, I had to get to the southern most east – west bound highway and boy was I in for a surprise.

Aspen tree

I took hwy 285 south from Denver, nothing out of the extraordinary here, steep mountain passes, Aspens in fall colors, and the occasional mountain creek. My first night spot was a campground in the woods near Fairplay. Nice and quiet, as usual the only way to get to it was via dirt road, not too bad, but my cabinets once again were rearranged.
After driving too many miles a day to get to Denver I wanted to take it a bit slower. I spent a couple of hours walking around Salida, a small town with a nice historic downtown and a handful of art galleries. No, I did not go in any of them. I did however, have lunch at one of the restaurants; too bad that the tuna steak was well done and almost as dry as a bone. After a little grocery shopping, they actually had a full fletched supermarket with a good produce section, I headed south and that’s when it happened.

San Luis Valley

I crossed over the Poncha Pass (9,000’) and the world opened up in front of me. Holly cow. Open space as far as the eye could see. To the left the Sangre De Cristo mountain range with peaks as high as 14,000’, to the right the Gunnison National Forest with more gentile mountains. I had landed in the San Luis Valley. The mountains on each side were at least 20 to 30 miles from the highway.

My hub at the San Luis Valley campground

I had planned on driving a little further south to a campground I had contacted earlier that day. If I remember correctly, they didn’t have full hook-ups (water, electric and sewer) and they were located right next to the main highway. So it was pure luck and good fortune that I passed a sign for another campground with full hook-ups just a mile down the road. I decided to pull in at the San Luis Valley campground in Villa Grove, good luck finding that on the map, and made it my hub for the next couple of days. What a great decision. Originally I only wanted to pass through, but once I saw this amazing valley, I told myself it would be a shame not to explore the area more.

My turquoise bounty

Before I had a chance to explore I met John, a half Choctaw Indian, half Irish cowboy. John is the grounds keeper for campground and very interesting. He told me how he still lives as much as possible off the surrounding land. He pointed to plants around us and told me which ones are edible and which he uses for medicinal purposes. The golden grass I so loved in California is also referred to as Indian ricegrass. John gathers it during the summer months and uses it to make flour. In his cowboy days he used to train horses, herded sheep up in the mountains for months on end. A very, very interesting guy. He even had a part in the movie Butch Cassidy playing himself. He invited me to go looking for turquoise up in the mountains.

More aliens - Witches Canyon

How neat is that? How often do you have the opportunity to do something like that? We even found quite a few pieces, not very large, but it was not all about size, but more about the search. We also went to the Witches Canyon, which stood in total contrast to the nearby valley with its abstract rock formations; I would have never found this place.

hwy 17

When I headed out on my own driving down highway 17, my jaw literally dropped (not figuratively, but literally) when I looked down a fifty mile long straight stretch of highway flanked only by sagebrush and the mountains in the distance. You have to understand this happened before I made it to Nevada where fifty mile straight roads are pretty common.

Aliens are coming

Alien garden

Reserved parking

More alien stuff

I wanted to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park which was roughly 65 miles south from my camp spot. I almost didn’t make it before dark. There was so much cool stuff to see and photograph along the way. First there was the UFO Watchtower and Garden, who could say no, then down a dirt road, never mind the huge solar panel farm which stretched for a mile along the road.

Old camper

Hay bails

Solar panels

I was in photography heaven. By the time I arrived at the sand dunes I only had two hours before sunset and a long drive home.

Sand dunes

Not much time to explore the dunes. A ranger at the visitor center suggested I take a drive along the outskirts of the dunes to get an idea of the expanse of the dunes. The drive took me through some pretty deep and soft sand. This road was reserved for vehicles with 4×4 drives and you needed it. The key was to stay in the tracks; otherwise it could get a little iffy. Fortunately, I managed not to get stuck. The nice thing in this park is you can climb the dunes wherever you want. You can even take a snowboard to ride the dunes.

