August 14th, 2018, we have been planning for this day since we put down a deposit on our new baby, Wild Heart. That was back in December !  Now we are driving east bound on Interstate 90 heading for our camp hosting jobs at Big Bend BLM Campground, just outside Moab.

 

We love Wild Heart, she’s 19’5” in length; 4×4; with a euroloft power bed in the rear that raises and allows easy access to our garage/storage area;a porta potty is inside the interior bathroom along with a shower.  There is an exterior shower in the rear and an exterior “rinse the sand off you and your dog” at the sliding door entry. We have hot water on demand and an Espar diesel heating hydronic system. Wild Heart has 320 watts of solar power and a 2000 watt inverter. Her Nova kool compressor frig/freezer keeps our food chilled and our gelato frozen and creamy!  Her 1600 watt induction stove makes dinner a breeze. And her shade awning retracts with a push of the button and the motion sensors automatically retract the awning when the wind kicks up too much . We did sacrifice cabinet and drawer storage when we gave up Ruby. Downsizing is a good thing .  We like the smaller rig for maneuvering and the 4×4 takes us exactly where we want to be- away from civilization !

My favorite spot is the “lounge” area. I love sitting there with my coffee working on my Mac, writing and editing photos from our trip. That’s where I am right now.  Okay, now you pretty much know all about Wild Heart, back to our Moab Adventure.

If you have been reading my Facebook page you already know how Moab turned out. We pretty much drove interstates all the way to Moab, roads we normally avoid like the plague.  But we were due to start hosting on August 17th so back roads were not an option.

 

 

One of our overnight stops was along the Snake River, Bell Rapids. It was a perfect spot and only 1 other camper was there, tucked into the surrounding trees. Since it was after 5pm and no boat trailers were around we drove right down to the boat launching area and set up camp. We didn’t see any no camping signs and we knew we would be getting an early start in the am. It was a beautiful spot, one we plan on returning to some day for kayaking .

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We arrived just outside Moab, in Green River,Utah about 430pm and headed to a spot I found on the iOverlander app-Crystal Geyser, alongside the Green River. The drive back to our spot was stunning,  as the sun was setting behind the canyon rocks.

The geyser erupts every 8-22 hours, so we didn’t know if we would see it or not. We explored the area and discovered a small wooden box of “word rocks” someone had placed on an overlook.it was fun discovering the outdoor poetry. It was a sweet moment feeling a kinship with those who had been there before us.

 

As we fell asleep in this peaceful spot, the wind started to kick up. No worries, our awning retracted in response to the winds. We like to sleep with our rear doors and side slider door open when out in the wilderness ( only when no critters will surprise us). But doing that means we could be awoken by pelting rain, which, surprise, we were. Jim was still a little groggy (my excuse for his decision) and decided to take a short cut out the rear doors to close them and protect us from the rain. Well the the little bumper step in the rear was slippery from the rain, Jim was groggy and barefoot, and the inevitable happened. His feet slipped out from under him and he fell, only about 2 feet to the ground. But to break his fall, he held out his arms. His right arm, unfortunately, landed between Wild Heart’s bumper and the bumper step. That position torqued his right arm and shoulder so badly, I have never, ever heard him cry out in so much pain. By the time we got the doors closed and him back in bed I knew it wasn’t good. 

When we woke early the next morning we headed to The Moab ER. The nurse looked at him and suggested since it didn’t appear broken, we avoid the outrageous ER charges and return at 4pm for an Urgent Care appointment. So off we went, Jim’s arm in a sling, headed to the BLM office to report for duty. Yes, my husband believed he could still perform the duties required for covering 4 campgrounds.

Megan and Sharon, at the BLM office were wonderful and so welcoming. They spent all afternoon going over training materials, uniforms(T-shirts, hats and vests) and responsibilities. We finished just in time to head to Jim’s appointment. There we discovered torn ligaments, sprained muscles and a rotator cuff injury. Nothing broken thank goodness, but based on his pain when breathing he probably also had a bruised rib. Now a normal person, in my humble opinion, would have said I’m really sorry but I can’t fulfill this commitment due to my injury. But not my sweetie, he believes in honoring his commitments, come hell or high water. 

After 4 days and 4 nights of agonizing pain, hell and high water had arrived. He would not be able to honor this commitment. Megan and Sharon were so understanding and actually want us to return in February for three months of hosting!  We shall see what happens!

We sadly packed up Wild Heart and pointed towards the mountains of Colorado. We figured eliminating 90 degree sleeping temperatures would go a long way in helping my sweetie relax, get some sleep and heal.

So we are Colorado Bound, first stop, somewhere near Telluride.

Safe travels my friends and happy trails to you. Jim’s new philosophy: at least try to look before you leap!