“There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it’s all dark.”
~Gerry O’Driscoll
Happy first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox.
The word of the week was WINDY. Most days the wind was constant at 15 mph or stronger with gusts up to 40 mph. It was warm for the most part, but the incessant wind made it necessary to monitor my solar panels constantly. I could keep them out much of the day, either on the windward side (when the sun was also on that side) leaning up against the van at an angle that diverted the wind upward, or on the leeward side, usually behind a tire or sheltered by a tote protecting the panels from the wind blowing under the van. We only had one cold, cloudy day, so electricity was not an issue. The wind, however, made it not very pleasant to sit outside, and unfurling my awning and setting up my “spare room” was never an option.
The wind was often mild in the mornings, and Cosmo and I took advantage of those times to take a walk down our dirt road to the paved road (D.W. Ranch Road). We had different neighbors most days, as sometimes vans or cars pulled in for the night and left in the morning. We do have two continual neighbors: A man in the spot nearest us living out of the back of his camper shell on a truck and having a small tent adjacent. We always wave to each other when Cosmo and I take our walks. There is also another, very skinny, extremely white (think Riff Raff from Rocky Horror Picture Show) way down at the end. He sits in the driver’s seat of his small van all day. When I returned to my spot last week after a visit to Walmart, I had an abundance of clementine oranges and green grapes. I put some in a bag and took them to him as I was concerned that he never seems to leave and I wondered if he had enough food and water. He seemed suspicious at first, but did take the fruit and we chatted briefly. Not sure what his story is and he seemed reluctant to share, so I left him alone. He does wave if he sees me and Cosmo walk by.
Our site is pretty spectacular. I’ve taken some photos, but none seem to do it justice. We are on a ridge, surrounded by valleys on 3 sides. The 4th side is our entrance road, and it curves and drops down, so that we can’t see anyone else down that road unless we leave our site. Redwing hawks ride the ridge often throughout the day. Cows come by for a visit occasionally, and we’ve heard coyotes just before sunrise several mornings. Aside from the howling wind at times, it is peaceful and quiet.
Lessons From The Road: Spending so much time inside because of the wind, I’ve become quite fascinated with Artemis II. I tune into the NASA site to get updates. I often think back to the olden days of “the space race” and how as a kid, I was totally absorbed by everything “space.” In elementary school, some classmate would bring in a portable TV, complete with rabbit ears and tin foil so we could watch the Mercury and Gemini launches and recoveries. I was in high school at the time of the Apollo missions and I remember staying up late to watch that one giant step. The famous picture of earthrise from the moon still gets me choked up. It remains a reminder that we are not Americans, or Iranians, or Russians, but human beings, unique to this blue marble. It makes me sad that we’ve turned out to be such a violent species, seeming to always look for an excuse to hate “the others.” I do see some of that in the wild, but mostly only in heavily populated spots. There are sometimes conflicts over territory, or arguments about running generators late at night, but for the most part, when I’m in remote spots with few neighbors, we tend to be friendly, cooperative and even caring. I’m always thankful for that friendly connection with a stranger. Maybe we’ll see some new pictures of our planet, and get a few more people converted to the idea that we’re all in this together?
The other lesson this week is that my life seems quite topsy turvy because of weather. In the late winter I had to leave the spot that I was loving because it got too hot to live there. Now, in the spring, I’m unable to go where I’m heading next because of the cold and wind. The seasons seem out of sync and I realize that if I’m willing to drive far enough I can be in any season I choose. I want the one where it is constantly 75⁰ and sunny with light breezes throughout the day. If anyone has a map of how to get there, please share.