Spiritual Lessons
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Back In My Van
I got my Van back, with no diagnosis at all and nothing done to it. It wouldn’t “fail” to start for the mechanics. They tried over a hundred times to start it and it started without fail every time. Several hundred dollars later, I traded the Ford Explorer back in for my Mini Van and headed back out on the road.I spent a long weekend in my tent. Heavy rains were coming and I had hoped to get the Van back before they hit. These rains were badly needed because of the Forest fires in the area.
With the National Forests all being shut down in the area, I had the choice to “move on” or adapt. Adapting meant staying in commercial camp sites or camping stealth.
I pulled out of my campsite of nine days on the day the rains came. With the rain brought experiences that both rocked my world and turned it upside down. I found myself writing feverishly but unable to post my writings, because they were so deeply personal and I wasn’t quite ready to share this content. I realized that I would save some of the content of my journey for my “Flying Solo” book, which will allow me to have some distance from some of the experiences before sharing with the world. This is always a writer’s challenge. How “up close and personal” do we get with our writing.
The one thing I can say now, is if there is a such thing as “instant karma” I’m all over it. Every action has an immediate consequence, whether it is good or bad. There is a boomerang effect happening. Sometimes it is really good and sometimes it is really bad, depending on my actions and choices. I’m being forced to be “hyper aware” in every moment of the choices I make.
There is a saying “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” Well, this is what my “flying solo” journey has been like from the beginning. Nothing was going as “planned” and I was being challenged on some very deep levels. I was being challenged to reach deep inside of myself and find the will to “carry on,” to keep going, even when the going was getting pretty rough.
There were times I allowed myself to get disorganized in my Van and the one thing I have learned is that everything has its place and if things don’t get put back in their place, I may never find them again. It is far too small a space to leave things lying around. I ended up bringing too much, which as I understand, is a common mistake van dwellers make. The more you have, the more you need to organize and find places for.
I cherished having my van bed. It doesn’t matter where I am, my comfy, cozy bed remains the same and is always welcoming at the end of the day. There are even times I wake up and I’m not really sure where I am. I have to reorient myself.
The van is starting for the most part but has had a few “near misses” where it didn’t start for me but eventually it did. I know that I could be stranded at any moment but taking it to a shop didn’t work out well for me. Eventually I’m sure it will go back into the shop, but under what circumstances? Time would tell.
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The Universe Ripped my Van Away
I knew when I began this journey, there would be the good, the bad, the light and the dark. One thing I have learned in this life is that we all get our fair share of challenges. There is no escaping it. It is what we do with the challenges that matter.This week I’ve experienced a very interesting challenge. My dear “Red Raven” Minivan got sick and had to go to the hospital. She was flying along beautifully and then I arrived at my new destination in the mountains of Colorado, found a great, safe place to camp, with all the amenities, including Wifi, laundry and showers. The setting was incredibly beautiful as well. My van backed right up to a small lake and beyond the lake was a river. The people here were very friendly and it felt like a good place to stop and relax a while, so I booked a week in the campground.
As I settled into my new place I felt truly happy. I felt that I somehow “arrived.”
The next morning, my van wouldn’t start. I thought maybe I had drained the battery, so I went to the office and asked for a jump. A kind gentleman came out with a charger and at first the Van wouldn’t start and then after a few tries, it finally kicked in. Whew! I was still concerned however, that maybe there was an issue with the battery, and so the gentleman helping me suggested I go into town to the local auto parts store and ask them to test the battery. He also recommended a good auto mechanic, if I needed one.
The battery tested fine and so I thought maybe it was a one time thing. I went on with my day, stopping at the little “whole foods” store and stocking up on my treats and then stopped for a pedicure. The woman sitting next to me was very friendly, welcoming me as her new neighbor. We struck up a conversation. We talked the whole time, carrying on like best friends, and when it was time to go I bounced out into the parking lot with my shiny pale pink toes, feeling happy about my experience. I went to start the “Red Raven” and she wouldn’t start. I tried again and again until she finally kicked in and I drove directly back to my camp spot and called my warranty service. They informed me they didn’t have anyone in my area but I could use any Certified auto mechanic and they would reimburse, if the issue was covered under the warranty. I called the mechanic that was recommended to me and schedule an appointment for the next day.
