27 Mar 05: Still headed north. But not that far. We are camped tonight on some BLM land just south of Bouse. Did a little exploring to the north of that town today. That is another thing we really were able to get to do this year that we were not able to in the years past. Bringing the little jeep down here has made a big difference in our ability to get off the beaten path. We can then go hiking and exploring on foot in places we were never able to do before. We may not have the ideal set up, but for CJ and I the camper or as we call it the “hard shell” tent is great. We bought this camper in Anchorage about 15 years ago. It is still in very good shape and everything works well. We figure we spend about a fourth to a third of our lives in it every year. Some years before for we built our barn/apartment we actually lived in it for months at a time. Were on our boat for months then in the camper for months. But anyway, back to the jeep. We are so glad we got it.


28 Mar 05:

What do you do when one of your favorite places becomes too crowded? That is the dilemma we are facing when we stop at a place called Valley of the Fire north of Las Vegas. We started going there in 1992 and have been regulars there for years. It is a great place to stop and spend a few days hiking on slick rock, which is one of our passions. It meets our needs of potable water and a place to dump our camper. Years ago, they would have part of the campground closed because it was not needed with the number of campers using the place. Now, the campgrounds are usually full each night and there are lots and lots of day use people coming in for visuals and for picnics. It is a pretty place and I don’t begrudge people for wanting to enjoy it. But everywhere you go now days there are more and more people. And it is just going to get worse. The population is growing and growing. The baby boomers are going to be retiring and become snowbirds like their parents and aunt and uncles are doing now. The campgrounds like Valley of the Fire are going to get more and more crowded. Many people go there for the solitude and to get away from all the city noise and traffic. But are finding crowds out in the “wilderness”. One of these days we are going to have to address this problem of over population of our world. How many more people can we have? But with what quality of life? Questions, questions.