Nevada Part 1

The temperatures in Nevada were in the 70s although dipping down into Las Vegas got into the 80s. More importantly the roads in Nevada are so much better than Arizona!

I headed to Pahrump. I liked the town. There is a little house in the desert there that looks lovely on Zillow, but the road to it was a nightmare! Large ditches and rocks in the middle of the dirt. No way. I now understand why it's been on the market for 200 days!

I continued to Beatty. Attempted to camp at a pond, but there were too many assholes. One pulled up in a mini-cooper right next to me, let his dog out to run wild and crap all over everything, then started up his generator! So thoughtless. So I left for Beatty BLM just northwest of the town. Very quiet, peaceful. There were some four-wheelers there at a campsite about 200 yards beyond, but since it's Sunday night, they left before dark. I had the place to myself!

Beatty BLM with Big Blue - View to South

Beatty BLM - View to East

Beatty BLM - View to North

Woke up, relaxed, peaceful. I polished the solar panels, washed windows, and then hiked up a few ATV paths. Ankle is fine with pain at about 3, but once I stop hiking the pain doesn't linger (unless I hike too long).

Visited the Goldwell Open Air Museum. It's free! I love free! Not much to see. I had hoped for more. The ugliest art was what I am calling Lady Lego. It looks like a naked sculpture of a woman made with legos only I think they are cement blocks. She's about 15 feet high. Interesting in a bad way:

The Rhyolite Ghost Town was next door. Depilitated buildings. Again free. I love free! Can't complain.

I liked the bottle house, built in 1906, then the guy had a raffle and gave it away. He didn't make enough money, but the winners lived in it for about 15 years. I'm seeing a lot of bottle houses online these days so I think they are making a comeback. It's a little run down, but it's stood the test of time and is still standing!

I then headed to Death Valley National Park. The actual valley was impressive at sea level especially with the sand dunes, but it looks like all the southwestern states: desolate desert with a bunch of scrub bushes.

California, here I come!

On the Road Again! Arizona

February 28, 2026 I'm off again! After a winter of disappointing real estate searching, I decided it might be better to continue the van life journey and forget trying to be a "normal" person (whatever that might mean)! I was told by another van-life woman it takes two years to settle into van life. That gives me so much encouragement. 

So after six month in Tucson camping at my favorite free campsite, at the end of February the Tucson temperatures are in the mid 90s, rattlesnakes like heat so they are waking, finishing my secret rock-lined path through the desert:

...finishing all van maintenance ($$$), finishing physical therapy to get this ankle working, after restructuring my virtual mailbox, and after spray painting my front license plate to match the van's roof (the old one was an Arizona flag that had faded to oblivion!) 

I WAS READY TO GO!!

Maybe. I kept finding things I NEEDED to do, things I failed to do for the last six months! Or was I stalling? I got rid of more things from my van, stuff I did NOT need in a van: desktop computer, 30x22 monitor, computer speakers, webcam, books, art, clothes I never wear because they haven't fit me for twenty years!!

But then I had an encounter that made me not hesitate to drive away. 

Early this morning in the dark at 4:00am I decided to do one more load of laundry since laundromats are not always easy to find on the road. I noticed there is a semi-truck idling in the parking lot. Weird. This made me nervous. I don't like being at laundromats in the dark with strange men, but he wasn't in the laundromat. I started to unpack my dirty sheets and supplies and on the second trip I notice there is my pillowcase that I was missing the last time I was there two weeks ago sitting next to my pile of laundry. Hmmm...my first thought was maybe it got hidden in the sheets and yanking those sheets off my mattress revealed it?

On my next trip back to the van I noticed the pickup truck parked under the tree at the far edge of the dark parking lot. A man gets out with his supplies. I can see him out of the corner of my eye since I am always on alert in the dark, but don't acknowledge him.When he gets into the laundromat I recognize him from my last trip. His name was Jim and we spoke briefly and friendly during the last visit. 

He says, "That's your pillowcase. The last time you were here you left it in one of the washers. The next people found it, held it up, and asked if it belonged to anyone. I took it for you. You looked like you were missing something." He didn't know I always check the machines to make sure I got everything, but it must have been stuck to the top or something. I did know I was missing it and hoped it would show up.

I replied, "Oh, thank you so much! I was wondering what happened to it!"

Then my instincts got the creepies. Has he been parking out in the parking lot for the last two weeks waiting for me to reappear? I hadn't planned to do laundry until the last minute. He had no idea when I would be there again. Hmmm...my spidey senses flared.

Then he says, "I know where you are camped. It's very crowded there."

I said, "Yes, it is crowded. More so than last year."

