Yep, two years ago today, we left Tracy’s house and took off in the Airstream. What a shocking and terrible and adventure-filled, wonderful year that was. On that anniversary, for my own amusement I compiled one photo per month in this post: first-year nomadiversary. The next year included a homecoming reunion with everyone we miss, […]
Pacific Ocean High
After eight months of mostly glorious Southwest desert, we finally landed near San Diego to begin our trek up the Pacific Coast. Not a moment too soon. (And I realize the John Denver song is about an elevated place, whereas the ocean is the namesake for sea level, but let’s go with the other meaning […]
Banjo Visits Mars, Again
Our long-planned spring trip up the Pacific Coast begins with reservations in San Diego soon (but not yet), so we needed a stop west on the way there. Why not revisit Mars (aka Imperial Dam LTVA)? Our seasonal pass is still valid, and we can get mail and packages here, plus a handful of other […]
An Eye-Opening Night in an Old Ghost Town
Ruby, Arizona, used to be a mining town, built after the first strike to its ore in the 1870s. Along with a shaft mine—that produced gold, silver, and then lead and zinc—came the company town, including a handful of houses, two barracks, a nine-bed hospital, a cement jail, a school for up to 150 children, a […]
Blogging in Dark Times
As I write this, I’m thinking about the war in Ukraine. Yet, almost two years ago, I wrote about the weirdness of “living on vacation” and writing about it when the rest of the world seems like it’s on fire (George Floyd had just been killed). I’ve blogged about my nomadic life during the worst […]
Compelled by the Desert, Again
Tracy and I were driving due south from Tucson to find a campsite almost on the border with Mexico, when I realized something important. We’ve been letting the idea of where we spend next winter percolate in our plans (as well as actively brainstorming, searching, wracking our resources and hearts) but—no dice. We have no […]
Tamarind Sour, Gliders, Goodbye Tucson
It’s our last evening right outside the Ironwood National Monument Lands (northwest of Tucson), and I’m feeling the Sunday blues just as if I had to go to work tomorrow instead of picking up and moving on to the next interesting place. It’s true the desert here is flat and mostly creosote bushes, but I’ve […]
Strip Mall Tourists
We’re the lamest tourists ever when it comes to visiting cities. We’ve traveled nearly all over the country by now, so why haven’t we immersed ourselves (or even just dipped our toes) in urban culture? Covid Could Still Mess with Us I’ll be quick about this because I’ve belabored the point many times: If Tracy […]
A New Week, A New Desert
We’re actually still in the Sonoran Desert, but we moved east—from the lovely Ajo, Arizona, toward the city of Tucson, trading a green area for a brown one. But we need city stuff so we bit the bullet. The travel day to get here was another humdinger, too. After hitching up and maneuvering out of […]
Water Conservation While Boondocking
We may get rain today in the Sonoran Desert just south of Ajo, AZ, and if it’s more than just a drizzle, it’ll be the first rain we’ve ever seen in the desert, and I’m pretty stoked. The washes (dry “river” beds) might fill with running water, and we might see blooms on cacti and ocotillo […]
