Simple Living and Simple Travel

Going back to ‘simple living’ has readjusted my focus on many aspects of life&#151travel, for one. A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. Lao Tzu Rediscovering nature can be a good way to get past possession addiction. Backpacking or canoe camping shows us how little we actually need. Traveling in a Class B van or small trailer is not far behind. Some find the ‘places to visit’ are places to avoid. If tour busses are disgorging hundreds of people a day somewhere&#151some of us will be nowhere around. It’s not our kind of wilderness/outdoor experience. Or riding around in a shuttle bus? Nope. One sees so little from the asphalt and sidewalks. The Outdoors is beautiful. The effort to get out in it is well worth it. Those sitting on their butts being pulled along by an engine are never going to understand. One hears about people who go off and drive thousands of miles on interstates during a vacation ‘seeing the sights’. What does one really s...

For decades I thought that when I got close to retirement I would get a few acres of land maybe an hour out of town with a small low-upkeep house; drill a well, set up solar panels, dig a garden, plant fruit trees, and acquire some livestock. A few years ago I started thinking that this would be a lot of work—daily chores, upkeep, always taking care of something that needed doing and it could be a real ball-and-chain if I wanted to go off for a month or so now and then. By simplifying my wants and getting a small trailer, living out on public lands, I have the quiet and solitude, wildlife, stellar views and time. This has proved to be most fulfilling. I only do basic upkeep and rarely do I do little projects. I’d rather go for a hike. Being able to follow the geese, I can also live mostly outside the year round. Living on a small homestead would definitely be rewarding but there is the time factor. At this point in my life I want as much time to do whatever I want whenever I want...

Simplicity is making our way through life with just enough baggage. Life can be pretty easy if we don’t complicate it by striving towards excess. Greater simplicity frees time, energy, and attention for personal growth and other satisfying activities. It’s like renewing one's appreciation of life. You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. Vernon Howard We need little when we are directly in touch with life. It is when we remove ourselves from direct and wholehearted participation in life that emptiness and boredom can creep in. Getting rid of things that one does not need is participating in a symbolic act of releasing everything one does not need in one's life. One can have a hard time reducing one’s needs if one does not have something more fulfilling inside—life is lived from within. Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non...

2006 July—table of contents August—simple living in 95 sq ft August—more on simple living—dreams and cutting down on possessions September—simple travel—between the roads October—packing for the road November—choosing a rig December—tread lightly 2007 January—one foot in the grave - get back in shape and experience the Outdoors March—lake powell June—home sweet home - summer job in Kanab, UT and the Kaibab Plateau September—seasonal work - ideas and resources September—use of time November—heading south—Moab, UT and down rt.191 to southern AZ and Anne LaBastille 2008 January—southern new mexico state parks—full moon, mug, and bowl walks, don’t act your age, and meeting other campers January—let others know - lettering for the outside of your rig February—the lifestyle&#151what it’s like to live like this & security February—odds and ends for off-the-grid vagabonds living in ...