We spent the maximum allowed time in the campground at Capitol Reef – two weeks. And we even managed to extend our time in the park by staying in a ranger’s driveway. All this time in one place has been a new experience for me and a shift occurred where I stopped feeling like I was on vacation and started embracing the realities of my new life.

Being in one place allowed me to explore everything I wanted to in the park, get familiar with my surroundings, meet some new people, and get into a daily groove. I also found myself becoming more aware of how I spend my time. When we’re not driving to a new location and exploring new and exciting surroundings a lot of free time opens up. And how I fill that time is completely up to me. Another factor was our lack of connectivity – there was no phone or internet in the park.

One result of this was an increasing feeling of isolation. Yair and I both experienced pangs of homesickness – missing the friends and favorite activities we left in Austin. On our last days in the park, while living in the ranger’s driveway, we were able to get online, feeling a wave of relief at being able to communicate again. But it’s not the same as being there with someone and I expect we will both continue to struggle with this aspect of nomadic life. But, it’s a bittersweet kind of struggle – missing wonderful people and things reminds me how much I love them.

We did get some shots of social: Laura and her parents met up with us in the park and invited us out on a few hikes and to a couple restaurants (a treat!). And we were unexpectedly invited to a park ranger’s birthday party – an enlightening event. Yair and I were the only non-rangers in attendance which meant that we were surrounded by a variety of highly passionate biology-oriented types. We spent more than an hour talking about owls. It was amazing. I also learned a little about what it’s like to work as a ranger: that many of them are on seasonal contracts with no benefits and no guarantee of continuing employment. This means that rangers are likely to move often and are therefore mostly young adults. The pay isn’t fantastic either. But everyone that was there loved their job and was excited to talk about their various passions: from cougars to rocks.

Did you know that owls rip the heads off their prey before eating them… WHOLE?

The drive from Canyonlands to Capitol Reef was the most dynamic of my life. After some of the flattest, most deserted land I’ve ever seen, cliffs of all kinds began to surround us. In one area, the cliffs became deteriorated to the extent that they looked more like huge mounds of concrete. Amazingly, some of the steepest of these had tire tracks all over them from adrenaline-addicted off-roaders.

Pulling into a canyon we began to see the river and an oasis of trees and grass that led us into Capitol Reef National Park. There is history here – mysterious petroglyphs and some ancient tools tell us that Native Americans lived in this valley long ago. And from the late 1800’s until 1969, when the area was made a national park, a group of about ten Mormon families lived here making up a town called Fruita (for the orchards they planted). The orchards are still here, filling the lower areas with pear, apple, peach, plum, and apricot. Deer and turkey roam the fields while robins nest in the trees. We can hear the sound of the river from our campsite and can climb rocky trails up out of the valley and onto the desert ridges for postcard-worthy views.

Since our arrival we haven’t done much hiking. We’ve relaxed into the tranquility and expect to stay awhile. We’ve even talked about coming back to work as camp-hosts. The only problem we’ve had here is a complete lack of connectivity and we are currently planning an afternoon trip into the nearest city for some internet and phone time.

I’ve also been struggling with my lack of routine and am starting to think about making some daily and weekly assignments for myself. Though the freedom to be spontaneous is very nice, sometimes I feel like I’m aimlessly floating around. But maybe that’s a feeling to embrace and explore?

Our latest residence has been at the only campground in the Island In The Sky district of Canyonlands National Park. We’ve been here for six days and will be leaving tomorrow morning to head into Capitol Reef National Park, which, Yair tells me, has a flowing river and orchards as well as drinking water and other hook-ups for our RV.

Our time in Cayonlands has been spectacular. This place is built of nested canyons and desert that hosts ancient junipers, ravens, small cacti, shockingly delicate-looking flowers, swallows who dive down the dramatic cliffs, and a bizarre collection of tiny organisms that grow together over hundreds of years to form an easily overlooked yet ecologically vital black crust over the red sand.

The main attractions in this immense park are the overlooks where you can walk out onto protected ledges and look down a 1,000 foot sheer drop into a vast network of canyons which contain, after another 1,000 foot drop, a second set of maze-like canyons and the rivers that carved them. Three separate mountain ranges surround the park, making the multitiered vastness even more complex and breathtaking. At nearly any place in the park you can look up or down or across and see a geological wonder.

We were incredibly lucky to have been here during a freak three day rainstorm which brought spectacular lightning shows at night, a refreshing mist and cloud cover during the day, and snow on the far-off mountain tops. And we took advantage of the cooler days to venture out on longer hikes. Together we biked twelve miles to a two mile hike to see a mysterious crater that is called a dome. I went on a solo two and a half mile run (or attempted run – the higher altitude begs me to break often). And Yair went on an afternoon adventure including hitchhiking, hippies, and juggling – lots and lots of juggling.

