Easter Weekend, a time for family gatherings and little ones dressed in pastel-colored outfits. My non-traditional ways propelled me to get away with Jay, Butters, Rosie, and Airstream Bambi. But up until the day we packed up the trailer with supplies, I didn’t know where we’d be headed. I guess that’s the beauty and curse of having a self-contained travel trailer. You can go anywhere and be fully self-sufficient. In fact, the last two trips we took in Bambi, we dry camped near Mt. Whitney and before that, at a place called Sawtooth Canyon.

We thought we would be heading for some boondocking near Anza-Borrego. I wanted to view the wildflowers during the day and stargaze at night. But as we eased our way toward our destination at noon on Friday, the prospects of getting to our midpoint seemed unlikely. The place we were tracking to get to was two hours away but we were nowhere close. Taking a detour, we stopped half an hour away from Desert Hot Springs, California, thinking we’d leave for Anza-Borrego in the morning.

We ended up spending our Easter weekend camping at a KOA in Desert Hot Springs, California. It turned out to be the exact getaway we needed. During our time there, we went back to the first place we ever boondocked in. It was in the Mecca Hills, near the Salton Sea. The first time in Mecca, I found it through an RV club I belonged to. I didn’t know who the people were who wrote about the spot. In an act of blind faith, I headed to the location and we stayed overnight. Going back to that spot the second time around, I was shocked at the conditions of the road. They were rough, washboard-like and made my teeth chatter. To be honest, I’m not sure I would tow to that location again. I’ve camped in Mecca once… so maybe I don’t need to camp there again.

Each morning I wake up in the Airstream, I am excited and overwhelmed by the expansive world out there. Getting up before anyone else and making coffee in the stovetop espresso maker is a ritual I enjoy. I listen for the sound of the bubbling coffee while the scent of espresso fills the small trailer. This gives me a sense of comfort. In those moments, I feel extreme gratitude. I’m reminded that the idea of traveling around the country in an Airstream trailer, came to life for me in 2013. The same year my Dad passed away and the year that Jay and Rosie crossed my path.

When I bought the trailer back then, I didn’t know what lessons I would learn. All I knew was that a dream of mine had come true. And throughout the next several years, I grew emotionally and intellectually.

I attribute my growth to traveling on the road with Airstream Bambi.

So in some ways, Bambi is an extension of me.

Photo from February 2014, Mecca Hills, CA.