Since last I wrote

Reid and 3 of his boys came to see me in Manitou Springs for a couple of days (Sun-Tues).  We stayed in a quaint cottage, hiked the Garden of the gods, ate fudge, walked around town, drove up to Pike's Peak where we froze our tushes off and then picked up my younger brother Kent at the airport in Denver on Tuesday at noon. Kent wanted to look at property near Durango and Silverton CO so that's what we did as Reid took his boys on to Bryce Canyon and Disneyland and Google-land before taking them back to Houston.

We all had a late breakfast together in Golden CO and then parted ways.  Kent and I made it to Pagosa Springs the first night and stayed at a decent RV park there.  The next day, Kent and I met up with a realtor (Mitch) who showed us some property near the Purgatory ski resort.   Mitch recommended some National Park land that Kent and I could stay on for free--a place where Mitch actually got married.  It was a beautiful spot.  Mitch told us some stories about his encounters with a bear who came into his house and a mountain lion he met in his driveway so wild life was front of mind during our night of "roughing it".  

Dunno if it's fortunate or unfortunate, but we didn't run into any wild creatures other than a few field mice (luckily, they stayed in the field) and a bunny and some birds.  The stars were incredible.  There were no signs of civilization anywhere.  What a rare treat.  

We saw some more property on Friday and then headed eastwardly for a campground on lovely Lake Vallecito about 30 miles from Durango.  From there, we planned to drive south with the intention of camping at Ojo Caliente for the evening so I could get Kent to the Albequerque airport on Sunday at noon.  

On the way to NM, we stopped at a property for sale on the lake that included a house and 7 cabins.  We loved the view but thought the property would be way too expensive.  Turns out it's fairly affordable.  So, I drove back to Durango today so that I can meet up with the realtor tomorrow to see the property.  Kent and are are excited about the possibility of starting our own intentional community in cooler Colorado.  We'll see how that turns out.

It was great having Kent join me for a few days on my adventure.  I think he needs to get out of Houston more than I did.  He owns his own roofing company and summers are brutal.  While I consider him my sweet, little brother, he's getting too old for that kind of work in the hot, humid Houston summers. 

While I've loved having company on my journey, the Navi is rather small for more than one person--a good thing to know as I ponder how big of a place I need to live comfortably.  

One thing I forgot was that Reid and his boys and Kent and I drove up to Lyons CO to check out the WeeCasa hotel.  The wee houses were lovely on the inside---very well thought out and quite affordable but we all decided they were too small.  Good to know as I continue my search for a simpler life.

Back in cooler Colorado

While I enjoyed my journey across the middle eastern and western US, I'm glad to be back in Colorado because most everywhere else I've been since leaving here in late May has been too hot for my liking. I enjoyed the trip to Durham with Greg and Chris and I enjoyed seeing my good friends in NC and TN. I thoroughly enjoyed the week in IL while I was taking the RV maintenance training and seeing the Winnebago factory. The homes in the Abundance Ecovillage in Fairfield IA were lovely but I don't want to live in the middle of corn fields AND hot summers. So, I made my way back to CO as quickly as possible and plan to hang out here or westwardly at least until the fall.

Abundance Ecovillage - Fairfield Iowa

I had a bit of engine trouble with the Navi crossing Kansas. Acceleration was a problem again similar to the experience going up to Pike's Peak however, I wasn't climbing a steep grade. I limped in to a gas station/truck stop in WaKeeny KS and asked if there was a mechanic who worked on diesels. I was directed to a small auto shop off the interstate. They guessed that it might be the fuel filter even though they had no computer system to run diagnostics on the Mercedes engine. It was a relatively inexpensive fix and luckily, it worked.

The next day, still in KS, it happened again. While I was at the mechanic the previous day, I Googled the problem and read about a product that helps to clean out fuel injectors in diesel engines.  So, I went in search of an auto parts store (turns out most small towns have them) for the product to give it a try.  Otherwise I'd be driving 40 mph max towards Denver.

I found it, poured it in the fuel tank and thankfully it worked too. Auto parts man said it may have been bad diesel. Since I'm close to one of the few Mercedes dealerships who service Sprinter RV's with Mercedes engines, I've scheduled time for them to take a look at the Navi's engine on Tuesday.  Me and the service writer are on a first name basis and I have him in my contacts.

