I make a new friend who is a real pleasure to travel with.
How many people have told me that I’ll meet someone interesting when I least expect it? Too many to count. And all of them were right.
I was camped along the Colorado River south of Ehrenberg, AZ, with my friend Janet in November when an ATV with two men on it rolled into camp. They asked who owned the truck — pointing at my truck — and I stepped forward. It seemed that one of them had gotten his Mercedes Sprinter van stuck in the sand not far from our site. Could I use my 4WD pickup to pull him out?
And that’s how I met Bill, a retired pilot who spends much of his time bumming around the west in his van. He climbed into my truck and rode back to his van with me, where I surveyed the situation. One of his back wheels was deep in the sand.
We chatted, unable to do anything without a tow strap or chain. (I’ve since bought one.) That’s when I learned he was a pilot and, like me, had his eye on a tug-style boat for cruising Puget Sound and beyond. Those were only two of many similarities between us, as I’d learn in the weeks and months to come.
The owner of the ATV, Dean, camps frequently along the river. While we were chatting, he drove around some more until he found someone with a tow chain. He brought a few supervisors with a long, thick chain back to where Bill’s van was stuck. I put my truck into 4L, locked the hubs, and backed into where he was stuck, stopping when I was close enough for the guys to hook up the chains. Bill climbed into his van and backed up out of the sand with my truck tugging him most of the way. Mission accomplished.
I waited while they loosened the chain, invited Bill to join us for our nightly campfire, and climbed back into my truck for a return to camp.
-o-
Bill didn’t show up for the campfire, but he did stop by in the morning. We chatted for a while. He kept saying he was on his way to Los Angeles and couldn’t stay long, but we kept chatting. Finally, he left us for his trip west, telling me that he’d try to come back in December, after taking care of an early Christmas and a bunch of family stuff in Oregon.
Over the next month or so, we occasionally exchanged texts.
He returned to my camp the day after Christmas. Janet had left that morning and I’d reconfigured my camp to bring my mobile workshop closer to my camper. Bill pulled in late in the afternoon, with groceries for dinner. We chatted the rest of the afternoon, though dinner, and then around the campfire.
In the morning, he joined me and my pups for our morning walk. We chatted the rest of the day away. I was floored by how much we had in common. Hell, he even had the same immersion coffee maker I have and use for camping. I don’t know anyone else who has one of those.
We walked again the next morning. And then he left.
-o-
About a week later, after exchanging a few text messages, I met up with him in California for a day trip to Salton Sea and Slab City in my truck.
How can I not like someone who will accompany me to a weird place like Bombay Beach on the Salton Sea?
The following week, he was back in my camp for two more nights. The first day, we drove out in my truck to a campground he likes in California and did some hiking out there. On the way back, we stopped so I could capture some video footage of a helicopter delivering men and equipment to power line towers; it was a real pleasure not to be rushed. The second day, we went to Cibola National Wildlife Preserve so I could show him the sandhill cranes out there. Along the way, we explored some potential camping areas.
We did some hiking out by Cottonwood Springs, a campground he likes south of Desert Center, CA. Along the way, we found this deserted cabin which was obviously being maintained by a local group of people who care about historic buildings.
Then he was gone again.
-o-
Around the end of January, I finally packed up my campsite and headed out. I had some visiting to do before I made my way back home.
Up until that point, it had been a remarkably mild winter at home and, with my only scheduled art show cancelled due to COVID, I didn’t have much of a reason to stay in Arizona. After two and a half months living in a dusty environment, hauling my own water, and having to drive on 8 miles of gravel to buy a quart of milk, I was starting to think long and hard about a soak in my bathtub and the luxury of my dishwasher, washer, and dryer — none of which required a water transfer pump to use.
Here’s my traveling rig, emerging from the truck wash where I got everything washed before hitting the road.
I spent one night in a 55+ RV park in Brenda, AZ, mostly so I could dump my tanks, fill up with fresh water, do some laundry, and take a good, hot shower. Then I dropped off my utility trailer with a friend in Wickenburg and headed south to Laveen to visit some friends there. From there, I went to Gilbert to stay with some other friends, enjoying the luxury of a king size bed and super fast Internet in their guest room. I’d had plans to try to find new wholesale accounts for my jewelry in the Phoenix area, but didn’t do any of that. Instead, I hung out with my friends, got my pups groomed, dyed my hair, did some shopping, and relaxed.
On Thursday, February 4, I had my annual flight physical and eye exam scheduled in North Phoenix. I said goodbye to my friends in Gilbert and headed north for those appointments. I spent that night in the desert just north of Lake Pleasant.
Here’s the view from my camper for the one night I spent north of Lake Pleasant.
I thought long and hard about my travel plans there. The weather at home was turning cold with snow in the forecast. I wasn’t in a hurry to get home anymore, but I didn’t feel like going up to Sedona and Prescott as I’d originally planned. I decided to go back to Wickenburg, fetch my utility trailer, spend a few days at Vulture Peak, and then head north. Death Valley might make a good interim destination.
-o-
But while I’d been traveling around, I’d also been texting back and forth with Bill. I’d told him about the hot spring north of Willow Beach on the Colorado River and he was interested in going to see it with me. We’d meet up somewhere, camp overnight at Willow Beach, and split the cost of a boat rental for a day at the hot springs.
The plan came together quickly after that.
He showed up at Vulture Peak. We spent two nights there, hiking part of Vulture Peak Trail in the middle day and enjoying campfires at night.
I got my usual campsite at Vulture Peak and Bill pulled in right behind my trailer for the two nights we were there. For some reason, however — maybe the weekend? — the campsite had a lot of foot traffic wandering through, which made it a lot less pleasant than usual. I was glad to leave on Sunday.
We left Wickenburg on Super Bowl Sunday, heading north to Kingman for the night so Bill could lock in some fast Internet for the game. We spent the night parked side-by-side in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. (Beats Walmart.)
On Monday, morning, we left Kingman with a stop at the Kingman Turquoise shop along the way. I went in and spent way too much money on way more turquoise stones and beads than I should have. I have a design idea for a really interesting piece…
The Kingman Turquoise shop just north of Kingman, AZ, is like a candy store for jewelry makers who use turquoise. Bring your credit card.
He followed me from there to Willow Beach on the Colorado River, where we parked my trailer in a lot and then squeezed into a shared campsite, taking advantage of the discount he got with his lifetime National Parks pass.
Willow Beach’s sunset did not disappoint us.
Tuesday morning at the hot spring. It was more crowded later in the day. I blogged about this hot spring here.
In the morning, we picked up a small motorboat and, with my pups, headed up the river. We spent at least four hours at the hot springs, dipping and soaking in the various tubs while other hikers came and went.
That evening, Bill led the way to a campsite he knew of up in the Eldorado Mountains south of Boulder City. It was a cool spot off a seldom-used road. I had great views down at the lights in Boulder City and Railroad Pass, with the glow of Las Vegas far in the distance.
In the morning, we climbed into his van for a trip farther down the road to visit the ghost town of Nelson. The two of us spent nearly an hour walking around the remains of old cars and equipment in the desert, snapping pictures everywhere.
Here’s the museum/gift shop in the ghost town of Nelson. For just $1/person, you can wander around and shoot photos of the multitude of old cars and equipment parked around the yard.
On Wednesday, we went into Las Vegas to visit an old friend of mine from Wickenburg. I was glad to see Jim as active as ever at age 81, still working at the company he built years ago when I first met him, still coming up with unique solutions for new customers. Jim and Bill really hit it off; Bill grilled him about batteries and Jim had all the answers.
From Vegas, we continued on to Tecopa, where Bill wanted to show me a hot springs resort he knew. We originally signed up for two campsites for two nights but wound up taking advantage of a couple’s special that gave us sites for two for a week for only $250. We stayed six nights. I slid my camper off my truck while we were there so we could get around without taking one of our “houses” with us.
It was a great week. On most days, we soaked in a private tub in the morning before breakfast, then again in the afternoon before dinner and again in the evening before bed. The water was hot and soft and made my skin feel great. During the day, we’d choose a destination: Ibex Dunes and Sarasota Springs in Death Valley for two hikes, Shohone for a hike, China Date Ranch (twice) for hikes, Pahrump for a propane refill and some shopping. We spent one windy day in my rig just taking it easy, enjoying each other’s company.
The Amaragosa Trail hike from China Date Ranch takes you into the riverbed, where you can still see traces of the railroad that ran there years ago.
Here’s a real tourist shot at Badwater; Bill pointed out the Sea Level sign high on the cliff face beyond my rig.
From Tecopa, we headed into Death Valley, coming in through the Shoshone entrance and driving up the length of the park from the Ashford Mills ruins — which I’d last seen surrounded by yellow wildflowers during a super bloom a few years ago — and past Badwater, with a quick stop in Furnace Creek before driving the rest of the way up to Mesquite Springs. Bill had never been that far north in the park and was pleased by the dark, quiet night sky and uncrowded campground.
The next morning, Wednesday, we hiked around Ubehebe Crater in a howling wind. It was only a mile and a half, but there was a considerable climb early in the hike and lots of places to stop and look into smaller craters nearby. Back at camp, we took the rest of the day off.
Here’s a shot of Ubehebe Crater from the highest point on its rim. Normally, this hike might be very pleasant, but with a stiff wind, I was glad I’d bundled up.
On Thursday, the day I’m writing this, we decided to move on. Bill wanted to visit some friends in Los Angeles before he headed back to Oregon to take care of some family things. I had developed a sore toe that made long hikes painful. And although I had no idea what the weather was at home, I knew I should be on my way.
Darwin Falls is a surprising sight in the desert — and just a mile from the trailhead on a relatively easy path.
But rather than just part company, we decided on one more hike: a walk to Darwin Falls, a little-known spring-fed waterfall in Death Valley. I parked my rig at the Panamint Springs campground and he drove us to the trailhead in his van. We did the two-mile round-trip hike in about 90 minutes, stopping for about 20 minutes in the cool shade of the slot canyon at the falls before coming back.
Afterward, Bill drove me back to Panamint Springs and spent a little more time with me and my pups before saying goodbye and heading out. I was sad to see him go — I really had enjoyed our time together — but he’s already promised to come visit me at home. I’m looking forward to that.
-o-
Throughout all of our time together, I continued to be amazed at how much we thought alike and how compatible we were. I suspect he was, too.
We talked about everything — and I really do mean everything — and pretty much agreed on most of it. Better yet, he treated me like an intelligent adult. He was kind and generous and really seemed to want to hear my opinion of the things we talked about. It was a real intellectual treat for me. Like me, he knows a little about a lot of things and a lot about a few. Like me, he has a natural curiosity about things he hears about. I could — and did! — learn from him and he could — and did? — learn from me.
There’s more, but I won’t go into it here. After all, I don’t share every aspect of my life, despite what readers may think.
Anyway, the two weeks I spent with Bill will give me plenty to think about as I begin to gear up for the upcoming cherry season and start to plan my retirement. I’ve had other plans in the works for a while and he’s given me the push I need to start making things happen to reach new goals.
Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to more travels with Bill in the future.
