John and I spend a lot of alone time together in our marvelous vanlife. Many blog posts thus far have captured the team effort required to enjoy ease and comfort as we travel. I have also written that we’ve noticed in many campgrounds that groups of people meet up to camp together, enjoying various daytime activities and sitting around the fire in the evening.
We have had very little of this — we do not know many friends who are out traveling, as we are blessed to do. That changed this week however, as we met Evansville friends Debbie and Michael, in Moab, Utah. All of the state campgrounds were fully booked, leaving BLM campgrounds as our option — if there are any sites open — as the BLM sites are first-come, first-served. Debbie and Michael arrived the day before we did, lucking out to find a campsite available on the river at Goose Island campground, which is the closest to Moab. They observed numerous campers cruising through, checking tags to ascertain who was leaving and when, in the hopes that they too would find a site, but Goose Island stayed full. To our benefit, Debbie and Michael, having already secured their site, now possessed insider information on sites that were becoming available. They secured a site for us before we even arrived, and as it turns out, once you have a site, you have priority decision making to stay for as many nights (up to 14) as you would like. If it had not been for their diligence, we would have been one of the zillions of hopeful campers having to drive around to the various BLM campgrounds just hoping to secure a site. Whew!
Michael recently retired as a middle school science teacher and Debbie has stepped away from her important work at St. Vincent’s Cancer Center in Evansville. They sold their house (!), bought a van similar to ours, had it built out by a specialist in Nashville, TN and have taken off for at least a year! We have shared elaborate dreams with them of meeting each other but believe it or not, that is not as easy as sounds…Yet, here we are! Finally.
It is/has been quite pleasant to share meals, hike together, ride our bikes into Moab, delight together in the splendor of the sandstone beauty, and as kindred birding spirits, we have enjoyed rare bird sightings together. Another benefit: this is the first time we have used our outdoor shower, as there is no water in the camp. We have not yet purchased a “shower house” which is a cool way to gain privacy for an outside shower, but guess what? Debbie and Michael have one, which they let us borrow at our site. Oh! To have a shower after a day of being in the hot and windy desert all day is delicious beyond description. John and I could have showered in our bathing suits–that will work also–but the shower house was an added luxury.
Today is our last day with these special Friends With Benefits, as we head up to Goblin Valley, driving tandem, to hike the slot canyons if the weather allows. Last evening, we made a collaborative dinner of Shakshuka and sautéed veggies in the parking lot of Delicate Arch, to which we hiked in the last vestiges of daylight to savor the sunset glow on that arch. It is a famous/favorite Arches National Park “must do”, and we did it!
We have talked about meeting up with them later this year during fall color travels and the potential for other shared journeys next year (which will be here before you know it!). Until then, we are filled up by having shared these 5 days together. I cherish the connection with and nurturing of Friends With Benefits! xo
