A $16 Lesson

I left Big Bend National Park on April 1st after 5 very long months there. I set out for New Mexico and Carlsbad Caverns. I was so excited to see the caves and get onto my new journey and see all these new places. So excited that I apparently rushed a ton. I literally pushed myself to walk the entire cave in less than 2 hours. I then quickly jumped in the car and hooked up my camper so that I could hurry and get to my next location. In doing so, wrenching my lower back out of place.

The extreme fatigue from the severe inclines from Carlsbad Caverns, plus this back injury and the ever lingering tailbone injury….Mama was in pain. For what? To get someplace else 30 mins quicker? Who knows.

My next location was the Crystal Forest rest stop next to the entrance of the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. There were two areas you could park an RV. The pull-thru sites that were FREE next to the museum, and the paid sites with electricity only, next to the gift shop. I knew this. I researched this. And for some unknown reason, I decided to pay for my site that night. Maybe because it was my birthday gift to myself. Maybe because I didn’t want to worry about Dobby smothering in the camper all day while I was gone out exploring. Either way, the site I found it on said it was only $10. Well, it was not. It was now $15.98!!! UGH.

I could have turned and gone across the street. I could have said no thanks and found another BLM site. I could have gone through the Petrified forest and been on my way in an hour or so. But I handed her my money! Now, I was hell-bent on not spending one penny for RV sites this whole trip. Boondocking all the way. And here I am not paying the $10…but almost $16 for electricity only. It’s like I could not stop myself.

Upset with myself a tad, I vowed not to unhook due to my back, and plus check out was at 10 am in the morning, so why bother.

My neighbor was walking out to her camper while I was in the midst of perfecting my 32 point backing in skills. She assisted in guiding me into my site. She started talking to me about my camper and the mural. Come to find out she and her husband were from Missouri as well. So we talked quite a bit. She asked if I was going to unhook and I said no, my back was in a bind. She said no problem I can help and she jumped right in and started setting up my camper.

Still under this feeling of pressure of time or like I was running late or had to hurry, I reluctantly gave in and helped unhook as well.

The next moment I was invited to taco dinner with her, her husband, and two other fellow travelers they met along the way. This was way better than the planned trail mix and smoothie dinner I had in mind for my birthday dinner! I began to soften…relax. We talked about our travels, how we got started and where we have gone and places we have seen. They shared with me some awesome spots that were must-sees and places to stay that were super easy to get in and out of along my route. I also learned, in our conversations, that my neighbor was in stage 4 breast cancer that had moved to her bones.

On my way back to the camper she told me that my load leveling system was set up wrong and that tomorrow when I hooked it up again, she would show me how to do it properly. Now I have pulled this camper with this setup for almost a year! WRONG!

The next morning, true to her word, she helped me properly hook up my camper. Taking so much pressure off my back axels. The trailer pulled better and was easier to maneuver.

There I was whining about my pinched nerve and my false sense of urgency, and here is a stranger, in a dire health condition herself, assisting another stranger, for nothing. She even gave me some canned meat she made from her own cows on her own farm.

That lesson, she taught me, had nothing to do with load levelers. That was the bonus lesson. The lesson she taught me was to chill a bit. Enjoy the journey and not hurry to the destination. Relax and take my time. Time to do things right and time to have the proper experiences I need to have.

I realized this lesson way after the fact, in true Carrie form, when I was at my next boondocking spot. Surrounded by trees, a small fire going, a slice of pizza, and listening to the wind blow through the treetops and sound like waves crashing. I sat still. I stared at the fire. I took pictures of my private Narnia. I looked up at the stars. I was at total and complete peace. Then is when I realized what my neighbor had taught me. Why I subconsciously choose the paid campground instead of the free one. To learn from her this lesson.

Heck of a deal for $16!