Kindred Spirits

One of our favorite things about life on the road is the people we meet along the way. And Las Vegas was no exception.

The reason we were in Vegas was to install a veggie oil system in "Benny the Brave". An added bonus was that we REALLY liked Benny's owners :) We had so much fun with Justin, Tara (AKA The Organic Sister), and Zeb...and we had lots of time to get to know them better.

It turns out that Matt and Justin have very much the same personalities (laid back, fixers)...and Tara and I do as well (type A, planners). Justin is a finish carpenter by trade and Tara is a fabulous photographer and has dreads! Let's just say we were never lacking in things to talk about! We made a great team. And even though Zeb is older than Bella, they had fun hanging out as well.

They are a fellow unschooling family...and we were so inspired by watching how they live that out in daily life. Both Justin and Tara are passionate about "life learning" and it's contagious when you're around them. Tara's blog has so much information and is a really fun read...be sure to add it to your blog list if it's not there already!

Good times at California Pizza Kitchen...

Sara and Tara spent many days at the park with the kids and friends...

Zeb teaching Bella a new game...

Matt and Justin workin' hard on the veg system...

Enjoying friends at the going away party...

Two families on the road! We have plans already to meet up again somewhere down the road...we'll be counting the days!

Benny the Brave is lookin' good...be sure to go to the gallery and watch the video below to see the renovations!

Here is a little interview and tour of the RV that I did with Justin and Tara...

Come check out more photos of their new home and their party in this photo gallery.
All photos available for comment on Flickr here.

Tornado and Community

After San Diego, we headed out across the very rainy desert...towards Quartzsite, AZ. But you can imagine what happens in the desert when it downpours for days. It floods. So we stopped short of our destination and hunkered in for a few days at a campground in Blythe, CA.

It was an interesting little place...most of the people camping there had been coming back every year for 10-20 years and they all knew each other well. It was such a neat example of the type of "alternative community" that the RV lifestyle brings. Matt LOVES getting out there and talking shop with all of the older travelers. All the ladies knew him by name ;-) I love my man.

The first night we were there, the rain was beating the front windshield so hard that we couldn't see out. But as we were peering into the dark wetness, we overheard them announcing outside that there was a tornado warning. Ok then. Not knowing exactly what to do or where to go, we just stayed put and checked the radar. It was coming straight at us, but at the last minute it veered off and our lives were spared. Well, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but I was hiding with the girls under the bunk bed. Not sure what good that was going to do when our RV spiraled into oblivion with Dorothy and Toto, but I FELT safer there.

After the rains, we had fun finding the everyday beauty in that little park. This is one of the reasons we love being on the road...we would have never stopped there normally, but due to the circumstances, we did...and we were totally blessed by the people and the landscape.

Although, if you are ever seriously considering MOVING to Blythe, CA...you might want to re-think your decision. There isn't much there. BUT, there is a Starbucks. With a drive-thru. Which makes it ok in my book.

Photos of Blythe, CA and the desert here.
Photos are available for comment on Flickr.

Campin' Out

Whenever we get a new RV, something always goes wrong on our inaugural trip. It never fails. This time around, we were traveling over to Iowa City for a photo session. While we were there, the motor for the slide went out.

After a bit of research, we found out that the company who manufactures the hydrolics for the slide is located just north of Iowa City. Thank you God! Of all the places it could have been in the entire country, it was located just a few miles down the road. Crazy.

We pulled into HWH and spent the night in their back parking lot. It was a busy place...there was a line up of RV's there waiting for repairs...with their BBQ's out, having a great time in the middle of nowhere. The next morning, we bought the motor (which Matt installed) and we were on our way. We’ve found that Matt is able to fix pretty much anything in the RV or in the engine, which is a huge blessing. He’s had a lot of experience in these last couple of years to learn the skills!

We headed back to Des Moines and spent a bit more time there camping out with our friends and family at Ledges State Park near Ames, IA. We had a beautiful campsite…large and wooded, our favorite kind. We laughed and explored...ate roasted veggies and quinoa...and marshmallows, of course! And then we were off to Colorado to visit more friends and family. After a week there, which included some unexpected snow and cold, we left for Bozeman to remodel the RV, sell all of our stuff, and hit the road! Yippeee!