Week 23 | Oct 5-11
Balloons & Breakdowns
This week I spent a couple more days in Albuquerque at the balloon festival.
My travel buddy Tracie headed home and I headed west.
The van had some engine trouble (that's putting it lightly) and I tried not to break down too.
It all ended with a little good news from back home.
Sunday, October 5. Day, 154
99 luftballoons
Albuquerque
Yesterday morning I woke up stupid early to get to the balloon festival and beat the crowds.
Unfortunately the balloons didn't launch, and I was a bit let down. I was really torn about going back to the balloon festival this morning. I didn’t want to get up early again just to watch balloons fail to launch a second time.
But… I’ve wanted to come to this event for a long time and it would be heart wrenching to miss a launch in exchange for a little more sleep. So at 2:30 am I woke up and drove to the balloon field for the second day in a row. I did the same as yesterday and napped in the van until it was time to go in.
The balloons did indeed launch!
Watching hundreds of hot air balloons launch was magnificent.
The second biggest balloon festival used to be in Central New Jersey. I had gone to that one a few times. It had less than half the balloons as Albuquerque and they charged a VIP premium to walk among the balloons on the launch field.
In Albuquerque going out on the field was just part of the show and really something to experience. Standing among a field of hot air balloons taking off was a wonder.
My travel buddy Tracie wasn’t up for waking up super early to see the balloon launch, so I caught up with her in the afternoon. We went into old town Albuquerque and walked around all the shops.
Back in May I had walked around old town with Gina, but it was brief and I didn’t see most of what’s there. This time we explored a bunch and I got to see the tremendous number of neat shops nestled in courtyards and up little side streets.
The old town Square is also a popular place for the Lowrider and chop shop car community to see and be seen on the weekends. It was fun to walk around and see all the tricked out classic cars.
We got a late lunch/early dinner at an excellent Mexican restaurant with a cool outdoor courtyard.
After dinner I was starting to fade from getting up so early in the morning, and we went back to camp.
From the RV park I saw the full moon rising behind the mountains and it looked awesome. Unfortunately the 5 minutes it took to get my camera and find a spot to shoot was long enough for it to fully rise past the mountains.. But that’s ok, I still got to appreciate it in person.
Good: Seeing all the balloons go up was spectacular.
Bad: Watching all the balloons go up was so exciting and engrossing that I forgot to pull out my film camera until almost the last moment!! (Still managed to shoot a whole roll.)
Unexpected: I found a spot up on a hillside to watch the first wave of balloons launch. I was there for a while and as is my thing, I was chatting with the couple next to me. They’re full time RVers from Florida. After a bit I found out we went to the same high school!
Monday, October 6. Day 155
99 luftballoons Part 2: 198 luftballoons
Albuquerque
Tracie was convinced to go with me Monday morning to see the balloons after hearing my enthusiastic description of the mass ascension on Sunday. I was happy to show her, and to go again myself. Fingers crossed that they launch - and for the second day, they did!
Monday’s launch was officially a little smaller, but it would be impossible to tell if you didn’t know. Some of the exotic shapes that launched yesterday didn’t go up today. They’re a big undertaking to launch and retrieve and it’s not a surprise that they don’t fly very often.
The morning started off very cold, but an hour or so after the sun came up it was beautifully pleasant out. We wandered the field checking out the balloons that were left and the stragglers taking off late. There was a 'fly by' competition where small agile balloons tried to drop sandbags on targets on the field. It was neat to see how they're maneuvered and to be 'buzzed' by low-flying balloons. Like an aerial attack in slow motion.
After we had our fill we headed to a taco place for breakfast burritos. At the restaurant I met a couple that were doing Star Wars 501st trooping. They dress up like SW characters, there are chapters all over. I have a few friends involved in the Philly chapter.
The several days of getting up early were catching up with me, and Tracie had some actual work-work to do, so we headed back to camp to chill out for the afternoon. I was also excited to see my photos from the morning and did a quick look through the 500 pics I took!