We’ve also seen some more Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings and climbed a couple buttes which offered more fantastic views as well as the only cellular service we’ve been able to find – enabling some windy phone calls and a quick Facebook post to let people know we are indeed still alive.

After all this activity we are both feeling relaxed, a bit sore, and happily slow. The only plan for the rest of the day is to check out the night sky at the overlook near our campsite. This will be our first and last clear night here and, being one of the most remote places in the United States, the sky should be crowded with stars.

I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to see this unique, baroque, colossal masterpiece of geology. I’m also thrilled to be moving to a place with flowing water. Refreshing, clean, dust-removing water!

Yair and I spent two nights at the Kings Bottom campground just outside of Moab – just long enough to explore the canyon and have Yair’s friend David over for a campfire. When we headed out we went straight into the trendy part of Moab for groceries, water, and some internet-cafe time. I also ducked into a local health foods store for a few types of loose-leaf tea which I’ll use to begin to educate Yair on the art. To begin, I have jasmine, gunpowder, cloud, and earl grey.

After stocking up we headed out of town to some free camping off of Willow Springs Road on Utah State Trust Land. We have a fire pit, a rock ledge, and a view of snow-covered mountains. It is wonderfully quiet, except…

There are dune-buggies or ATVs everywhere. Almost everyone out here is riding all day on the loud toy-like machines. It looks like fun but I can’t help but categorize these people as a different type of camper. Rather than visiting with and walking through this natural environment, they ride over it. These are the conquerors of nature. And, as we learned last night, these are the people with the good fireworks.

This place is free and wonderful and filled with geocaches to find (and dinosaur footprints!) so we’ve decided to take some time here. A welcome break from what was becoming a regular change of location. We’re taking long afternoons to read and explore and nap. It’s nice to be nowhere.

The past few days have been just as jam-packed with activities as the days before. We did a tour of Anasazi cliff dwellings and a two mile hike to petroglyphs at the Mesa Verde National Park, we drove through yet another snow storm on our way toward Utah, we camped outside of Moab in a BLM campground called Ken’s lake, and now we are camped in another BLM campsite inside Moab.

When we got to Ken’s lake it wasn’t snowing but it was cold and windy. Despite the cold we each grabbed a beer and hiked our way to the lake where we watched swallows gracefully play just above the water; gliding effortlessly and almost seeming to float on the surface. A little later, armed with some warmer clothes, we climbed the main trail up to the waterfall that feeds the lake – called “faux falls” because it is a man-made diversion of the snow melt. It was thrilling to see water shooting out of the solid red rock in an environment that is so desert.

We had trouble keeping warm that night and the high winds prevented us from making a campfire but the next day promised slightly higher temperatures and a clearing sky.

After an oh-so-satisfying breakfast of bacon and eggs (my vegetarianism is wavering toward nonexistence) Yair and I left for a longer hike up the waterfall and to the top of some large rock formations where we found a damn and yet another trail. This trail we meandered down, not knowing how far to go, and ended up parking ourselves next to a small pool in the river with it’s own tiny waterfall and sat silently meditating on the sounds of the water and the feeling of the sun as it slipped through the opening clouds.

On our way back we spotted our first jack-rabbit whose black-tipped ears were visible over the brush long after it began to run from us.

That afternoon I packed a dinner and went back out on the trail – this time alone – and went much further than before. Out on the trail until the sun set I discovered hidden petroglyphs, carvings from the early 1900’s, a beaver-eaten log, a mysterious gate, and a full moon peeking out behind pink-tinged clouds over snow-covered mountains from a red canyon view. Spectacular.

It is treks like these that make me feel that the world is brimming with beauty and delight – we need only get outside to experience it. For me, even at home in a suburban neighborhood, I’ve found that taking a quick walk alone can present me with unanticipated finds that enrich my day. It could be as simple as a raccoon sighting, or a word with your neighbor, or just a flower surprising your from a crack in the sidewalk. It’s all just waiting there for you to experience.

We left the next morning and got into the famed Moab, where we found another BLM campground to stay. Nestled between the Colorado River and a giant canyon-esque red rock formation, and with tons of privacy via some trees and brush, this campground far exceeds my expectations (especially as it is only three miles off the highway). And it’s warm here!

We immediately set to climbing the rock formation, which also happens to be the most extreme off-roading trail I’ve ever seen, and once at the top (after recovering from the startlingly beautiful 360 views of the land and snow-covered mountains) Yair broke out his speakers and began juggling while I did some flow-wanding (much to the delight of some tourists).

