This blog will soon become more travelog than the thought-o-log it has shifted toward since I returned last April from my first attempt at working remotely from a camper in warmer climes. In late January 2023, I began traveling and staying at campgrounds in the great American South—Georgia, North and South Carolina, Alabama, and Texas. Soon I’ll depart for the southwest, including West Texas, southern New Mexico, Arizona, and California. If it’s warm enough by the time I start working my way back in (tentatively) March, I may take some time to explore southern Utah and Colorado.
I don’t have a ton of things planned, but I expect this trip to be at least practically different from the last one. For starters, last year, despite staying at some national forests (which often have less developed campgrounds), every campground I stayed at had electricity, and some even had water right at the campsites. Electricity seems to be less available at campgrounds in the southwest—or those that have it are booked up, since it’s a popular destination for the RV-retiree crowd. So, I’ll be running off-grid more often than not, staying at places without electricity and sometimes without water.
My R-pod camper can carry 36 gallons of water, plus I’ll have a 6 gallon freshwater tank for drinking and extra water at any given time. For power, I’m relying on 280 watts of solar panels and a 2800 watt gas generator (enough to power the microwave or the a/c, but not both).
Provided temps are reasonable and the sun is shining, the solar should be enough to power most of my needs. My laptop and the Starlink satellite internet together use fewer than 150 watts, and those, my phone, and a fan should be my main daily energy draws (the fridge runs off propane), so ideally I won’t be using the generator much unless I feel the need for microwave popcorn or a/c.
I’m excited and slightly nervous. There’s always a risk that something goes wrong with my truck, or with the camper, or maybe I get sick or any other number of things (all of that happened last time). But that just means I can’t go to my regular mechanic, or doctor—you just deal with the unexpected as it arises, the same as you would no matter where you are, since it is, by its nature, unexpected.
That said, I’m definitely more excited than nervous and I know as soon as I hit the road I’ll be pumped. I love the departing on an adventure part of adventure the best—the thrill of not knowing what you’ll see and get into, and whom you’ll meet. In my late 20s and 30s I would go on a big hiking trip almost every year, and I always thought of those hikes as a personal physical challenge. But since my knees now hurt when I take long walks carrying 40 pounds on my back, this kind of exploration feels like the next iteration of the adventurous side of my life, even if it is a cushy, fairly privileged style of adventure. Above all, I just want to see more of the seemingly endless outdoor wonders of America and spend more time in the sunshine.
Yesterday, WordPress (the blog host) sent me year-end highlights for my blog, indicating it has received 7,248 page views since I launched it in Feb. 2023. I think it’s the same 25 to 35 people viewing stuff over and over again, but since I began by writing for one, I am going to call it a win and be grateful that some people have reached out and remained interested.
Anyway, time to start packing.
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