Escapees January-February 2023

camping chair chat

RVers’ Sharing Tips, Opinions and Advice from the Road Submissions sent by e-mail can be directed to departmentseditor@escapees.com.

Fan Stand

Tank Treatment For years, I have used the Dry Eco-Save holding tank product. One tablespoon in my 60-gallon tank and I'm good for a month. It works great while on the move or parked. Eco-Save is also available in liquid form but the dry is a lot lighter and easier to clean up if you happen to spill it. You can contact JWH Distributing by

I built this platform to hold my fan to blow outside air on me as I sit in the reversed seat. It is easily removed but must fi t tightly in the door pull. A rubber band holds the fan on the platform. Don Nelson

phone at, 800-950-9666 or online at www.eco-save. com (Price list/order form pdf is at top of page.). The best deal is the 12-jar case ($138.84). It will last for years and you'll have plenty to give to your friends. Al Oxton #57888

What I Love About Full-Time Travel

food I had in Austin, Texas, and Charlie, the bartender, at a vineyard in Oregon. I often wonder if she and her boyfriend ever took the plunge and bought that house they wanted. I think about the other nomads I’ve met at Xscaper Convergences and now I follow their own journeys. For me, this lifestyle is about just that, spread ing joy to strangers, leaving your mark and carrying the experiences from place to place knowing there’s some thing new ready to unfold in the present moment. There’s also what I call the “reset period” at off-grid boondocking sites we frequent, where we experience only the sounds of birds chirping and a feeling of complete isolation. There’s nothing but time to process and immerse yourself in the silence and stillness of nature. That contrast is what makes going back to cities so great. It’s hard being away from loved ones until you realize there’s love all around you. Until you take the time to look inward and realize the love is so strong inside of you, you shake hands with yourself, while remaining humble to the beauty and absolute wonders of nature. The gratitude is overwhelming. The connection in the journey and the security in knowing it only takes a few plans to visit your old and new friends from all over is what makes this lifestyle so unique. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and I feel like I’m just getting started. Kelley Welch #173565

When I was in college, I wrote an essay with the theme centered around the premise that life is about the journey, not the destination. A decade later, I’ve never related to it more. We spend so much time anticipating: saving for vacations, dreading the travel, just wanting to get to the hotel, beach, mountain, whatever. I recognized at a young age that the beauty of travel is how you get from point A to point B. From every rest area where I’ve walked my dog to every store where I bought M&Ms and to casinos where I’ve slept, there is comfort in knowing these places are always there to come back to. My husband and I have been on the road full time with our dog for almost two years. We have no home base and, at this point, I can’t imagine where we’d want to “settle down.” Every destination feels like a new chapter in life. Sometimes these chapters last a few days, sometimes two weeks, but rarely longer. Still, a tempo rary home is built and, if you get lucky, a permanent community. I fall in love with someone everywhere I go. I carry them with me. There’s a woman that works at a coffee shop in Mesa, Arizona. Each time I visit she has new photos to show me and new memories to share. Last February, I did stand up comedy in Tucson, Arizona. I met a lot of local comics and, I know if I go back, I’ll see some of the same faces. I remember the street

20

ESCAPEES Magazine January/February 2023