THE MOGOLLON RIM…

After a nine day stay at the Bell Trail camp (on US Forest land) near Sedona, I’ve returned to the Flowing Springs campground (also US Forest land) on the Verde River. Both of these campgrounds are in wilderness settings along the Mogollon Rim in Central Arizona. Like thousands of other US Forest and Bureau of Land Management venues across the United States, these lands are in the public trust, open and available to anyone who chooses to camp on them. With the “pack-it-in-pack-it-out” principle and proviso of a 14 day limit, one can stay in most of these places free of charge as one wanders about this great land of ours.

Over the past four months, as I’ve proceeded on my current journey, I’ve stayed almost exclusively at USF and BLM locations. In most of the places I’ve stayed, I’ve found an interesting culture of travelers. For the most part, people are quick to introduce themselves and acquaintances tend to grow over the few days of shared space. These provisional societies are encounters, rich with stories from individual lives and filled with affirmations of how good it is to be alive. I have been keeping a journal with accounts of many of the stories and personalities I’ve so far encountered, but would be loathe to relate them in a public forum. Simply stated, there’s something sacred about these encounters. In an age where privacy is so diminished by technology, I believe conversations around a campfire deserve a confessional seal. 

In the coming week, I’ll be heading back to Northern New Mexico to stay at a friend’s ranch. There I’ll get back to work on the Gypsywagen, building out the rear compartment galley and the front end luggage box. Also in the plans will be a solar roof panel and an on-board electrical system. No doubt other details will present themselves in these efforts. Once again, “the journey goes well”.