Part of the reason this blog took so long to post is because I had so many photos to process!
After a much needed nap, I met up with a friend in Albuquerque for dinner! I couldn't visit ABQ 6 times and not make at least one new friend!
Good: I met up with a friend in Albuquerque for dinner! I met Arianna at the Colorado burning man event back in June and mentioned that I planned to be in ABQ for the balloon fest. We talked about catching up for dinner when I rolled through, which is exactly what we did tonight!
She picked a tasty Mexican place and I met her there. We chatted for a couple hours and had a great time!
Bad: Unfortunately dinner did not agree with my stomach.
Unexpected: I think the photos I got today were even better than the ones from Sunday.
Tuesday, October 7. Day 156
Turn left at Albuquerque
Tracie and I had been discussing plans to go to Santa Fe, and to visit an art installation there called Meow Wolf. I had tried going to MW the last time I was in SF but van troubles pulled me away.
This time didn’t pan out either. Unfortunately Tracie had some stuff come up and had to head home a couple days earlier than expected. Nothing bad, just real life calling.
She rolled out early in the day and I hung out at the RV Park to take care of van stuff before leaving.
For lunch I hit up local chain Blake’s Lotaburger - I’d gone there back in May and it was delicious. But quality might vary by location, or maybe I wasn’t in the mood, because it was kind of meh.
Most of the day was spent on errands; laundry, groceries, route planning. While Tracie was heading east to go home, I was going to backtrack west to San Diego. There’s another regional burning man event outside SD that I signed up for and am excited to go!
In the evening I found a local brewery with music. Had dinner and listened to a lively Jazz trio. Then headed over to my good old fallback - Cracker Barrel, for the night.
Good: It was a nicely productive day, catching up on photo editing, laundry, and planning.
Bad: I still have a crazy amount of photos to go through, and I’m 4 weeks behind on the blog. On the other hand, I took 2 pictures all day today. That doesn't really help balance it out, though.
Unexpected: Work and life beckoned Tracie home and we said our goodbyes. Or, see you down the road.
Wednesday, October 8. Day, 157
One Battle After Another
Albuquerque, NM
I woke up this morning still not entirely sure what my plans are for driving to San Diego.
The event doesn’t start for a week. Even taking the long way there is only a three day drive.
Of course I’m the guy who takes a whole day to drive what should take an hour, I’m sure something will come up (he says, forebodingly).
Some of the obvious things I would like to do - go to National Parks - aren't available because of the government shut down.
I’m also still catching up on sleep after 4 days of waking up extra early.
This morning I slept in extra late and then made coffee. Stepping out of the van with coffee in hand I was greeted with a gray sky full of colorful balloons. I wonder if the people in ABQ get tired of seeing that, or if they appreciate the rare spectacle they get for a whole week every year?
Without much to do today I hit up Target and saw a movie. Then I got on the road heading back towards Flagstaff. GPS wanted to take me via a southern route, but I didn't feel like going back through phoenix.
Even though I opted for the highway I-40, the scenery was still beautiful. There were colorful red rock cliffs paralleling the highway for miles. I think if I had taken the non-highway route it would have put me closer to the cliffs. But I knew rain was in the forecast and the highway was a safer drive than winding backcountry roads.
As I crossed back into Arizona, the sky was dark with monsoon clouds. I could see patches of rain on the horizon and drove through a few short, but intense downpours.
The setting sun was doing interesting things with the light. There was a sky full of crepuscular rays in every direction. A patch of rain was lit up orange. Clouds on the horizon were outlined in gold.
Similar to a drive through Texas early in the trip, the sunset was drawn out and longer thanks to chasing the sunset west.
Daily watch: The movie One Battle After Another. My friend very strongly recommended it and I had no other plans for the day, so I saw a late morning showing. I liked it, it was well acted, directed, and shot. But I think it was one of those movies where I’m just not smart enough to get all of the themes and subtext.
