“Miles from nowhere
Not a soul in sight
Oh yeah, but it’s alright.”
~Cat Stevens
Monday was my last day in Holtville Hot Springs. It was bittersweet to be leaving. I’d been there over three weeks, and it really felt like home to me. I enjoyed soaking in a hot tub every morning and every afternoon, although at times I didn’t enjoy the folks I was soaking with. The temperature on Monday got up to 80 degrees, and Tuesday it was predicted to be 90 degrees and by the end of the week it would be triple digits. It was time to move to a cooler climate.
I did some minor cleaning out, getting rid of some things I’d been carrying from place to place all winter. Some went in the dumpster while others went on the “Free” table in the campground. I cleared out my fridge of older items knowing I’d be going to Walmart on the way to my new destination and wanting as much room for fresh food as possible.
I got up early on Tuesday morning, just before sunrise. I thought I’d have one last soak in the hot springs before heading west, but after coffee and walking Cosmo, I found myself antsy to get moving. I hadn’t slept well. I rarely do the night before a big move. The longer I stay in one place, the harder it is for me to leave, and if you add to that the fact that I wasn’t really sure where I was going (for the first time in months), I was definitely feeling a bit uneasy. I drove first to Walmart and stocked up on as many things as I could fit in the van. When I left, I stopped at a rest stop and topped off my water which I knew was running low, and then onto Anza Borrego Desert State Park. The road in was as wash boarded as any road I’ve ever been on. It took me about a half hour to go 5 miles, and the farther I got into the badlands, the narrower the road became. There were some signs indicating “soft sand ahead” and the last thing I wanted was to have to dig myself out. About a mile from the GPS point I’d chosen, I came to a pullout on the side of the road. I stopped, got out and tested it for solidness. It seemed OK, so I pulled off, got leveled and opened up all the windows.
I had expected it to be a high of 65⁰, but even though the weather channel picked up a signal from Julian, CA, it was already low 80’s. Apparently, a few miles west would be a much higher elevation and about 20 degrees cooler.
After a quick walk, I went back to the van and heated up a vegetable lasagna dinner I had bought at Walmart. I made a tall glass of lemonade with lots of ice. I have felt parched for the past couple weeks. The dry heat is definitely a factor, but I suspect soaking in hot water also dehydrated me. I have been drinking about a gallon a day of a variety of beverages, but never feel quite quenched. Water with fresh squeezed lemon seems to help the most, so I picked up a bag of lemons when I was at Walmart.
The night was so silent it was almost spooky. The light of the waxing moon lit up much of the desert, and when I got in bed, I saw a meteor. It wasn’t like a streak across the sky, but rather a bright light falling out of the sky. I got the impression that it must’ve landed nearby, but in the dark, in the desert, distances and sizes are hard to gauge. I slept well, but awoke with a sore throat. I was very congested, and had a dry cough. I didn’t know if I was coming down with something or if it was just the dust or heat or maybe allergies. There had been many blooms in the desert the week before. At any rate, it was over 80⁰ by 8:00 a.m. and I knew I had to continue west up into the mountains. I had two spots picked out from reviews I’d read on a boondocking app. I chose one and headed there. I plan to meet up this weekend with an acquaintance who has a cabin nearby, so I picked a road that I thought was near his place. It was a horrible, narrow mountain road, with lots of ditches and ruts. I drove about 3 mph up the mountain, and when I got to the GPS coordinates recommended by a previous camper, there was nothing but a muddy ditch on the side of the road. I continued up a little farther until I found a clearing and set up camp for the night.
My cold symptoms were getting worse, and I was cranky. I took some Advil and went to bed early.
By Thursday morning, I let my friend George know that I was in Pine Creek Valley and tried to explain exactly where I was. He knew immediately. His cabin was on the opposite side of the mountain, and he said I’d have to go back out the road I came in on and come in from the back side of the mountain. He was in San Diego and would be at his cabin on Saturday. That was good, because I was feeling lousy and wasn’t up to packing up and moving even a short distance. I made some breakfast, ate half of it and went back to bed. I’m a terrible patient. I don’t like feeling under the weather, and being on the side of a bad mountain road wasn’t helping. I decided to do whatever I needed to do to feel better and deal with life and moving the following day.
On Friday I drove into the tiny town of Pine Valley and stopped at a small store where I got some snacks and topped off my propane tank. It was still getting down to near freezing on the mountain at night and I wanted to be able to run my heater to keep warm if necessary. I then headed to the other side of the mountain and pulled into George’s driveway, which was so steep I had trouble turning around. I texted him and he directed me to a family member’s cabin who wouldn’t be using it this week. He said I should park in the driveway, which was much more level. I settled in, made some herbal tea and honey and laid low for the afternoon and evening.
The night was quiet and uneventful. It got cold here at over 6,000 feet, so I slept with all the windows closed. I slept well in spite of a very sore throat. This cold is kicking my ass. George will arrive this afternoon, we’ll hang out for a bit. I’ll spend the night in the sister’s driveway, and we’ll all leave Sunday morning. George will go back to San Diego, and I’ll head either up the mountain or down the mountain. There is BLM land in both directions, so I’ll probably stay here in Mt. Laguna for a couple more nights before heading west again.
Lessons From The Road: I’d forgotten what it is like to be under the weather. The last time I was sick was a year ago when I had a mild case of Covid. My throat feels like I gargled with battery acid, my sinuses are so clogged that I breathe through my mouth and if I’m not blowing my nose, I seem to be sneezing. I think my symptoms are exacerbated by the fact that I don’t know where I am, and I’m not sure where I’m going from here. If I were in one of my familiar spots like Ehrenberg, or Quartzsite, or Flagstaff, I’d just lock myself in the van until this cold passes. But I was parked on the side of a road (fortunately, not a very busy one), and was unsure where I was heading next. I just wanted to go to bed, pull the covers up, and watch an old movie. Being on the side of a mountain, in an acquaintance’s neighbor’s driveway an hour outside of San Diego wasn’t giving me that Hygge feeling.
It’s been a long time since I didn’t have at least a general idea of where I would head in the upcoming months. I had thought I’d stay along the California coast, but after I paid $6.39 for a gallon of gas yesterday, I had second thoughts. “Camping” along the coast would entail too many nights in parking lots or trying to stealth camp in neighborhoods. A man at the hot springs told me I could stay right on the beach in a parking lot in San Diego, but I’d have to plug the meter or move every morning. It would also mean I couldn’t put out my solar panels—I’d be in a parking space, with vehicles two feet away from me on either side of my van. Being on the coast also means being in cities and towns; I’m so much more content in the forest or desert. I’m reconsidering my options, and seeing if there is a way for me to make it back to the Flagstaff area before the desert between here and there is unpassable due to extreme summer heat.