First Solo Trip - Mission Accomplished

FIRST TRIP COMPLETELY BY MYSELF! 
Friday 11/4 to Wednesday 11/9/11


Beaver’s Bend State Park

Broken Bow, OK

MON 11/7/11
4:30 pm

I truly don’t think I could find a better spot to be in right now – especially not within 3.5 hours of home. This is a gorgeous state park and a perfect day. It is cloudy and overcast, about 60 degrees. The windows in the trailer are wide open, I have a fresh cup of coffee in my hand, just woke up from a catnap, took a great shower – and now I’m listening to super peaceful music and taking a minute to reflect. The wind is rippling across the river at the front of the trailer, the squirrels are busy rustling in the gorgeous Fall leaves - and everything smells like wood, smoke and campfires. THIS is what it’s all about. If this camper can take me to places that make me this peaceful – then it is worth every bit of effort I put into it.

Had such a fun weekend with my friend Jan Parks and her family and pals – it was like reconnecting with folks that I had seen just recently, but it’s been almost 16 years since I saw her last. She and her whole clan are fun and vibrant and inclusive and full of life – and she just offered them all up to me and wrapped me into their weekend. Got to play with the world’s cutest 8 month old baby boy and his spunky 4 yr old sister. Got to help bathe them both and get them ready for bed last night (which is pretty fun for me since I never got to have little ones of my own and never had any around to practice on.) The best part is this: Jan reminded me this morning that it was a full-circle moment for her to see me do that – since she used to do the same for me when she babysat me. She bathed me as a little kid and here I am bathing her granddaughter 40 years later. Pretty cool indeed.

For 3 days we ate like it was Thanksgiving and played cards and games and told stories and just enjoyed having nowhere to be and nothing specific to do. They all came over to the camper today after they checked out of their cabins and I fed them all my Chicken Tortilla Soup using all my matching trailer plates and containers and accessories – and it felt like I was having a big, fun, grownup tea party in my big silver playhouse (hope that feeling never goes away.)

Gonna miss hanging out with them – but I am thrilled that I am able to have another couple of days here in the park to roam around and take pictures and hike and nap and just relax on my own. Very few people in the park on a Monday – and I seem to be down on an end by myself – which is just fine by me. Met an older, but very fun/sassy lady yesterday on a purple bike with a dog in her bike basket – purple bed and purple harness to match. She was really sweet. Told her it was my first solo trip and she just kept saying how proud she was of me – made me feel proud too. Said she loved to camp and was not sure she would know how to do it all if her husband wasn’t around – just thought it was really cool that I was going it alone.

Given 3 tours of the camper to people in the park already – everybody is intrigued by the back door opening up and the layout. Having to keep the place tidy in case folks drop in :)

Been a LOT of universal synchronistic moments on this trip – it’s all SO meant to be. First - work didn't get in the way of the plans for the weekend. That never happens. Then, I wasn’t sure I wanted to come down into the state park to stay (for some dumb reason) but I had a reservation somewhere in the park. So Saturday morning I go exploring in the truck - left the camper in the ugly RV place I parked in on Friday night (since it was late and dark when I got to town). Drove down into this pretty large state park on Saturday morning just to poke around. Had no clue where my spot would be and didn’t check at the office (because I couldn't find it). Just drove and took random twists and turns – pulled into one of the four campgrounds and drove right up to and pulled into the spot with my name on it! What are the chances of that? And it was a pull thru (so I didn’t have to fight backing in yet) – so that was awesome too.

Next in line for synchronicity: When I went to the park office yesterday to pay - knowing they have cabins reserved here up to a year in advance - I lucked out when someone cancelled for Thanksgiving weekend. I was able to reserve one of the coolest cabins in the park for Mom, Dad and I to come hang out in in a few weeks. No availability for the Airstream, but the cabins were built during the WPA years and are really rustic and cute and take pets.

Another lucky/synchronistic moment: Forgot one spice for my Tortilla Soup – Onion. Went into the tiny, tiny sparsely stocked camp store. What is the one and only single jar of spice they had sitting on a shelf all by itself? Onion Powder. Go figure.

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Beaver’s Bend State Park

Broken Bow, OK

TUE 11/8/11         

10:30 am

Woke up to cloudly skies and then the best rainstorm – really gentle at first and then it just opened up with thunder and lightning and all kinds of noise. Pretty great sound in the camper – my first thunderstorm – and the aluminum really amplifies it all. Did find one small window leak by the fridge – so I’m double glad it poured and I was inside to see it. Add that to the warranty list.

Forgot to check the weather for today – so my plans for hiking and taking pictures may just have changed. Plan B calls for making a late breakfast and puttering in the camper, a bit of housekeeping and a drive thru the park in the rain. Then I have to start packing stuff up to head home. Gonna really hate to leave tomorrow. Such a gorgeous, peaceful place. Have seen 8 trillion squirrels – so I’m glad that I didn’t bring Dylan (the squirrel chaser) this trip. He would have busted out a screen to get to them. There are lots of deer and raccoons and possum too. 

I haven’t seen trees this tall in a really long time – and all the leaves are changing for Fall. There is some awfully pretty Fall color up here. Have to start making this an annual trip in October or November – and next time bring my Vespa, a bike, tons of firewood and my iPad (which I can’t believe I forgot – all I wanted to do was swing in my hammock and read books on the iPad). And with no service up here for the internet – the iPhone and the Edge network is my only way to connect. It’s been both good and bad to be semi unplugged. Pretty spoiled, huh?

On a totally shallow note: Did I mention how scary the Walmart is here? Yikes. Very tired old-school Walmart. And after 4+ years of casting in Walmarts around the country – I know my Wally Worlds.

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Beaver’s Bend State Park

Broken Bow, OK

TUE 11/8/11         

6:00 pm

Stormed all day – and it got LOUD inside the shiny silver bullet.

The rain died down about an hour ago – and everybody in the park came out to see the sun set and watch the late afternoon light play on all the Fall colors. 


It rained so much that 3 waterfalls erupted across the river from my campsite (I’m in Buckeye #1 – the best campground here it seems, after my drive around earlier). Couldn’t believe how much prettier everything was after the rain – got some gorgeous pictures.

Spent the rainy day updating my iPod for the trailer, reading, cleaning up, munching on leftover Tortilla Soup, and just generally being lazy and enjoying the messy weather.

Gotta pack up and head home tomorrow – hope it’s not too wet to pull myself outta here. But I guess I get to try out my 4x4 capabilities on the truck if that happens. One more skill to master on this new adventure of mine.

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Casa de Pinky
Dallas TX
WED 11/9/11
6:30 pm


Got everything unhooked, hitched up, dumped, stowed away and pulled out of the campsite with zero trouble. Made it home in record time without one single adverse incident. And it was not stressful in the least. It was relaxing and fun.

I 


CAN 


DO 


THIS!!!!! 














I am so proud of accomplishing this that I can't even put it into words. I didn't let fear of the unknown stand in my way. I researched the living Hell out of every aspect of my truck and trailer and now I have proof that I made the right choices and I CAN DO THIS ALONE!


This trip felt like the true beginning of my adventures - now that I know for sure I can handle myself on the road. Can't wait to see where this takes me next - and look at all the beauty I would have missed if I had continued to let life and fear get in my way :)