Good: That spectacular sunset that just kept giving. And here I thought today was going to be another day without any pictures.
Bad: There was a cool abandoned rest stop along the highway with a derelict diner, gift shop, and gas station that I didn’t stop to photograph.
Unexpected: About 60 miles outside of Flagstaff a warning notification popped up about a transmission issue. Five minutes later I got another one for engine overheating. I pulled over at a truck stop and parked for the night to let the engine cool. In the morning I’ll go to a ford dealership in Flagstaff.
Coincidence? Before my friend Tracie arrived, it had rained 12 of 13 days in Arizona. It stopped when we met up.
As soon as she left it started raining again!
Thursday, October 9. day 158
Philly, Yo!
Flagstaff, AZ
Last night I got 2 engine warning notifications and pulled over at a truck stop.
This morning I got up early-ish to finish the drive to flagstaff in order to get there when the ford dealership opened.
They couldn’t take me in today but set an appointment to drop it off tomorrow. I have 2 days to kill in Flagstaff.
For a brief moment I considered going to the Grand Canyon for the day. 2 hours there and 2 back. But with the van flashing warning lights it’s not the best idea to drive off into the wilderness. Besides, I’ve been wanting to get a few free days to hunker down and clear out my to-do list.* To that end, I spent most of the day in the Flagstaff library on the computer.
I finished the Vansplaining Q&A blog post. Then I found a sports bar to go watch the Eagles play. The Phillies playoff game was also on. And the bar had Philly cheesesteaks on an Amoroso roll!
It was a Philly trifecta.
(Woulda been more fun if either team actually won.)
There was a friendly couple sitting next to me at the bar and they chatted me up for a change. (Usually I'm the one striking up conversations with strangers.) They were a bit on the oversharing side, but fun. The wife asked "Why is a handsome man like you traveling alone?" All I could offer in response was a shrug.
By the 4th quarter the Eagles were dead and so was the sports bar. I walked around historic downtown Flagstaff, on Rt 66. It’s a cool little town and was pretty busy for Thursday night. There were lots of bars and restaurants with different things going on; trivia night, karaoke, live music.
The weather was chilly with a light drizzle. The beginnings of winter.
I walked for bit and ended up at a historic hotel with an Irish folk duet that I sat and listened to.
Good: Philly Trifecta! Also met a great couple with big personalities at the bar and we all chatted while the game played. He was overly loud and she was a little too forward, it was fantastic.
Bad: It was a beautiful fall day outside, but I opted to spend the day inside on the computer.
Unexpected: This was my first Philly cheesesteak on the road and it was good! Though I’m not sure why everyone outside Philly thinks grilled peppers are an essential ingredient.
* Oh, to be careful what I wish for.
Friday, October 10. Day 159
“Unfortunately, it’s not good news”
Flagstaff
It rained heavily all night. Big drops pinging loudly on the roof.
I’ve learned that if I park the van on a slight slope that the roof doesn’t leak! The downside is that I’m sleeping at an odd angle.
Dropped the van off at Ford first thing in the morning and then hung at a coffee shop.
It didn’t take too long to get a call from the service, “can you come back to go over the diagnostic? Unfortunately it’s not good news.” My stomach sank.
There’s a coolant leak and the engine overheated. It’ll require significant repairs, possibly taking weeks!
Plus, the service center in flagstaff can’t do the work because their lifts aren’t big enough for the van. They wanted to send me south to another dealership in Prescott, but I opted to head north to Las Vegas. There’s a truck and large vehicle repair shop and I should be able to limp there.
There’s a photo workshop in Vegas I already paid for and don’t want to miss, so that’s my primary destination. It doesn't look like I'll make it to the burning man event in San Diego, and that is a big disappointment. Not to mention I already bought a ticket and paid extra for the RV. But everything is up in the air until I get more information.
