Backcountry Bluff, Utah to Angel Peak, New Mexico. To Truth or Consequences.

 I'm back "home" now, with hot water that comes right out of the wall, and a big, squishy bed. It's the same, but everything is different.

It's a hydrant that's a dog ... the circularity boggles my mind.

I've known for a while that I want to reclaim the considerable parts of overlanding (I warned you earlier) that were full of wonder and magic. 

I was just a little stuck on the notion that that life had been hard and somehow ... traumatic? Fixated is probably the word.

This is the kind of "washing" you don't want to do while camping.

I also wanted some guidance and maybe company, realigning my head. And, by head, I mean my noggin and my toilet.

That's why it was both wonder-full and magical that my friend, Mike (YES DOOD, WE ARE TOO FRIENDS!!), invited me on his trip to Utah. He is one of the overlanding royalty, entering his ninth year of this life.

I had full swaths, not just slivers, of the recognition that I am meant for this. [Mom: I am also meant for a pied-a-terre; no worries.]

I'm also not the person I was three years ago. I've written aloud that I wonder what difference that might make.

Angel Peak Scenic Area. You can scene, but you can also camp.

Mike, my gratitude for your patience and im-. 

Hither. Later, yon.

I've been a while in Truth or Consequences, and a bit in Elephant Butte. I've been leaving my traveling friends to their adventures, and barely noting them on Facebook. Tales of the Rubbertramp Rendezvous (RTR) crowds leave my cuticles ragged. The closest I'm getting to vagabond shoes is walking into the yard with slippers on.

That's all okay with me. Okay with you? In the ebb and flow, wax and wane, here and there, and in and out, I'm all those things. It's not ennui, it's just the counterswing of the pendulum.

Today, I'm sharing space with four dogs, a cat, and a bird. I'm second in command, Janice's lieutenant; the two newest dogs have thrown off the dynamic, and everyone is jockeying for position. Marking, growling, biting, and fighting for food are everyday occurrences, but enough about my girlfriend.

I made a coffee date with someone I've met several times in passing. She seems interesting, and worth getting to know. When I arrived, she exhibited what I've begun to call in the retelling frank disappointment. "You came alone! I miss JANICE." It was such an honest expression of dismay that I couldn't be mad or even hurt. To be fair, she rallied well enough to have coffee and conversation, and even invited me to see her charming home.

Which reminds me of meeting another solo traveler. After we had chatted for a while, she paused for a long time, and then said, I thought you'd be funnier.

I tell you those stories to explain that I don't register with everyone. When I was younger, longing to make impressions, it bothered me, but in the ripeness of my life it feels like a blessing. Janice says I have a cloaking device. I don't trigger anyone's need to challenge; it's a way to live quietly and enjoy my coffee while it's hot.

Socorro, NM to Datil. Not suitable for grasshoppers under 18.

We spent a few days in Socorro, and I found more to it than I expected. Like a lot of New Mexico towns, it has a historic district with a plaza.

Historic coffee and bran muffins

San Miguel mission

Hundreds of years of history, blah, blah, blah, et cetera. I HAVE A DRIVEWAY!!!

Before: non-driveway

Spud AT CABIN!!!

After: drivable driveway

 We built a road!

My address: 62

More thanks than I can say to Wolfgang, who frequently reminds me that Germans are technicians.

Having a driveway means a lot of things to me. Easy electronics-charging "at home" (instead of a hundred-yard trek up the hill). Easy grocery unloading. Deliveries are now possible. Did I forget something in the car? No problem - it's right there!

I am pleased. So pleased.

I am even more pleased than this couple. For different reasons, naturally.

I wish I had this many hands to clap with glee.

I'm, you know ... pleased.

Gratuitous lichen shot