I left Kitty’s Sunday morning and headed down the street to pick up some last-minute grocery items. We got on I-10 a block from her house and took it east all the way to the southern entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. It took just over an hour and a half, and we pulled off at exit 168 and took the short drive, just shy of the park and turned onto BLM land. It was nearly empty, so we had our choice of spots. I drove a bit further down than usual, and found many large spots down side roads, away from the main road. Kitty arrived shortly after I did, and we explored and found an even more remote spot with a cool looking tree and a fire pit. We moved there and set up camp. I made veggie tacos for dinner, and we sat outside until sunset, and then built a fire and sat some more. I haven’t felt so calm and contented for a long time.
As much as I loved seeing my Long Beach Peeps, the city is not for me. There is lots of traffic, aggressive drivers, red-light-runners, limited parking. There is crime that I don’t find out in the wild, and I worried about getting my catalytic converter stolen in the middle of the night (someone across the street from Steve and Richard mentioned such a theft the week before I arrived. Steve said it wasn’t safe to put outgoing mail in his mailbox because people broke in and stole mail (Richard told me his bank of mailboxes at the Condo were broken into this past week). There is a lot of homelessness and mental illness. I didn’t realize how unsafe I felt at times until I got back to the desert, away from everyone except Cosmo and Kitty (and I pretty much feel safe around both of them). I felt so much lighter just being in the middle of nowhere.
Cosmo had projectile diarrhea when we visited Carol and Penny. I think he too was stressed by the change of lifestyle for 3 weeks. Now, he curls up on his blanket outside the van, content to sleep in the shade. He lay for hours by the campfire last night.
I had bought solar powered “Fairy Lights” a few weeks ago but had been too busy or distracted to decide what to do with them. This week I wrapped them around magnetic hooks on my windshield one night and they stayed lit all night and looked very cool. We went for our late-night walk, and I could easily find my van by the light display. So the following afternoon, I taped them up on the rim of my van where the extended high roof meets the original van. It went around twice. I mounted the solar panel (a 3×3 square) on the roof by my other solar panels. The lights come on automatically when it gets dark and with a full charge, they last all night long.
I took some down time after lunch and returned long-overdue e-mails. Cosmo and I went for a long walk, and I took a short nap. Life is back to normal. As I sat by the fire last night, I couldn’t help feeling that “connection” to all that is (Ginny calls it my Peruvian State of Mind, and that’s a very good description). The sunset was gorgeous. It always is out in the desert. The half moon to the south of us and the Milky Way hung overhead like some sort of sci-fi projection. The air got cool and the fire crackled. My jaw hurt from smiling so hard. I found some “moon songs” on my playlist and on YouTube and I could easily “Dance Like Nobody Is Watching” because nobody was.
Kitty and I hung out most of the time she was here. We took turns making meals and sharing what we had. I made waffles and plant-based sausage for breakfast one morning and they were delicious. We sat out one night eating dinner as the sun set. There were clouds in the sky and I thought sunset would be a spectacular event. The sun sort of went down with a whimper, but about 15 minutes after it set, the sky lit up in a blaze of reds and oranges. It was spectacular after all.
The weather was warm , at least while sitting in the sun, but by Wednesday it clouded over and the wind was chilly. We took a long walk in the morning, gathered firewood for the evening and sat outside for a while. When it got windy, we each retreated to our rigs. It is so beautiful on the BLM land just south of the Cottonwood entrance to Joshua Tree. I’ve stayed here many times last year but this year I ventured farther in than usual, and came across a remote spot at a dead end of one of the offshoots of the main road. It has a few trees, is quite large for two rigs, and is very private. We can see a few rigs in the distance, but they are remote enough that we can’t hear them. It’s one of the best sites I’ve ever been in.
