I know, I know, I'm super slow in getting this story out. It's not an intentional cliffhanger, although I've been accused of such things. I have, however, been back almost two months now so I'm taking a break from Burning Man prep to write this. Ok, I may also be letting henna absorb into my grey roots. This is the 3rd or 4th time I've decided to let me grey hair take over and this was the longest and most grey I've ever had but I just couldn't help myself. Plus I already had it on hand.
(Note to reader - skip next paragraph if you don't care about my dirty hair)
Since we are talking about hair, or I am, let's discuss the no-poo movement. As in no shampoo. I washed my hair on May 13th before we left and only brought baking soda instead of shampoo. Since the RV wasn't trip ready when we decided to take it, the water tank wasn't full so we were conserving water. It was also cold in Flagstaff so I wasn't super inclined to wash my hair anyway. I have often been washing it wish shampoo once a week and rinsing it during the other showers with just water. Day 10 was the worst oily day and then something happened. it started getting less oily. I realized that the more I brushed it the oils dissipated and my hair started looking better. After over two weeks of no shampoo and no water I swam in Lake Powell and rinsed it with lake water. At this point I decided to continue the experiment and try going a month. June 13th, on my 50th birthday I decided just to wait it out until I returned home. It was looking think and less dry and I was just super curious about it! It's been years since anyone has said my hair looks healthy and thick, but this recently happened. Could be the texture of the grey changing the look or it could be the oil build up making it look thick, but it does look better. haha Regardless, I'm not using shampoo and occasionally use baking soda if I feel the grease is out of control, but as long as I'm brushing it a few times a day it actually stays quite nice!
But this isn't a hair blog.
Flagstaff! As I mentioned before, we did make it to Flagstaff on time, by the very skin of our teeth! We were both exhausted from basically driving straight thru with only a stop for a couple hours of sleep. I instantly fell in love with Arizona once the sun came up and we crossed the boarder. We spent 3 days in Flagstaff attending the
Overland Expo. If you don't know what it is, the short version is that it is an expo for travelers who drive vehicles that are mostly self sustainable and often like to get off the beaten path. I'm sure someone else may disagree with my definition but that's the simplest way I can explain.
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| Extreme vehicles on display |
I know what you're thinking, that's not how she usually travels. Correct. My preferred method of traveling has been public transport once arriving at my destination, no matter the county. If possible. I can not remember ever renting a car on a trip. I have taken taxi's in certain cases but I usually feel more comfortable and safer with the locals on the bus or train. Unlike here in the US of A (insert appropriate A word here).
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| Something like this one! |
The expo was great! I took some classes and learned some good info about this form of travel.and how to use a tourniquet! I'm one step closer to agreeing to go on an extended (think 2 years ish) trip with a certain retired farmer tp central and south America. Which has been his almost life long dream. We have some things to do before this occurs. Like find the right vehicle. Currently we are looking for an 80's model 4x4 Toyota Sunrader. Which apparently are quite popular right now. But of course we are open to other options! But we have agreed the 4 wheel drive is a must for a certain someone and their need to get as far out and high up as possible. This also brings up a topic not covered in this post, how did two people, who had previously only spent two consecutive nights and days together, do in a confined tin can 24 x 7 for 6 weeks? Well, that's certainly a great question, that doesn't have an easy answer. Short answer is that we almost did not survive it. Had the breaking point occurred in any other location in any other circumstance I would have a very different answer than we have decided to continue down this romantic journey together and hopefully more travel adventures. But that's not to say we don't have some serious work to do. and depending on who you ask what the work is. (insert shocked wide eyed emoji here) Want more details? Make plans with me! hahaha
To answer the question that I thought I'd previously answered in part two. We did NOT make it to Baja. I repeat, we did not make it in to Mexico whatsoever. Not even to New Mexico. And I have yet to make it to Joshua Tree. However, we did see the following (all of which did not disappoint): Sedona, Agua Fria National Monument, Petrified Forest, Canyon De Challis National Monument, Monument Valley, Mexican Hat, Glen Canyon (Lake Powell), Capital Reef, Historic route 12, Grand Staircase Escalante, Grosvenor Arch, Bryce Canyon, Zion, Cedar Breaks, Wyoming, an amazing hot spring in Nevada, diamond lake, North Umpaua Hwy, Toketee hot springs and ending at my all time favorite location in Oregon. Name has been withheld to protect it. Plus it'll have a separate post all to itself. I'm sure I left something out. If there was a dirt road possible we took it, including a closed road do to snow at the 10,000' mark. We spent about 10 days on a houseboat that just so happened to be available for Charlies use when we changed our plans last minute. We were able to spend some good time on stand up paddle boards on the lake from our private coves. I may have missed a couple things since I waited so long to write!
We spent our shared 50th birthday in Wyoming with Charlies Parents. I'm still in shock every time I think that I'm 50. Below you'll find a few photos. If I can get my shit together I'll post some more photos soon. I have approximately 600 photos of just the blooming cactus! I loved them so much! and the red rock was unbelievably beautiful! At one point I thought that I loved the dessert more than the mountains and valleys I grew up in. Until I returned to Oregon and the North Umpqua Hwy welcomed me home. The smell of the mossy green forest removed any doubt I had where my heart considers home.
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| Flagstaff/ brrrrr |
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| Sedona |
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| Lake Powell |
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| Monument Valley |
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| Grosvenor arch |
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| Lake Powell |
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| Canyon De Challis |
Flagstaff! As I mentioned before, we did make it to Flagstaff on time, by the very skin of our teeth! We were both exhausted from basically driving straight thru with only a stop for a couple hours of sleep. I instantly fell in love with Arizona once the sun came up and we crossed the boarder. We spent 3 days in Flagstaff attending the Overland Expo. If you don't know what it is, the short version is that it is an expo for travelers who drive vehicles that are mostly self sustainable and often like to get off the beaten path. I'm sure someone else may disagree with my definition but that's the simplest way I can explain. 
The expo was great! I took some classes and learned some good info about this form of travel.and how to use a tourniquet! I'm one step closer to agreeing to go on an extended (think 2 years ish) trip with a certain retired farmer tp central and south America. Which has been his almost life long dream. We have some things to do before this occurs. Like find the right vehicle. Currently we are looking for an 80's model 4x4 Toyota Sunrader. Which apparently are quite popular right now. But of course we are open to other options! But we have agreed the 4 wheel drive is a must for a certain someone and their need to get as far out and high up as possible. This also brings up a topic not covered in this post, how did two people, who had previously only spent two consecutive nights and days together, do in a confined tin can 24 x 7 for 6 weeks? Well, that's certainly a great question, that doesn't have an easy answer. Short answer is that we almost did not survive it. Had the breaking point occurred in any other location in any other circumstance I would have a very different answer than we have decided to continue down this romantic journey together and hopefully more travel adventures. But that's not to say we don't have some serious work to do. and depending on who you ask what the work is. (insert shocked wide eyed emoji here) Want more details? Make plans with me! hahaha 
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