So much has happened since Burning Man!

I have been away from the internet and neglecting my blog. Immediately after Burning Man I came down with a pretty bad stomach flu which definitely didn’t make me want to write or really do anything.

But now I’m feeling healthier than ever and trying to catch up.

Post burn we spent a few days in Reno taking care of the RV and ourselves – laundry, Yair hosed down every inch of the RV to get the dust off, getting Catty back from his baby-sitters, sleeping, etc. Then we were off.

We hiked through lava tubes (like long caves) at Lassen National Forest, stayed at the very relaxing Algoma campground (free!) in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest where we could hike along a river and visit waterfalls, spent an afternoon at Crater Lake, explored the wonders and waterfalls in the Umpqua National Forest (amazing!), and arrived in one of Yair’s favorite cities – Eugene, Oregon.

I found Eugene eerily similar to my hometown (Greensboro, NC) and felt refreshed by time in a city. In just two days I visited a “raptor center” (with 50 rescued birds of prey to gawk at), hiked a hilltop trail, went to Ecstatic Dance, ran a four-mile river trail, ordered a supremely good cappuccino, browsed record and book stores, visited glass-blowers, ate Thai food (it’s been too long!), and took a brewery tour. It was great to have so many things to do and to be around so many different kinds of people.

Yair and I have both been missing life in Austin and have been struggling with sharing so much time and so little space. And Eugene was a wonderful reminder of all the things Austin has to offer.

After some difficult conversations Yair and I have acknowledged the hardships of living so close to each other and so far from our friends and have decided that the best thing to do is return to Austin. Sadly, we are turning away from the coast and toward the south where we will, happily, find more balance in our lives. My time in the RV may be coming to an end but my adventures will continue. Now, off to Idaho!

This post was written on September 2nd and posted later due to lack of internet connection.  Enjoy!

There is a lot of speculation from the outside world on what goes on at Burning Man. I hear all kinds of stories from all kinds of people. It always sounds outlandish. It always sounds extreme. Usually dangerous and sometimes obscene.

The reality is that Burning Man is many things to many people. No one person has the same experience. And the experience you hope and plan for is rarely the one you get.

In my three years attending I’ve had good days and bad, seen the most exciting and the most mundane happenings, and met a very wide variety of people. But the thing I love most about Burning Man is that I am surrounded by people who feel free.

Once through the gates many adults who live a boring or “default” life let go of their social restrictions and responsibilities and start acting like kids again. They play in the dirt, mess up their hair, wear ridiculous outfits (or none at all), and act happy.

There is art, music, and experiences here unlike anything else in the world but the real magic of Burning Man is how it makes one feel – free to be joyfully alive, creative, and to express one’s self.

This post was originally written on August 25th. Our remote locations since then have made posting impossible until now.  Enjoy.

As I write this Yair and I are stopped on Gate Road, the one-way multi-lane dirt road into Burning Man. We drove in around 3am, making amazing time…until the rain storm hit. When it rains on the playa everything stops. Driving is impossible and walking is more trouble than it’s worth.

Burning Man is located on a dried up lake bed (know as playa) which is filled with the finest silt that hardens to a nice flat surface, great for driving and biking. But when wet it immediately turns into a thick, sticky mud that will ruin your tires, your shoes, and rut the road. The only thing to do after rain is wait for the mud to dry. Luckily, that doesn’t take long in this arid climate. I can already see cracks forming in the mud below the cars.

Unfortunately for us there is another storm in view, currently soaking Black Rock City. And if the city is wet we can’t drive into it, even if Gate Road is dry.

Fortunately for us, we are trapped inside our home. Living in an RV has its advantages and this is a big one – no matter where we go, we are always home.

