“Well I hit the rowdy road
And many kinds I met there
And many stories told me on the way to get there
So on and on I go, the seconds tick the time out
So much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out.”
~ Cat Stevens/Yusef
When I woke up Sunday morning, the Asian families that were camped closest to us were gone. Had they left in the middle of the night? If not, they left in the wee hours of the morning before I was awake. Either way, they were gone and there were no people or even manmade objects visible from my campsite. It’s hard to explain, but it is SO much nicer camping when there are no other people to contend with. I sometimes think that seems callous, but when E.J. woke up and came out of his tent, the first thing he said was “Yeah! They’re gone.” It was as if a burden had been lifted, or an obstacle removed. They were polite and mostly quiet neighbors, especially considering that there were at least 6 young kids with them. But their absence meant not having to be as conscious about playing music, not having to be so conscious to keep Cosmo on leash, and not having to check in all directions when peeing outside,
I’m sure fellow nomads are not always on their best behavior, and that sometimes they do a less than stellar job at leaving no trace. But by and large, the weekenders tear up the roads with their off-road vehicles and leave a mess when they go back to the empire. In my morning walks with Cosmo on a Monday morning, I came across half a dozen campsites and campfire rings that had been totally trashed over the weekend.
It hurts me to see such messes and such disrespect for such a beautiful forest.
On Tuesday, EJ went off on his own adventure. I had the entire site to myself and on Wednesday morning I went into town for water and propane and a Domino’s pizza. I’d been craving one for months, and during July they had a deal — any pizza, any size, any toppings for only $9.99. I had 3 days to use the coupon and was quite excited to finally have my pizza night. When I got the pizza home, my mouth watering, I took a few bites and thought it was the worst pizza I’d ever eaten. I discovered it had NO SAUCE. I called Dominos and the very polite man on the other end asked if this was Scott. I confirmed and he said “I pulled up your order and you specified No Sauce.” I said, “I thought the default was traditional robust tomato sauce.” He said, “It is. You unchecked that and specified No Sauce.” I apologized, thanked him and just made the best of a lousy pizza. You can bet I’ll check and double check next time I order online.
When I returned to the forest close to Ashurst Lake, I drove in “the back way” and discovered a spot that I had coveted was empty for the first time ever. I pulled in, got set up and Cosmo and I sat outside in the shade of tall pines. I gloated that I’d scored such a perfect spot. This is the view from my bedroom window.
The entire week, I saw only 3 (count ‘em) THREE vehicles drive by. I’m very secluded. I have to get out often to move my solar panels as the trees allow sunshine on my panels only at certain hours, but it’s worth the effort. The spot is quiet, breezy and quite off the beaten path.
It’s been a very good week.
Lessons From The Road: As nice as it was to spend time with someone I really liked for the past couple of weeks, it’s nice to be back on my own again. Instead of getting up and sitting and having coffee for an extra hour, I now get up and exercise. I’m reading in the afternoon, outside in the shade with a cool breeze. I’m making healthier meals for myself. And probably the most important thing—I’m spending time with and being conscious of my connection to Cosmo. We’ve had some nice walks and just as many good talks.