I’m trying not to fall into despair, and am doing a halfway decent job. Kinda. Not really.
But that’s not the whole day!
It’s supposed to rain in flagstaff for the next 48 hours, and my roof still leaks. So I got on the road heading towards Vegas, hoping to get far enough west to get past this band of rain. I checked the weather map and found that Bullhead, AZ seemed to be far enough west to get out of the path, and was only 2.5 hours away. Except I was driving in the dark and the rain, wondering if the van would die in the middle of nowhere. Limping along in the righthand lane doing 60 in a 75 zone. Whenever a semi truck came up behind me I'd turn on my flashers to let them know to go around. Stopping every 40 miles to let the engine cool down and to top off the coolant. The 2.5 hour drive took twice that, and not in the good ‘stopping for pictures’ way. But I made it and the engine didn’t blow up. I even found a really nice spot near a lake to stop for the night.
Whew.
Good: My friend Jessie back home has been invaluable at every step of this adventure, and she was there for me today to help talk through the van issues with me and help me figure out the next steps. I owe her a debt of gratitude I can’t even express.
Bad: Where do I even start? The van is broken, it’s bad. I won’t know how bad until I get it to a shop with a repair bay that can handle large vehicles.
Unexpected: The emotional rollercoaster; is my journey over? Can I afford the repairs? How long will it take? Is it even repairable? Will I have to stay in a hotel in Vegas for 2 weeks while it's worked on? And so much more.
Saturday, October 11. Day 160
Past is Not Prologue
Laughlin, NV
After the stressful day yesterday it was nice to wake up in nature to beautiful views. A reminder of why I’m out here. It also occurred to me that it’s been a while since I’ve camped overnight somewhere outside a city. And that this will probably be the only night for a while.
Also this morning I got an email I've been waiting for pretty much all summer! More about that in the 'unexpected'.
Since I’m trying to limit my driving I didn’t go far today. Spent most of the day at a nearly library. The area around here is stunningly beautiful. Even on the short drive to and from the library I was awed by the scenery.
In the evening I was going to head back to the same spot by the lake, but drove past a casino with RVs in the parking lot and decided to stop there. It lacks the views, but I won’t low-key worry all night about getting run off. And I can comfortably park for the whole weekend and not have to move the van at all. Convenient when I'm trying to limit my driving.
I went inside to check in with casino security - something I learned to do from staying at the last casino.
Inside the casino it smelled like cigarettes, beer, and crushed dreams. (What do crushed dreams smell like? BO and damp laundry.)
For some reason I decided to eat dinner at the buffet. I thought I was treating myself to a nice meal after a stressful few days. This was not a treat. It wasn't cheap either, making it both disappointing and a waste of money.
After dinner I went to the lounge, sat and listened to the house band. The excellent, loud, familiar music was cathartic.
I sat and wrote journal entries for the week that encompassed Joshua tree. I wrote until my phone ran out of juice. Then I danced until I ran out of juice.
Afterwards I retired back to the van. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone home from a bar smelling like cigarette smoke. I don’t miss that.
Good: Morning coffee looking out over the lake and the mountains.
Bad: When I came out of the library I checked the coolant level before leaving, and it’s a good thing I did! It was nearly empty. Coolant is expensive, the ford repair guy said I could get by with distilled water in the meantime.
Unexpected: The camera shop I go to in Philly does a big expo every November, with dozens of presentations and workshops. I always go and they’re always excellent. I’ve learned a ton and met amazing people! This year I talked to the store about doing a presentation about vanlife and photography on the road. It took some time and a lot of back and forth but I heard back this morning with an invitation to be a presenter! This is a much needed bright spot in an otherwise tumultuous several days, and a nice note to end the week on.
Looking to next week
I drop the van off to get fixed, still grasping at the chance to make it to the San Diego regional burn event.
Next week isn't as stressful as this one, but it's not out of the woods yet, either.
