5 Things: Why the Desert?
I GREW UP in the suburbs of Washington DC, surrounded by trees and greenery. When I was 16 my father retired from his government job and relocated us to Utah, where he and Mom had grown up and where most of our kin lived.Utah was not only a cultural shock to me, it...
We’re Way Ahead of You, FEMA
THE FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY would like everyone in the country to have a minimum set of supplies at hand to hold you over until help arrives or the situation returns to normal. They’ve provided a list of 11 things.We vehicle dwellers already have it...
Bob Rebooted: 4 Steps to Letting Go of Expectations
ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I GET QUITE OFTEN is people asking how they can afford a big RV and be a nomad. They’re certain they need at least a 35 foot RV to be happy–but they can’t afford one. So they write to me to tell me they are trapped and can’t do anything but stay...
Weekend Photo 34
Snake River headwaters — 14 August 2016 — Grand Teton National Park
Free Medical, Dental, Optical in Pahrump, NV, Oct. 1 & 2
SORRY FOR THE SHORT NOTICE but I learned about this just a moment ago. If you're in the area, I hope you can make it. RAM provides TOTALLY FREE medical, women's medical, mental health, dental and optical services. See this previous article for more information on RAM...
Learning to Love the Places In Between
LIKE MANY OTHER NEW NOMADS (newmads?) I started out with a bucket list of destinations. Well known places. Places on all the Must See Before You Die lists. I took off from North Carolina, heading north and west, across the Appalachian Mountains, said Hi to a friend in...
I Want a Futility Detector
THE SOLITAIRE APP on my phone is kind enough to inform me when a particular shuffle has no solution. “No useful moves detected,” it says. I love that phrasing. No useful moves. “Sure,” it implies, “you could keep moving cards around, hoping for a breakthrough, if that...
Urgent Need for 4 Solar Installers and 1 Carpenter for the Bring Your Own Vehicle Event
15 of HOWA's FALL BYOV RECIPIENTS need a 200W solar power system, many more than we anticipated. HOWA really wants to serve them, but we need 5 additional skilled volunteers for the first week of October — 4 experienced solar power system installers, and 1 carpenter...
Don’t Take the Road to Trouble
I’VE GOTTEN A LOT OF LETTERS from a lot of people over the years saying things like, “You know, Bob, you’re suggesting we come out and spend time on public land, but what happens if I go out there and break down, or I go out there and go for a walk and I fall and...
Sunday Short: Avoiding the Same Old Same Old
ONE DAY I CLIMBED approximately a hundred feet up by way of a series of paved switchback ramps. About a third of the way along it became drudgery.Two days later I climbed approximately a hundred feet up into a geologic formation by way of a vague foot path through...
Weekend Photo 33
Dune day — 6 June 2015 — Newport, Oregon
Should You Make Permanent Modifications to Your Vehicle?
WHO ELSE OUT THERE IS OLD ENOUGH to remember plastic slipcovers? Is it still a thing? I sort of understood why some folks had them. They didn’t want the kids staining the brocade davenport with grape juice. They didn’t want Dad’s Brylcreem leaving a grease patch on...