The next day, an hour and a half before my appointment I climbed into the “Red Raven” and she wouldn’t start again. I tried and tried and she still wouldn’t start. I called my warranty service again and they issued a tow service to come and tow my Van to the auto mechanics.
As I sat waiting for the tow truck, it suddenly occurred to me, I was about to become homeless. They were coming to take the Red Raven away. I had to think fast and so I pulled the tent and tarp from my roof rack and set it up directly under the big tree in my camp site. I then began to pull everything from the ”Red Raven” and put it in the tent. I left the bedframe, but took the tri-fold, memory foam mattress. Before long I had a little cozy tent cabin with all my stuff, including my fridge and the shelf unit I had in the back of my Van. This would have to be my home until the Red Raven returned from the hospital.
No sooner did I get my tent set up, the tow truck arrived. Gerald, the driver was very kind and offered to give me a ride back to camp, if needed.
One thing I noticed so far, was the kindness of the people around me. The woman from the office at the campground also offered to help in anyway. She said they were always going into town and could give me a lift for groceries or whatever I needed. It felt I was being taken care of.
When we arrived at the mechanics, Gerald offered to wait until we could figure out if I needed a ride back or to a car rental agency. The mechanic was also very friendly and helpful. He took care of the warranty claim like a pro, telling me they work with warranties all the time. He also offered me a loaner vehicle, explaining it was nothing fancy but would get me around. On that note, I bid Gerald farewell, he gave me his card in case I needed anything and told me to call anytime.
I drove home in an old Ford Explorer with Colorado License plates. Now I had arrived!
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Back to Work in the Mini Van Office Suite
One of the burning questions I will always have come Monday morning is “where do I work?” My plan was to take my phone/Skype clients out of my van but parking was the concern. I’ve been camping out on national forest grounds where there is no cell phone or Internet reception, so I have to find a place to park the van where I get both shade and reception.As I was driving around Taos, I found a Coffee house, quite by accident, perched in the trees with a big parking area and even a little stream running between the parking area and the adjoining property. This was it! How perfect! I could get my coffee “to go” and instead of spending countless hours occupying a table in the coffee house, I would just occupy my van in the parking lot.
I decided on Sunday to go for a visit to take a closer look. No sooner did I walk in the door I saw an old friend “Hinton” from Sedona who was also traveling around in a van. He purchased a Promaster, did a camper conversion and lives in his van full time now. I met Hinton through mutual friends, who also travel around in a Sprinter Camper. We all work on the road and have different projects going.
Hinton left Sedona the day before I did and is leaving at the same time. He will also be visiting many of the same areas as I am, so it will be fun to connect here and there.
Monday morning, after cleaning up camp, I headed to the coffee house and the far end parking spot was available, so I backed in and headed into the shop for a coffee. I noticed on my way in that some nomads were setting up a drum kit outdoors…”oh NO!”
It was too late to change plans so I set up my office and started working. No sooner did I start working, the drummer began playing for pennies. Another opportunity to practice tolerance and the understanding that life always gets in the way of our pristine plans.
I also found the Internet connection on my Verizon Hotspot wasn’t so “hot” back there in the corner.
Hinton popped back in, between clients and took a photo of me in action.
In the afternoon I moved to another cafe with a large back parking lot and the reception was great. So were there veggie burgers. I enjoyed the rest of my afternoon in peace.
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The Narcissistic Neighbor
While traveling in my mini van I am dependent upon campgrounds and National Forest Lands to park at night. When in a campground, one doesn’t get to choose her neighbors. Well, do we ever?My neighbors in the Rio Grande Canyon were a group of party animals, but there was one such animal, in the group, although I never saw his face, I most certainly heard his voice. He had one of those really loud, obnoxious voices and he never stopped talking. Never!
The campground had quiet hours from 10pm to 8am so I thought maybe the party might die down after 10pm, but no such luck. I don’t know what it is with certain people, under the influence of alcohol, who feel they have to talk, like there is heavy machinery in use.