OH GOD. Has been watching me? Did he go looking for me? Did he find me? I can't tell you how much that creeped me out! I finished my load of sheets, sitting in the van, and then left, went back to the campsite, collapsed my tent and pack up. I was outta there and did not look back!

I headed northwest to look at Ash Fork. There are some tiny houses on land up there that have been listed for a long time. They are in my budget. I understand now. The town is ugly and run down. The landscape is desolate. Not sure this would be the place for me, but I might come back through and look again.

On the way I stopped in at Spooky Swirls, the gluten-free Halloween bakery in Chandler! It was quite by accident going through Chandler and I always wanted to see this year-round spooky-themed bakery. What a unique concept! I bought a slice of cheesecake!! It was gluten-freely delicious!

I continued through Kingman to a BLM site outside Chloride. So peaceful and quiet out in the middle of the desert! Very different from camping in Tucson with the constant noise of the highway. The weather is lower to mid 80s (Tucson is in the 90s now), cool at night. No one around.

Nearest van neighbor...can you even see him?

Just as I was sitting down to dinner, I had some visitors! COW CAMPING!

I feel a lot less stressed this time. This is a good thing! I did kill my phone and almost ran out of gas. I'm out of practice. 

The next morning was leisurely and relaxed. I drove to Dolan Springs - a town I heard has a lot of chemically sensitive people. It was UGLY! What is the attraction? Blah!

Then on to Nevada!!

Physical Therapy of the Best Kind!

My orthopedic doctor suggested on the first visit to find a heated pool and swim everyday. I was so happy since I was already doing that! Unable to walk or speed walk, it was a lifesaver keeping my back toned so it wouldn't become painful. Swimming in the sunshine, breathing fresh air (if no one is trying to poison me), gazing up at the mountains, and sometimes seeing red tail hawks flying above. I love it!

I hadn't swam in a pool for about twenty-five years due to chemical sensitivity. In colder states, indoor pools are more common, but asphyxiating due to all the chlorine in the water and air with no way to escape. This outdoor pool is sensational. Yes, there is a tiny smell of chlorine, but after each swim I head into the shower to wash it all off with a long and very hot shower.

Another issue with this pool or any pool are the stinky people. They aren't allowed to spray sunscreen on themselves in the changing rooms, but some do it outside at the edge of the pool. Whew!! Why can't they do this in the privacy of their own home? Others use sunscreen lotions or just smell of perfume. It makes me sick to think they are getting into the pool and it's washing off in the water we all share. People are so thoughtless and self-centered.

The showers are dangerous. The women's shower is often populated with stinky women spraying themselves with deodorant, slathering their bodies with smelly lotions, lathering up with putrid shampoos, and throwing baby powder all over themselves and the floor which makes it slicker than snot. Why can't they do all this priming at home?

I discovered the family changing rooms and showers. First, the stalls are huge - a whole room to one's self that not only has a shower, but a sink, toilet, bench, garbage recepticle, and blower. There are only two of them in this larger room so sometimes they are filled, and not with families. I swim during the week so children are in school. Still, sometimes I'll walk in and there is stink in the air and baby powder all over the floor! It's so frustrating!

Other negatives not associated with chemicals: men picking their noses and wiping it on their swim trunks (eeewww!), men washing out their mouths in the pool and spitting it back in, and used bandaids that I'm convinced are also left all over by men. So gross to think all this human excrement is in the water I'm soaking in, BUT it makes me thankful it is chlorinated! Then there are the men who swim  so violently and slap the water so agressively, they splash all the way across the pool. Women are so much more graceful and considerate.

Other than the dangers associated with chemical exposures, I love swimming. It's so relaxing, well, if the water is warm and the air isn't cold. I started slowly, building my stamina, but now I'm a powerhouse! My ankle loves it, but my back loves it more! And due to living in a van with no bathroom, the shower is a bonus!

2025: REVIEW & RESOLUTION

 2025 was weird and wild!

GOOD...MAYBE EVEN GREAT

The Great Adventure: What an adventure! I saw places I always wanted to see! Alaska! The West! East Coast! New England! Midwest! Canada! 50,000 miles, twenty-five states and five Canadian provinces in a year! I look back on this experience and think, WHAT THE HELL??? Did I really do that? It demanded self-sufficiency, resilience, resourcefulness and a whole lot of patience. I survived the good, the mediocre, the boring, the frightening, the terrifying, the amazing, the best of times and the worst of times. The most memorable, positive experiences: 1) Walking past Brad Pitt on the streets of Bozeman 2) The Bright Blue Ferrari covered in mud on the AlCan Highway driven by the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen in my life, 3) Three bears trying to break into my van in Idaho, 4) The Lost River Gorge and Boulder Caves, 5) Campfires and River Dipping in Montana. Wow!

