January 18-20, 2025

This is a more rugged experience – no water or sewage hook-ups, electric only.  It’s camping (finally), not an RV park.  Roughing It?  Well, I do have to walk to the rest room next door to shower – does that count?  What if I tell you I am sharing the restrooms with about 50 boy scouts who are camping in the sites the next loop over?  For some reason, the restroom seems to be a destination gathering spot – they travel in twos but congregate in dozens.  The little shower/restroom complex is probably a place where they can sneak away from the scout masters to tells stories that wouldn’t pass muster around the campfire.    LOL – tomorrow I move to a site where I have water and electric but no sewage.  This is when having at least dump stations in a park is a little piece of heaven on earth (don’t get me started on black water tanks!).

65 degrees, bright sunshine in a semi-desert location.  Took a nap feeling the slight breeze, a little chilly and the warm sunshine.  Have always liked the sensation of solar warmth v. cool air – what temperature will win when they compete for control of my skin reactions?  Happy to report the warmth won. I practiced a meditative activity I used to do as a teenager (but didn’t realize I was meditating at the time). 

As a teenager in San Diego, I often headed to the beach early – at times when it was still overcast and chilly.  My mental game as the sun broke through the clouds was to lay on the beach and direct where I would feel the heat, concentrating until I felt it only on my back, my legs, my arms.  Now they sell apps to help you do that.  Was I ahead of my time?   But I digress.

And today, I laid back in my big, cushioned camp chair and played the same game. Of course, at 70 I wore #50 sunblock, a hat and prescription transition glasses, but I did manage to get so relaxed I fell asleep.   No other word for it – bliss.  Great start to this portion of my wanderings.

Have walked over 7 miles today – two trips through the campgrounds to the pedestrian or camper entrance to the little ghost town – a busy tourist attraction. It was fun – first trip with Audy, then after my nap, returned to go through the gift stores.  I didn’t find anything unique enough to capture my attention and reminded myself I have a lot of miles and gift shops ahead of me to locate something out of the ordinary as I go.

On my second trip into the ghost town, I got ice cream (can’t say that’s a highlight, hard to believe but the treat wasn’t that good) and watched people.  Lots of families, I’d forgotten this was Martin Luther King’s birthday.  Many different accents, and clothing styles and as the day passed, tired parents chasing tired children.  It was a warm day for me, but there were people wearing winter jackets to people in T-shirts. There was a family I believe were from India were bundled up – looking like they had layered their entire wardrobe on themselves.  Many may have been southern Californian’s were wearing sweatshirts/long pants. (some were shopping for sweatshirts in the gift store).    Not seeing any other license plates from Oregon or Washington state, I represented the Pacific Northwest in shorts and a t-shirt.   However, rocky trails kept me in my walking shoes.  Don’t worry sandals, your day is coming soon!

And the end of this day, after finally grilling dinner and using my little tabletop fire pit under the stars brought me back into my Wandering Spirit where the propane fueled heater keeps me nice and toasty as the temperature dips to 30 tonight.  Hard to come inside when the never-ending sky is filled with twinkling lights – it still puts me in a state of awe.  Namaste.