Immediately after, we packed up and left for our week in an RV exploring parts of the desert we haven’t been to before.
We spent two nights in panamint valley to the west of Death Valley, at an impromptu “star camp”. It was just dry camping but with a) a nerdy guy with a telescope giving us a description of what we could see that night - he was a dead ringer for Bobby’s 6th grade teacher, b) a giant chess set (we must get one of these for the cabin), and c) a tent with a vintage video game console in it. It wasn’t much - especially with the stargazing limited because of the full moon, which explains why we were the only campers - but it was enough to keep us entertained for the two days we were there, along with a trip to nearby Ballarat ghost town. On the 4 hour drive to the area we hit some heavy winds which had me in absolute terror - nothing like driving past “campers not advised” signs when you have no choice but to keep going. Thankfully we did not topple over on the freeway nor get crushed by a toppling 18 wheeler.
Our next stop was the Trona Pinnacles, our first attempt at boondocking, which was successful. We had a long hike among the pinnacles, which I loved, and if it hadn’t been extremely windy it probably would have been my favorite spot.
Then we did a long drive down to the hot spring resort which, bizarrely, I thought we had stayed at before, but it turned out we hadn’t. It was our first time in days having full hookups for the RV, which meant no more panic over running out of water or having full waste tanks, and having full electricity. We soaked in the tubs surrounded by (probable) Trump supporters, listened to horrid country music blasted by our neighbors, and had a fun half day on a utv racing around the desert trails, which the H absolutely loved. It wasn’t as bumpy and unpleasant as I’d pictured. It’s not really my thing, but of course all three boys loved it. As if to offset all the testosterone flying around, my period started early. Hello.
After two nights we took another long drive - this time through a rain storm - up to the Mojave National Preserve (one of my favorite places) to boondock at the Kelso dunes. With the rain and cold, spending the day frolicking in the sand dunes was out, sadly, but it was a gorgeous spot, and we even saw a double rainbow once the rain stopped.
The next day we headed to the much anticipated tour of the Mitchell Caverns, which was closed for a long time even before the pandemic. It was a fun but bitter cold day (I really should have brought our winter coats).
Then, home, and the frantic packing up of everything it took to sustain us for a week as a family of four - half the kitchen, bedding and clothes and toiletries, several bags of food, electronics and cleaning supplies. Today I did three loads of laundry and grocery shopped and put things away the entire day. I’m exhausted. Kids return to school tomorrow.
How was the trip? It was good! The downsides were: as usual, RV issues (gauges not working on the waste tanks so we had to guess when they were full), collapsing refrigerator shelves so every time we opened the fridge door there was a cascade of food, driver’s side mirror came loose so we had to finagle around to fix it, only two of three burners worked on the stove and were almost impossible to light. Also, the constant frustration of never being able to find anything - every time we drove we had to pack all the cabinets with towels and pillows otherwise the rattling was deafening; I felt like I could never find my glasses, water bottle, toiletries, clean socks, because things were always being shifted and moved around. But, that’s RV life for you. At least we had a relatively stink-free toilet, a hot shower, and a comfortable bed. The places we went were all amazing, and I even got my favorite hit of creosote smell after a rain, and enough quiet time to myself to feel like I actually went somewhere. We met our goal of not eating out except for one lunch in Ridgecrest, which saved some money, and it felt good to know we always had plenty of food on hand.
Now I have to plan our summer New Mexico trip, which I’m woefully behind on. Normally I have these things set months in advance, but as of yet I’ve done zero actual booking, only come up with a vague plan of things to see. At the moment I don’t have the energy. Right now my biggest priority is getting my contracts signed with the hotel (I’ve been back and forth all day with minor details). Also, dieting again, starting today, with my friend Michael as an accountability buddy. Maybe having someone to check in with will keep me on track. We shall see!
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