It’s actually fun to be stuck on Gate Road because of the tremendous sense of community among burners. Trapped in a long line of cars out here doesn’t feel like rush hour woes. It’s just the opposite. People are celebrating. Everywhere there are people who have climbed to the top of their rides to blast music, dance, offer passers-by various snacks and treats. The braver burners have wrapped their shoes in plastic bags and are running around tossing footballs, playing frisbee, or just exploring, meeting their temporary neighbors.

And if the traffic jams are fun just imagine what the actual event is like…

A continuation of “On Things Domestic:”

A few years ago I adopted an adult cat, Catty Arbuckle. So named because of his deafness and because of the love of film I share with my ex-boyfriend (see “Fatty Arbuckle”) who helped me pick Catty up from the local animal shelter. He’s been a great cat: easy-going, people-loving. And he loves the RV. He is perhaps happier now than he ever was in my apartment. I think this might be because of the varied surfaces he can perch on and the fact that we are together a lot more now that I’m not running to an office for most of the day. And though most cats have issues with traveling in a car he’s totally at ease when we’re on the go.

I think Catty’s inability to hear is a huge benefit to him as an RV cat. All the shaking and rattling that comes with driving a house down the highway would freak any pet out. Pots and pans dancing in the cabinets, the occasional falling item or opening drawer, drinks jangling inside the refrigerator – Catty hears none of it. Which means that I’m usually more on edge than he is when we’re pulling out of our parking spot and the worst of the settling has begun.

Not only is he relaxed, he has a routine. When we pull out, items stowed and Yair and I sitting in the cab, Catty visits his litter box, eats and drinks, and climbs up into bed where he usually naps or watches through the window as we make it to our next destination. He’s made for this.

Catty is also a furry mess. And any mess is so much more apparent when you live in a small space. I try to furminate him regularly to cut down on hair issues and I keep his food and water bowls inside a larger dish to catch any spills. The biggest problem is, of course, the litter box. Thankfully, before we left Austin I found inspiration via the web to install a hidden box beneath one of the dinette’s bench seats. This has worked beautifully and certainly improved our lives. I can’t imagine keeping the box in the shower like so many RVers do and highly recommend that anyone thinking of traveling with their cat take steps to hide the box. It was surprisingly easy and I was able to install the whole thing in an afternoon.

For this I bought a small plastic litter box ~$3, and a piece of composite wood board ~$5. I measured the space needed for the box and cut the board to fit the space in order to make a wall between the cat box area and the rest of the storage area, containing litter and leaving about a one inch gap at the top for ventilation. The board was secured in place with wood glue and a few small nails.

To make the cat door I simply cut through the thin wall with a box cutter. Later I added a piece of fabric to act as a flap, currently held in place with magnets.

That’s really all that was required to make a hidden cat box. I also added a floor liner, made quickly out of some oil cloth, which helps collect spilled litter. The only downside is that you have to remove the seat cushions to access the box for cleaning.

Quick update on our location: I’m back from New York and, after a few days in South Lake Tahoe, Yair and I headed back to Travertine Hot Springs for a few days. More details to come…

I live in a 24’x8’ RV with my boyfriend and cat. Sharing this small space can be frustrating at times. Yair and I have endeavored to communicate openly and frequently about what works and what doesn’t in an attempt to find balance in space sharing.

We seem to naturally complement each other in things like housework: Yair is happy to do the dishes while I have made a habit of cleaning the floors and counters weekly. Yair makes repairs (most recently by replacing old, cracking sealant on the roof) and I make improvements (currently installing black-out curtains around the bed). But the most helpful agreement we’ve made so far has been a benefit to us beyond reducing frustration.

For about two hours a day I leave the RV, giving Yair time to himself to focus on what he enjoys, while giving myself an incentive to run and explore outside (my own form of “me” time). This is time for me to un-clutter thoughts, remember what’s been forgotten, and rewrite my to-dos, and the exercise and adventure puts me in a good mood. I return to the RV feeling positive and creative and often with new direction in problem solving. I usually find Yair in the middle of an activity that he enjoys, a chance to glimpse his inner world.

