As a full-time road tripper, do people you meet on the road ever say to you “Gee, you travel all the time? What, didja win the lotto?”

What do you say to them?

I hesitate to tell people how Jim and I live because most assume that we’re loaded (with money, that is). Which we are not. Ok, it’s all relative, but still.

We manage to do what we do because we keep our expenses extremely low and stay debt free. Our wallets are thin but our spirits are not.

Of course explaining this to a stranger takes more than a 15-second spiel, so I usually just say “we’re snowbirds.”

One of the ways we can do what we do and still eek out a living is through our Internet connections and by scouring the countryside for freebie spots like this one in Utah.

Last week, after taking an emotional beating over our dented Dodge, we hit the road and started heading back to our summer spot.

But before braving the Colorado cold, we stopped near Moab to soak up some sun and camp for a few more days.

Spring has sprung here and we wanted to see more. We also haven’t experienced any warm weather whatsoever since last summer, so I was hoping for high temperatures.

Some fellow road trippers told us about this pretty spot, which I’ve since added to the Escapees Day’s End Directory. (go buy a copy to find out where it is!).

These free spots are widely available to wintertime road trippers in Southwestern deserts. Winter brings many more options for finding solitude on the road.

It’s rare that I actually feel like I’m getting something for my tax dollars, but when we camp on free public land like this, I love knowing that my tax dollars paid for it.

As we prepared to leave Moab and head to Red Feather Lakes, news about President Obama’s awesomely stunning move broke on BBC News.

I never thought I would feel any sense of exhilaration over the death of an individual, but I surprised myself with my reaction when Jim screamed “They got Bin Laden!”

“GOOD!” I said. Yes, I was happy that they killed him. Ecstatic that this horrible human being was wiped off the face of the earth. Now it’s really time for the collective “We” to move forward toward better days ahead. Is that so wrong?

Thank you Mister President.

Now if we can just get rid of Fox News, I’d be even happier.

Land of the Free, indeed.

There’s a lot to be said for staying in one location, if only for a month or so.

After just a couple of weeks at our current gig, caretaking a vacant property in Southern Arizona, we’ve already settled in nicely and created daily routines that revolve around working, playing, eating and resting.

These routines are much like those of a stick-house dweller’s, except that we don’t see anyone else all week until we leave the property to go grocery shopping.

It’s just us and the wind most days. Oh, and the nasty javalenas.

Caretaking 101

The assignment is easy and our bosses are great people. They’re not asking much  from us, so we have plenty of time to catch up on our own work and bringing home the bacon. We love it.

We feel fortunate to have hooked up with a gig like this, thanks to fellow roadtrippers Kelly and Al of the Bayfield Bunch.

They’ve known the property owners here for a while and were caretaking a neighboring property, but just left.

The weather’s almost been nice enough to work and eat al fresco, but it just turned ugly and we hope this is only temporary.

Still, even during the brisk 50 degree evenings we’re seeing incredible sunsets, like this one. I’ve made a pledge to see every one while we’re here. Most of them look something like this (and no, I didn’t Photoshop this image).

Meanwhile, our Wyatt loves the freedom to roam the fenced property like a dirty ol’ ranch dawg. He’s made a  new friend too.

Gregory the Peccary.

That nasty javalena drives Wyatt insane (moreso than usual) whenever he makes an appearance at sunset. Gregory provides hours of entertainment for all of us.

Water, Water….everywhere?

I was surprised to see that even the smallest properties around here have irrigation running out to landscaping, chicken coops, you name it.

After all, we come from Colorado, where it’s illegal to wash our truck, or water our outdoor plants with our own well water. Water is so precious to Coloradoans, because no water comes into the state, but it all leaves and heads south . . . eventually ending up right here, in the big ol’ Rio Grande dustbowl along the border.

Once that precious resource gets here, people get to water their plants with the very same water that I’m not allowed to use in my backyard, where it originally comes from.

I have to buy water from our property association if I want to use it for outdoor purposes. But Arizonans don’t. Huh?

I like griping about it. Jim says I’m just mad because I can’t use water like this on our property without getting busted. You bet I would, if I could get away with it.

Off the Grid, Away from the Rules

But here in Southern Arizona, just shy of the border, it’s no-man’s land. People who live here are free to do what they want. From the funky handbuilt houses to the backyard shooting ranges, in a lot of ways the Wild West lives on.

And why not?

If you’re rugged enough to make a home for yourself here, I guess you deserve to make your own rules. It’s not exactly the most hospitable environment and most people aren’t cut out for it. I know I’m not.

Someone’s gotta do it though, right?

There are some great sights nearby, like the artsy old mining town of Bisbee, which we plan on exploring more during our stay.

Until then, we’re putting our noses to the grindstone, working away to make a buck on that great hamster wheel of life. We put in some long hours most days, but at least we’ve got a spectacular view out of our office window.

Snowbirds like us head to Arizona for its warm winters, but for some reason, Mother Nature thinks that this entire continent should experience a real winter this week.

I know we should be thankful we’re not in the Midwest tonight. But that’s why we do what we do, to get away from awful winter weather!

Since we’re boondocking with solar and our Honda genny isn’t really ideal for running the heater, we’re really, really cold, and testing the limits of our heartiness.

Our Wyatt Ray doesn’t seem to mind.

NuRVers Gather

We arrived here after a week at the Slabs, just in time to catch the last week of the NuRVers meet-up.

Since the end of December, various members of NuRVers have taken over a small patch of dirt here at La Posa South.

The cool kids told us we missed out on a lot of the fun, like the fireside sword swallowing show, but the crew wasn’t too spent to save some for us.

Along with nightly potlucks and good eats, there were copious amounts of cocktails consumed while sharing crazy stories about life on the road.

And in-between the raucous evenings in front of the campfire, we worked hard at our creative endeavors to fund this ideal lifestyle.

From accountants to graphic designers, we all embrace the technologies that allow us to live without boundaries. With Internet access on the road, anything’s possible.

Are you Nu?

NuRVers is a group specifically for RVers who break the mold.

Forget the stereotype of a crotchety, decrepit old couple cruising across America in their golden years.

We are singles, couples and families who choose to break from convention and live our lives on the road, enjoying all that this great big world has to offer.

You don’t have to own a certain type of RV to belong, and nobody will judge you based what you drive or how you look, whether your straight or gay, twentysomething or beyond.

Nobody will tell you how you “should” tow your toad or dump your load, and there’s no know-it-alls who are allowed to run the show.

The only criteria for joining is having a free spirit attitude that welcomes diversity, fun and spontaneity.

Some folks, like Trippin’ with Stanley, have just embarked on their road trip lifestyle. While others are veteran road tripping warriors who’ve been doing it for years. There’s no end to the different ways we all reached the conclusion that life on the road is just more fun!

As Jim and I head into our fourth year of this slightly unconventional lifestyle, it feels great to be connected with such a great group of people who we have so much in common with.

The Nu party is over now, and everyone’s gone their separate ways. But we’ll stay in touch in the Forums, and probably meet up again this spring, somewhere in the Texas Hill Country.

Tonight, as the mercury drops to the lowest temperatures this state has ever seen, I’ll dream of the day when the weather becomes more civilized, and the umbrella drinks will start flowing once more under big starry skies with the NuRvers crew.

Home is where the heart is. And the food. Oh, and my Mom and Dad.

No matter how far we wander, or off track we get, there is nothing nicer than knowing we always have a place at Casa Agredano.

Christmas is a big deal here, loaded with pan dulce, tamales and multiple festivities. From the tamalada to Mom’s New Year’s Day homemade menudo brunch, we cram a year’s worth of visits into one solid month.

My four sisters and all of their kids and grandkids (I stopped counting at 12), keep us busy and entertained, especially on Christmas eve during the White Elephant exchange.

Poor Alex, she didn’t get what she wanted!

There’s lots of catching up to do, especially with friends from our Tripawds community.

Yesterday we had a blast boating with three dogs on Newport harbor, on a classic Southern California winter’s day. I felt kinda guilty having so much fun on the ocean after hearing about the horrible blizzards back east. California Dreamin’ indeed!

Meanwhile, the rig sits outside with birds poopin on the roof, and black streaks accumulating from all of the rain. Inside, it’s cold and lonely, waiting for our return.

We’ll be leaving here soon, and off to our wintertime adventures. Leaving my family will be just as hard as ever.

Since we can’t go any further West, we’ll be heading east toward the Slabs for a spell, then off to Quartzsite for our first snowbird experience. We’ve avoided a Quartzsite pilgrimage for this long, since the snowbirds there mostly consist of old timers and it just seemed too conservative and boring for our taste.

This year, however, we changed our mind, since the hipsters from NuRVers and the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous will be there to add a little life to that party. Or more like a lot of life! Good times are in the works!

In  the weeks leading up to our departure from Jerry’s Acres, Mother Nature was sending us signals that it was time to go. Or rather, she was sending her minions to tell us.

When we arrived last spring, we would often see deer and even spotted a few Moose.

Then as summer rolled on and the weekenders rolled in on their ATVs, sightings became far and few between. And then there were none.

But once the weather chased away everyone but the crazy few full-time residents, the Moose of Crystal Lakes made their return.

We welcomed the same cow with her calves who had clearly grown up. The deer started showing up in greater numbers. And the coyotes could be heard more often and much closer. By now they are probably making themselves at home, and surely happy that we have left.

Considering the weather back “home” was 13 degrees with a strong chance of being buried in snow the last time we checked, we are happy to be on the road with it getting warmer every day, and glad to have the moose there to look over the place.