This morning I'm boondocking in my van on a small plateau,
overlooking a sandy wash. Beyond that is
the beautiful desert, green and blooming from the rains. Here and there, a lone
saquaro will break the horizon. Beyond that is a line of red, rocky hills. The
only noises are the slight breeze, the occasional braying of a lonesome wild
donkey, a yipping family of coyotes, and the cries of the waterfowl at the National
Park pond a half-mile away.
The sky, beautifully bright blue at dawn, is now a sick milky
white from chemical trails sprayed by bioengineers, supposedly trying to block the
sun's rays and solve global warming. I believe there's probably a more
insidious reason for their spraying, and it probably has to do with chemical
warfare and controlling the weather and the food supply. Control the food,
control the people. It also has been used (they admit) and could be used in the
future, for population control. Spray a
community with a bacteria or virus (or a poison) and watch the old and infirm get sick and
die. Scary stuff, but unfortunately, true.
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| From this . . . |
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| To this in a matter of an hour! |
Despite the milky skies, I love this place, Cibola, and I
love being alone in my van. Some days I wonder if I'm just a hermit at heart.
I've always enjoyed being alone, and though I love my friends and family, I
also find strength and solace in empty places.
As a child, I'd get my chores done early on Saturday
morning, then while the other children were watching cartoons, I'd run away to
the middle of the orange grove where all I could hear was the buzzing of the
bees. I might climb the hills over our town and look down at the ant-like
people and cars running to and fro, or hike into the middle of a corn field and
lie on my back. I might swim to an
island mid-river where I could lay in the sand with my feet in the cold water,
just to be alone.
Being close to nature heals me. I'd rather watch a sunrise than any Oscar-awarded
movie. I'd rather listen to the braying of the wild burros or the calls of the
coyote family, than listen to gossip, or empty and boring conversations about
whatever is popular in today's broken American culture.
As much as I loved walking the Camino Santiago, it's become
too busy for me. Too many people with bad manners. Too much trash. Too much partying and rudeness.
Now, my van is my escape, though I fear what will happen
when the movie based on the book "Nomadland," comes out. It could be the end of
van life as we know it, just as the movie, "The Way," was the end of
the Camino Santiago in so many ways. Ironically, I was an extra in both movies.
I have to ask myself what that says about me?
For now, for today, for this week and this month, and this
year, I'll savor this van life. The
quiet gives me time to think, to reflect on my life. The beauty here in nature
fills my soul.
Living in nature brings back memories of my grandmother, Ma,
who reared me. Pa and Ma had a motorhome and spent the winters in the desert.
They'd spend summers in Sequoia National park. She loved that life! She also loved God's Earth! We were kindred spirits, Ma and I. She and I
would lie on our backs in the grass and watch the passing clouds. Summers, we
would hike to Sunset Rock each evening, sit in silence, and watch the sun sink
below the horizon, exclaiming at the spectacular colors!
Ma . . . I miss her so much. I feel her with
me when I'm alone in the desert. She's watching those sunrises with me,
counting my blessings with me, reminding me to stay positive, and to give
thanks for each and every day I wake up alive.
I got so depressed watching the skies milk up, I drove to Joshua Tree to escape the spray. The skies were clear and blue there. You could literally see the curtain where the spray ended. The desert floor was blooming. It was beautiful!
I realize some of you are following my blog because of the
Camino. I will keep those posts on here. You'll just need to scroll down to
posts before 2019. For a while, I
thought I'd keep TWO blogs, one for the Camino and one for my Van Adventures,
but it's just become too much to do.
Instead, I'm going to bring the posts about my van over to this page,
probably later this week.
I will continue to post about my simple life, and maybe if
the crowds on the Camino thin out, I'll return. But for now, I plan on
exploring the United States. Last winter I explored Arizona. This year, I will explore New Mexico.
I hope you'll follow along.
Love,
Annie