Big Blue : I finally found a van! She never broke down once. Kept going on the worst of roads. Rescued me from sand, mud, monsoons, thunderstorms, lightning, bad drivers...and she just kept going. Many times I slapped my palm on the dash and screamed, "Excellent job, Big Blue! You did it again!" What would I have done if I never found her? In what toxic apartment would I have been forced to live? How much in rent, utilities and general expenses would I have been forced to pay? Maybe I would have ended up in a tent on a sidewalk? She affords me freedom and adventure, most importantly, a safe place to live.

Friends: I really appreciate the good people in my life and the fact they continue to keep in touch even as I gallavant all over North America. They don't realize how much their constant communication helped when I fractured my ankle. I struggled with overwhelming fear, depression, and anxiety and I felt so utterly alone in the world when it seemed like everything was crashing down around me. They kept emailing, asking how I was or where I was which kept my spirits from sinking.

Strangers: I am still so grateful for the strangers who helped me when I fractured my ankle. They could have walked away and left me at anytime. Instead, one offered to take my van to a safe place, another picked me up from the hospital, found free crutches online, and cared for me for a week. As I painstakingly made my way back to the states driving with my left foot and unable to walk, a few strangers volunteered to pump my gas for me since I couldn't get out of the van. One woman in Colorado volunteered to shop for me (the electric cart wasn't charged)! The Park and Ride guys at the hospital were kind and helpful as I convalesced in a hospital parking lot. I don't know what I would have done without the kindness of strangers.

NOT QUITE SURE WHERE IT GOES

Tucson: I've had some bad experiences in Tucson that haunt me. The city is filled with psychopaths who still give me nightmares. However, when I rolled back into the city after my travels, I felt like I was coming home. The desert smelled glorious, the sun was shining, and the mountains glistened gold. Still, too much traffic and too many assholes in one place. Time will tell.

Pen Pals: Hmmm...I started out with eighteen pen pals. Some naturally fell by the wayside; others switched to email long before it was necessary. However, when I hit the road and became unable to get mail, many of my pen pals opted not to email. In many ways I don't blame them. There is a difference between getting a real letter and getting an email. I did discover pen pals are not friends. What I thought was friendship through months if not years of written confessions was too easy to throw away. I enjoyed decorating envelopes and stationery, but now that I have zero motivation toward creativity and NO art supplies, I've lost interest in pen palling. I now have one pen pal and she keeps sending me scented letters so that's going to end!

BAD AND UGLY

The Great Adventure: Good god, the stress and worry nearly killed me. The expense! I was paying at least $1,000 in gas a month! One month I paid $6,000 in van repairs and maintenance. Contrary to popular opinion, living in a van is not cheap and for me, rarely relaxing. The worst experiences: 1) slipping in beach mud and fracturing my ankle, 2) stuck in deep mud in Flagstaff for five hours trying to dig my way out while wearing a cast that I wasn't supposed to get dirty or wet (mud is a constant theme and will be the death of me!), 3) scary, beer-guzzling, asshole mansplainer in Idaho, 4) thunderstorms like waterfalls and ceiling leaks, 5) driving on an almost flat tire through Canadian mountains with a drop-off cliff praying the tire would not blow out before I got to the dealership, 6) driving straight up then down a very narrow, icy mountain pass in a blizzard 6) not being able to find healthy food and driving for hours and hours in search of food, 7) scary overnights, 8) freezing overnights, 9) hot and humid overnights.

Van Life: Living in a van is fun if everything is perfect, but it rarely is. When the temperatures are reaching in the 90s to 100s, it's not fun. When the humidity is high , it's not fun. When temperatures are below 50s, it's not fun. Almost running out of gas because there are no gas stations, not fun. If the thunderstorms are so violent one has to pull off the freeway, it's not fun. Being stuck in the mud for five hours, definitely not fun. When there is a dead rat in my walls and the stink is unbearable, it's not fun. If the van isn't running well, it's so damn stressful it's not fun. Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear at night makes me insane and is not fun. Peeing in a bucket is not fun. Missing the bucket, not fun. No showers or bathing for over two months, not fun. 

Ankle Fracture: I'd never broken anything in my life. This was traumatic. More importantly, being alone in a foreign country, living in a van, unable to walk or fend for myself, and finding out insurance doesn't cover the emergency room was a nightmare. The vulnerability was frightening. The impending medical bills were stressful (but ended up not being that bad, it was worrying about the unknown that was the worst). Health care is bad even on a good day.

People: I hate people. I hate liars. I hate rude, disrespectful people. I hate manipulative, controlling men. I hate sociopathic women. I hate thoughtless people who stink. I hate bullies. I hate people who disappointment me and they always do...I've encountered all these types and more in the last year.