End of a great day

End of day

When you hear sand dunes in Colorado don’t just think of a couple of piles of sand. The park “features” the tallest dunes in North America and they cover an area of 30 square miles. The two tallest dunes are 650 ft. (198m) and 750 ft. (229m) tall.
I had to come back and climb those dunes and I did.
On my way back home a thunderstorm was brewing in the north and it made for a stunning sky. What a perfect way to end a day of adventure.

My footsteps on the ridge

The next day I headed out to move a little closer towards Mesa Verde, but not before I climbed some sand dunes. I don’t remember the last time I was huffing and puffing as much as I did climbing up those dunes. Between the 8,000’ elevation and climbing on soft sand I had my work cut out for me. It took me a little over two hours for the 3 ½ mile round trip hike. I was famished by the time I got back to my truck. I was very glad that I was traveling with my camper and I could make some scrambled eggs before I continued my drive to South Fork, Colorado.

I made it - atop High Dune

Things are not always what they appear to be

The following are random thoughts that came to me just before I went to sleep. I grabbed some paper and a pencil and jotted them down. When I looked at them in the morning it seemed like there was a disconnect between the two strings of thought. However, I have been mulling this over for a while and I think there is a connection. Tell me what you think.

How many times have we made up our mind about a person or a situation before we bothered to find out anything more than meets the eye?
When I went to Page, Arizona to visit the Antelope Slot Canyon I only had a vague idea what to expect. I don’t do much research before I visit a place, I like to be surprised.

Entrance to the Lower Antelope Canyon

When I arrived at the entrance to the canyon, I thought our guide was pulling my leg. I didn’t see anything but brown sandstone stretched out in front of me. There was only a two foot wide crack the length of the sandstone, very unassuming. If it would not have been for the guide I might have walked away and missed out on one of the most extraordinary natural wonders.

Who would have thought - Lower Antelope slot Canyon

The desert around my neighborhood here in Nevada appears flat with mountains in the distance. Only when you get out of the car and walk into the desert will you discover the washes, hidden canyons and crevices in all their splendor.

Rainbow colors

A couple of posts back I told you about my last mountain climb. Looking at that mountain from afar it seemed impossible to climb (without robes) until you get closer finding little steps in the rock and taking one step at a time to the top. It can also go the other way, a climb that starts out as an easy walk down a wash ends abruptly at a steep drop off.

We all have been there when we were faced with a seemingly insurmountable task. Be it the garage we have been meaning to clean out for years or a complex set of architectural drawings. Where to start? One of the things I earned in woodworking, and then again was reminded of during my journey, is that you need to break things down to make them more digestible and less overwhelming. Focusing on just one small section of the garage at the time and not the whole thing makes the task less daunting.
A teacher of mine once said that consistency and continuity make accomplishing a task almost effortless; e.g. it is easier to take care of chores a little at a time every day instead of trying to get everything done all at once.
Coming to these insights is one thing, applying them is a whole other story.

If you would have asked my opinion about people who live in mobile home parks and in trailers a year ago I would have told you something very different than today. My opinions from a year ago have not completely changes, but they have expanded.
Humans and nature deserve a closer look. You can miss out on meeting great people or seeing beautiful places if you pass judgment without knowing the details.
Step closer and take a second look you might be surprised at what you find.

Humans are complex creatures and we don’t all fit into one mold.

Still in Nevada

In the beginning it was the cold weather further east that kept me from moving on. Then, I had to get things done, taxes, websites, before I moved on. But then I had and still have this apprehension of moving east, because with every step east I would move closer to New York and to the end of this journey. A journey I am not ready to end. There are still so many more states to visit and places to explore. Worst of all, I would have to sell my home. Rent and truck payments are just too much. It was originally planned that I’ll sell both camper and truck when I get back. Who knew that I would like this lifestyle so much?
If you know of anyone who would be interested in sponsoring me, please let me know. I have a camper that has plenty of room for advertising. I do get around.
Of course there are my photos which you can buy to help or my book “Landscapes Across America”. I am still waiting for the “magic” of the internet to kick in.
How could I forget, I have met some very nice people here and moving on also means saying good bye, never easy.