Sometimes I question my choice to buy a used RV (especially when I was stalled out in WaKeeny KS) and one with a Mercedes engine. Honestly, I don't think RV's are attractive inside or out. I knew I would want to refurbish one the way I wanted it and wouldn't paint the walls for instance if I had bought a new one.  I wouldn't have bought one new. They're way too expensive and a depreciating asset.

When I saw them being built at the Winnebago factory and walked through some new ones, it didn't make me want a new one. I don't like the decals, the shape, the color choices nor the layout in most of them but knew that an RV would be a mechanism to get me from point A to B and that I have been able to do.

Pikes Peak RV Park - Manitou Springs CO

Now that I've been exploring Tiny Houses again and see how much they cost compared to RV's and realize they are transportable, I wish I would have considered one of them rather than the Winnebago. They've got personality, warmth and charm.

Check out this video of a young couple who traveled the US in a tiny home they built themselves.

Tiny House, Giant Journey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1oqcA4DFKw

There is a Tiny House manufacturer in Colorado City and I hope to tour their facility this weekend.

Tiny House Showroom in Colorado City CO

I also found a Tiny House hotel called WeeCasa north of Boulder in Lyons that I plan to visit.

Check it out at

WeeCasa

http://weecasa.com/

I like the trend towards smaller homes and would love to find a Tiny House intentional community in a beautiful setting. Thus allowing me to refine my quest for a simpler life.  

Visiting the Mother Ship

So I'm in Forest City, Iowa—home of the Winnebago factory. I drove up from St Louis after a week in California helping Reid search for a house near his job at Google. He was staying in a Google suite 4 blocks from the restaurant/shopping district in Mountain View so we explored that area on foot when we weren't out with the Realtor.  He found a home he liked but it turned out there was a contingency offer in front of him so he'll wait to see what comes of that.

Visit to Mountain View

After a week in CA, we flew to Houston for a quick weekend trip for the fourth. He got to spend time with his boys and I got to spend time with my Mom and Kent and Lydia.

Quick visit with Mom in Houston

I parked the Navi at the St. Louis airport while I was away. While I appreciate the fact that they have designated parking for RV's, I didn't like the fact that I got charged $20/day while everyone else in the lot was charged $9/day. I tried to explain to the cashier who took my $195 for parking that the Navi only took up one parking space with the nose sticking out without preventing anyone from getting by. She just smiled as she gave me my receipt.

Remote parking at St. Louis Int'l Airport

This is my 3^rd airport experience since traveling in the RV. Once was to drop off Reid at the Denver airport. Another was to drop off Greg and Christine at the Raleigh/Durham airport after our trip together to the Co-Housing Conference in Durham, NC. Then, this time to drop off the Navi at the St. Louis international airport. I worry about getting myself into a situation that I can't get out of like the experience dropping Greg and Chris off when I almost smacked the roof with the low clearance sign and then had to back up and move over 3 lanes to the exit as cars were coming around a blind curve in our direction.

Anyway, this airport experience was just expensive. No close calls with low hanging signs. Since I flew in early evening, I decided to stay at an RV campground within 6 miles of the airport. A note of interest, Ferguson is about 6 miles away as well but in the other direction. I thought I'd save that destination for another time given all the unrest there recently.

Following the no frills (by that I mean a concrete parking lot with a clear view of all the other RV's) stay near the airport, I drove up to Fairfield, Iowa the next day and took a quick drive through town as I'd heard it was an interesting site to see Iowans and Transcendental Meditation enthusiasts co-existing in one small midwest town. Just north of Fairfield is the Maharishi University of Management so I was curious. Maybe it was because I was tired, I don't know, but the downtown square looked pretty much like any other small town so I went in search of a campsite. Interesting side note: Check out Jim Carrey's 2014 Commencement address at the Marharishi University.

I stayed at a City park nearby for the low rate of $15/night for electricity and enjoyed cooler weather than I've not experienced since I've been in the midwest. I stayed at Clear Lake State Park in Iowa for one night at the same rate with the same cool temps. Tonight, I'm at Crystal Lake State Park right on the lake and still enjoying the affordable electrical connection and the cool weather.

