I loved staying near Ben and Lauren and their two dogs. They are ideal neighbors. Both are quite independent. If Lauren wants to read, she just goes and gets her iPad and starts reading. If Ben wants a nap, or just some alone time, he goes into his van. It made it very easy to do what I want. When I wanted company, I went outside and sat with them. If at some point any of us wanted to be alone, we just got up and went inside. I’ve been in some situations when I’m camping near people that I know and there seems too much “group think.” I’ve shared meals with people, or had them invite me for a meal. Both are fun, but when a group, especially if it is more than 3 people, starts saying “What time did you all want to eat tonight?” That starts to feel like too much to me.
Ben and I took a couple of long walks with the dogs. Lauren joined us sometimes, and stayed behind and read other times. Cosmo got to be off-leash a LOT. He ran in the desert and chased his ball when I threw it and he ran and played with Odessa and Aefa. I seldom had to call him to come back closer; he mostly hung with the pack. We had a campfire two nights. The other nights it was too windy. The first night we stayed close to the entrance of the BLM land, but the next night Ben suggested we move deeper in. He has “the wheel” – an electric unicycle. It is very cool and he’s good at it. He rode it a mile or so down the road and scouted a great spot for the two vans to move. We did. It was a wonderful, isolated spot where we could see other rigs in the distance, but they were far enough away that we still felt we had a very private area.
Ben nearly always had music playing and it was always the perfect soundtrack for whatever we happened to be doing. He played bluegrass one morning, and international music that afternoon. He’s also a Joni Mitchell fan, so of course he played “Ladies of the Canyon” album. It was perfect. They also taught me a card game called “Golf.” The goal is to have the lowest score. Although it is very simple and I caught on after the first hand, it is too difficult to explain here. If I come to visit you, and you have any interest, let me know. I can teach you in 3 minutes. It was fun.
We also made time every night to watch the moonrise. We could see the sky becoming lighter in the east, until a blazing orange sliver started to appear over the mountain. It grew quickly until the bulbous moon was up and casting our shadows behind us. My last night there with them, we stood outside and looked up at the stars. The moon wasn’t due up until quite late and the sky was dark except for the constellations. It was very special to stand outside with them one last time, knowing we’d be heading in different directions the next day, and sharing the entire universe with such extraordinary friends. We laughed a lot together, and we also shared some meaningful quiet times together. I will miss them until our paths cross again, which I hope won’t be too far in the future.
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The morning we were to leave, I felt a bit sad. I often feel sad or anxious on “moving day” but today I felt it even more so. I really loved having Ben and Lauren and the dogs next to me. We said our good-byes and Cosmo and I headed toward Gila Bend to more BLM land. We were circling around to visit my friend Deb and her husband Barry later in the week. They live just south of Tucson. The drive was slightly longer than I usually like, and the roads weren’t great, but we stopped several times to get groceries, gas and propane. We are fully stocked for a week or two, and ended up in beautiful BLM land just east of Gila Bend. Although we passed many cacti on the vacant lands on our way there, there are few cacti on the BLM land. I guess they call this part of the desert chaparral. It was nice. The wind was howling, but I think we both needed some down time, so this was perfect. I cooked up some mushroom ravioli and made a salad for my late lunch. Cosmo went straight to bed. I think he overdid it with all the walks, ball fetching, and dog chasing.
The next day we were on the move again to Red Rock, AZ. The wind was bad, making driving less than fun. Fortunately, we only had to drive a little over an hour. The BLM land we found on FreeCampsites.org. Some of the reviews were excellent, and some said it was not good for dogs due to the high number of Cholla Cacti (they drop their tips, which are full of barbed spikes, so they cling to animals to be carried off to propagate. Cosmo has stepped on a number of them in different places. I’ve stepped on some as well and have had them go right through the sole of my shoe. They are not pleasant). There were also complaints about gunfire. Some BLM land is used for target practice and you can hear automatic weapons from dawn to nightfall. I was hesitant, but we went and I’m SO glad we did. The first road we chose was totally full of campers. One spot was open, and it was like a short driveway. There were two families with way too many kids making a racket across from it, so we moved on. We finally crossed the main road in, and went down the other side. There, we found a big, beautiful spot about a quarter mile in. We were surrounded by tall cacti, and we walked the dirt road several times without having any issues with the stickies. It was like being in a cactus forest. Absolutely magnificent.
The pictures never do it justice. I think part of the beauty was to see the cactus forest going on forever in all directions. It was truly magnificent.
