Quartzite, November 2021

Quartzite AZ 

I intended to remain in Congress AZ until mid November, but one morning I woke up and realized that I was ready to go to Quartzite even though the temps were still running up into the 90s.  I just felt compelled to go right then, so I began packing and left early the next morning.

The trip down was an easy drive, less than 100 miles, and the weather was perfect.  I tend to mosey along when I travel, at least I used to, but this trip in particular felt like the first time I left Ky in 2017.  I so enjoyed the trip, taking in the beauty of the changing landscape, the mountains and nature in general.

It wasn’t long before I crossed into the valley between the mountains where the small town of Quartzite rests.  As I drove through town all of my old haunts were there and I noticed that there have been quite a few improvements as well.  In my heart I was saying I missed you.  

My first stop was the refuse center just north of town where I disposed of my garbage, one of benefits of camping in the area.  After that I stopped off at the laundromat to wash my dirty clothes and get a hot shower.  I usually trek over to Blythe CA, about twenty miles west, to do my grocery shopping.  I wasn’t really needing much of anything grocery-wise so I decided to go ahead and setup camp and make the trip when I needed to stock up again.

I have a favorite spot where I like to camp near Scadden Wash.  It’s where I set up camp for the winter on my first trip out west and it just feels so comfortable to be here, like coming home.

I don’t mind camping around other people too much, sometimes there’s really no choice, but out here I can really just kick back and relax.  Most of the regulars that camp here are also nomads so it’s usually pretty quiet and everybody’s courteous and watches out for one another, but enjoys their privacy too.

So the temps were high for a few days but I managed just fine, and now the temps are forecast to be in the mid-70s to low 80s with nighttime temps in the mid-50s, which is perfect weather for this time of year.  

So… life is good. Here’s some more pics:

Sunshiny morning!

 I have been a little lazy about  getting out for regular walks so today as I am getting back into the habit of walking, it was so pretty that I made a short video showing off the beautiful surroundings in Congress AZ.  Hope you enjoy!

4 Years as a Nomad

 

Repairs on Annie and Other Stuff...

Repairs on Annie... 

Well...  Annie had a pretty massive oil leak develop since I bought her.  I was losing 1-2 quarts of oil for every 200 miles traveled.    I had it checked out because I thought it was coming from the rear main oil seal of the engine, but the shop in Quartzite AZ that I took it to said they thought it was the oil pan gasket.  Anyway, since it was a pretty extensive job because of it being in a motorhome, I decided just to keep the oil topped off and return to KY where I could get if fixed by someone I trusted.  I also had a vibration from about 45-55 mph which I wanted checked out too.  

I talked to my son-in-law Lucas, and he arranged for the repairs at the shop where he works.  The day I took it in to drop it off, on the way to the shop, the U-joint in the driveshaft gave way (the source of the vibration I later discovered) and I almost didn't make it to the shop before the driveshaft came out completely.   And...  Twyla was following me in the van to pick me up and the brake pedal went to the floor about the same time that the driveshaft U-joint gave way.  She still had enough pedal to stop safely so she kept going since the shop was just a few miles away.  After dropping Annie off  I drove the van back to my daughter's house  and parked it by the garage.  I borrowed one of their spare vehicles to get a few errands done while I waited for the van to be repaired.  While on the way back from the store, in my daughter's vehicle, someone rear ended me.  Evidently they were preoccupied and didn't hit the brakes in time to stop.  Fortunately there was literally no damage that I could find on the back of the car so we got a police report and went our separate ways.  It was good to get home, it had been a busy day.

Luke repaired the rusted out brake line for me to get the van back on the road and worked on Annie for a couple of weeks on and off, when he wasn't super busy with other jobs.  He found the rear main oil seal was badly worn and deformed when he got it out.  He replaced the old seal and oil pan gasket and once back together the leak has stopped.  Oh, and the vibration is also gone.  He managed to save the driveshaft even though it had been damaged which was a real blessing.