The PURGE: Swedish Death Cleaning is traumatic! Getting rid of childhood memorabilia, sentimental objects I've had all my life, art work I loved, clothes I've loved, antiques that were in my family for generations, the cutest car in the universe, an incredibly expensive organic wool comforter that I have exclaimed was the best purchase of my life.... The last two years I emptied a four-bedroom  two-story house full of STUFF and then this year I downsized a10x10 then a 5x5 storage unit. Some items I was able to sell, but much of it at the end was either donated or thrown away. I often see things in stores that are objects I either used to have or similiar and it makes me very depressed. I think of things I could have kept and I'm wondering where was my brain? Why didn't I keep it? Damn. Now that I'm considering finding a new home, the thought of all the money I'll have to spend to replace needed objects is daunting. But I did it. I feel cleaner not having all that STUFF cluttering my life and van.

Real Estate Shopping: This relates to the above "People". Real estate agents and sellers are so dishonest, unethical and sleazy. They lie their asses off so desperate to get a sale. It's hard to trust anyone and I don't want to buy something toxic that I'm stuck with for years and not able to sell if need be. I hate it. I've been ready to give up a few times.

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION: FIND A BASE, a new home, property, something so van life can be a luxury not a requirement. PLEASE!!! 

New Year's Eve I BURNED away 2025 and then watched it smolder. I felt incredibly relaxed. Well, I did fall into the fire once...symbolic of 2025, I guess! I love campfires!!!

Tucson on the Rebound

I've had such bad experiences in Tucson, I was kind of dreading the return, but the nonstop thunderstorms raged in Flagstaff and I had had it with the wet and mud! I drove through two more storms on the way to Tucson at one point pulling off on a "scenic view" to watch the water on the cement wondering if it would wash me off the parking lot while the hurricane winds were blowing the bushes sideways. I kept chanting, "Another adventure..."  

As I approached the town of Globe, Google News started flashing emergency alerts covering the maps telling me no driving in the area unless you are escaping! Jeez! What do I do, park and wait to be washed away? I proceeded cautiously, but most of the water was gone leaving piles of debris. The devastation in Globe from the flood the day before was pretty shocking. (There is news footage if you are interested.) It was hard to find gas because most of the stations were shut down. The thundercloud forming on the far side of Globe as I was leaving via Highway 77 was scary looking, like hell had opened up, and once the storm hit, it pounded with little visibility.

It only lasted about twenty minutes and I chanted while slowly driving those highway curves, "Another adventure...." I could see the blue skies in the distance and that gave me hope.

Then everything cleared! The sun shone brightly. The skies turned bright blue with big, fluffy, white clouds. Beautiful all the way into Tucson. I arrived to 75 degrees and cool 60s at night! (Keep in mind that changed the next day and the temperatures climbed to 99 degrees, BUT the nights cool down to 69-70!)

The desert smelled SO GOOD! My campsite was still there looking beautiful as ever:

The Catalina Mountains and Oro Valley scenery were spectacular:

Now I remember why I moved here in the first place before PEOPLE tried to ruin it for me! Can we get rid of the people now?

Bonus: Sinuses started clearing up the moment I reached Tucson!

The Great Adventure comes to an end! Back to ground zero.

Arizona!!! Is it the End of the Adventure?

I spent a week writing this post and in a flash of an instant, it disappeared! I've had this happen before, but due to utter exhaustion I failed to remember how to rescue it and instead screwed up. The post is gone. So I'll attempt a short summary.

I left Colorado and headed west on Highway 160 repeating part of the drive when I headed to Arizona a few weeks ago. This time I kept going west for Flagstaff. I love this part of the country with the red-orange dirt, a variety of plants in many shades of green, and brilliant blue skies with huge mesas! As usual, there weren't many pull-outs or I would have taken too many photos.

I'd love to buy land here and build an orange cob house, but this is Navajo Nation reservation land and they don't sell to non-natives. The temperatures south on Highway 89 climbed to 85 degrees, but I could see the mountains in the distance!! Cool weather is ahead!

Humphries Peak - highest point in Arizona

Flagstaff cooled to a wonderful 72 degrees. I didn't realize there is BLM land for camping all over outside the city. I began sampling the offerings with first night at Road 222 and second night at Road 700. Lots of tall pine trees which made internet and solar charging difficult so the next three nights I headed down Mary Lake Road to Marshall Lake Dispersed Campground which was a little better. 

Marshall Lake Dispersed Campground for the first two days...
so beautiful, peaceful and quiet!

The third night 35% chance of rain was forecasted for 8pm. OK. Just one hour of rain. No problem. Between the clouds and the trees, I could barely get my solars charged so all of a sudden I had no internet and no way to prepare food. I figured I could brave it until morning then leave the woods for civilization.

