After the devastating California fires of summer 2020, we decided not to rebuild but to transition to a nomadic life. We spent a little over a year in Santa Cruz, recovering from our losses and purchasing a travel trailer. In November 2021 we moved into our tiny home on wheels, parked on our charred property in the Santa Cruz Mountains, finishing up business and details before really hitting the road.
One purpose for our travels would be to explore the beauty of the world while it’s still here and while we are still here. Another intention is to eventually find a new place to settle down where we might feel safer from the harsh effects of climate collapse and the decline of society as we’ve known it.
The first six weeks in the trailer proved more difficult than we could have imagined. It rained nearly every day and our forested lot became a muddy expanse. The humidity was 99% and nothing dried but only became more damp. Condensation accumulated on all surfaces. Mold began to grow. Our expensive Internet system wasn’t working properly (and I work online.) The electrical system became quirky from the increasing moisture. The batteries weren’t charging fully and it was too cloudy for the solar panel to work. I won’t enumerate all the other problems we faced.
We planned to head to Southern California after the new year to find warmer and drier weather. During the last week of December we got a surprise invitation to stay for a month in a large elegant home in Los Altos Hills, the heart of Silicon Valley. We jumped at the opportunity for a respite of comfort and space. We stayed for two months. In February another unexpected offer came. My cousin in Flagstaff, Arizona, needed house-sitters for March and April while she embarked on a two-month bicycle trip from San Diego to Florida. That’s where we are now, adjusting to the move from sea level to 7000’, from mild weather to snow and ice. We left the trailer in California until we are ready to get on the road again.
More to come . . .
Also, I have a new website for display and sales of my nature photography. Enjoy:
carlaphotos.com
Leave A Comment