We got word BB the RV was (finally) fixed on Friday morning.
“Should we go pick her up Saturday?” I asked my husband.
“Sure,” he said.
And that was that. Since we had no big Independence Day celebrations planned, and I really wanted BB back from the shop — it had taken nearly a month to get her radiator replaced — I figured, why not drive the 3 hours to go pick her up.
Except I didn’t want to drive another 3 hours back home that afternoon. So I quickly looked for RV campgrounds where we could spend the night along the way. I landed on a sweet spot at a state park: James M. Robb Colorado River – Fruita section.
I’m guessing someone must have canceled just before I landed on an available campsite at this riverfront state park on July 3 because it just happened to be the evening that the city was setting off their holiday fireworks — and we had a PERFECT front-seat view!
I’m glad the ranger let us know the fireworks were being set off that night, just a stone’s throw away from where we’d be parked, because honestly, we might have already turned in for the night! (Yes, we’re regularly in bed before 9:30 p.m.)
Instead, we enjoyed our fancy-schmancy planned dinner of cheese and crackers outside on camp chairs, relaxed in the shade to read for a while as the sun started to set, and wandered across the street to Dairy Queen for a sweet treat before the evening show began. (This state park campground is quiet, with a ton of native grass and trees, but still within walking distance to restaurants — and Dinosaur Journey. Random.)
We lucked out to be able to enjoy a bit of an unplanned Independence Day celebration. All fireworks displays in our neck of the woods are canceled due to current county fire restrictions and the fact that we’re in a massive drought out West — where one tossed cigarette, lightning strike, or not-fully-extinguished campfire could kick off a devastating wildfire. Clearly Mesa County, where Fruita’s located, is not following the same the-earth-is-so-dry rules, for better or worse.
I’m not even a huge fan of fireworks — I certainly don’t seek them out — but there was something touching about people in the campground (and lining adjoining streets outside the state park perimeter) breaking out into applause after the grand finale. We haven’t had many of those shared moments of humanity over the past year and a half during the Covid-19 pandemic.
But I was extra tickled having experienced this when hours prior I didn’t even know it was going to happen. And how lucky were we to stay in a truly lovely campground that was available at the last minute.
Increasingly a fan of not planning too much
In fact, some of the best experiences we had on our 12-night road trip with Phoebe, the rented RV, after BB broke down were ones we hadn’t planned.
Like the awesome Delilah Ridge Winery my husband discovered just across the street from our RV park outside of Kings Canyon National Park. I had no idea it was there when I made the reservation, but when we realized we could walk over for a tasting ($5 each) AND the most extensive charcuterie board ever ($20), heck yeah, we were going to make some time for it.
And there was the little swimming hole on the river across the road from our RV park outside of Yosemite. One afternoon we spent a good 3 hours sitting in camp chairs in the shade on the shore, reading and taking dips in the river as needed (temps were 105°F that day!). It was so relaxing to do just that after a morning of battling the crowds inside the national park.
In fact, besides booking campgrounds months in advance for this RV road trip — a necessity, since they fill up so quickly during yet another “Summer of the RV” — I hadn’t done that much planning for activities on this trip. Each night, we’d figure out what our plan for the next day — like researching the hikes in the four parks we’d visited (Sequoia/Kings Canyon, Pinnacles, Yosemite).
I’m not sure if it has anything to do with the pandemic — when so many plans went into the toilet due to stay-at-home orders, social distancing, and quarantines — but I’d rather wing it and not be disappointed by getting my hopes up with a plan that could be dashed for whatever reason.
For example, I knew there were some cool caves to explore in Pinnacles National Park, home to bat colonies, but didn’t really know the details about them, and how to see them, until we landed in the park. And sure enough, the caves were closed due to roosting mama bats giving birth and tending to their young (or maybe it was still lingering Covid-19 distancing restrictions — not fully clear).
Would I have liked to traipse through caves? Sure. But there were so many other nifty moments on this trip that blew us away, I wasn’t going to weep about missing some caverns, when I’ve hiked through plenty of caverns before.
Surprises are the best
I loved being surprised about the steep and winding road through Kings Canyon National Park. Yes, it was a white-knuckle drive that I wasn’t expecting (since, again, I’d done little research!), but it was tremendously beautiful. And we got to see a couple of really cool waterfalls while hiking from trailheads along that twisty road.
And I hadn’t really researched what I’d see along Tioga Road (Hwy 12) out of Yosemite National Park, so when gorgeous Tenaya Lake appeared outside my window I gasped at its unexpected beauty.
There’s something so wonderfully thrilling to experience attractions, scenes, and activities that I hadn’t been anticipating. Don’t get me wrong — I also love poring over guidebooks and websites to get the scoop on any key attractions of places we’re visiting. And I do read plenty of recent hotel/campground reviews before booking so I know what to expect.
But overall, as I am increasingly leaning into slower-paced sightseeing days that don’t stress me out, I’m learning that opening myself up to happenstance and last-minute adventures usually brings me more joy than not.
And if I don’t get to everything there is to see and do in a place — or I didn’t book early enough to get THE camping spot or a reservation at THE best restaurant — so be it. Chances are, what we do see, where we do stay, and what we do eat will be great.
And no matter what, a day of traveling and experiencing something unfamiliar and/or outside my comfort zone is usually a pretty fabulous day.