At 3pm the lightning and thunder show started with hail the size of marbles! It sounded like glass snapping and I feared for my helpless solars! This was followed by "normal" hail the size of a small fingernail. Sound effects:

The rain and hail pounded all night and the thunder got so close it shook the van. Nights are hard for me anyway since they seem to drag on and on as I wait patiently for daybreak, but I've never had issues with thunderstorms. This one was rather scary as I imagined those tall pine trees falling on Big Blue. I'm guessing it lasted until 4am. I was excited for the new day as my doctor's appointment with my new orthopedic doctor was that afternoon!

Morning arrived and it didn't look that wet with maybe one puddle in the distance. I had to get out of the van to rescue my rat lights and it looked so dry I didn't even think to put plastic bags over my cast. The mud stuck thickly to the bottom of my shoe and cast and PTSD kicked in. This is how I fractured my ankle! OMG! But I didn't slip. I spent about an hour cleaning caked on mud off everything. 

Packed up and started driving out...I got about forty feet and my tires spun, the van slid sideways, and I was all of a sudden stuck in one foot deep ruts of mud! OMG! I got the bright idea maybe I should reverse, go back, and leave via the entrance to my campsite. Got stuck again and nearly slid into a tree. Now I'm about one hundred feet from the exit and gravel road. 

A homeless woman heading to the highway for some hitchhiking took one look at me and saw a free ride if she could help...nothing worked. She gave up and left me with the idea just wait until the sun comes out and it'll dry up really fast. I didn't think I had that kind of time as the doctor's appointment was that afternoon, but I thought that might be my only option. Then it started to rain AGAIN a half hour later. I felt like crying. I hobbled around with a plastic bag on my cast gathering anything I could use for traction...pinecones, tree bark, and towels. Eventually the plastic bag protecting the cast was sucked up by the mud...at that point I thought WTH? So what? PTSD be damned. I'm desperate. I'll be dirty. It can't be helped. I tried a variety of ideas and nothing worked. The more traction I gathered the more hopeful I became and then all of a sudden, the van caught hold and I regained forty feet before she slid sideways and spun helplessly. But forty feet! Hooray!

There was a woman (Amanda) walking up on the gravel road and she stopped to watch all of a sudden frantically waving her arms. I ignored her because if I hesitated, I would have lost traction. She thought I was going to hit the boulder close by. I thought I'd miss it unless I slid, but I bypassed it. She continued walking then returned telling me her husband was sick so she was walking down to where a missionary woman was (Tammy, who lives and travels to and from BLM land helping the homeless) to borrow a thermometer and this woman volunteered her traction strip. Amanda then spent the next hour helping me out of this mess. Her shoes ended up caked with mud, her hands filthy. I so appreciated her help if not just her encouragement and companionship at a time when I felt as any minute I would burst into tears. We made progress, maybe another ten feet, a little at a time, with me at the wheel and her running around the van adjusting the towels and the traction strip.

Then a pickup was driving up the road and we both started screaming and waving our arms. He stopped and with his teenage son continued to help by instructing me how to set the tires, reverse, then gun it forward with him and his son pushing from behind, readjusting the traction strip. After about four tries, Big Blue found freedom! When I reached the gravel road, I was screaming!!!! Literally! So very thankful and yelling my thanks as they jumped back in their pickup and left. I called Tammy because I wanted to clean off the traction slip before I returned it, but she said she'll just leave it out in the rain. Amanda volunteered to walk the traction strip back down to Tammy and I sent her off with $20 to give to Tammy for her missionary work with the homeless.

I made it to Flagstaff and my doctor's appointment absolutely exhausted, but with a clean cast!! It took about an hour to scrap, wash, dry, and then wash with rubbing alcohol, but that cast shone as if it were brand new! As I waited for the appointment, I started writing the day's events on this post and lost the whole post. I felt defeated, but I survived!

The next day I took Big Blue to the car wash. I had to pay for two separate washes to get all the mud off her and it had caked and dried in places especially the tires and around the tires. I used the pressure hose to clean the towels, hiking boot, and buckets that were brown with dried mud. The van is still a mess. It'll take a little more effort to get all the mud off everything! What a horror!

So the adventure is NOT over. Maybe it never will be until I'm in a house and out of the van?? Maybe I'll never be out of the van? I'll try to make more cautious choices in the future. I spent the night on cement at Walmart. I don't care how many beautiful BLM campgrounds they have here, I'll stick with cement!! 

I think I've had my share of adventure and now I want a peaceful existence. 

Please...