I left him up there juggling and probably entertaining a few groups of foreign trekkers who I am sure will be surprised to find a juggler at the top of the strenuous hike that rises over 1,000ft in a mile. But I was too tempted to come back down and enjoy the windless, warm air in our campsite. Back at home I discovered that Catty Arbuckle likes to eat salted peanuts (what a weirdo!) and enjoyed a delicious chocolatey beer “Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout” by O’Dell. I’m excited to hear what stories Yair has when he returns…

PS – I missed perhaps the most mystifying part: while at Mesa Verde we stumbled across a fuzzy, red, ant-looking bug that (no-kidding) squeaked like a squeazy-toy when we got close and hid itself under a tiny pebble to escape the terror of these two “giants” that “attacked it”. An adorable bug. How often do you see that?

We’ve been on the road since the first, traveling from Texas to Colorado, but I haven’t felt compelled to write about my experience until now.

In the rush of partying, packing, and preparing to leave I overextended myself and ended up getting sick the day before our departure. So, I spent the first few days of our trip resting and focused on getting well. Then, as I began to feel more like myself, I started to fully enjoy our new life in the wilderness (and the freedom of being outside of cell phone range). With campfires to be built and trails to hike, communicating with the outside world was the last thing on my mind.

Finally, today, I’m feeling like I’ve done so much that if I don’t start writing it down I’ll never remember it all. So, a summary:

May 1 – Drove from Austin to Littlefield, TX where we stayed in a free RV park courtesy of the city. With unlimited water and electricity this was a great place to chill out, get settled into RV life (figure out where all my clothes go), and recover.

May 4 – Arrived at an $8/night campground in Santa Fe National Forest, NM. This place is absolutely gorgeous and totally worth the fee as staying in the campground gave us access to some amazing hiking trails. We had a crystal clear stream, huge pines, clear skies, and plenty of firewood. On a particularly adventurous day we took the 8 mile hike to the top of Hermits Peak which provided us spectacular views of neighboring states at around 10,000ft. We indulged in our time at the summit with a snack, a geocache hunt, a nap, and some juggling & wanding time.

May 7 – We encountered some high winds and cold temperatures on our way toward Utah and decided to stop early at the Rio Grande Gorge Rest Stop, NM. Totally free with views of the gorge, this was an ideal place for an unplanned stop. The strong winds kept me inside for most of the day but died down just before dinner and Yair was able to coax me outside to see the gorge from the bridge – a spectacular view.

May 8 – Drove through the mountains and a snow storm (stopping to throw a couple snowballs and see how Catty Arbuckle likes snow – he doesn’t). This was a day of varied landscapes, weather, and activities. In the afternoon we arrived at Pagosa Springs, CO and paid the $12 to bathe in hot springs at Overlook Mineral Springs Spa – totally worth it. This was one of my favorite experiences of all time. A dark, candle-lit, speak-easy-esque building with several pools of different temperatures, roof-top pools with a view of the river and mountains, and bar service. There is nothing like a glass of cold white wine while you soak in a hot tub. This place was romantic and so relaxing. Leaving, we felt refreshed and buzzed with positivity. After, we walked a block to find The Rose Restaurant – a local diner – where we devoured a turkey bacon wrap (so good). Huge clouds loomed overhead sometimes threatening with thunder and sometimes breaking up to reveal the bluest sky I’ve ever seen. We hopped back in the RV to a free campsite near the Piedro River between Pagosa Springs & Durango. Where we hiked, shared some New Mexican beer, made a campfire, played some very loud music, danced, juggled, wanded, and fell asleep to the sound of the river.

May 9 – Drove into Durango where we tackled some RV issues (the cover to the outdoor “entertainment center” (a couple tiny speakers and outlets on the side of the RV) blew off somewhere on the drive and needs to be replaced, tire pressure was down, and we got gas (both kinds) and water). We also loaded up on groceries at Walmart where we discovered beer at 3% and no wine. Yair asked around and found a liquor store nearby that happened to be very well stocked. As I ogled the selection of porters and stouts (at last!) Yair chatted up the clerks and soon we discovered that we were only a few blocks from Ska Brewery. Feeling adventurous, we drove over to inquire about a tour. Tours were not available but tasting flights were and I helped myself to some delicious brews. Later, we arrived at another free camping spot in BLM land outside of Mesa Verde National Park with a great view of the mesa. Yair investigated an Elk skull, finding a bullet lodged inside. I practiced archery, tuned my violin, and went for my first run since getting on the road.

Today we go to the Mesa Park for a tour and may continue on toward Utah.