I now feel more confident about taking Annie on long trips, that much oil leaking was both aggravating and embarrassing.  Every time I stopped to refuel, or to park for the night, I left a puddle of oil on the ground and anyone that got behind me on the interstate was treated to a misty rain of oil created by the air flow under the motorhome while driving.  Yeah, sorry people, but the upside was that no one tailgated me for very long before they hit the brakes and backed off several car lengths.  I guess it was that misty residue that began to collect on their windshields that made them back off.

Other Stuff...

I'm also blessed to have a house to reside in for the time I spend her at my daughter's place.  It's an old mobile home that was on the property when they bought the land it was on.  They had a renter for a couple of years or so but that didn't work out too well, so they just decided not to rent it and keep it as a 'guest house'.  It's still being renovated inside, they work on it as they can, so there's a lot of unfinished rooms right now.  I have been happily camping in the living room and kitchen/dining areas.  All the amenities one could want including A/C, and believe me, Kentucky gets hazy, hot, and humid, in the late spring and early summer, so A/C is pretty much a requirement for survival. 

I needed to come back to Kentucky this year for sure to get my driver's license renewed.  Since my birthdate is in mid December, the earliest they will allow you to renew is six months prior to my birthday so hopefully mid July I can get this done.  After that, well, I simply don't know what I'll do or where I'll be, but I'll keep you informed.

What's next...

I really don't know what's next, or where I'll be heading, the door is wide open and there are lots of options.  My concerns over the past couple of years living in AZ is how dry it is becoming in that region.  I've watched it carefully this spring to see if the spring bloom flourished, but it was just too dry and so many the plants and trees (including cactus) are dying back.  I have a friend Dan that is a full-time nomad as well who I stay in contact with.  Everywhere he has gone this year in AZ he says has been extremely dry.  The monsoon rains were not much last year and expected to fall short this year.  Plus, with the dry conditions there is a growing concern of water shortages, especially around the southern AZ and CA regions.  The Colorado River which I cross to go into CA has been pretty dry this year, not a good sign.

Also, with the COVID-19 thing going on, the RV industry is experiencing a boom in RV sales.  It's estimated that there are now more RV's on the road than there are RV parks for them to camp in.  Many RVers are taking up boondocking too, which means they will be staying more and more in the areas that I like to camp.  I've noticed this myself this past year.  Boondocking is also called dispersed camping or dry camping.  All it means is that you have no amenities like water, electricity, dump stations, showers, garbage facilities, etc...  It's not for everybody but the trade off for no amenities is that you can park in some of the most beautiful and secluded spots around at no charge.  

So this may be the year of experimentation, trying different states and locales that are a little off the beaten path.  I just don't know right now, but I'm sure something will come up and things will work out. I do enjoy the nomadic lifestyle.  It's no picnic, you have to work at it, but the benefits far outweigh the alternatives.  

So glad you stopped by to read my blog.  Stay in touch!

Much love, much peace,

Bernie

May 2021 Lightning bugs…

 It’s the little things I remember about growing up in Kentucky that I most enjoy upon returning.  The blooming carpets of multicolored wildflowers in the fields, the forested areas rich with diverse types of trees, the common sightings of wildlife, the nightly singing and croaks of the crickets and frogs, but it is the evening flights of the lightning bugs during their Spring mating ritual that I relish the most.  

The end of May through the first week or two in June is the time of their peak performance.  The throngs of participants rise from the grasslands as dusk falls each evening.  Their tails blinking slowly with a soft and soothing green light.  Their seemingly clumsy and slightly erratic flight path that leads them into the heights of the leaves and branches of a nearby tree.  During the peak of this annual ritualistic event, the tall trees light up like massive Christmas trees, decorated from head to toe with hundreds of tiny flashing green lamps.  A scene I find totally amazing and satisfying to behold.

It becomes more difficult each year for these tiny creatures to locate suitable areas for their mating tasks as the lighting from our homes and businesses are slowly diminishing the darkness needed for their purposes. I doubt that many people who live in well lit areas have ever even seen masses of lightning bugs to this extent, let alone realize how their lives have impacted this extraordinary display of nature’s wonders.

More often than not we thrive at the expense of the natural world and never weigh out the consequences.  How simple it would be to just limit our sometimes overwhelming use of exterior lighting to allow nature more space, space we encroached from nature more likely than not as a means  to safeguard our possessions.

