Well, the time had finally arrived for Gavin and I to pack up our belongings on Sailing Yacht Holo Kai and move into our new home for six months – Truck Camper Snomad! Unfortunately a gal can accumulate a lot of ‘things’ in 18 months despite living in a small space, so packing took a lot longer than I anticipated!
Anyhow, we made it off the boat in Newport RI with plenty of time before our departure flight to LAX. Unfortunately the traffic to Boston Logan Airport was excruciatingly slow and they were calling our names as we were going through security as Jet Blue were holding the plane for us! Unfortunately our allocated seats were right at the back of the plane, so not only did we have to endure the glares of a lot of disgruntled passengers, I also managed to whack a few on my way past with the armfuls of extra bags I had!
Five hours later we arrived in sunny California where we spent a few days with our boss Chase (who has kindly agreed to our six-month sabbatical), then it was on to Santa Ynez to meet more friends and for me to meet Snomad for the first time! Marla, who has been the guardian of Snomad for the previous three months had not really filled me with encouragement during our various conversations – she was so concerned about how cold it would be that she knitted me a hat and wrist warmers! Fortunately on arrival, Gavin worked the hydraulics and ‘popped’ the top up. Gingerly I went inside… and was surprised by how spacious she was. All three of us agreed that there was adequate room for two people for 6 months, and with a diesel heater and solar panels we could run hot water, heaters, and power lights without ever having to set foot within a commercial camp ground. You see, the purpose of this trip for us is to get out and explore more (as it says on the camper!). As we are self sufficient it means we can camp pretty much anywhere providing it is not private land.
The first part of the trip is a four-week exploration into the desert areas of California, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. This will give us the opportunity to get used to living together in an even smaller space (56sqft); although funnily enough, the bed is actually one foot wider than the one we slept in on Holo Kai! I can’t explain how much we are looking forward to sleeping without inadvertently jabbing the other in the ribs! Although I will continue to do this to Gavin if he snores!
After a few days (and plenty of help from Marla, Maria, Gerry and Mitch), Snomad, G, and I were ready for part one of our off-road adventure … although for me, city girl, turned yacht chef, and now ski bum, I was finding it increasingly hard to leave the warmth of Marla’s ranch, great food, and amazing coffee machine – how the hell am I going to survive the next four weeks????
Backcountry Blonde 
Superb Em and Gavin. Keep them coming.xxxx