Posted September 25, 2016 – Narrated by Carmen
Oh sure, it’s all fun and games til somebody gets hurt.
Mama-wisdom is our guide these days: Don’t let your tank get low. Have a flashlight ready. Keep an emergency meal in the car just in case …
We’re entering our tenth week of full-time Airstreaming and only now is it coming home to us that this is our life. We are not on vacation.
It began to sink in on Labor Day weekend – and every Sunday since – as we watch fellow campers pack up and leave to join the mad weekend rush home.
This is new territory.
We’re learning to pace ourselves. We don’t have to push so hard to accomplish our bucket list.
If we miss a festival, or a trail closes for the season, or there’s no water in the lake, or a pass is closed due to winter conditions … we can always come back.
Our new mantra is “No FD.’s” – No Fake Deadlines. No making up reasons to rush, inventing projects or sticking to a schedule that competing conditions can change in an instant.
As long as we’re willing to deal with the unexpected and delays, the benefits of off-season traveling (no crowds and clear roads) may outweigh the negatives … like the cold we’ve been fighting.
Hrundi
We gave our cold a name, Hrundi V. Bakshi, the character played by Peter Sellers in the 1968 movie – The Party). Hrundi dropped by the day we were traveling between Santa Rosa and Mount Shasta – where we began encountering extreme weather conditions – 90’s daytime, low 40’s at night.
Now, after two weeks of trailer-made soups, teas, toddies, and Maria’s Tonic (shots of fresh ginger and lemon juice with honey & turmeric) we wonder how many grotesque dying notes an upper-respiratory viral infection can play from its seemingly endless repertoire.
Leaving Shasta, we found much-needed rest in our deeply embedded, primitive, off-grid – and probably Yeti infested – paradise at the Aspen Point Campground – Lake Of The Woods, Oregon.
We woke every morning at the crack of 11 am. In a couple of days, feeling fit, I paddled the circumference of the lake.
Hrundi was so impressed, he returned for an encore performance.
After a week, the campground closed for the season, so we had to move. Still not feeling well at all, we packed up and went hunting for hot springs along the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway where satisfaction was a mere side-road away.
Well rested and soaked in the warmth of Mother Earth, we inched along the spectacular Central Oregon Highway and past several road crews doing winterizing work … then, finally, we made it to Idaho.
For five days now, we are situated in a cozy spot at Banbury & Miracle Hot Springs on an accessible bank of Idaho’s Snake River.
We’ve enjoyed visits with family..
…canyon viewing…
…watching base jumpers…
and soaking in the hot mineral springs as we weather out a storm.
“It’s just a little rain” the campground host said. Yeah, just a little rain with 45 mph winds … “Um, we’re from San Diego …” Gary – retired law enforcement – totally gets it. It’s like there’s an official code for weather-impaired San Diegans or something.
He doesn’t miss a beat. “In that case you’ll want to stay put today down here in the canyon. Wind on the high ground can be harsh.”
We feel safe, warm and cared for here by the lovely staff.
So, yes, staying put for at least a few more days because our mamas didn’t raise no dummies. And, hoping Hrundi jumps off the bridge with his friends.
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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