For the second time, the Northwest Nomads gathering in Fort Rock, OR was a wonderful experience. It's hard to believe I'm well into the second year of living on the road. Last year, I was only three months into the journey, and just beginning to settle into the role of solo traveler. Meeting fellow nomads, learning about other gatherings, getting tips for staying connected, it was all so new and informative. I jumped in to the community like a kid on the first day of school. This year, I felt, well, “seasoned”. Once again, I was a finalist in the Silly Olympics, dancing in the rain to “My Humps”. The days were spent hanging out, making new friends, reconnecting with friends I made last year and enjoying the musicians every night. Check out Broken Compass, Kat Hall and Olive Klug. Truly a multigenerational gathering, there were people who looked barely old enough to drive, families with little kids, middle-age professionals who had found a way to make a living without a home base and retired geezers like me. LOTS of dogs. (Many people have suggested I have a dog, a la Steinbeck's Travels With Charley, but I fend them off with, “I like to be in National Parks.”)
As promised, here's a video of me performing one of my goofy songs, “Nothing Seems to Work on Me” at the open mic. Had a memory lapse; missed lyrics were, “My nose has a bridge, but no one goes across, and I can’t seem to hammer down my finger nail!” Chellina and Patrick host most of the activities, and they sell the strawberry hats. When you buy one, you are inducted into the Berry Fairy Society. Cubic space being an issue in a van, I was musing where I could keep the damn thing, and Patrick suggested the dashboard. Yes! It's a daily reminder of joy and whimsy. https://youtube.com/shorts/mJq4pfJGp-g?feature=shared
For the next few weeks, I'll be socializing with friends as much as if I were back home. Peter and Meggan flew out to visit their friend Karen in Ashland, Oregon and I'm crashing the visit. Now Karen is my friend, too!
Here is my itinerary until I return to the northeast next June:
9/23 Ashland with Karen, Peter and Meggan
9/25 Seattle with Peter and Meggan
9/29 Seattle with Sue and Dave
10/8 visiting my dad’s wife Mira and family along with Eva in Sydney, Australia!
10/20 Yosemite with Kenny
10/25 friends in San Francisco
11/15 Timeshare hotel stay in Lake Tahoe
11/26 Thanksgiving in Joshua Tree
12/2 Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu with Natural Habitat Adventures
12/18 Exploring Lima, Peru on my own
1/3/2027 Escapees Bash RV gathering in Lake Havasu
Jan/Feb drive to Big Bend National Park
2/15 Denver, CO visiting niece Care and Greg
2/18 Trip to Japan to ski with Eva for her 35th birthday!
3/7 return to Denver
April - heading through Tennessee and Georgia to visit family
May - friends in Florida, National Parks
June - Up through the Appalachian mountains to New York