We arrived at Forest Road 525, west of Sedona, after dark. I really don’t like pulling into an unfamiliar camping area at night. Finding a spot with a trailer is hard enough in daylight, especially when you want to make sure everything is set up correctly.
It had been raining for a couple of days, and I was worried the roads would be muddy again. I’ve had enough adventures with mud on this trip. But this was where we could stay, so up the road we went.
At the first turn, I saw RVs everywhere. I told my buddy, “This is where we’re staying tonight.” There must have been around 50 RVs. Not exactly the secluded campsite I’d been hoping for, but it was dark, and we needed somewhere to stop. We set up and went to bed.
In the morning, I have to admit, it wasn’t bad at all. Everyone was quiet, and the place was fine.
There was one major scare, though. The camper’s carbon monoxide alarm went off. I still don’t know what triggered it. We opened the doors, aired out the camper, and turned off the gas. Eventually the indicator went green again. I spent a lot of time looking up what the beeps meant. They indicated carbon monoxide, but the stove, heater, and water heater weren’t running. I still need to get to the bottom of that.
Then the morning gave us something completely different. We woke up to hot-air balloons drifting out of Sedona. Six of them came down and landed maybe half a mile from us. That was pretty cool to watch.
From there, we drove toward Pine, Arizona. My friend had hiked in that area before and really liked it. We found an amazing wooded spot beside the road. I would have loved to have a place like that back in North Carolina. But then I thought about it: I can have woods in North Carolina anytime. I came out west for epic views.
After finishing my workday, I started looking for somewhere else. I found a spot up on the rim, at roughly 7,400 feet. The temperature drops when the sun goes down, but the views are exactly what I was hoping to find.
Today is also my daughter’s 25th birthday. I feel bad not being there with her. In her honor, I made a gluten-free dinner with chicken, green beans, jasmine rice, and sauce. It’s a small way to mark the day from a long way away.
My friend, who’s been traveling with me, headed out today to hike and spend a night on the trail. It’s strange how quickly you fall into a rhythm when you’re traveling with somebody. And then, when you’re on your own again, there’s that quiet. The kind that gives you time to think and reflect on things.
So here I am, sitting beside the fire, enjoying the evening, missing my daughter, and taking in the quiet.
And here’s the desk out there. A table, a chair, and a view that makes the whole trip worthwhile.
Tomorrow I’ll put the desk out there again. This time, with one of the best views I could ask for. Not a bad place to get a full day’s work done.