I used to live in a small rental house in E’town tucked in an alley behind the backyards of a string of larger houses.  It was an old neighborhood with stately trees abound and a large park-like area across the alley and running all the way down to where the alley met the next cross street.  I used to take walks down the alley at night around this time of year just to mingle with the lightning bugs as they rose so quietly into those trees.

Late at night I discovered was the best time for viewing.  None of the surrounding house lights or street lamps penetrated the thick mass of spring leaves.  It was dark and quiet, but yet alive with the twinkling of lightning bugs both as they took flight from the ground and those already alight and settled into the trees.  It’s something that one has to experience in person, no attempt on my part to capture this wonder on film was ever successful.

I lived in that house for several years.  Directly across the alley from my house was a large church parking lot, and it butting all the way up to the mostly untouched park area where the lightning bugs thrived.  One year the church decided to install large high powered security lights aimed across the parking lot and into the wooded park light area.  The placement of these lights allowed for extensive intrusion of the intense white light into the once dark forested area.  That year I noticed a significant drop in the number of lightning bugs where they had previously flourished and they now gathered further down the alley where there was still enough darkness for their needs.  

That was the last of the beautiful Spring light shows I had come to expect each year. I can still remember how it used to be, like walking through a tunnel, a canopy formed by the bowing branches of the older trees and the entire landscape lit impeccably by these seemingly insignificant creatures.

Misunderstood

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words, and to-morrow speak what to-morrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said to-day. — 'Ah, so you shall be sure to be misunderstood.' — Is it so bad, then, to be misunderstood? Pythagoras was misunderstood, and Socrates, and Jesus, and Luther, and Copernicus, and Galileo, and Newton, and every pure and wise spirit that ever took flesh. To be great is to be misunderstood.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance

The Mystery Hypothesis

What I don’t and cannot know, I suppose to the mystery hypothesis.  

Every single thing, every concept we believe we know and understand, accept as fact, historical, evidence based, relies upon existing presuppositions that are, at their foundation, as fluid and baseless as the end product we adhere to as factual.

The authentic approach in visualizing our world and our existence is to become comfortable with the mystery, the unknowable, rather than to fear the image of a world that cannot be defined in conceptual paradigms of time and space.

When we become entrenched by an idea, concept, or behavioral structure, we effectively become blind to all other possibilities external to that belief structure.  And not only blind, but actively antagonistic, as we fight to defend something that is inherently indefensible at its core.

What is the mystery?  The acceptance of not knowing, and even more importantly, not needing to know or to coalesce a framework of ideas into a believable concept acceptable to the mind’s limited perspective.

It’s a mystery.  If you solidify a grouping of ideas into a belief, no matter how unique or original, it becomes yet another blinding ideology.  

What we think we know is in reality not knowable.  

The ideological guardrails we construct in our mind’s eye provide a false security that at some point will fail to prevent you from crashing through those guardrails and down the cliff into the unknown.  It’s only a matter of time. 

Some will continue to rebuild the guardrails when damaged, others may be shaken enough to slowly begin the removal process, and a few may fall into the unknown, the mystery.

Anything that binds us limits our authentic self from emerging and prevents us from understanding reality’s original essence. 

Back in Kentucky Spring 2021

 The trip back to Kentucky was quite different this year.  First of all Twyla and I had two vehicles to tend with, she drove her van and I drove Annie the motor home.  Secondly, it took longer because Annie is a vintage (76) model so speeds on the highways were kept to around 55-60 mph. And lastly, since Annie is aging (aging well, but still aging), the seemingly minor oil leak that she has progressively grew worse the further we drove so we also had to stop more often for oil level checks.

It's more difficult with a motor home to find good, free campsites as well.  RV parks are nice occasionally, but can be expensive if that's the only means for overnight stays.  It took us about nine days to make the trip, not including one day we took just to relax and recoup.  We set a goal of about 200 miles a day which was about right and we decided to just stick with the interstate highway rather than the side roads which would have lengthened the trip significantly.  Overall, we had a good time and enjoyed the variety of the landscapes.  

