Six months ago I began another adventure into the unknown, setting off into a steep learning curve as I embraced the lifestyle of a full time RVer. I’ve stayed in relatively familiar territory (my home state) while gaining the skills I need to safely move this bus from place to place, and to maintain a comfortable home. Now that I have at least some minimal clue as to how all this works, it’s time to turn this adventure up a notch!

After a month of sitting in my home town for family time and to take care of some business, we're now getting ready to hit the road for a long haul. On the road again! Wohoo! My fears are popping up to suggest that I must have surely forgotten how to drive this beast in the month I’ve been sitting still, but I’m sure that feeling will quickly fade once I’m actually in motion.

I’ve planned a leisurely six-day journey to Joshua Tree National Park in southern California, where we’ll boondock for a week or two while getting a feel for the area. Our final destination is about a hundred miles east of there in the town of Quartzsite, Arizona – a desert mecca for us mobile types who are escaping from the harsher winter climates of more northern areas.

We should arrive in Quartzsite in early November, giving us plenty of time to stake out a claim on a good site close to town, hopefully before tens of thousands of other RVers arrive to camp for the season. The town hosts an annual two-month long trade show focusing on everything RV-related and gems/minerals. (I know, right? They might as well have just sent us an engraved invitation, since they tailored the whole show to our interests.)

I expect that we will learn a lot from all the trade show folks selling the latest and greatest in off-grid technology. I’ve been thinking of getting my RV set up for solar power (a significant investment), and look forward to finding a great deal at the show after perusing the many options. Who knows what other temptations and innovations we’ll find to make our lives on the road easier and more sustainable?

But of course, that’s gonna take money. We’ve both been applying for remote job opportunities, with only rejections so far, but employment is not the only way to earn a living. It’s important to remember in this lifestyle that we have options, so we’re getting creative.

We have lots of ideas for how we might be of (profitable) service to the community of RVers we’ll be among in Quartzsite. I won’t go into details (I’m under a muzzle agreement with the TwoDog Corporation due to intellectual property rights), but suffice it to say that we have some uncommon assets that tend to be of interest to others, and that we’ll happily share those assets for a reasonable fee.

It’s been great to be plugged into “shore power” while parked here in my home town. (I can run my heater and my toaster at the same time!) Having the flexibility to live near my parents during a difficult time was priceless. The convenience of being close to shops and services has been great, but I am longing for the peace found only in more remote locations.

It’s almost time for these wheels to start rolling again. I can’t wait to get back to adventuring and telling y’all about it!

*Photo of Winky and Yoda enjoying a banana during morning play time. (October 2017)

Interlude

A Beginning

Power

Sanctuary

Comparative Luxury

Debutante

EPIC

Fear, Money, and Veggies

Holding Pattern

Transformation

Stefanie D. Warren