We have our occasional grumpy days but so far this arrangement is working well. The only hiccups occur when we  travel to a new place – when most of the day has been driving, running errands, and getting settled. We are both exploring ways to combat the stresses of these situations. But it seems like most of the magic is in having patience and a sense of humor.

Our recent travels have taken us from Sierra Hot Springs to Reno, stopping in Tahoe National Forest along the way. The hot springs and forest were very beautiful and relaxing and living in a city as large as Reno feels quite strange. Traffic? Lights at night? Sounds other than chipmunks? But it feels like it’s all worth it when we go grocery shopping – variety!

We’re here because of the airport – I’m flying to NYC for the weekend to visit family. And I’m expecting an even bigger culture shock when I get there…

After a few days of hiking at Glass Creek Yair and I decided to head to some hot springs, stopping at two lakes on the way. The first, June Lake, sits inside alpine forest and has sandy white beaches and crystal clear water. We spent some time walking the beach and watching schools of tiny fish dart around the rocks. A lot of families were there fishing, boating, and swimming, making the lake look just like an ocean beach (fun to see amidst the piney-mountains).

Our second stop was Mono Lake which is much larger and known for the tufas (columns of porous rock) that jut out from its sandy beaches. We walked around and snapped photos of the slowly approaching lighting storm before continuing on, through the rain, to Travertine Hot Springs. There, we found an ideal place to park – we lived, for free, only twenty feet from one hot spring and within a three minute walk of at least six others. Some dug out of the ground, some crafted from concrete, some built up around a rock that dripped clear, steaming water. Travertine includes the most interesting hot spring I’ve seen, made up of four tubs that are joined together and fed by a looming rock. It’s a hard thing to describe and I’ve included a photo below to help.

When we left Travertine we headed to South Lake Tahoe, stopping on the way in Hope Valley for a night. We are lucky to be hosted in the small city by the very generous Daniel who has allowed us to park in his driveway near the Tahoe Keys. The location couldn’t be better – we can walk a mile through the forest to a secluded beach or ride our bikes for about twenty minutes to reach the main part of town. And Yair and I have gotten along well with Daniel and his friends, adding a nice social element to our lives in Tahoe.

Generally, the people here are great. I don’t know if it’s because this is a vacation destination and many people here are on break, but the vast majority of people out and about are smiling and ready to shout a friendly hello. And it’s safe here. I’ve seen bikes and paddle boards left unlocked and unguarded, something unheard of in Austin.

In addition to friendly people, Tahoe boasts beaches straight out of the Caribbean (except replace salt water with fresh water and palm trees with pine trees), and a vibrant music scene. So far we’ve seen an afro-funk band playing on the beach, Vikingsholm (a Scandinavian-style mansion right on the lake), the cascading Eagle Falls, and a group of intimate beaches along the north eastern side that remind me of Costa Rica. Tomorrow we leave to check out Sierra Hot Springs but I’m sure we’ll return to Lake Tahoe soon.

We left Vegas in the afternoon and drove through the desert, past brothels and abandoned cars, among other strange things: an abandoned boat on cinderblocks, alien-themed cafes, a lone donkey walking through an empty main street. Yair and I were also treated to a peach-colored sunset and thunderstorm during our drive. About an hour after the sun had gone to bed we reached our overnighting spot – a turnout on the side of the empty highway. A large signpost loomed over us in the dark and we realized that we were parked at an abandoned gold mine and official ghost town, Palmetto.

The next morning we set out exploring the crumbling walls and open mine shafts. We spotted old cans, a jackrabbit, and a car driving backwards on a dirt road across the highway. Gunshots rang out from the vicinity of the car and we decided it was time to go.

After a drive through ancient bristlecone pine forests (home to Methuselah and other ~5,000 year old trees) we arrived in Whitmore Hot Springs, California at a gravel parking lot within walking distance of a hot spring. On BLM land, this spot was free to stay and just over a mile from three other hot springs, each with unique tubs and views of the Sierras and White Mountains. We stayed a few days, relaxing in the tubs often and chatting with visitors as they came and went.