I took the 2 hour Winnebago factory tour this afternoon. I saw where they prepare, cut and sew the fabric for the various pieces of furniture. I asked the tour guide who picked out the fabric and he assured me it was mostly women designers. I guess he's heard complaints by others like me who don't like the color, decals, fabric and flooring choices in most RV's. I would have bought a newer coach to reduce maintenance issues but I knew I'd be making significant aesthetic modificantions to whatever unit I purchased. It's one thing to use the RV to camp out every once in a while and quite another to travel and live in one full time.

Here's a sample of the couch fabric before and a picture of the couch (and interior repainted walls) after. You can't even say the original shows dirt better—because it doesn't.

Original fabric sofa cushion

Recovered sofa and painted walls

Anyway, the tour was interesting. The factory produces 50 complete units each day. The units range from the big class A's to the smaller class B vans. My RV is a class C by the way. I wondered what it would be like to work in that assembly line day in and day out. My only experience with that was when Reid and I volunteered with the ChevronBoomer's network a few years ago to make peanut butter. Of course that was a much simpler production process but a tough gig none the less. I remember the noise was deafening and 4 hours of screwing on lids made me appreciate the fact that I didn't have to do that everyday. Parents should send their kids to volunteer for one day there and I imagine the kids would reconsider the value of a college education.

I asked the tour guide if he used to work at Winnebago (since he looked retired and could have been a workamper). He said he worked there 30 years. He said he had 4 different jobs in 30 years. I asked him which one he liked the best and he said the vacation part. Seems sad to me to spend 30 years in a job and the most memorable parts were the vacations.

I'm thankful that I have a job that allows me to take this extended time off and the means to do it without pay or benefits. Oh, I got my first COBRA bill recently. Again thankful to have those good benefits the past 8 years.

I see others around me in parks and campgrounds and remember the short weekend trips I used to take. The opportunity to get away for more than a week at a time is marvelous. It's a different experience when you've got bills to pay and emails to send, calls to make, as well as laundry and maintenance issues to manage. I just get to do those things while I'm exploring the US and I smile everyday as a result.

The Navi feels like home though I do get stir crazy when it's hot out and I'm stuck inside such a small space. I wasn't sure how I would feel after the fun week with Reid in the Silicon Valley looking at real estate or the weekend in Houston. I enjoyed both tremendously but am also enjoying this adventure. I wasn't sure how coming back to Navi would feel. It felt just fine.

I'm toying with the idea of starting a small business interacting with women like myself who are interested in solo RV exploration. I'd certainly point them towards the RV training I just completed and recommend they hire a certified RV inspector from the RV Inspection Connection to inspect their unit. In so doing, I could earn a small stipend. The main appeal is potentially writing off some of my RV travel expenses (that I'm incurring anyway) and educating others interested in exploring this lifestyle.

So, I've visited 8 intentional communities* now and have found something I like about each one but none seem just the right fit for me. I remembered that I did quite a bit of research a number of years ago around the Tiny House movement and even read the Big Tiny a book a woman wrote about building her own tiny house.

What I know about myself is that I like creature comforts like a/c, heat, electricity and running water. I also like the idea of finding a home to live in that's not too small (100 square feet in my Navi is too small to live in beyond this trip), not too big, but just right. So I did some research again last night and found that there is a Tiny House Jamboree in Colorado City, CO next month so I'm looking forward to checking it out to further refine my quest for for a simpler life.

*The communities I've visited to date include:

1. Boulder Creek Co-housing Community in Colorado
2. Hummingbird Intentional Community in Mora, New Mexico
3. Sunrise Ranch Intentional Community near Estes Park, Colorado
4. Durham Co-housing Condo in North Carolina
5. Twin Oaks Intentional Community in Louisa, Virginia
6. Earthaven EcoVillage near Black Mountain, North Carolina
7. Heartwood Community in Blue Ridge, Georgia
8. The Farm Intentional Community in Summertown, Tennessee

I'm sitting at the airport in Las Vegas waiting for my connection to San Jose with Tchaikovsky playing in my earbuds to try to drown out the noise here. This is one of my least favorite airports, but it's been almost a month since I've seen Reid so I dropped the Navi off at the St. Louis airport this morning and I'm headed to Mountain View this evening.