Our first leg of the journey landed us in Windslow AZ at the McHood campground situated by a beautiful reservoir.  I have camped here in the past several times and always enjoyed it. The landscape though, like most of AZ is pretty brown and dry, even here.  Usually the Spring colors really pop this time of year, but beautiful nonetheless.

Our next stop was a Petro Stopping Center near Grants NM.  We simply parked out at the perimeter of the parking lot, as did other overnight campers, right up next to the highway.  The next day we traveled our daily quota of miles but couldn't find any good camping spots without driving quite a bit off the path.  So we settled for a small parking spot at a Phillip's 66 station in Santa Rosa NM.  I didn't snap any photos of the Petro center but I did look out the window and snapped a shot of our 'view' when we were at Phillips 66.  Fortunately, the station was not very busy and we were grateful to the manager for allowing us to overnight.  We were tired and just wanted to get some rest.

Continuing with our 200 mile trek, the next day landed us near Groom TX, and nearby we found the McClellan Creek National Grassland campground which is where we setup camp for the night.  There was a small fee for overnight camping but it was a nice peaceful setting and we were just happy to have a place to stay.  We didn't really snap any pictures of this place but you can Google it and find out more about it.  There were lots of trees and fairly level parking spots, and a lake nearby, but it too appeared quite brown and dry.  

One of the nicest places we found on our route was the Lake El Reno RV Park in El Reno OK.  It too was a pay site, but for the $15 a day fee, we had access to electricity, hot showers, a garbage can for every site, picnic tables, fire rings, a grill and water hookups.  They had great views of the lake, it was well kept and lots of activities for those who were interested.  We really appreciated the hot shower after the long trip and Twyla got to feed the geese and the ducks.  Bonus!  It was cold and rainy most of the time, that's why she's bundled up and why we didn't get out of the motor home much.  We also stayed here an extra day because we needed a down day, off the road to recoup.  Lastly, the owners were excellent, great customer service, and made us feel at home.

Our next 200 mile trek brought us all the way to the eastern border of OK.  We found a casino, the Cherokee Casino and Hotel, nearby that not only allowed for free overnight camping, for five campers for up to two nights, but also had free electricity hookups, and dump stations at each site.  We did go into the casino to at least drop a little money into the money pit to thank them for the use of the site, but as it turned out, Twyla played a few games (we had to have help on how to play the machines) with our $10 of seed money and won a total of $50 within just a few tries. After which she abruptly cashed out and so we left the casino in the green.  

The photo below is one I got from the Internet, you know what a casino looks like, but it does show the camping area where we stayed.

After leaving the casino, we headed into Arkansas.  I guess you've noticed by now that there aren't that many dispersed camping areas outside of the southwest US.  We did find an overnight campsite location, Mike Freeze Wattensaw NWA dispersed camping, Hazen AR, just a small camping area near a lake that was good for the night.  It was pretty close to the expressway and was pretty much for sportsman as it offered fishing on the lake and had an archery range but was also used by a lot of travelers in small vehicles for an overnight stay when traveling.

The next day we headed into Tennessee and planed to stay at the Natchez Trace State Park, but when we reached the park there was no one in the office so we found a man who was employed there and talked to him about staying overnight, and he said we could just pick a spot and he would come by later for the fee, which was $29 a night with no amenities.  I just smiled, thanked him, and we drove on.  We ended up just staying in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant about an hour on down the road just outside of Nashville TN and we had a good meal to boot.

Fortunately, the extra hours drive that we made that day put us on target to reach our destination even earlier than we hoped, fortunate because the next day we woke up tired, drowsy, and really not ready for another long day.  We headed into Nashville and then up into Kentucky.  We went up to Elizabethtown then back down to Campbellsville, our destination.  

We're now camped on my daughter's land and have had a couple of days to rest up so we're feeling better.  I hope to get some things done on Annie while we're here, including getting the notorious oil leak fixed.  And it looks like we'll be here for a while as my driver's license is due for renewal so I'll have to hang around until they okay me to renew, which should be about mid-July.