We left feeling refreshed and made our way up into the alpine forests near Mammoth Lakes. Currently, we are parked at Glass Creek Campground inside Inyo National Forest. Yair and I can’t figure out why this campground is free (huge sites, bathrooms, trail access, a clear creek running throughout) but we’re grateful.

So far we’ve been taking it easy but there might be some hiking in our future. And once we get to our next destination, Lake Tahoe, we hope to add climbing to our list of activities.

After leaving our forest site near the Grand Canyon we became increasingly cosmopolitan until entering our biggest city yet – Las Vegas. We spent a few days getting there, stopping first in Mt Carmel, Utah at the East Zion Thunderbird Lodge. We had hook-ups, wireless internet, and access to the hotel’s pool and hot tub (very nice after living in the forest).

The next day we drove straight through Zion National Park, stopping a few times to run around on the dramatic rocks, and arrived in Mesquite, Nevada at the CasaBlanca Casino & Resort. Here, we had access to a gym, expansive pool with waterfall, and a smaller spa-style pool. I hit the treadmill and relaxed in the pool, soaking up the resort vibe and anticipating July Fourth in Las Vegas.

On our drive to Vegas we entertained ourselves by reading about the city’s strange and scandalous history. And once there we left the RV to settle into our room at the Westin. Here, we had a large room, a pool, hot tub, a daily happy hour with free drinks and tacos, and walking access to the strip. We watched fireworks from Caesar’s Palace, took in the grandeur of the casinos, danced at the most lavish nightclub I’ve ever experienced (Drai’s), dined on an intensely gooey-chocolate dessert (the S’more Crepe at Sugar Factory), met up with friends and fellow nomads Matt and Bree and daughter Siena, and generally enjoyed ourselves. We stayed for three nights, just long enough for me to feel like I got a taste of the place, before heading back to the woods.

Leading up to Vegas the designer in me was anxious to experience a city that I’ve heard about all my life. In addition to the mega casinos, I wanted to see the city’s unique, artistic character as presented via local artists, architecture, signage, and in ads. I wanted to feel the essence of the city, to learn what makes it Las Vegas.

We were staying in a chain hotel located off the strip and a large part of the block across from us was under construction so I wasn’t put off by an immediate lack of unique style in the area. I waited until moving through the strip several times before announcing to Yair that “this place has no identity…anything here…it could be anywhere else in the world.” Yair and I debated this for a while, after which I felt compelled to do some research. A little shocked (and vindicated), I discovered that this is a real problem and that quite a lot of money has been devoted to fund a city-wide project to make Las Vegas more attractive to “creatives”: innovative people who appreciate and create a city’s identity while driving the local economy.

I left feeling like I’d just been in an adult-themed Disney World and anticipated a return to the slower and more accessible world in the woods.

Welcome to Grand Canyon National Park! We live about 20 miles away, tucked into Kaibab National Forest (along road 610). Luckily, we’ve been able to use Yoni’s rental car to drive the dirt roads into the park and have explored the grandest of canyons from several drivable viewpoints along the North Rim and from a hike on the Kaibab Trail.

The hike included a very challenging 3,000 foot decent, turn-around at a waterfall (who knew there are waterfalls in the canyon?!), and a grueling ascent. That’s a total elevation change of 6,000 feet and a length of nearly 10 miles round-trip! This may have been my longest and steepest hike and by the end I was feeling ecstatically proud but also in need of some foot rehab. Yoni felt similarly, happy but recovering from leg cramps. Yair continued to prove himself super-human by dancing and juggling along the hike and completing it with energy to spare.

