More Madera, Color Blinded in Tubac, and the "Whether" Back Home

I read a rather spooky thought from my bedside companion, Friedrich Nietzsche, last night: "If you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you." Now I know why I always feel like someone's watching, and relieved that it's not God.


Unlike Dewy Decimals, Chronological Order is highly overrated. It's a lot like standing in line, which I was never really good at. Thus the Chronological Disordered jump-around of today's BCB post… just to keep you on your toes. 

A good example of my C. D. is that I've gone from Lazy Daze to Lazy Boy without mentioning it... from Imax RV Windows to the real thing on our sun-stroked perch overlooking Lovely Ouray. The white plague is gone from town minus a few shady spots on the north sides of buildings. 

We've been indulging the "Stairmaster," Oak Creek Trail. It's clear of snow and dry as toast... as is the roly-poly Perimeter Trail. And yesterday we rode the old railroad grade to Ridgway on our mountain bikes. Another couple of weeks should do the trick of reacclimatizing our lungs to the elevational reality of Lovely Ouray. 

Grass is green here, but deciduous trees are still painfully grey. Morning weather has been conducive to shorts and a long sleeve poly pro shirt, which then becomes too warm halfway through our outings. Something must have happened to our bathroom scale while we were gone. It now reads 10 pounds heavier that when we left. I guess we'll have to replace it. This, on top of Bobbie shrinking my hiking shorts in the dryer. 

Allow me a quick word about the "whether back home." It's a Prius life we live, alternating between gas and electric, home and away. No matter how hard one tries to escape the rut of routine in the day to day, if they step back far enough the big picture reveals a mass of overlapping circles. I hate that… yet love it too. I don't think humans are wired for a 24/7/365 life of uncertainty, not to mention, a candle burned from both ends lasts half as long. 

I can't imagine living in a box on wheels the rest of my days, nor can I imagine padding circles around a "home." If I was forced to live a "monogamous" life and choose between home and road, I would promptly regret my decision, either way. Almost all Rver's… the one's who didn't blow the entire Nest Egg… are off the full-time road within 5 years. While I don't have any hard statistics to back it up, I believe half, if not most, sell the Mo Ho and/or rig and buy a place with tolerable year round climate. That surprises me. 

There was a time when I thought I could live out the rest of my life on the road. Like most times I thought I knew what I wanted more than anything, I was being naive and shortsighted. I never thought I'd say this, but even Dark Chocolate Chips or Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia gets old after a "while." Too much of a good thing is the best way to ruin a good thing.     

Now, direct from the here and now, Adventures In Retrospect...

The crags and clouds above Camp Madera

Madera's Bog Springs Reflecting Sycomores...

Canyon Giftshop

From trails above Camp Madera

Did I ever tell you how much I love pretty rocks????

We meet fellow blogger and Lazy Daze owner Plein Guy in Camp Madera

No, that's not Goldie….  Lazy Dazer's  Joe and Sally takes Plein Guy's  spot as soon as  he pulls out

Rain in Camp Madera forces a trip to colorful Tubac

"It's A Clean Machine…"

Something's not right in this photo… What and why?

Tarp Art in the Park

Urban Cowboy Hangout

I have a weakness for Lavender… and old trucks

And old cars. Some of us were probably conceived in the back seats of one of these

Courtyards are cool

Diagnostics readout says there's a problem with the Left Rear Wheel

Porches are cool

In Case of Fire,  Bend Bars!

Now I want pink benches in front of our house, and a little house with a ceramic Jesus… and that cactus… and that's all I need… and that lamp post, but that's all!!!

More from my bedside Nietzsche:

"To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in suffering."

"Without music, life would be a mistake."

"It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages."

"You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist."

"We have art in order not to die of the truth."

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."

Evidently….I like to sweat

Here's demographic information from RV Life Magazine as of April 2013:

Age:

11%  30’s – 40’s  
71%  50’s – 60’s  
18%  70’s and older  

Gender:
76%  Male  
24%  Female  

Marital Status:
89%  Married/Partnered
11%  Single  

Annual Household Income:
28%  Less than $50,000  
51%  $50,000-$100,000  
15%  $100,000-$150,000  
  6%  Over $150,000  

Type of RV Owned:
53%  Motorized          
47%  Non-Motorized  

Years Spent RVing (not necessarily full-time):
27%  Less than 5 years  
41%  5-20 years  
25%  20-40 years  
  7%  Over 30 years  

Weeks Spent RVing Annually:
  9%  Less than 2 weeks  
28%  2-4 weeks  
23%  4-8 weeks  
19%  8-12 weeks  
13%  More than 12 weeks  
  8%  Full-timer  

Weeks Spent Traveling Outside of an RV Annually:
44%  Less than 2 weeks  
40%  2-4 weeks  
16%  More than 4 weeks  

Favorite Activities When Traveling:
93%  Sightseeing  
74%  Scenic Byways  
67%  Local Events & Festivals  
60%  Outdoors/Hiking/Walking  
48%  Dining Out  
43%  Fishing  
36%  Shopping  
33%  Wineries  
31%  Casinos  
28%  Bicycling  
22%  Boating  
19%  Golfing  
  7%  Motorcyling/ATVing  
  8%  Geocaching  
Other: Museums, Microbreweries, Hunting, Dog Shows, 4-Wheeling, Antiques, Photography, Dancing, Socializing, Prospecting, Birding, Meeting Other RVers, Seeing New Places, Visiting Family, Cruising, Boondocking, Archery, Whitewater Rafting, Historical Sites, Adventuring, and Steam Trains