I don't know what our plans are at this point for when we leave here, but during this stay I hope to show Twyla a lot of the sites and places that I frequented when I lived here, as well as visit some of my friends that have kept in touch.

Much peace, much love,

Bernie and Twyla

Congress AZ, starting the trip back to KY...

It's been quite a while since I have added a post, so I thought this might be a good time to share our travels.  Twyla and I are traveling together again and we'll be making our way back to Kentucky to visit.  This will also be a good opportunity to share my home state with her and some of the places and events that I like about Kentucky.

We're in Congress, AZ now, just about a week ago we left Quartzite due to the rise in temperatures.  The daily temps in the latest forecast show highs in the mid 90s and lows in the 60s, and it's still Spring.  It's been very dry almost every place we have stayed over the winter and with an increase in windy conditions as well as the wind speeds.  This may be the new normal for the southwest with the climate changes taking place.  The weather here is quite nice, high 70s to mid 80s with nighttime temps in the high 50s to lower 60s and lots of sunshine.  The only downside I can find with this campsite is the military aircraft that fly through the desert regions for training purposes.  They can be quite noisy when operating nearby, but it's not bad, and this place has so much to offer that it's worth a little intermittent noise.

Here's some shots of our campsite in Congress...

Anastasia and Annie.

The view out our side windows, where we saw the Javelina.

Nice sandy area where we spend a lot of time.

Beautiful terrain.

And of course, shots of a calming AZ sunset..

We have experienced more wildlife here in the short span of time since we arrived than we've seen all winter.  The birds are flourishing, woodpeckers, Gambel's quail, songbirds, hummingbirds, juncos, hawks, ravens, and lots that I have yet to identify.  We even spotted a red cardinal the other day, the first one I have seen in a very long time.  The chipmunks are pretty active in the morning hours, and we have both cottontail rabbits as well as the huge jack rabbits, and they are surprisingly large, a sight to see in person.  And, for the first time ever, we had a Javelina come to visit us the other day.  It came right up to our campsite, we happened to be looking out the window that morning when it came by.  Quite a sight to see.

The greenery here is diverse and beautiful, the roadways are well kept and with the town of Congress being close by, its a short hop on errand day.  We have more neighbors than we are usually accustomed to, and we've met a few of them, but even with neighbors, we pretty much like to keep to ourselves in  quiet solitude.

Beginning this week we'll be heading east making our way back.  It's going to take longer than usual this time because I don't like to push Annie (the motorhome) too hard, she's vintage like me and needs some TLC.  Next stop on our way will be Flagstaff.  We are going to stock up on supplies there.  They have a variety of grocery stores that have great organic selections, Natural Grocers is my new fav.  The trouble with Flagstaff right now is the elevation.  The weather is still pretty cold, 20s and 30s at night, which will be okay for a night or maybe two, but we won't spend any more time there than we need.  So we'll be heading east into New Mexico after we leave there.

I guess that's enough for now.  To whomever reads this, I hope all is well.

Bernie

Happiness...

Personally, my take is that happiness is integral to the human animal.  Happiness is not something that can be acquired, achieved, or even in contrast, lost.  It is our thoughts about any situation or event, that when believed, lure us into an illusory state that we call unhappiness.  

A person can quickly forget their unhappiness, even if for just a moment, and be free of it.  It does not exist outside of our thoughts.

Living in the moment...

To live in the moment does not mean that the past has no meaning, it is only the prompt of nature encouraging us to be alive and aware of the existing moment.  

Every day brings the opportunity to experience the moment at hand, to be fully alive now.  There is no need to associate living with activity, or to reach into the past and the future for guidance.  Today is always a new day with new experiences that cannot be fully understood or appreciated if you are not fully there but instead are seeking continuation of a past moment or development of a future expectation.

There is no foundation that exists for the present moment.  It stands alone, free of the illusions stored in memory, free of past actions and future desires, it remains untouchable.  We mindfully and willingly incorporate the past and future into the present moment which taints its pureness and efficacy.  

Those who can extrude the past and future elements from the present moment through awareness understand how to live in the moment.  The memories remain, but the present moment is not influenced by their presence.

Opportunity for change...