It’s been three months since my last blog posting. A lot has happened, and the photos in this posting were taken during 2021.
But, if you are reading this. I, like you, along with the rest of the humans living upon our blue marble, survived to experience the third year of a world pandemic.
Before social distancing became a buzzword, my daily life for the past six and a half years was social distancing in nature.
Life is a journey filled with countless decisions like vaccinating or not to vaccinate. I took the vaccinations for myself because I’m selfish and proud to take them. I received my two-dose vaccinations between April and May, along with the flu shot in October and the Covid-19 booster in December.
My nomadic RV traveling lifestyle limits my human contact because my daily activities are outside and away from groups and, most importantly, infected people.
The world’s pandemic and social distancing have me falling in love with collecting my groceries in the parking of a Target or Walmart as a masked clerk hands my groceries to me as I stand in the doorway of my RV to turn and place in the refrigerator/freezer.
I have adapted to purchasing gas and no longer entering the business, avoiding the temptations of buying salty and fatty food items. Instead, I use my RV’s facilities and eat an apple, orange, or banana, oh my.
Before leaving Arizona, I ventured north to the Grand Canyon with the intention to arrive early, like before 7:00 am, only to discover hundreds of intelligent like mind people with the early-bird idea. It provided me a 30-min wait to board the trams that take people along the rim of the Grand Canyon. Because of social distancing, the trams held 15-30 people when usually holding 30 or more. So by 9:00 am, I headed back to the campground after capturing some photos. I did not feel so bad as I approached the park’s exit. I passed 3-5 miles of cars attempting entry into the Grand Canyon.
It is always a gteat idea to research the area as I discovered two destinations near the Grand Canyon for great photos and discovery of ancient indigenous people.
I began my eastbound and down expedition with stops to tour the Natchez Trace Parkway. I meandered my way towards My home campground the Wilderness Presidential Resort in Spotsylvania Virginia. The campground’s central location provided me an easy 1-hour western drive along mostly two lanes of beautiful Virginia country side into the Appalachian Mountains for day hikes and overnight backpacking trips.
When I travel east to visit the Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina beaches, I leave after 9:00 pm to avoid the volumes of traffic on interstate-95. I found great off-roading in the Appalachian mountains for the Beast and me to visit in 2022 for some overnighters.
After collecting my two Covid-10 vaccinations I waited three weeks before venturing westward along interstate 70. At the foundation of Expedition Overlanding Nomadic Advntures is my love for driving to any place on a map. But every three to four years I visit family and friends with stops in St. Louis, MO, Ceadar Rapids Iowa, the Twin Cities of Minniapolis and St. Paul MN for a family reunion. But my final destinations were Two Harbors MN and Voyagers National Park in Northern MN.
The draw-dropping vistas of Two Harbors were beautiful but pale in comparison to Voyagers NP because I will return in the coming years to explore.
Before purchasing Maxey, I dreaded pulling anything, but I have adapted and adjusted reasonably well. I’m settling into a structured writing ritual while dividing my outdoor activities times of day hiking, backpacking, and photography. So, it was my annual visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to visit my Bison, Wild Horses, and prairie dog friends.
My yearly visit to Western North Dakota cannot be complete without talking with Chris & Gary Kman, the owners of the Chasing Horses Store in Medora, ND. If you get the opportunity, stop and visit to see the thousands of photos of the horses she has taken inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Since the Pandemic began, the 2021 Pacific Crest Trail Days was my first outdoor event providing me the opportunity to meet with my hiking trail family. 30-40% of the attendees wore masks, and I was surprised since hikers maintain a body odor with the ability to pierce most cloth and paper masks. But everyone kept distances with plenty of hand sanitizer and masks, allowing me to feel slightly comfortable. I slept in Maxey and not on the island in my tent.
September was my second year I toured Washington State, Mt. Rainer, providing even more magical vistas along with the sirene sounds of the Pacific coast, waves soothing my soul.
After a month in Washing State, I ventured into Northern Nevada to help a close friend as I mooched-docked from October through December 1st. Mooch-docking describes me parking Maxey in a driveway using the homeowner’s electricity to keep the refrigerator going as I cared for three fur-babies/house sit. My time mooch-docking allowed me to participate in “National Novel Writing Month” (NaNoWriMo).
By December 1, I left the cold of northern Nevada to winter in Yuma, AZ, while researching a little larger RV with a bit of larger workspace/mobile studio and kitchen area.
A new Planet Fitness gym has opened, and it’s time for me to prepare for the upcoming hiking season with my 5:00 am gym sweating sessions on the stair master with a twenty-pound backpack. Yes, I am looking forward to 2022.
I wish for everyone to enjoy the days and months ahead to appreciate being above ground, and we must live to honor those who have passed.
Stay safe, happy, and healthy in 2022.
Expedition Nomadic Adventures 
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