26 September 2021…nice quiet night here at the Walmart in Chadron Nebraska…my sister flew back to SC yesterday…had a great week with her sightseeing and just talking about stuff…when I have a guest along for the ride it’s always an emotional time for me when they leave…as I drove away from the airport a sense of loneliness came over me…always does…I expect it…happens every time…as I drive along I think of how far I am from loved ones…but…the hum of the engine and the passing scenery soon brings me back…I love traveling…the short breaks with others is good every now and then…good for being grounded with the fact folks that are good.
I passed through the Pine Ridge Indian reservation yesterday…so sad what the American citizens allowed the government to do to native Americans…mile after mile of shantys, despair, and hopelessness…85% unemployment, 70% high school dropout rate, over half with diabetes, 7 to 10 suicide attempts a week, 2 to 3 to completion among young people…I didn’t take any photos.
28 September…I’m back…spent the night a couple of days ago in the parking lot of the Tractor Supply store in Rawlins WY…really nice and quiet…then, drove about 400 miles yesterday to get to my spot in the Gateway Canyons on Colorado Hwy 141…simply breathtaking and not a soul around…not a byte of internet or cell signal either…just like Heaven…I’m on the bank of the Dolores River…a gentle flow through the canyons…steak and potatoes for dinner and I was set to sit back and listen to some good podcast for the evening…after 2100 I don’t think another car passed by until the morning…yep, just like Heaven.
I try to walk a couple of miles a day…I enjoy wearing New Balance 990 V5 shoes…expensive but they do my feet good…I only use them for my walks…when a pair is about worn out I relegate them to my knock around shoes and buy another pair for walking…I get about a year out of each pair…love’em.
Trouble’s Traveling Cup
I love sitting in the van having a cuppa during a heavy rainstorm…I’m in the parking lot of the Maverick in Monticello Utah….gonna put on my pajamas and take a nap when the cups empty…will probably stay here tonight snd watch people come and go.
29 September…0530…a gentle rain is falling this morning…I’m up and having a cuppa…I love waking to a rain storm…there’s something calming being nice and comfy in the van…the Espar heater is humming along quietly and all is well in my world…a couple of other vans parked next to me…they arrived late and quiet…nice…headed up in the Abajo Mountains today…my favorite boondocking spot on the overlook is yelling for me…:)…gotta stop by the grocery store to get some grub…my new fridge is smaller than the Dometic I had so I need to stop more often…that’s ok…cleaned some of the grit off Petunia yesterday when I got here…gonna wait till the roads dry before heading out…don’t want to spoil my work with more road spray…OCD?:)…maybe but I like to keep my stuff nice…paid hard earned money for it…it’s my home.
Here I am being held by my great great grandfather Maddox on March 3, 1953…I was 8 months old…still am 🙂
Gonna be a interesting night here at the overlook.
2 October…after a few days I went to see my friends Scott and Julie at 3 Step Hideaway…always great to stop by for a visit…the next morning was very nice 🙂
3 October…Up and at’em early today…heading to the Mokee Dugway to boondock tonight…one of my favorite places in the southwest…here’s a few pics…enjoy.
Can you spot the van?
There’s a short path from the van up to the point that overlooks the Valley of The Gods…spent an hour just sitting and looking…I guess you can see for about a thousand miles.
Time for a nap in the shade
The colors out here are outstanding
Twilight on the side of the cliff…was as peaceful as the photo.
4 October…headed to the Walmart in Page AZ for the night…passed by Monument Valley…had to get a photo of Trouble’s Traveling Cup at the Forest Gump sight 🙂
5 October…rains started around midnight…wonderful sleeping weather here in Page…probably gonna stay here another night as big rains are on the way…that’s good for the area as the drought out here in the southwest has been devastating for crops, livestock, and people.
And…the Walmart here in Page is really nice…big, with great views from the back of the store looking out over the high dessert. I was going to park for the night in back but there were several locals prowling around so I moved to the front of the parking lot amongst tons of other RV’s and camper vans…safety in numbers 🙂
The Walmart wifi is great…I NEVER connect to the internet no matter where I am without using a VPN…
Hanging out at Walmart is a never ending source of entertainment…this guy pulled in around 2100 and spent almost two hours rearranging his car…I guess he has to live in it and has about 16 tons of stuff.
6 October…after two nights at the walmart waiting for the rains to move out, this morning was glorious…headed out around 0900 for Flagstaff…changed my mind along the way and headed instead to the Marble Canyon area off Hwy 89a to find a place to boondock for a couple of days…found a nice spot off the road where a dirt road heads to the canyon…large parking area…there are lots of closers around here as most Navajo land is off limits to the public because of Covid…instead of going down the dirt road I decided the parking area would do just fine for tonight…tomorrow I’ll probably head a couple of miles down the road to the Soap Creek dispersed camping area..will be able to park right on the cliffs overlooking the Colorado River…for now here’s a few shots from tonight.
My sticker collection is starting to look pretty good
timstravelingcircus.com 