THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
Join me at my NEW SITE — Joyrides of America — where you can SUBSCRIBE

Texas via Florida
With the new 2012 trailer, I left Jackson Center and made a straight shot to Florida. The cold and wet weather in the north prevented me from opening the windows wide, and by the time I crossed the state line, I was miserably sick. I blame it on the lack of ventilation. New trailers need to be well-ventilated for an extended period of time to allow the off-gassing of bad chemicals present in the building materials. I couldn't do that sufficiently, and I got surprisingly very sick - what felt like a severe sinus infection, though the doctor assured me that it wasn't. Despite that, Big Lagoon State Park was a lovely place to stay. But really, the most important part of my brief stay in Florida and a reason for much delight and celebration is that I got my motorcycle license. And with the Airstream deal over, I was free! ...free to head west.

Austin, Texas
I arrived at lovely Cottonwood Creek in Dripping Springs just in time for the New Year's Eve brisket dinner - a most excellent start to the new year and a fine place to stay while I transitioned to sedentary living. That's right - in the first few weeks of ownership, I decided I was finished with Airstreams. I put an ad up on Craigslist and went about looking for some housing.

After a few days of looking, it became very apparent that Austin was not for me. Besides the obvious lack of water, the housing selection did not appeal to me, being primarily suburban subdivisions, condo developments and large apartment complexes. Where I've really been wanting to be for the past eight months was California, but getting there and being there was out of my budget at the moment. But what if... instinctively, I applied for a part time, temporary job that offered a place to stay in Big Sur's state parks. I didn't expect a response, but I had to make the effort.

Big Sur called the next day and asked if I could come immediately.

...and the universe just opened wide.

 

 

Join me at my NEW SITE — Joyrides of America — where you can SUBSCRIBE