Last trip to the coast

Wow, let’s go down memory lane. I started writing this post way back in September and never got around to finishing it. Now I have to take a break from photo editing and what better to do than to catch up on my writing.
OK, I don’t want to bore you with my coastal explorations. This last trip is short.
Having spent two nights in San Francisco without water, electric and sewer hook-ups made me more agreeable to staying at a campground without any hook-ups. In San Francisco I actually ran out of water. Fortunately, Priscilla had a garden hose at the front of her house and I could fill my tank.
This would be the first and only trip along the coast with the camper on “my back”. I was hoping for overcast weather so that I would not regret it when I couldn’t stop to take a picture. I didn’t intend to make it too far that day, only up to Westport, north of Fort Bragg and only 100 miles from my current spot in Cloverdale. Highway 128 out of Cloverdale was very windy in the beginning, some mean hairpin turns. You just have to go really slowly, keep your fingers crossed and close your eyes. I am just kidding about closing your eyes.

Mendocino

The weather stayed nice until I got closer to the ocean and then the fog just started to appear. I had my overcast day as wished.
First stop, Mendocino. Cute little place shrouded in fog. After walking around for a while I found a local place for lunch, a decent tuna melt, and off I went again. But not before I bought some of my hard to find cereal at the local market. Wish I had bought more since I could not find any ‘til I got up to Washington State where I still had to search for it.
As I hinted in my last post (back in September Jicky’s trip to the coast, part 2 – The Sea Ranch to Bodega Bay), driving with a camper along highway one is not really fun. I found myself pulling over more often than I liked to, to let others pass. I hate to see a line of cars behind me. Unfortunately, pull outs are not always there when you need them. The road is just too narrow, windy, and for my taste sometimes a little steep to get up to speed. You have to understand that it can take me several minutes just to get back to the speed limit after I pull over and then there usually is a red light and I have to stop again. I just can’t win.
The only other stop I made was in Fort Bragg to get some gas. Compared to the other coastal towns I had seen this was more of a working class neighborhood. No fancy condos near the water.

Westport-Union Landing State Beach - view from my camper

In any case I made it to the Westport-Union Landing State Park in the early afternoon. The campsite was just fifty yards from highway one. Fortunately, nobody travels on that highway after dark and it was super quiet. The really cool thing was that I also was just fifty yards from the Pacific Ocean. So my night music was the sound of waves crushing against the rocks and cliffs.
There were not too many people in my section of the campground, only some families with their kids. I couldn’t believe the kids were running around in the swimsuits; it was freezing cold only about 50 F. I was told they came from inland California to cool off. Remember this was early August and it was hot about ten miles east from the coast.

Photo op

The sun was still out and the fog almost gone when I arrived. I made my way down to the water walking along the beach and climbing over rocks. It was just beautiful. That was the last time I saw the sun. The next day the fog was back, I think I saw the sun for maybe five minutes during the entire day. Despite the lack of sun I went on another excursion along the beach. I stumbled across a road that had partially fallen into the ocean; might have been a scenic byway. Nope, I asked the ranger later and she told me that that used to be highway one just a couple of years back.

This used to be highway 1, until 8 years ago

A big storm had eroded the cliffs and washed the highway into the ocean. Now the road is a several hundred feet further inland, for now. She also mentioned that this had been a miserable, cold summer with very little sunshine. Good thing that I didn’t have to stick around. After another night I moved on. My next destination was Del Loma in the Trinity Alps. About seventy miles east of Eureka on the Trinity River.
I remember listening to NPR on my drive up to Eureka. They were talking about the heat wave that had hit the east and center of the country. People called-in making suggestions how to stay cool. In the mean time I was sitting in my truck wearing a wool sweater and asking myself “What heat wave, it’s freezing out here.” It’s a big country with all sorts of weather. I was just happy when I turned away from the coast and finally got to see the sun again.

