And then ... the fire

So, we're sitting in the rig, watching TV on Friday evening around 9 pm. Marg looks out the window and screams, "The mountain's on fire ... we have to call the police!"

For those of you who tend to worry about life's dramas, let me just say that everything is fine.

But we didn't know that at the time.

And I finally understood the concept of morbid fascination.

Our RV backs up to a small mountain, that ends, about one city block south, at a creek and a two-lane road. Cross the road and there's another ridge that's part of a mountain that goes on another 1/2 mile or so south. That mountain was completely on fire. In fact, by the time we saw it, the rest of the mountain had burnt to a crisp and only the ridge nearest us was on fire. And it was close. Separated from our part of the mountain, and therefore our home on wheels, by only a small country road, a creek, and some highly flammable tamarisk lining the shore.

Here's a photo:

Here's a video:

Note: The first rig in the video is ours.

The firefighters told us (and the group of campers that had gathered) that we had nothing to worry about, the fire wouldn't jump the road, and that they would be back-burning to stop the fire from advancing. Now I know what back-burning is about - the blaze suddenly tripled in size and looked twice as close (!). Yep, I learned about back-burning - starting another fire in front of the original fire so that they burn into each other and leave nothing for the fire to consume so it stops. Whatever, by morning, the fire was over, but for some isolated smoldering areas, nothing touched "our" mountain, and we didn't need to call the insurance company again.

So, we stood outside for a couple of hours and watched the burning, and worried, and inhaled enough smoke to cook a giant pork roast and a turkey. And, boy, did we smell.

But, our sincere thanks to the firefighters. I've never been that close to a wildfire, never worried about my property, and never truly appreciated the knowledge that professional (or volunteer) firefighters have that enables them to know when to spray water, or back-burn, or just wait it out. I feel safer knowing there's a fire truck just down the road.

Toby

On the lake ... before work!

I'm not missing another opportunity to enjoy the outdoors - this morning at 7:00 (6:00 Raving time), we dropped our kayak in Quail Lake for a pre-workday paddle.

Here are some pics I didn't get over the weekend; they tell their own story. And remember, this lake is 1/4 mile from our campground ... I was at my desk at 8 am Raving time, ready to call clients, respond to emails, and format my interview questions for my trip to Canada! Ya gotta love it!

The water is warm enough for swimming, calm enough before the water-skiers arrive, and it sure is tempting to stay here all day.

Toby

Toby's Best Bet ... A special deal and a hidden gem

This will be my first installment of "Toby's Best Bet." And, it's a two-parter.

Best Bet #1 - take advantage of our National Park system's deal for seniors as soon as you can. (I'm not old enough, but Marg is.) On her 62nd birthday in November, we arrived at Red Rock Canyon (a U.S. BLM area in Las Vegas) at the crack of 6am - the moment the toll booth opened. Really, she couldn't wait. For $10, Marg bought her Senior Pass (or her "Forever Pass," as she calls it). We have purchased the annual National Park Pass every year (costs about $80) so we can enjoy whatever parks we come across during our travels. But at 62, you only have to buy one more pass - pay $10 at the next park you visit and you can enter EVERY National Park and BLM property for free, as long as you live! It is THE most amazing deal you will EVER, EVER enjoy!


Best Bet #2

It seems that one of the challenges of "living with nature" is committing to getting off your butt and experiencing as much as possible. So this week we did it ... several times!

A short drive (about 20 minutes north) one evening brought us to the small, western outcrop of Zion National Park - Kolob Canyons. It's one of those less-visited areas - simply a 5-mile drive up a mountain into a contrast of beautiful red rock and a patchwork of greenery. Limited to driving and hiking, it's secluded and quiet.

The air was cooler, the sun was low ... bringing out the colors and sharpening the contrasts. We went up too late to hike, but the drive was stunning.

Watch for my next post: An early morning kayak paddle ... before work!

Toby

And that's why I moved to Utah.

Saturday was one of those perfect days. Up early before the sun started blazing. Packed up the kayak, threw some breakfast in the cooler, loaded the beach chairs and floats into the car, and drove the short 1/4 mile to Quail Creek State Park and its beautiful lake.

(Note: This IS the kayak, but not the lake ... this is the Colorado River near Willow Beach in Arizona. Another trip, another day.)

Marg and I were paddling our two-person, inflatable kayak by 8 am. Although most of the lake was already sunlit, the west end offered a small inlet surrounded by trees. It was silent and shady and we drifted under the branches. Then a robust paddle took us around the shoreline where the slickrock was baking, the fishermen were tossing their lines hopefully, and it was still early enough for the speed-boaters and water-skiers to be home tucked in their beds.

Back on the beach, we tossed our fabulous chair floats (thanks, Mom!) into the water and, holding onto the branches of a partially submerged tree so we didn't end up in the middle of the lake, we soaked up the sun in the cool water. A quick swim, a breakfast break, and then we settled into our chairs with our tunes for a few lazy hours.