Colorado on Repeat

September 16, 2025 Happy to be back in the coolness of Colorado! I've got two weeks until my appointment in Arizona. I pray by then the weather in Flagstaff will be tolerable. 

After getting supplies at Nature's Oasis in Durango, I headed back to the Mancos Road 316 BLM Dispersal Campground (view from van at left). Lots of spaces, sunny, but cool. We'll see how long I last this time. I keep sneezing and my sinuses are still painful and bleeding. What am I allergic to here? Juniper trees? Or is it mold? I tweaked my left wrist. I think from overuse. I'm constantly using it to lift and lower myself so it's had enough of the abuse. I've been worrying all along if my left leg or knee will give out, or my back, or any number of aging body parts from being unusually used too much to compensate for the lack of right ankle.

I slept pretty good last night - no Olipops, but I did buy a box of Pamela's Gluten-Free Evil Things. Lately I have had NO willpower. I feel sorry for myself and decide I deserve a treat. So bad. I still slept fine. I heard it rain last night for a short time, but this morning it's partial sunshine with some clouds. Nice and cool. 

I looked online for property. Bozeman has acreage for sale...you can buy ten acres for a million dollars. Colorado is a little better where you can buy 80 acres for a million and a half. Yeah, a little out of my price range. Arizona still seems to be my best bet as there are lots for under $10-25K. My new plan is to buy land and use it as a base. I hope it comes with an address so I don't have to buy mailboxes for my mail which has become very stressful. Then build a 10 x 10 cob storage shed for practice. Then maybe the next year build a cob tiny house if I'm not completely exhausted by the process. I wonder if I'm being idealistic? Would I have the energy?

I'm also planning the van remodel. I think I'll get rid of the queen size bed and platform. Replace it with a twin size bed and add some storage shelves in the vacant space. AND get a composting toilet. I'm so tired of pottying in a bucket and constantly having to figure out how and where to dump it. This is the cheap/free option, but such a hassle.

I've told people I don't want a composting toilet because they would take up too much room. OK, right now I'm using a two bucket system. I pee in one using the female urinal (which I love for convenience especially now with one less foot for balance), then dump the urine in the coffee can so it doesn't spill. (Note: My fear is I drop the female urinal throwing urine all over the van especially in the middle of the night. Haven't done it yet!!) (Note: It amazes me how much liquid comes out of my body!! When you do this in a toilet filled with water, it's hard to judge.) (Note: The pee bucket that stores all these pieces I use for sponge bathing. Very efficient set up.) I poop in the other bucket which has layers of plastic bags and pine pellets. Common knowledge is you don't mix them which creates the very bad smell, but sorry, it all smells very bad to me without any mixing. My two buckets probably take up more room than a composting toilet! I have to research. I'm not sure where one empties a composting toilet and the maintenance sounds expensive. I wouldn't be happy if it's worse than having to constantly dump these buckets. Maybe the composting materials are saturated with chemicals? I can't be too careful.

Next day I moved to the Mesa Verde BLM Campground, site 12, which is on an incline. Nobody likes inclines so you feel like you are about to roll out of bed all night. I got tired of the RV that wasn't even that close blaring his music. So rude to be out in the country and imposing your noise on everyone else. Are they just so thoughtless they don't get it? This campground has more gravel than dust so my sinuses feel a little better.

I was reading online both Colorado and Arizona have late summer-fall allergens in bloom such as ragweed, sagebrush, and Russian thistle. Along with mold after a rain and then, of course, dust. Could be anyone of these things causing my misery? Supposedly it all goes away after the first frost and that is what happened last year in Arizona. It was all gone by February, but then everytime I camped out in the desert dust I'd feel worse whether it's Utah, Arizona or Colorado. I just don't know if Arizona is a good place for me, but everywhere else is way too expensive.

I'm reading The Keeper of Lost Causes the Q Department mystery series. About four chapters in I realized I know this story. I've must have read it before....

Next day...Friday, September 19th (can you believe it's almost the end of SEPTEMBER!!??) Sinus congestion is making it hard to breathe. Still parked at the Mesa Verde BLM only at site 2 which is very level and closer to the highway. Mesa Verde National Park is less than a mile away and across the highway. Better views from this site:

Depending on the position of the sun, it's really beautiful. This is where those awesome cave dwellings are. I saw them about ten years ago on a road trip and now I can't really walk the tour so that is out.

I'm now reading The Absent One, second of the Q Department mystery series. Every now and then I feel guilty for reading and doing so little to be productive, but at the same time, it's fun.

Next day, I read A Conspiracy of Faith, third of the Q Department series...I know this story, too!!! I've read these!

Sunday, September 21 I left for Flagstaff! Whoo Hoo! Western Colorado is UGLY:

But there is a view of Shiprock from the north:

Still doesn't look like a ship...

Back to Arizona...

New Mexico Detour

As soon as I crossed the New Mexico border, the roads improved from potholes and cracks to smooth as silk. Justifying my detour, I kept thinking, It's too soon for Arizona. Why not see more of New Mexico? It was high on my list of homesteading options.

 

"...Gallup, New Mexico..." Everytime I say that I start singing the song "Route 66". The city limits is spread out like a overgrown strip mall and very low income, but the downtown with part of the original Route 66 is very cool populated with vintage-looking tourist shops. I'm disappointed Route 66 has been cut up into sections due to the added Interstate 40. I hate Interstate 40. The scenery is horrible, the semi-trucks clogging the lanes are awful, and I'd rather be on a country highway without people forcing me to speed to save my life.

What brought me downtown was La Monzanita Co-op which is a health food store chain in New Mexico with stores in Albuquerque and Santa Fe. I'd been to the one in Albuquerque so I had high hopes for this one. This store is tiny, but packed to the roof with more than you could imagine. Still, it was lacking in a lot specifically fresh produce. Then I went to Hobby Lobby to buy a sketch pad and some cheap paint brushes. We'll see if I can creatively motivate myself.

I drove to the Three Mesa Trailhead parking area off Interstate 40 and Mentmore Road for the night. It's sunny, low 70s, and windy. Lots of hikers in the afternoon in and out, but as soon as the sun set, it was a quiet and peaceful night. (The write-up on iOverlander said it was prone to rowdy locals and noisy trucks going in and out the mine located on the same road...I experienced none of this.)

The next morning I headed east on Interstate 40 driving behind a semi-truck that was swerving all over the road! I then exited south on Highway 117 through the El Malpais National Monument which was spectacular featuring sandstone cliffs, arches and caves on one side of the highway:

And a bunch of black on the other side of the highway. What is that? At first I thought it was fire damage, but then I realized that is the Zumi-Bandera Volcanic Field (or the Grants Lava Flow):

There were lots of hiking trails I would have liked to explore. The highway was quiet and peaceful, but half way down the landscape turned a bit barren and ugly. I've often said New Mexico is the ugliest of all the states and provinces I've seen. Granted, every state has bits of beauty and bits of ugly, but I think New Mexico has more than its share of ugly.

I arrived in Pie Town, a miniscule town with a trailer for a post office that has a history of pie making and selling. I stopped at the little cafe that advertised PIES in big, bold, colorful letters and hobbled to the front. I noticed big signs stating "GET YOUR PIE HERE" with an arrow located at the far end of the building so I hobbled further only to find the door locked. On the way back a waitress passed me, "We are out of pie." PIE TOWN IS OUT OF PIE!?? Now, I had hoped they might have gluten-free pie although I was realistically doubtful, but NO pie at all to gaze upon! I was aghast! I stomped with my walker back to the van. Stomping with a walker or four extra aluminum feet is very satisfying and therapeutic. I can make a lot of noise when pie-less.

Population: 192...LOL!

I found the BLM land just behind the tiny town. Many of the dirt roads were pitted with water damage and large deep ruts. I avoided those, but I found a place and parked for the night among the juniper trees and ants...fucking ants.

I recently discovered a van-living danger! Someone asked on one of the FB groups about invection cooktops. Since I have one I gave my opinion. I like mine. Another woman said, "It's a fire hazard. Be very careful. I learned the hard way." WHAT? I asked her for details. It seems invection cooktops heat up and if you place it on a metal table as most people do, it will heat the metal and anything flammable touching the metal will ignite!!! OMG! She set everything on fire and nearly burnt the county down! For a long time I was cooking on top my metal table outside my van...sometimes there is dried grass or leaves on the ground. If I cook in my van, the table is on the rugs. I've been doing this for nine months without an issue. Why not? Why have I not burnt down my van? Then I remembered I've been using my glass plates underneath the cooktop to protect the table and the rugs!!! Glass is not heat conducive! Wow! The things I don't know....I'm a walking danger zone!

Zero sleep last night. My sinuses are still killing me and I'm taking way too much Afrin which can cause "rebound congestion" so I woke with a sore throat and lung congestion. If I don't take it every night, I can't breathe! I wish I knew why my sinuses hate the southern states. AND, I confess. I started buying Olipop Root Beer. On a hot day it just tastes good, but like any soft drink, healthy or not, it has sugar. Why do I torture myself? I know better and I buy and eat/drink junk anyway. Awake most of the night, I ruminated about the ants on the ground, too, worried they would get in my van. Ants all over everywhere!

