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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

I Think I OD'ed on Vitamin D Today

Well, I believe we left off with me freezing my buttkus off!  Monday morning was damn cold and I of course was given the campsite farthest away from the bathrooms!  It was not a pleasant jaunt.  When I got back to the tearbaby I decided to crawl back into bed with my heating pad and get warm before making the trek back for a hot shower.  And let me tell you, it was one of the HOTTEST hot showers I've ever taken.  After my body was sufficiently warmed up we were off to find warmth in places south - Parker was my destination, with an extended sunny forecast in the upper 60's - 70's. . .  PERFECT!

I arrived at my very first official boondock about 2:30 Monday afternoon.  I was following recommendations from a website for free camping spots I had been using as I traveled out here, and after a few minutes of apprehension wondering if I would be able to actually identify a legit boondock, I came across a couple of other trailers already parked in the area.  I decided to make this my home for now, but as far away from the others as possible.  After trying out a couple of spots I found one that gave me a gorgeous view in all directions.

View to the north from my campsite

I was finally back in the desert.  It has been 30 years since I last camped in the desert, but back then I was living out of a backpack & sleeping on the ground under the stars with a group of students on a college field study program that ended up changing my life.  Being back here is like running into a  dear childhood friend, familiar yet you have to get reacquainted.  After "setting up camp" on Monday (really only doing the very basics), I just sat and tried to absorb that I was really here.  I don't think I have fully absorbed it all yet, even after 2 days.  That's O.K., I want to go slowly, to savor the moments and the changes in myself.

Last night there was a most beautiful sunset.  The blue in the sky was one of the most gorgeous shades of blue I have seen, I'd call it close to cerulean.  The clouds were pink / purple then changed to pink/orange against that blue and WOW!  The show was just amazing.  My picture doesn't do the colors justice.  One other thing I had forgotten from my last time in the desert is the way even a little moonlight illuminates the landscape.  The light color of the desert floor helps reflect the moonlight like snow covered ground and makes the desert glow.    

Sunset Magic

The one thing I HAD to do was to try to get organized.  Dealing with all my stuff (yes, I still have too much) on the drive out here was making me crazy.  I never really got to organize everything before I left.  When I arrived on Monday it was still quite windy, which continued into Tuesday making it difficult to work on things.  Today when I woke up, the wind was gone so I deemed today to be "Operation Organization Day"!  I started by setting up both of my small tables and laying out a tarp, then I proceeded to barf out all my stuff from the car and trailer.  I don't know about you, but I love being organized, though don't always like getting there.  Depends on what it is I'm trying to organize.  I do well with the big stuff, but when I get down to the nitty-gritty little things and paper-stuff I lose it - not the stuff, my mind and patience!  Add to the mix that I still am not sure what I do and don't need yet, and you have one crazed camper!  Needless to say, it took most of the day to clear off the tables and tarp and I'm really not sure that I'm any more organized from when I started, but I sure did move a lot of stuff around!  Oh well, I found a couple of things I had lost, so I guess that was something.

But the best part of today was the temperature - it was up in the mid 70's (almost hot in the full sun actually) with a gentle breeze.  The most perfect weather for me.  Yes, I did OD on vitamin D today and enjoyed every minute of it!  THANK YOU Weather Goddess!!




6 comments:

  1. I have never been to the dessert. Looks beautiful. Look forward to your next post.

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  2. You'll have to plan your next vacation to swing through the desert & experience it. Some people may think it is bleak & desolate, but it's not if you take a little time to get to know it (Well, i probably shouldn't say that to be exclusive of ALL deserts - there may be some that are bleak & desolate). The Sonoran is my favorite. Go to that one!

    Thanks for coming along with me! It's good to have a friend along for the ride. đŸ˜€

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  3. You are doing exactly what I want to do. I bought my first teardrop in September and last week upgraded to the version I really wanted. I figure I have 2 years (less if I can figure out how to get rid of my house...) before I can get going. I have the trailer and the car. Now comes the planning. I am hooked in with Tearjerkers already and love the resource they offer. I will be looking to follow your journey and maybe eventually join you. Good luck and have fun!!

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    1. Hi Sewwhatsports!

      I am excited that you want to do the same thing! Living in a teardrop isn't the easy choice - except when it comes to hauling a trailer around maybe. I am glad to hear you got the trailer you wanted. I hope you get to use it often before you head out on the open road. Attend as many TearJerker gatherings as you can. The folks are wonderful and have some really great ideas for camping with a teardrop. It ended up taking me a little over 2 years to get going from the time I decided this is what I wanted to do and actually doing it. Things kept happening to keep me from going, but maybe it was all for a bigger reason. I know the time (as frustrating as it was sometimes being "stuck") helped me to clarify some things that I wanted to do and also gave me the time to live in Zelda and test things out. This was particularly helpful when it came to discovering what I did and didn't need and saved me spending money on the latter. Since I am living on a 1/2 shoe-string budget, I really have to be careful what I buy and make sure it is something I really need to make this life on the road work. Besides, I like the challenge of making things work with what I already have or can improvise.

      Thanks for following along and if I can be of any assistance or answer any questions for you, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm making it up as I go along basically. I'd love to hook up with you out here when you're on your way!

      Best of luck to you as you move towards full-time teardropping! Enjoy the journey and have fun along the way too!

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  4. you need to change the color of your words....its too close to the color of your background...
    btw, great blog.....puts me right there with you.

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    1. Hi Chuck,

      Thanks for the compliment and the suggestion. I made the text darker, hope it helps!

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