Recently we’ve been feeling in a bit of a funk. With a long and busy high season behind us life had slowed down at work but we were finding ourselves spending every weekend with errands, doctor’s appointments, and the like and began to fully realize how errant we were in not planning a fall vacation. With Costa Rica still two months away…an eternity when in a funk, and fall weather turning to winter my mood was grim.
What does adventure mean to you? Is it a weekend away to a new destination? Perhaps adventure to you means just pushing boundaries beyond your normal comfort zone. We have always gotten an incredible high from waking up in a new country or location with no idea how the day would play out. 2020 is not that year.
The official definition of adventure even adds in a bit of danger.
ad·ven·ture/
an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity. Especially the exploration of unknown territory.
During these last few months of time spent close to home, we have found ourselves endlessly discussing past adventures while craving for our own next big adventure. We’ve scoured the pages of this blog reliving the countries and continents we’ve explored and missing all those we’ve met along the way.
Recently a friend shared this quote: “Now is not the time to lament what we can not do, but embrace what we can do”. So true in this year of disruption on so many levels.
While BIG plans are in the works with more info to come about later, we have managed to have a few short trips up and down the Oregon coast. While the unusual and dangerous elements may have been missing, there is no question that this scenic route is one of the most spectacular we’ve ever driven.
Meanderings both north and south delivered on stunning vistas, magnificent empty beaches where masks and social distancing were unnecessary discussions, along with some damn good seafood.
Saturday we leave for our next mini-vacation with a two-week jaunt through Central Oregon hanging for a few days each in several of our favorite campgrounds and enjoy days of leisure. The only things on the agenda are sleeping in, days spent on the lake, and lots of R&R.
I suspect I’ll even read a book, or five. The majority of our time will be out of touch, fully unconnected from the chaos and dysfunction that is 2020.
New adventures await and one day our plans will again include international travel and far-flung locales. One day we will hug our friends close and enjoy group outings.
For now, we relish our time together. For now, we are grateful daily that our sweet baby girl is still with us and smiling daily. For now, we appreciate that we work in one of the few travel industry jobs that is actually thriving. For now, we take one day at a time dreaming of adventures to come.
The boulder fields of Catavina offer a unique bit of Baja. Set smack in the middle of a 180-mile gas-free stretch between El Rosario and Villa Jesus Maria, the hamlet of Catavina is easy to pass by. Our advice is to spend the night. The boulder fields and an astonishing array of cactus combined with stunning sunsets make for a pleasant stop along the way.
The light rising over the bay bathed us in light, but it was the waves that had woken me. Not crashing onto the beach but like a whisper. Similar to belly breathing in Yoga with a long deep inhale culminating in a soft exhale. Thus began another day in paradise. This is life on the Baja.
Dawn was just breaking in the sky as I stirred awake. Aspen and Jim continued to snore softly as I contemplated the beginning of a new day. This morning musing brought the realization that for the first time in over one year I felt totally and completely relaxed and at peace.
Camp life continues to roll along and we are shocked to realize it is already nearly mid-September. Along with hundreds of guests, we have been fortunate enough to have plenty of our own visitors in the form of family and dear friends. It’s no secret that in large part our decision to return to Oregon to work was the opportunity to be able to spend more time with our tribe and believe me, our hearts are full!
Life has taken on a comfortable routine. How long we’ll be happy with small-town beach life remains to be seen as we have notoriously itchy feet. But after nearly five years of almost non-stop motion, it’s fantastic to establish a routine. My favorite part~ how unexpected it all is. If you had told me 6-months ago that I’d be embracing life in a small coastal town back in Oregon I would have scoffed at the idea.
As we sit on the Colorado River in southern California it is time, once again, to reflect on another winter on the Baja. This year brought an entirely new adventure because of our first caravan trip with Baja Amigos.
As full-time rv’ers, our reality is that we spend an enormous chunk of time searching for places to stay. In some cases, we follow familiar paths and are pretty sure we know where we’ll end up, but we thrive on exploring and finding new adventures and this is where Harvest Hosts comes into play.
As we made the long trip from Camp to Utah and Nevada towards Oregon we were greeted with some of the most astonishing cloud formations we had ever seen. The skies daily offered up a stunning mix of clouds and sun brightening everything around us. Reminding us that life has ups and downs and sunshine and rain but is ever resilient.
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky” ~ Rabindranath Tagore
At Bryce National Park a cloudy day rendered just enough sun and contrast to further enhance this awe-inspiring natural beauty.