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I had planned to only stay in Red Rock one night. My goal was to get to Green Valley where my friends Deb and Barry live on Thursday. Deb had arranged for her new puppy, Joey, to get Rattlesnake Avoidance Training. When I heard about that I knew I had to do it. Deb was gracious enough to share the Dog Trainer’s info with me and allow me to join them on Friday if the trainer agreed. He did. So in order to make it there, I’ve snaked (pun intended) around different BLM land in AZ and planned to spend a night in several locations. The spot in Red Rock was just too perfect. Well, almost. Yesterday while walking Cosmo, I passed a woman walking her dog. She said “Be careful. I saw a rattlesnake on the road when I came in this morning.” I told her about the Rattlesnake Avoidance Training, and she said “Yup. We did it last year. Best decision I’ve ever made. While jogging in Utah, my dog usually runs ahead, and suddenly, he turned and ran back toward me, frightened. He not only avoided the snake, but alerted me so I didn’t run up on it.” She then told me the dog trainer is from this area, so I’m betting it is the same guy. The training can’t come soon enough. I spent most of the day yesterday scanning the landscape every minute when we were outside. I thought it was too cold for the snakes to come out, but apparently they’ve started to surface. We stayed another day in spite of the snake sighting. The wind howled and the Weather Channel predicted rain, so it would have been a horrible day to drive. And after driving in the rain and wind, I would have had to find a spot and set up in the rain and mud. No thank you. We were surrounded by beauty and the clouds rolling in made it that much more spectacular. It was a perfect “inside day” of getting some chores done and doing crossword puzzles and reading my book.
The next morning, the sun was out and everything seemed a bit fresher from the recent rains. The dust was down, and Cosmo was happy to be able to go on a walk again without getting wet. We took our time and just before noon, we headed south, beyond Tucson to Green Valley to see Deb and Barry. Deb had been under the weather, so I wasn’t sure she would be up for company. We talked and she agreed I should come for the night and we could visit, and then I’d come join them in the morning for “rattlesnake training.” I got there shortly after 1:00 and we had such a wonderful reunion. Deb and I had worked on the AIDS Memorial Quilt together, successfully bringing it to Visalia, CA. That was in early 1995. Ron and I moved east soon after that. I’ve seen her once since and met her husband Barry, but it’s been well over 20 years since we’ve connected. We visited until I saw she was still not up to full strength, and Cosmo and I went to the van for a few hours. We met up again for dinner and then Cosmo and I “went home” to their driveway. We woke up the next morning and I was already apprehensive about the snake training. I made coffee and got a banana and Barry came out to tell me Deb was up and getting dressed and we should come in. We did. Soon the “snake man” arrived. He is a dog trainer by profession and he brought with him a young woman who was a snake handler (henceforth known as “the snake lady.” ) She had two buckets with lids and tiny airholes on the sides. I learned later the airholes were for the snake’s odor to get out, not for breathing holes. They set up in the back yard and Joey went first. Barry put him on a leash and Snake Man put a shock collar on him. (Snake Man first tested the shock on himself and didn’t even flinch when he set it off. He assured us it was a very low dose and just unpleasant, and not harmful.) Snake Lady set up a bucket which had “snake bedding” in it. That was the first chore…to get the dogs to sniff the rattlesnakes odor on the tiny rugs where the snakes had slept, smell their venom, and when they did, Snake Man would deliver a shock. Joey did it and jumped at the shock. They had Barry walk around the yard and come back again from the other side and see if he could get Joey to sniff the bucket. Joey kept his distance, but looked at, and leaned toward the bucket and the guy delivered another shock at the exact moment he did so. Joey jumped. From then on in, Joey wouldn’t go NEAR the bucket. Then Snake Lady brought out a live rattlesnake, it’s mouth taped shut. It turns out it was her snake. She loved reptiles as a kid and keeps two rattlesnakes at home and uses them for training. So the rattlesnake was placed on the ground, where it immediately coiled and started to rattle. It was all I could do not to pee my pants. Barry had to walk Joey close and at the exact moment that Joey got close and actually LOOKED at the snake, he got shocked. They tried it a couple more times until Joey “put on the brakes” as Snake Lady called it, refusing to get any closer. He had learned…get close to this snake and you’ll get zapped. Then the third lesson was to get out the second snake who didn’t rattle. I have no idea why not. Maybe he was rattle-less? Maybe it was somehow “disabled?” At any rate, he (she? they?…I just don’t know anymore) coiled up when placed in the stones in their back yard. I could barely see him, but when Joey got close as Barry walked him past, he looked at the snake and Snake Man delivered another zap. Joey jumped back and that was that. He wouldn’t get near either of the snakes, or the bucket that smelled like them. He was trained. Then it was Cosmo’s turn. He went through the same steps, but each time he got zapped, he yelped. It bothered him a lot, which was fine with me. I want him to be bothered by the sight/sound/smell of a rattlesnake. After a few zaps, he got very skittish and I wondered if he was generalizing and fearing the entire back yard. We walked a bit and he was still trembling but as we neared the snake, he “put the brakes on” and would not go near it. Mission accomplished. I was so glad to have that over. As they were leaving, Deb asked Snake Lady for a photo. She gladly obliged.
Deb seemed tired, and I decided to head down the road and come back and visit again when she is feeling better. We headed to nearby BLM land about 45 minutes away. It’s spread out. Small sites and the first 5 were taken, so we pulled up into what amounts to not much more than a pull out for the night. There was nothing by us. The nearest campers were a couple miles up the road. It seemed safe enough. For hours one had driven down this road except Border Patrol. They seem to be ubiquitous in southern AZ.