I wanted to jump out of my van and march over there, all wild haired and wide eyed and say “Hey, indoor voices,” even though we were technically outdoors. But with my experience with narcissists, I knew it wouldn’t end well for me. It never does. Instead I opted to accept this obnoxious invasion into my peace and tranquility as part of the journey. After all, every journey has it’s darkness and its light.
Most people respect the rules of the camp, but narcissists never believe the rules apply to them. This group kept talking until about 4am, and I was awake for most of it. Since his voice was dominating the conversation, I imagined the rest of his group started yawning and dropping like flies. If I could have been so lucky. It was likely after the last person in the group dropped that he finally stopped talking and I finally got some sleep.
The next morning the women in the neighboring group made a beeline for my shade spot equipped with their lawn chairs and tarps and this was before breakfast. It felt like they wanted to lay claim to the aspen tree before anyone else could, even though they weren’t planning on being there right away. I knew this was my cue to pack up and move on down the road. Life always provides cues, if we pay attention. And so the journey continues….
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Getting Lost – Being Found!
To “fly solo” is to “fly free,” truly free of everything that has held me back.
It is interesting spending a day just sitting in nature. It is hot here with very little shade. I found a spot under an aspen tree,
with its quaking leaves fanning the air around me. The evening sun finds its way out from behind the shelter of the aspen so I take advantage of the solar energy penetrating every cell of my body. Sun is good, in moderation.
The sun is about to drop behind the canyon wall and I can emerge from my blanket beneath the aspen, and like a nocturnal animal, take in the Rio Grande Canyon, in all her glory.
Today, I let go of all the “shoulds,” and the “have too’s,” and allow myself to just “be” in the moment, with whatever transpires.
The drive between Jemez Springs and the Rec area of the Rio Grande right outside of Taos, was an interesting observation. Because the Jemez Spinrgs area was in “high fire danger alert,” it was quickly becoming a ghost town. I was the last to leave my campsite, other then the camp hosts.
There was yellow tape blocking all the “pull outs,” creek access points and hiking trails. There were rangers everywhere, parked at the side of the road on high alert. Even the woman I met at the Café told me to be careful because everybody around that area was worried about the potential for fire. There was an energy of expectancy. It felt strange to see everybody waiting around for a fire to start.
I drove up over a mountain range and ended up in a very depressed, low energy area. The road I was traveling led me right to the “checkpoint station” of the Los Alamos Labs. The guard turned me around and pointed me to a nearby road; the one I should have taken, and told me that was the way to Taos.
There was no cell phone reception in the entire mountain range from Jemez Springs on, so I didn’t have my google maps. Note to self: Get an atlas; one of those things they make out of paper, and keep it in the van for moments like this when I don’t know which way to go and my phone can’t help me out.
I was not only lost without my “maps” but lost in an area that didn’t feel good to be in at all. At some point my maps kicked back in and I realized I was on the right path; the road to Taos. I drove through an equally depressed City, which took so long to get through as there was bumper to bumper traffic moving at a snails pace. I felt a bit like a mouse in a maze and couldn’t wait to get out. I was also hungry and that never helps. I pulled over outside of town and grabbed some vegan cheese, rice crackers and grapes from my back kitchen and headed up the mountain towards Taos.
As I pulled away from the low energy of the reservations, military labs and poverty the world opened back up again. Things began to feel much better. The beauty of the Rio Grande opened up, inviting me to stop and take it in. There was a visitors center at the recreational area so I stopped and asked about camping. They pointed me down the road across the street and told me there were a couple spots left. I was surprised to hear they didn’t close down this area too, because with the heat and the high winds it was equally at risk for fire. They didn’t seem to have the same concern as the Santa Fe National Forest did.
Fortunately, I secured one of the few remaining spots in an unhosted camp area, perched high above the Rio Grande. It was exposed to the wind and the sun, with no trees or shade, but I decided to stay anyway. I was tired and just needed to stop driving.The wind was so strong, I opted to avoid cooking and pulled out more rice crackers, hummus, mini bell peppers and red grapes. For dessert I had medjool dates with my homemade cashew, almond butter. It was amazing and reminded me that sometimes it is the simple things in life that make it worth living.
