Boondocking in the Desert Day 8

Today started as a Tech Day, proceeded to a Hiking Day, then to  a health related challenge, and ending with another amazing sunset and fire.

During yesterday's closet therapy,  I tore open my box from Adafruit which contained  the new $5 PI Zero  and related peripherals.   One of the things I have discovered while boondocking is that the the desert is filled with geeks, after all who else besides a DIY personality would volunteer to go live without power, water, and sewer and call it fun! ;-)

So knowing there was backup around me, I put out the word that I was about to unpack my Adafruit box filled with Pi goodies and sent out a Facebook message inviting anyone who was interested to join me. 

I was quickly joined by Kelley who showed up carrying a battery pack and a Pico projector.  Soon Eric came over with his Dell Mini projector.  Both had enough experience to know that these might come in handy.  One of the things I learned about boon docking in a group is that everyone around you is always willing to share any resources they might have to help their neighbors. 

Kelley and I quickly explored the various components that had come in the box.  

First step in any project is too familiarize yourself with your materials.  It wasn’t long before we had power.  Next we played with display options, and finally came to a standstill realizing that the Pi Zero would need a new version of Raspbian.  I immediately started the two hour download process and then we all went off to look for palm trees in a nearby canyon!  But I had what I needed — a boost of confidence to set forth on my exploration of the Pi Zero and write the first of a Raspberry Pi series I'm starting at my Learning With Lucie blog.   Special shoutout to Kelley and Eric and all the other geeks who live, work, and learn from the road who inspire me with both your knowledge and your DIY spirit!

In the afternoon we moved on to explore a new canyon - this time by foot.  We drove over to a hiking trail that would lead us to a most unusual view of Palm Trees growing along a canyon wall.

Grabbing some photos of the palm trees about a half mile into Palm Canyon was a good chance to take a rest before the trail changed into more of a obstacle course.    Craig wasn't feeling so well so he and I decided to sit out the rest of the hike along with Lynn, who was being more cautious as her ankle was still healing from a nasty break.















We grabbed the first ride back to camp, where Craig immediately grabbed some IBprofen and headed for bed hoping the excruciating pain in his side would soon stop.  Meanwhile I watched another amazing sunset and researched the nearest hospital and started to strategize (just in case).  Thankfully he woke up a few hours later, pain free, and was able to join the group for one last fire before we relocated the bus to the Bluebird gathering in  Quartzite.

Boondocking in the Desert Day 7

Today Craig and I went our separate ways for a good part of the day.  He joined the gang that was going off road again, and I opted to stay behind and enjoy some LUCIE time.   I LOVE  being with my amazing husband, but I have to admit that I have missed having some Lucie time.  And even when I do things like fly back home and leave him behind - he's the only one that gets alone time, since mine is spent connecting with family and friends.   

I used my 'me' time to sort through my closets and cubbies and unpack my suitcase from my last trip to Vermont.  I found that so much easier to do without Craig around since it mean pulling things our, sorting through stuff - touching my stuff - and then putting everything away in a more organized fashion.  I find that process very therapeutic - especially doing it alone (with nobody else watching). 

Eventually I felt organized enough to join a group who were being leisurely around the firepit. And I think I even relaxed some. 

Meanwhile the off-road crew had quite the adventure. One of the vehicles got stuck on a rock and everybody got to work together towards a solution that get the Jeep off the rock.

Turns out that Eric had a marshmallow type of tool that could be inflated beneath the car to lift it up far enough to build a rock ramp beneath the wheels.  This sounds like the perfect engineering challenge for Craig to be part of - providing him with some good quality CRAIG time!

And of course he came back with some great pics of the desert.

Boondocking in the Desert Day 6

While our boondocking experience started in Quartzite with about a dozen or so Bluebirds who we had not yet met face to face,  the next few days of our  boondocking experience was spent with a intimate group of fellow nomads that we had previously met during our travels (and some of their friends).

How cool it was to see how each of our approach to traveling has evolved over the years.  Facebook posts and blog post have kept up informed about some of those changes (i.e. adding solar panels to our rigs or broken ankles) and some of the highlights of our journey (i.e. trips to Alaska and other exotic places) It was also great fun to make new friends who were friends of friends. We even met a couple from Vermont (our home state)!  



Spending  time together under the desert stars,  sharing the  intimate moments of our lives around a campfire, seemed to cement the friendships into ones that will continue in the years to come.   We shared tips and tricks we've learned from our travels, shared some of our personal growth journeys, and shared future plans (short term and long term).

Boondocking (in this case) certainly did not mean being alone in the desert, and it certainly was NOT lonely!    Craig and I usually retired from the fire earlier than the rest of the group -- and came to terms with the fact that we needed to be OKAY with being 'old' or "older'.   Yes,  we had commonalities with our fellow campers in the fact that we were NOT retirees - we have discovered how to use technology to work from the road,  and we are all living on a fairly tight budget.  But our age and stage of life also highlighted some differences (like needing more sleep, or missing our grandchildren, and favoring less rigorous hikes in less rugged terrain).

How fortunate we are to have discovered such cool people in our travels and be able to stay connected.

Boondocking in the Desert Day 5

Offroading was a brand new adventure for us. Our friends, Eric and Jeannette, let as tag along as they took their Jeep up into Queens Canyon - a part of the the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

Boondocking in the Desert Day 4

Found  some nomad friends who had converged only 10 miles away.  Moved the bus over to spend some time with them.

After being greeted by the welcoming committee in charge of our new location, I went back in the bus to trade in my sandals for sneakers. Looking forward to spending time with new and old friends.

Can't even begin to capture photographs of the desert skies.  

The  crescent moon rising looks like a star below, but was crisp and bright.

The stars later that night were none I've ever seen. 

   
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Boondocking in the Desert Day 3

Scratching my head at the convergence of vendors that come to the desert to sell their wares.  Haven't figured it out, but its interesting exploring and trying to assemble this puzzle.

Craig's dad (Bryce) and his lady friend,  Denise (both met in Quartzite the same year that Craig and I started dating) came by to visit and gave us some tips along with a tour of some of their favorite locations in the town.

Boondocking in the Desert Day 2

Learning new ways of living learning mobile.
Yes we're boondocking, but have plenty of company to learn from.
We've arrived in Quartzite the the beginning of a two week convergence of Bluebirds.
Only about a dozen or so have arrived, but more on their way.
Lots of boondocking experience in this group.

Day 1 Boondocking in the Desert

Watching the sunrise with a steaming cup of coffee on our first day of Boondocking in the Arizona Desert - Quartzite!  Here's the view from my office for a few weeks.  

Craig has experience boondocking here, but it was 10 ago and was with a very different rig.  We are watching our energy consumption and testing our solar panels capacity to keep.  Let' see how we do.