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Kitty left on Thursday morning. She had a phone interview in the afternoon and wanted to get home to prepare for it. When we woke up, it was chilly and the wind was howling. We met outside by our firepit to have coffee, but neither of us lasted very long. She packed up a few last things and drove back to Yucaipa. I got back in the van, poured another cup of coffee, and slipped back into bed in my sleeping bag. As Paul Simon said “I have no deeds to do, no promises to keep.” The day was mine to do whatever I wanted, so I read a thread about the upcoming SkooliePalooza which will (maybe?) happen in January. Last year it was one of the best events I attended. Many of my nomad friends were there with me, and the event itself was like a mini, modern Woodstock. Lots of psychedelics, great music, warm loving people. I felt at home and nurtured. But behind the scenes, there were problems. We were kicked out of the first spot (BLM Land in California) for an “Event” that had no permits. The Skoolie side of the argument was that it was NOT an event, but 500+ school busses with people living in them “just happened” to end up camping in the same place at the same time. The State of California saw it differently and said there were no permits, no porta potties, no dumpsters. They cited a law stating that you could not sell goods (there were quite a few vendors selling everything from breakfast burritos to tie-dye shirts, and more than a few selling or trading LSD and mushrooms). So California gave us until noon the following day to vacate BLM land. The bus caravan drove to Ehrenburg, AZ and set up on either BLM or Arizona Land Trust (I’m not sure of the distinctions, but both are open to the public for free camping). This year, new people have decided to do it with permits, and are going to charge. Needless to say, the participants are split. It is a primarily anti-capitalism, anti government interference group, not wanting to pay or be restricted. But many agree that the grounds last year were left with lots of trash and poop, both dog and human, and that can’t happen again. It looks like it could get bogged down in red-tape and resentment, but someone posted “I’m taking my school bus to the same place on the same dates this year if any like-minded people want to show up and park nearby.” That pretty much seems a good solution to me. If people are selling on BLM Land (illegally) then it’s on them and whoever is regulating BLM land. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I had the time of my life last year, so will be at one or the other, or both.
With the wind and low temperatures, I decided to make it an “inside day” catching up on e-mails, doing some photo editing and starting to gather videos I’ve taken recently to edit into a new YouTube post. I’ve been pretty negligent on that front lately. Cosmo curled up next to me, head in my lap. The sky was beautiful, and the clouds cast amazing shadows over the mountains surrounding me in all directions.
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It got very cold last night (below 40) but at least it didn’t freeze. I turned on my heater only to find it didn’t work. I last used it in March or April and it was fine, so I’m hoping it is something simple. I will get the owner’s manual out and see if it is something I can manage myself. I’m hoping there may be a reset button. It’s also possible it just needs a good cleaning. I hope so. I survived last night because I have a pretty good sleeping bag (and a warm, furry dog). My feet got cold but I didn’t want to get out of bed to look for a pair of socks up in the storage bin. I’ll be better prepared next time. Once the sun got high enough in the sky in the morning, Cosmo and I walked the main dirt roads through the BLM land. We discovered 6 or 8 vans had pulled in overnight, but there is so much room and so few people that they were all quite spread out. Last year at this time, there were many more people and rigs, and many “doubled up” in large sites. This time around, everyone has their own spot, with many spots in between them and the next camper. It’s nice. But I don’t see many people outside of their vans/campers. And the ones who are out, don’t even look up when we walk by. Many can’t lift their heads up from their phones long enough to wave or say hello. That is surprising and disappointing to me. Last year at this time I met many new people and made some friends that I still keep in touch with. I was hoping to do the same this year, but, at least here near Joshua Tree, people aren’t very social. Perhaps that will change over the weekend.
Lessons From The Road: I’m happy being out in the middle of nowhere, whether I am camping with friend(s) or alone. I get stressed when I go into town (except for Quartzsite—it’s such a small town and so close to the BLM land that it is an easy and often fun trip). My plans (vague as they are) are to spend most of the winter in the desert on BLM land, alone or with like-minded nomads.
Kitty and I talked about how many from the “Van Life” trend are giving up and buying land. We both have watched many YouTube “Van Lifers” and the trend seems to be over. They are building tiny homes, or dome houses, or something they think will be the new trend so they can maintain relevance on YouTube, but they are definitely giving up Van Life. Kitty is looking for a tiny pull-behind to augment her truck camping setup. We both think there will be many lightly used ones available this winter as people give up nomadic life and move to something else. I know two couples I’ve met on the road who have bought land and are settling down. One couple is selling their van. The other I suspect will go out part-time. Living full time in a van certainly has its challenges. I wonder how long I’ll be able to sustain life on the road and wonder what I would do if I could no longer live out on BLM land. I’m hoping that decision is far in my future.
That’s all I’ve got for now.
Love you like a dog.
See you down the road!
Scott