I spent the past week at an RV maintenance class in Whittington, IL. $1640 seemed like a lot for the 5 day class so I wasn't sure if I'd feel that I got my money's worth.  I'm so glad I decided to participate. It was a small class with me and 3 other guys. I've seen a lot of training in my day and this was one of the best.

It could be that I was motivated given the fact that I've already had a number of maintenance issues on the Navi even though I've only been on my journey for 2 months. But mostly it was the instructor—Terry Cooper or Coop (the Texas RV professor) who made what could have been a very boring and complex topic interesting and understandable. I actually got excited about reading my RV user's guide.  I don't know if I'll be able to maintain or repair everything that comes my way but at least I have the confidence to give it a try and the knowledge to explain what's going on. Terry Cooper and Steve Anderson started an RV Inspector program and I wish I would have known about the program before I bought my RV. I got lucky and it seems to the Navi is fairly solid for her age but she could have turned out to be a lemon.  What they're offering is similar to the home inspection business only for RV (or potential RV owners).

While I could go on for more training and potentially become an inspector to help others enjoy the RV living/lifestyle and make a little money, I think I'd rather help them market their quality program.

Steve runs the Workamper program which matches RVr's with employers (usually campgrounds) and work opportunities. Combining Terry's 40 years of RV maintenance and teaching experience with the Workamper program seems an excellent match. I found them both to be energetic, professional, highly competent and exceptionally caring. One of the guys in the program was 79 years old and his AC did not work in his Roadtrek.  Even though the training was over for the day, Terry spent extra time with Ralph to see if he could help him resolve his issue.  It turned out to be an easy fix and I was impressed with his thoughtfulness.  We all had some little issue and in addition to covering the prescribed material and hands on practice, Terry helped us either fix or troubleshoot each of our issues.  I really like these guys and will do what I can to help them promote the RV inspection business.  And, I'd say I got more than my money's worth with the increased confidence in handling and maintaining my own RV.

So, I'm off to California for a week to help Reid find a house there. We plan to make a quick trip to Houston over the 4^th and then I fly back to St. Louis to pick up where I left off with a visit to the Dancing Rabbit eco-village in Rutledge, MO and then the Abundant Life eco-village in Fairfield, Iowa, followed by a Winnebago factory tour in Forest City, Iowa which should be a good accoutrement to the RV maintenance training.           

My visit to The Farm in Summertown TN

I got here last night after a drive that should have been 3 hours that turned into 7.  I left Fred and Susan's in Southeastern TN with Siri on my iPhone as my GPS guide and wasn't paying as close attention as I should have.  I used my driving time to re-connect with my mom and blindly drove where Siri directed.  I should have been going NW but was in fact going NE.  Two hours into the trip, I stopped for coffee at McD's and realized I was 4 hours from my destination.  A little rain, a major accident that brought traffic to a standstill and a bit of arduous mountain climbing for the Navi eventually got me to my destination (a lovely home owned by Farm members--Mary and Phil).

M&P offer rooms in their home bed and breakfast style w/in the 700 acres or so that make up the Farm community.  Phil was a part of the 1500 young people who followed then leader--Steve Gaskin from San Francisco in refurbished school buses to Summertown TN in the early 70's.  They were looking for a more humane way to live together than the world they found themselves in following the Vietnam war.  Phil said they were a bunch of English majors trying to build a community together.

M&P are in their early to mid 60's and built their home 6 years ago after living in a mobile home for 15 years to acquire the cash to build the home outright.  Their home is a part of a land trust so they couldn't take out a mortgage on it.

Mary is a retired pediatric nurse and Phil is an media professional.  Phil said he got his start audio recording early community meetings and branched into video about 20 years ago.  I love the idea that they open their home up to guests visiting The Farm and that I get to hear from them what it's been like to be a part of this community for the past 40 years.  

Friday morning they drove to Nashville to pick up a young couple from the airport so I ventured out on my bike to the community store and to the swimming hole.

The swimming hole

It appears that many of the people who live here raised their kids and 40 years later are the older generation now.  It's a rural community with with a mix of gravel and hard top roads.  Homes are positioned down dirt roads off the beaten path.  It feels like a better planned layout than what I saw at Earthaven in NC though both are quite well known in intentional community circles and both have been in existence for some time.

