Posted September 6, 2024 – Narrated by Jim
We’re here! We’re ok!
You haven’t heard from us in a while, but that’s because we’ve been out adventuring. Oh boy, have we been adventuring – but more about that later.
For the next few … however long it takes … I will be handling the blog solo. That’s right, Living in Beauty will be the “Jim Show” until Carmen writes a first draft of her screenplay.
Living in Beauty isn’t just sun-kissed scampering these days.
We’ve been busy.
Beauty is serving as Carmen’s writing retreat and my comfort station following a short stint as a camp host.
Now, back in the San Diego area after being away for almost two years, reminds us that we are never alone. This is our pit stop, our watering hole where everyone knows our name.
San Diego still serves as our home base, although we no longer own property here. This is where we freshen up, fuel up, stock up, polish up and test out new equipment as we soak up advice from highly experienced RVers.
Several years ago while camping on the bay, our camp-site neighbors invited us to test their new inflatable kayaks. That very day we bought two similar kayaks that have served us beyond our wildest dreams.
When we wanted to add two cabinet doors to our Airstream, our good friend, Nate, offered to make them for us.
After they were installed, we needed matching Airstream hardware from 2001. I posted a photo of what we needed on Airforums.com, and a stranger named John gave them to us, postage free.
On another annual stop in San Diego, it was time to re-certify our old aluminum propane tanks. If we had gone to an unscrupulous company, we might have ignorantly accepted new inferior replacements as some vintage trailer owners have done. Ferrell Gas explained to us the value of our aluminum tanks.
When we were newbies, trying to figure out the best cookware for a small kitchen, full-time Airstreamers Elizabeth and Jack, introduced us to Magma nesting cookware. Even though we harbored doubts, we trusted their experience and now tell everyone how we love the stuff.
The folks we bought our Airstream from in 2015, Larry and Jacquie, not only sold us the best trailer we had seen advertised for sale in our year-long search, they also became close friends and trusted advisors.
Back in the summer of 2016, Vinnie Lamica of Vinnie’s Northbay Airstream Repair, spent two unplanned hours with us (in the middle of his work day!) familiarizing us with our Airstream. Wow!
When you are in the company of RVers you’re never far from help. While we were camping at Shenandoah National Park, followers of Living in Beauty, Darrell and Kris, shared great advice about golf-course camping and fine-tuned our folding Dolphin eBikes
We like playing with others, especially with those who know the game. Living in Beauty is a group effort in expertise from a wide range of experts. Our mistakes are our own, but we attribute our successes to “The Collective.”
Welcome to Camp Everybody.
In remote areas of Colorado, the Outer Banks of North Carolina or the High Sierra’s… where ever we are, we share the wilderness with European tourists, doctors, retired factory workers, astronomers, architects, retired military personnel, teachers, millionaires, free climbers, all tending to laundry, simple home-cooked meals, and vehicle maintenance.
The morning murmur of voices around the community water pump, and small talk shared along the path about the chill last night – did you see the wild horses in the valley? the meteors at dusk? – smoothes out any gnarly brain tangles you arrived with.
Every day is an exercise in the small stuff. The tank handle broke, a tire has a slow leak, the steps need lubricant … The commitment to RV travel is about a litany of daily challenges. These good diversions are all part of the therapeutic benefits of living in nature.
Tank management and charging batteries informs you about how little you, or anyone, needs to survive. Losing dependency on long, hot showers, unlimited water and a refrigerator the size of a walk in closet has ruined us. We look forward to weeks of adventure in remote areas and the peace and quiet away from the rush of civilization.
After eight years, we still feel like babes in the woods, innocents without a clue. We crave opportunities to sit at the feet of Experience. If you ever hear one of us say, “I’ve seen it all” or “I know it all,” please show us some compassion and slit our tires.
Engaging with others, locals, and travelers, is enlightening. Eating and playing within new borders, as welcome guests, broadens our experience, expands our world view, and stimulates our appetite for regional cuisine. When it comes to food, we are the most enthusiastic ambassadors.
When rolling into a new town, Beauty enters like a big shiny exclamation mark, “So excited to be here!”
She’s our friend-catcher. The locals approach, even before we have a chance to visit the tourism office, pointing out the landmarks, explaining the history, directing us to the sights.
It’s an open secret. The slow-travel, wheels-on-the-ground perspective of the USA is more informative than watching the news. Traveling in your own home is also a handicapped-friendly way to get out there. Even with foot injuries (on separate occasions) we’ve managed to experience the real America.
As we age, we don’t want to lose the feeling that every day is a deeper plunge into beauty in every color and dimension, for as far as the eye can see …
… waking up every morning with a great swelling sense of being blessed and excited about what the day will bring.
Even on days when we have no idea where we’ll sleep that night, we know it will be beautiful.
… because Beauty surrounds us.
And with almost 3,000 days on the road and no plans to house-up, our only regret is that it took us so long to discover the magic of mobility.
Okay. Ball’s in your court. Tell us your best Good Samaritan story. There is no word limit.
You can see our exact route on this map.
*photos in this post (unless otherwise noted) were taken and copyrighted by Living In Beauty.
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