When we returned to our rig, we experienced a nasty windstorm (not quite as bad as the one on July 3 that tore up our awnings). Although scary ... the RV was shaking and rattling and sand was flying ... no damage was done.

The wind finally dispersed and the evening was magnificent. Marg cooked us up some steaks and roasted corn on the grill. Our reclining lawn chairs were an excellent viewpoint for the fiery red and yellow sunset followed by the quarter moon and stars peeking through the clouds.

(Note: Yes, this IS the sunset!)

Quiet descended on the campground and it was good to remember exactly why we moved to an RV in Utah.

Thanks for tuning in!

Toby

Another beautful day in the neighborhood...

Happy Post 4th of July!

We celebrated on Sunday at my brother and sister-in-law's new home; a "mansion" in Las Vegas with a pool (you can set the lighting for any occasion and raise the water temperature instantly) overlooking a golf course, remotes in every room to control the fans and lights, and a central sound-system that enables my brother to talk to my niece and her friends in any room and make sure they're not doing anything they aren't supposed to be doing. We frolicked until the monsoon came up, complete with lightning and high winds, and chased us all inside.

It was all fun and games (literally), and then the phone call came. From the manager at the campground in Utah. That monsoon I just mentioned ... hit the campground two hours away. With a vengeance. Turns out we were lucky. The wind completely shredded one of our awnings. Our outdoor carpet flew up the mountain. The skirt that created a functional storage area under the rig's overhang tore off and all the stuff underneath was overturned. But two sites down, a tree went through their RV's roof. In fact, trees went down all over the campground. Windows were broken. Heavy picnic tables went flying.

So, now we're dealing with repair people. Again. And we've only been "on the road" for a couple of weeks. But I still believe this will be a good life change. Really, I do. Really.

Meanwhile, duty calls at work, so here's a link to my latest gaming article. It's about a company who used "foursquare" technology on a street-level billboard to get animal-lovers to text in, thereby causing dog food to magically fall from the billboard to feed their pet. I thought it posed an interesting option for motivating people to visit a casino. Yeah, not all that crazy. Check it out!

My latest Raving Perspectives Article - Behavior Modification for Gamblers?

Toby

The Pain of Downsizing

Hail Followers - and thank you!

Happy 4th of July weekend! We (my partner Marg and I) are at home trying to pack up more stuff for the rig. (I have been told that REAL RVers use the term "RIG" rather than camper or RV or trailer or really small house with wheels.) We've been doing this since March; it's taking so long because I'm working on the road three weeks a month and trying to squeeze packing and moving into the space in between.

As we try to reduce two lifetimes worth of acquisitions from a 1,500 sq ft home into a 350 sq ft rig, I am learning an assortment of lessons. Should you ever decide to downsize your life, you may pick up some pointers here. (I'm sure I'll be learning a lot more as time goes on.)

1. Stop collecting every possible T-shirt, souvenir, knickknack, paddywhack and bones to give the dog, from every trip/vacation/weekend away. We have already outfitted a large selection of non-profit organizations' thrift stores with three garage-fuls of donations. (Who has time for a garage sale???)

2. In an entire lifetime, you can only use a limited supply of shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, emery boards, cotton swabs, rubbing alcohol, not to mention all those sample-sized amenities that travel home from hotel stays. Check your cache before you go shopping. And remember Safe Nest (for battered women and children).

3. This will be easier for the younger crowd that has been blessed with access to digital photography and MP3 players, but seriously, what the heck do you do with all those photos and photo albums and record albums and 45s and CDs? We had a double collection starting in the 50s and going straight on until technology kicked in. So, while I've been visiting casino clients, Marg has been digitizing EVERYTHING. That's right, every 33 1/3 and 45, as well as photos from our own childhoods, our kids' lives, the ghosts of Christmases past, vacations, and more have been reduced to a portable hard drive. (You should be very impressed.)

4. Your children will always find a place for your recycled furniture. Someone in my family still owns my Dad's favorite recliner from over 30 years ago. And last month, I shipped my entire bedroom and living room sets to my son in North Carolina. Yes, David, out with the garage sale and thrift store junk in your apartment and in with Mom's old! Enjoy ... I was 37 before I bought my first, new, matching bedroom ensemble.

5. It's really hard to give away the tchotchkes your children and friends gave you for every birthday, Mother's Day, Christmas and Hannukah. The candles, crystal figurines of frogs and buffalo, plaques that tell of Mom being the sweetest person in the world or you being an old fart. (OK, I DID keep my entire Wizard of Oz collection.) And the greeting cards. More than 50 years of them for every occasion (and yes, I did keep every one). Moving into a tow-along home means you have to depend on your memories and let the stuff go. There were some tears (mine), but there were also blissful stories in my mind that drifted back as things were carefully wrapped for Goodwill or finally tossed into the circular file. It was tough, but it had to be done. Hopefully, there will be many new memories from adventures to come to replace those left behind.

And so we clean out, clean up, and make room for tomorrow.

Can't wait to see what it brings!
Toby