Phil says they had a huge transition in 1983 when they went from a commune to a co-op because they couldn't pay their bills in the farming business.  Many left because there were no jobs close by and they didn't want to take jobs from the locals.  They now have about 200 people living on the property most who are retirement age.

The visitor coordinator told me they're now known for transistor sized, radiation detection devices created by a community member that's brought them a great deal of notoriety.  They're also specialize in mid-wifery assistance and training.  They also have a tofu manufacturing business on site.

As I write this post, I'm sitting in a rustic old store at the heart of the community taking in the action around me.  I ate a hearty late lunch of barley veggie soup and am enjoying the air conditioner (not quite as powerful at M&Ps and the strong and free internet connection.

Phil graciously drove me around on a quick tour of the community Sat morning before I left. Here are a few photos from that tour.

Surprise fireplace inside

Straw bale structure with grass roof

Feeling nostalgic, Phil told me of a time when he first arrived when all they had was one huge washing machine for the entire community called the Brontosaurus.  He said you'd put your name on the list to wash your clothes and sometimes your name came up at 2am.  He'd be notified somehow (this was before cell phones and internet) grab his clothes and ride his bike to the laundry facility and throw his mesh bag in with several other community members.  He said it was someone's full time job to keep the Brontosaurus working.  Given the fact that they now shop at Costco and Kroger and have a washing machine in their home (they do hang clothes out on a clothes line to dry), times have certainly changed for them.

Hanging out with my peeps

After I left the Dancing Tree Festival at the Heartwood community in Blue Ridge GA, I knew I wanted to spend time with my dear friends Susan and Fred so I intentionally headed their way.  I didn't realize that the 2 Rivers Campground where I stayed to re-charge was less than 5 miles from their new home in Calhoun, TN.

So, I had the opportunity to hang out with them for 2 days before heading to the Farm community in northwestern TN.

I met Susan and Fred 10 years ago when I delivered several Train the Trainer workshops in Jakarta and Bangkok for what was then Unocal.  Fred was one of the participants and I got to meet Susan one night when we had dinner.  Susan took me under her wing and showed me around Bangkok the next day.  She's one of those people with a bright, shining countenance and an adventurous spirit and I was immediately drawn to her and spending time together was a highlight of my first (and what I thought would be my only) trip to SE Asia.

Several years later, Fred and I were both hired to work at Chevron in the Drilling Learning and Development group.  I was delighted when he and Susan moved to the Heights and we got to be neighbors for a short period of time before they spent two expat years in Angola.  Since then, Fred has been working rotation spending half his time in Houston and the other half in the foothills of TN with Susan and Gunny (their German Shepard) in their brand spanking new custom home built especially for them.

I was lucky that Fred was home when I visited so I got to spend time with both of them exploring their property, enjoying their home, watching movies, shooting my new handgun, eating out, eating in, sleeping in, hiking (see photo below of Susan and I on the hike), meeting Susan's mom and step father and joining Susan and her mom for a class on Hinduism.

Thank you Fred and Susan.  You really know how to soothe my soul even in the hot heat of summer.

Hanging out in the Heights, TX-  Fall 2010

Hiking in Calhoun, TN Summer 2015

  

Visiting an old friend in Highlands, NC

One of my first boyfriends when I was 15 was Mark Robbins.  We re-connected on Facebook a number of years ago and he became my financial planner for a while.  I've visited him in beautiful Highlands, NC each year for the past 4 years.

Since I was in NC, I called him to see if I could drive the Navi up the mountain for a visit.

It was another one of those skinny, windy, wet drives up and the Navi always balks at those steep climbs.

Mark has met a gorgeous and talented woman who owns a majestic hunk of property with horses and gardens and a guest house.  They've been so kind as to let me park my Navi on the property and stay in the guest house in a big comfy bed with a real shower.  This morning I got a tour of the property.  Here's just a glimpse of the deck that connects her office, yoga studio, and the horse stables.

She's an accomplished professional who owns horses on the side.  She even collects semen from the stallions and inseminates the mares.  Now that's a woman!  Mark met her at a yoga studio in town where she also teaches classes.  I'm going to get to participate in her yoga class in the morning.

This kind of living is so grand and opulent.  They are blessed to have found one another and to be able to share this lifestyle.

More photos or our time together: