Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

Vintage California, Kindred Spirits We spotted the mid-century Avion trailer from a quarter mile away, with its 13 panel arching aluminum half-dome glimmering in the sun.  The truck pulling this sweet, sweet rig had a Maine license plate and a truck camper in the bed.  We suspected that we might just become friends before they even pulled into the  adjacent  campsite, at Jamala Beach campground along the central California coast, just north of Santa Barbara.  It's not every day that we meet other folks going full-time in a restored, vintage RV.  Sure, the occasional weekend warrior shows up with some significantly refurbished piece of history, but it's rare that someone chooses this kind of rig for their post-COVID nomadic living & remote working lifestyle.  So, when we do meet a few of these unicorns, we've got more than a few things to share! Megan, Ben, and their adorable canine companion, Banjo, have only been on the road since February when th...

“You see, this is why we don’t make reservations!” Shari said, shaking her head as we tried to put some distance between us and the incoming blizzard.  We’d made plans to cross back over the Sierra Mountains and explore more of the California coast, even booked a night with a Boondockers Welcome host; but, the 2 inches of snow we woke up to at 5,000 feet in Reno, NV made us worry about how much was dumping at the 10,000-foot Donner Pass over which we'd have to cross.  We chose Plan B, stayed on the east side of the mountains, and drove straight to the lowest elevation on the continent in Death Valley National Park . Even at this altitude, the recent storms that rocked California , impacted the park taking out the power and forcing several road closures.  Fortunately for us at the generator free zone of Texas Springs Campground, we’re safe and sound and happily running on solar power.   In the words of Paul Petzhold, the founder of the National Outdoor...