Twin redwoods

Redwoods, my rig is almost 12' high

I drove through some impressive redwood forests. You don’t realize how huge these trees are until you see a stick of a pine tree standing next to one of the giants.
I arrived at my campground in the woods early enough to pull out my shorts and defrost.
The location was stunning. As I said, right by the river, surrounded by mountains. The river was not very deep but had a pretty good current.

Trinity River, the wilder part

It was just great to go for a swim to cool off and be not disturbed by anyone. You just had to keep an eye out for bears. The day I arrived I was sitting by the river with a couple and their dog when all of the sudden the dog perked up. We followed his gaze and saw a bear just up on the mountain on the other side of the river; time to go back to the campground. We got binoculars and watched from the safety of the campground. Two more young bears appeared on the mountainside, but they didn’t cross the river; at least not while we were watching. The next morning I found bear poop on our side. Just have to remember who was here first. Blackberries were in season and they were in abundance on our river side. I wasn’t the only one who enjoyed picking and eating them. The bear poop was evidence.
Even though there are other towns marked on the map near Del Loma, there really are no other towns, just a couple of buildings. The campground has a small store with some basics, but the nearest supermarket is thirty miles east in Wheaverville.

The Straw House

Fortunately, there is a small café/restaurant less than ten miles to the east; one of those unexpected gems in the middle of seemingly nowhere. “The Strawhouse” not only has it the nicest owners, Julia and Don, but also a great menu. Grilled veggie sandwiches and other non meat items to die for.

View of the Trinity River from the Straw House

From their terrace you have a wonderful view onto the river, it is just so peaceful. So, if you should ever find yourself on route 299 in northern California between Eureka and Weaverville, stop at the Strawhouse for a cup of coffee or stay over night. FYI, the building is build out of straw. www.strawhouseresorts.com This is a great area for white water rafting. In case you wonder what you could do out there.
OK, let’s go back to photo editing. Enjoy the cool weather now, you might be complaining about the next heat wave soon.

Check it out

How are we getting down from here

Finally, I put some great photos on the Photo tab, take a look.
I have also been working on a new website for the last couple of days. I hope to reveal it later this week. This will make it easy for everyone to view and hopefully, buy my photos.
When I am not slaving away behind my computer, I am enjoying my surrounding scenery. I have a hiking buddy here in Overton and we went on a nice hike last Friday. What was supposed to be a three hour hike turned into a six hour hike. We decided to climb up a mountain, nothing too serious, but once we reached the top we didn’t quite know how to get back down.

with hiking buddy Ron

The same way we got up you say. Well, the thing is that on our ascend we had to climb up a five foot vertical wall with a ravine not far and I did not want to go down that way. It is always easier to climb up than down. Fortunately, we found a way down without endangering our lives.

Big Horn Sheep skull

It was a great hike. It would have been a terrific hike if we had seen some Big Horn Sheep up in the mountains, but all we found were the remains of two sheep down in the desert.
Oh, by the way, shorts and t-shirt are back in the closet. We too are experiencing cooler weather.

Things you find in the desert and more

As promised in my last post this one is about my travels, mostly.
I had to go back to Las Vegas to get my camper re-fixed. The first repair job had a couple of flaws that needed to be fixed.
From Tonopah I headed south on highway 95 to Beatty. Once again, it’s a big state with a very sparse population.

Goldfield

My first stop was Goldfield, one of the old mining towns of yesteryears. The town once boasted a population of 15,000, now there are only 350 left, that’s half of the entire county population. Goldfield is the county seat for Esmeralda County. Never sure which homes are lived in and which are completely abandoned.

Downtown Goldfield

Goldfield is home to a great county courthouse and that’s about it. Efforts are being made to restore the old 1920 high school, a great brick building.