Our home in the forest is wonderfully free and secluded. We have no neighbors and only a few cars drive down the dirt road near our site daily (usually forest or park service vehicles or off-road motorcyclists). It is very quiet and the sky is very clear – offering deep blues during the day and an unbelievable night sky. The Milky Way is so visible at night that it looks like the glow of city lights when the largest and brightest parts are near the horizon. But there are no city lights. There isn’t even the normal haze near the horizon – just straight black with twinkling stars all the way to the ground.

We are entertained by a woodpecker family nesting a tree hollow next to our RV and by herds of wild bison that move through the trees to open meadows. The bison are strange to behold and particularly mysterious at night when they move about, unseen but heard, surrounding us with deep groaning that can easily be confused with stomach gurgles. There are other creatures around: butterflies, chipmunks, weasels, ravens, and the Kaibab squirrel – a fluffy and long-eared squirrel that only lives here. We also happen to be camped near a trailhead which has made it easy to take off on long walks without needing to drive.

It’s an ideal place to relax and explore. The only problem is, again, our lack of connectivity. I have no phone service and our only access to the internet is miles away, inside the Grand Canyon National Park general store. I have a big list of things I want to do online and am looking forward to our upcoming stops on the way to Las Vegas where we will have internet access as well pools and hot tubs. Perfect timing as the temperature has started to creep up – getting into the 100s at lower elevations. Excellent weather for swimming.

And hiking with my flow wand in hand! Yair did two quick videos of me playing on the trail. Check them out here.

After leaving Capitol Reef National Park we headed to Bryce Canyon National Park where we promptly found the best parking spot in the campground, settled in, and lost track of time.

Now, before I begin to describe Bryce I should mention our drive. We took scenic highway 12 up and over, down and through multi-colored cliffs and canyons. We passed another oasis-like campground inside a deep canyon nestled along a flowing, clear river. I saw some of the most extreme power lines of my life and the climbing, twisting road itself – all marvels of engineering. But the most unexpected part: a stop for lunch at “Hell’s Backbone Grill,” a local/organic-oriented restaurant inside a Buddhist resort. The hippie vibe and lush gardens were a refreshing break from the conservative desert areas we had been traveling through. We played with the restaurant’s adopted cat, enjoyed some tastiness, and hopped back in the RV for more scenic driving and made our way to Bryce.

Bryce Canyon National Park is unlike any place I have ever seen. It is large pine and fur trees, fine sand, looming pink limestone figures called “hoodoos,” chipmunks and look-alike ground squirrels, cliff swallows that zoom through holes in the rock, mule deer, cliffs and plateaus, lilies, desert sage, prairie dogs, a variety of startlingly blue birds (iridescent purple!), and pronghorn (who look similar to antelope and can run up to 60mph).

We did some amazing hikes – conquering the Fairyland, Rim, Queens Garden, Navajo Loop, Peekaboo Loop, and Bristlecone Loop trails. By the time we left I was feeling the effects of these steep climbs and descents in my quads. I am feeling strong! For anyone interested in moderately challenging and dynamically beautiful hikes I implore you to visit Bryce. And I suggest that you go between Monday and Thursday when the crowds are down. Check out the photos below – I think they say it all.

So, we were busy. And happily so. So much so that we lost track of how many days we were in the park. A campground sink with hot water (luxury!) enabled us to do laundry and dishes easily. And a nearby dump station for the RV made everything so much simpler.

While immersed in our campsite bliss Yair was surprised to learn that Yoni, his younger brother, was ready and wiling to take a vacation and meet us wherever we were. Within days Yoni had booked his flight and arranged to drive to us from Vegas. Yair set up a tent and, voila!, we had a guest.

Yoni was a great addition to our hikes and campfires, which he constructed and oversaw. Each night the fires got bigger and more complex until our last night which verged on becoming dangerous (which fits with his boy scout education). We hiked a lot, ate a lot, talked a lot and burned a lot of wood. It was good times. And now we are, all three, heading into Arizona to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon where I hope the trends continue.

Well, maybe not the dangerous fires.