I figured out that I was on state land. I think they call them “yellow roads.” (Kitty? Help please.) It was a fire service road and I pulled just off one of them out in the middle of nowhere. I felt pretty isolated. That made it also seem very pristine. I liked not sharing space with anyone close by. On the other hand, when a truck pulled past me and turned down an adjacent dirt road at midnight, it made me wonder who it was and where they were going. They drove about the equivalent of a city block and turned again and then turned their lights off. I watched out the window for a minute and decided they just found their spot to sleep for the night.
In the morning I found a new spot. I had to drive toward Tucson to find either cocoa coir or peat moss for my composting toilet. I called around and neither Home Depot, Walmart nor Ace had any. I found a nursery and even THEY didn’t have any (What’s up with that? I’ve never heard of any of these places being out of Peat Moss.) I settled for some cactus soil and had a very nice conversation with a man who worked there who inquired about my van. He wanted to know if I was full-time, if I liked it, etc. He’s planning on getting either a 6 pack for the back of his truck, or buying a van like mine. I told him I had made the right choice for me and that I loved my van. He seemed swayed in that direction.
I drove to Old Ajo Road where several of my free campsite apps told me I’d find a place for the night. I did. It’s a bit bizarre. Basically just a big dirt parking lot between the frontage road and the road behind it. It looked like a lot where the carnival would set up when it came to town, and it looks like some of the carnies may have stayed behind. There were some shrubs, and a lot of little rodents (pretty sure they are pack rats—sort of cute in a squirrel/rat/tiny weasel kind of way.) It was fairly crowded, but I found a level spot easily. A few people were outside and looked like they’ve set up to stay long term. There were a few tents, and some very large rigs, but mostly Class C rigs. I didn’t feel like turning around and driving back to where I had come from, so I made due for the night.
Lessons from the Road:
I’m finding it easier and easier to be nice. I stopped to get propane and the man at the RV park who seemed to be in charge of pumping propane limped out. He’d been having a conversation with another man and I thought I detected a slight air of annoyance that I’d interrupted his chat by pulling up to make a purchase. I shouted pre-emptively “Good morning! How you doing?” He came over and said “Well, I’m doing pretty good, how about you.” I said “I’m doing GREAT!” If there was any aggravation, it had dissipated. We made small talk as he filled my tank. It was a pleasant and brief exchange.
When I got to the new BLM land, I drove down the road about a mile. My rule of thumb is that the farther in you go, the more private it usually becomes. A mile in, the campers were sparce and I pulled off the road and started down a tangle of dirt roads. I saw a fairly large space and headed toward it. A tall, rugged-looking woman with grey hair in a pony tail, immediately came out of a tiny little pull-behind camper. She put her hands on her hips and glared unapprovingly. I continued on beyond where I originally intended to park and took the spot beyond that. I parked about 150 yards from her, facing away from her rig. There were bushes between us and I could see only the top of her car and part of the front end of her camper. I inched my way along until I saw on my leveling app that all the wheels of my van were within an inch of each other. That’s plenty level to use my propane fridge, so I stopped and Cosmo and I got out. The woman had moved into an opening, and still stared, hands on hips. I waved pleasantly and she came toward us. We met her halfway and I said “Hi. How are you doing?” She said “Are you planning on camping there?” I said “Well, I was, but if you’d prefer I didn’t, I’ll gladly move farther down the road.” She said “Well, I’m used to having a lot more space, but I guess it’s OK.” I repeated “Well, if you feel I’m crowding you, I’ll be glad to move.” She replied “No, that’s OK. I guess I’m just going to have to learn to boondock with others.” I offered twice and twice she didn’t take me up on the offer, so I decided I was plenty far away from her and was leaving in the morning anyway. I think perhaps she was looking for an argument, and when I offered to move, she realized I wasn’t going to fight. It was too windy to be outside anyway, so I’m not sure what the issue was. There was another bigger rig parked behind her (I suspect it was there when she pulled in) and it was much closer than I was. I think my offering to move was enough to diffuse the fight.
I also realized (re-realized) this week how lucky I am…how much I have. I think I’ve been grateful for a long time for the things I have, for my friends, for my business success. Now that I’m on the road, I’ve given up a lot of “things” and do with only the basics. I realized at Deb and Barry’s how much I appreciate a bath. Deb has an amazing soaking tub, and allowed me to use it. I used her purple shampoo and conditioner made to brighten grey hair. I soaked in water as hot as I could stand. Afterwards I topped off my fresh water tank. I got into the van and made a point of appreciating having a working van, appliances, and a game plan. At one point in my life I wouldn’t have believed I could live with so little. Today I realized that I could live with much less, and that many people DO live with less. I vowed to not take anything for granted. Someday I may not have even as much as I have now. I’m learning to be grateful for a free place to stay most nights, wonderful friends who check up on me often, beautiful places, and most of all, an amazing travel companion.