Lives in the Dust

I’ve now been on the road three weeks. The past two days, my convoy buddy and I have been parked behind the visitor center in Douglas, Arizona, a crumbling sort of town on the border with Mexico. There is a vibe here: Wariness. Not welcoming. The two of us are not in danger but you have the feeling danger would be easy to find. All these cool, historical buildings succumbing to decay. Warmth. Dryness. Birdsong, especially in the morning. Indelible light when the sun rises and sets. The police headquarters is a couple hundred feet away and provides a 24 hour a day toilet, which is a perk. Nevertheless I am ready to move on, I am not entirely comfortable here, this place leaves me feel uneasy. Perhaps I’m paranoid; let’s go with that.

The plan after Douglas is to make my way across New Mexico in two days, spending the night in Truth or Consequences which I’ve been curious about for years. And then onto the mythical land of Kansas just because I’ve never been to Kansas. Weather permitting I will also visit Nebraska and the Dakotas. Beyond that…who knows?

Right now exploring feels good; I am in the groove of living out of my van, enjoying the perks and dealing with the challenges. At some point, though, money has to start coming in: Bills have to get paid etc. My assumption, possibly defeatist, is that eventually I will return to the Central Valley (of California) and get a sustenance job and small apartment. I contemplate advertising my Venmo, something along the lines of “Hey, if you want to support my writing anything is appreciated” but I have no idea how make a campaign like that work. In the meantime, I will continue releasing books as they are completed and writing new ones (am working on two while on the road). If I had to funds to float traveling indefinitely I would range out across the United States, wild camping when possible and sleeping in truck stop parking lots when there are no other options. We did that during the four days it took our convoy to travel from Quartzsite to Douglas, I even spent my first night at Wally World (a Wal Mart parking lot).

The second American Outback book—(volume one, Disappearing is a Young Man’s Game, is available on Amazon)—will go to the editor when his schedule opens up. That book is the story of my first year on the road living out of Pandette, my converted Honda Odyssey. The third American Outback book is what I am working on now and will cover my five months as a camp host and however long I am out on the road this time, I am guessing at least four more weeks. These books will expose you to places you probably have not gone, but they are also about other possibilities for living life closer to nature, with less “stuff” and also less stress. Basically, I am a 21st hippy who lives out of a van but without the marijuana and blissed out, incoherent, stinky bits.

If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments.