Life on the Road

One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to get to some place that I found comfortable, and just “dig in” for a while. I’ve done that for the past six days here at Elephant Butte Lake State Park in central New Mexico. It’s a beautiful desert setting by a jewel of a blue lake. And the weather has been just about perfect. New Mexico state parks are very reasonable, and you can stay in one of them for three weeks if you like before you have to move on.

One of the “draws” has been that there are other Lazy Daze RV owners here. I had originally planned to stop here to visit with Andy Baird, who monitors the Lazy Daze group on Yahoo. I’d corresponded with Andy over the years about my RV wishes and, after I located GoJoe, technical issues. But when I pulled into Elephant Butte, not only did I find Andy’s RV “Skylark” but four other Lazy Dazes! Up until now on this whole trip I’d seen only two of them. On separate occasions I encountered Lazy Dazes coming from the opposite direction on the highway. Both times the drivers flashed their lights in what is apparently a universal Lazy Daze signal. I guess I’m in the club!

So pulling in here and seeing all these brethren RVs was sort of like coming home. And then I met the owners. There is definitely camaraderie among Lazy Dazers, as I’m sure there is among loyal owners of other brands. For starters it provides a common basis on which to establish links in otherwise unfamiliar territory. We LDers linked up right away and have been enjoying hikes, happy hours, and shared meals.



Four of the LDs here are owned by “fulltimers,” folks who have sold their homes and lifetime accumulations, and hit the road. (Clockwise below from upper left: Jim and Gayle, Debbie, Kate and Terry, Andy)












It’s interesting to hear the stories of what brought people around to the fulltiming decision. A common theme is simplification. There’s no doubt that you can’t take much with you when you live in an RV. You have to decide which few “things” are important enough to you to pack along in your small mobile quarters. But the upside is an airy sense of freedom – freedom from living in one location, from extremes in weather, from house and yard work, from routine, and from being ruled by materialism. It’s an adventuresome lifestyle, guided loosely by staying in Spring-like weather, being outdoors, and following whims.

It seems to me an ideal way of life. You really get to know different areas of the country and you can be outdoors year round. And you can take your hobbies and interests with you. Kate, for instance, is a culinary expert with her two solar ovens that cook up sumptuous meals using the sun's free energy. Andy does all sorts of computer wizardry at his RV desk.

Life on the road is greatly aided by the technological advances of the past couple of decades. With cell phones, GPS systems, and the internet, it’s easy to stay connected to the rest of the world. Everything from communicating with friends and family to paying bills to doing freelance work is easily accomplished in the RV. It appears to me that a lot of these folks have attained a “live in the moment” frame of mind that would be the envy of many. What matters is what is happening right now. Understandably, there’s a shared curiosity about the natural world and what’s around the next bend.

I've enjoyed my new friends here. I even hosted my first happy hour the other day under the casita here on my campsite. (Picture people sitting here):) We enjoyed easing into the evening and then were treated with practice maneuvers of the V22-Osprey, a hybrid military airplane/helicopter, over the lake.

Andy and I even managed to create some music with his midi software. Note the view of the lake out the back window of his RV.

These six days have been a perfect break from almost daily travel. Tomorrow I move westward.