My camper 40 years ago?

Another great building is the now empty Goldfield Hotel. Most other buildings, commercial or private, are in bad shape. I am always surprised to see how little respect people have for their own property.

Dilapidated home and trailer

Junk everywhere in the front and back yards. This disrespect is unfortunately also found in nature where people leave all sorts of garbage behind, no matter how remote. Trailers and mobile homes are a constant in these communities and most look like they have not been fixed or taken care of in the last twenty

Dresser and radio

years. I am currently staying at a mobile home & trailer community and let me tell you, there are no homes in disrepair here.
I spent an hour walking around and taking pictures before I continued my drive.

Brothel

As you might know prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada and you might also have heard about brothels. I had been wondering where those brothels might be, not that I wanted to frequent one. Then there it was, a big sign along side the road in the middle of absolutely nowhere advertising the brothel a couple of hundred yards off the highway; nothing fancy, just a mobile home or two. I “ran” into another one further south near Beatty.
One of the reasons I headed for Beatty was the “ghost town” of Rhyolite.

Rhyolite school

I had been told about it back in November when I visited Death Valley (another story I need to tell) and then again by friends here in Overton. Ghost town seems way too fancy for most of these places. Often there is not more than the foundation of a handful of buildings left. Rhyolite is a bit different and in many ways the same. Someone actually made the effort to supply some information about the remaining ruins and there are even photos of what this place looked like back in the 1930s.

Las Vegas & Tonopah Depot

The town once housed 8,000 people, but all that’s left are ruins of half a dozen or so commercial buildings and just one or two residences. People lived here up to the 1950s! The only structure with a roof is the Las Vegas & Tonopah train depot which has been fenced in to keep vandals out. Most of the buildings used to have two or three floors, but none of those remained. The marble floors somehow disappeared into thin air. People have etched their names into the plaster of the remaining walls. That’s what is called “Protect your history”.

The Last Super by Albert Szukalski

Next to the “official” ghost towns there are the strange things you can find in the desert. Right next to Rhyolite is the Goldwell Open Air Museum, home to some interesting art projects.

Lady Desert: The Venus of Nevada by DR. Hugo Heyrman and Sit Here! by Sofie Siegmann

A few miles away you can find the remains of a cement company that never went into production. You won’t know this thanks to some signs, you have to actually research it on the internet.

Ruins of the 1930 Elizalde Cement Company

Crucified Jesus, near Beatty

More ruins

Maps can be misleading, better to always have a full tank of gas and food. I have seen plenty of times dots and names on the map just to find some empty buildings or just a collection of mobile homes without any stores of any kind in sight. I have been lucky so far, I only almost ran out of gas twice. You would think I’d learn (again, another story).
As I said, I had to go back to Vegas. Good thing I only had to stay for tow nights, one in my camper and one in a hotel. I made the best of my stay and visited Red Rock Canyon just to the west of Vegas. Beautiful place, great sandstone formations and a total contrast to Sin City. For my taste already too many people. Since I am always grocery store deprived I was very happy to find a Whole Foods store where I could stock up on some good cheese and other stuff.
From Vegas my trip went even further south, yes there is life south of Las Vegas, not much but some. Destination Searchlight, one of those dots on the map, but with two RV parks. I “mistakenly” ended up at the Cottonwood Cove RV park on the banks of the Colorado River, Lake Mohave more precisely; beautiful, quiet setting. I just wanted to check out the town before I settle in and found myself on the road to the river. The road was twelve miles long and it was going down hill for the most part. I knew it would take me a long time to drive back to the main highway and across the street to my “preferred” RV park. By then it would be dark. I had no choice but to settle for a place by the water. It did take me half an hour the next day to drive the twelve miles uphill.

Pioneer Hotel and Casino, Laughlin - holding on to the Old West

I left my camper at the RV park and headed to Laughlin, big casino town along the Colorado River. I crossed the river into Arizona and checked out Bullhead City. Not much happening there either. Got some cheap gas and had my truck washed and headed back to Searchlight.
Last stop on my circle tour: Boulder City, home to Hoover Dam. I am not a fan of tourist attractions, too many people. The dam is impressive.

Hoover Dam and the Colorado River Bridge (Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge)

There is also a new bridge that crosses the Colorado River just south of the dam. I walked across the bridge and got a nice view of Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, you can’t admire the impressive bridge span from this vantage point. The dam is all concrete, enough to build a 16’ wide 8” thick highway from New York City to San Francisco. I also walked across the dam, lots of people. There are two towers on the dam that house public restrooms great 1930s Art Deco exterior doors, reminded me of the Chrysler building in NYC.

Hoover Dam sculptures by Oskar J.W. Hansen

There were also two bronze sculptures that reminded me more of 1938 Germany.
I liked Boulder City. What I first noticed was how clean it was, sad sign.
On my way to Boulder City I stopped by (ten miles on a dirt road with the camper) one more ghost town. I think this was the last one for me. A handful of

Nelson front yard

people live in Nelson and everything is marked with “No Trespassing” signs.
Back home to Overton via the very scenic Northshore Road.

Northshore Road

At this point I have a bit of desert and ghost town fatigue. I’ll be leaving Overton soon, heading towards Arizona, another desert state :(.

Just a few facts:
My “little” circle 13 day tour of Southern Nevada: 1,300 miles
Total miles driven since I left New York last March: 25,000 – I slowed down since November.
Gallons of gas pumped: 2,100 – I wish I’d get better mileage
Will I be back in April? No.

Simple things are simply the best

I am back in Overton, Nevada where the weather has been wonderful. I have defrosted and I am sitting in the sun, in the back of my truck atop the Mormon Mesa as I am writing this.
I have been on the road now for a little over ten months and I am suppose to be back in New York by April. I just can’t picture myself back home without a camper or truck and without the freedom of traveling whenever and wherever I want. I don’t want to give up this lifestyle. Unfortunately, everything comes down to that pesky little thing called money. So, the other day I tried to figure out how much money I had spent during this trip and how much longer I could go on. There were no big surprises where the money had gone; gas, campground fees, car payments, insurance and food. I was a little surprised at the amount of money I spent on “dining” out and how little I had gotten in return. I recall maybe a half dozen meals that were really good and satisfying. I do travel mostly through small towns and the fact that I don’t eat meat makes it more challenging to find a good meal at a restaurant, diner or even cafe. I had the best cup of cappuccino in Bandera, Texas at the Dogleg Coffee House way back in July. It was so good that I had two cups and couldn’t go to sleep that night. I finally stopped wasting my money on watered down coffee and bought a French press.
I am not a great cook who comes up with fancy recipes, but I enjoy cooking. That evening I had bought some Brussels sprouts (I know not a favorite for many) and some red potatoes. I steamed the Brussels sprouts and boiled the potatoes. When done I added some fresh butter to both, a little nutmeg to the sprouts and some rosemary, from my friend Faith’s garden, to the potatoes. I can’t tell you how yummy this was. Home cooked meals ARE the best. Coming to think of it, the very best meals were the ones prepared by/with friends and eaten with friends.
At this point I have come to realize that I don’t need a fancy big apartment (not that I ever had one) and a ton of stuff. I am very happy in my camper that holds all the necessities I require. I have met some very nice people and have reconnected with old friends and in some cases deepened my friendships. I could, however use some more good grocery stores along the way.
Do I miss New York City? Not really. I miss some friends, but there is always the phone or internet to connect. New York is a great city with a lot of conveniences, but it is also a very hectic and stressful city. Have I found another place where I would want to live? No.
Hopefully, I will figure out a way how to continue living the life of a vagabond.

Next time, more about my travels.

P.S. Are you working on making your dream a reality?