Got up early and left (the ants) driving north toward Colorado. Every route I had planned toward Arizona is heating up to the high 70s and low 80s. Nope. Let's go back to the coolness of Colorado! I took a new route through New Mexico and it was only a four hour drive. The drive was boring. Again, New Mexico is still the ugliest state I've seen so far. Not much there to write home about (if I had a home).

BUT! I saw a herd of what I thought were antelope! Are there antelope in New Mexico? I have no idea, but they weren't deer. I got online and they were PRONGHORN!! That was cool.

As I approached the north, I started seeing the rock "cathedrals" floating in the desert. I kept asking, Is that Shiprock? It doesn't look like a ship. Is THAT Shiprock? Nope, that doesn't look like a ship either. There were about six of them. None of them really looked like a ship, but I took a photo of the one closest to the town Shiprock. According to the map, this should be Shiprock:

Doesn't look like a ship...

Worse, the poverty is astounding in New Mexico! Lot of manufactured homes and trailers as residences scattered all over the desert. Too many junky vehicles and garbage surrounding the homes. I'm guessing the only upper class areas are probably in Taos or Santa Fe? I've heard they are out of my budget.

Shiprock was shocking. Approaching from the south one is faced with a neighborhood of dirty, white, little, square rectangle buildings with a door and a window on each side, two dwellings per rectangle, flat roofs. They almost look like shipping containers only smaller and cheaply built. Clothes hanging outside, junk and garbage all over. These "homes" go as far as the eye can see, scattered in no discerning order, left where they were delivered, kaddywompasly situated. The stores and other businesses are run-down or closed-down. People milling all over the place, some offering to wash your windows for money when you get gas. One scruffy guy approached my parked van and asked for money. Lots of vendors selling out of their vehicles on the highway. During all my adventure, I've never seen any area this bad. It was pretty shocking. I kept praying, Please don't let my van breakdown here!" Crossing the Colorado border was like night and day...scenery became beautiful and the houses large, beautiful, and well-maintained.

Back to Colorado...

Down the Back Stretch! Arizona!

The colors of northwest Arizona are spectacular. Look at those clouds!
It's like a painting....

I feel torn about Arizona. On one hand, with all the stress and trauma, I feel relieved this adventure is over and I'm my way "home" or to where I started because I'm not sure if Arizona can be considered "home". On the other hand I feel dread. Tucson creeps me out. Tucson is the land of psychopaths and very bad experiences that slosh around in my brain too often usually in the middle of the night or when I'm driving. Driving affords one a lot of thinking time. Outside Tucson, Arizona is dry, dusty, and still too hot. I'm STILL just not sure that's where I want to land.

I headed west on Highway 160 and planned to go south to Shiprock. The horizon was black with rain clouds, but the view west was bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds! ? Make a choice! GO TOWARD THE LIGHT...then south on Highway 191. 

I read some posts on the lack of free camping in the Navajo Nation Indian Reservation, but found perhaps the only one that wasn't a gas station: Wheatfields Lake on the border of Arizona and New Mexico. The warning was if it rains, it's deep in mud. Well, it's been raining here and the huge arroyo ditches and water-filled potholes made me hesitate. Big Blue trudged through the muck and we found a semi-dry spot. Hopefully it'll stay dry all night. The weather forecast for the next few days is sunny 66/68/69/70 high and 48/47/50/53 low, but it's raining right now. We'll see! I'm the only one here. It's nice with picnic tables, garbage receptables, and a bathroom...blocked by huge puddles of brown water. It's very quiet. Thunder and lightning all night with showers now and then. Then I woke up to a view of the lake and this:

COW CAMPING!

At first I thought there was only one until I threw some water out my side door and there is a small herd surrounding my van giving me the stare down.

On the Navajo reservation there are warning signs all over about cows and horses running free. I saw a few horse herds on the way. One beautiful colt that was white with black ears, mane, tail and feet. Gorgeous. Just wandering on the side of the highway. There was no place to pull over or I would have taken a photo of him.

The sun appeared and I drove to New Mexico via Highway 12 in hopes of finding sunshine and some food. The Navajo reservation does not have a lot of options. Beautiful drive with lots of mesas, rock formations, rock needles and rock walls. Towns are built around them.

Around the corner from this rock knob, I encountered a pothole as wide as the road and filled with brown water. Do I drive over? In Arizona we are taught DO NOT drive over an unknown depth especially if the ditches and arroyos are raging with water and they were. You might get stuck, or worse, you might float away or drown. Did I listen? No. The highway was about 50 feet on the other side! It was risk it or turn around and suffer the bad road coming in. It was damn deep, but I made it. 

Even though my ability to walk has been compromised, I'm still on an adventure. New Mexico is off the beat and path, providing a detour, but I have two weeks until my doctor's appointment. Why not?