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Spring in Wisconsin is all about embracing change. The same is true in life. We’ll talk about it in Embracing-Change-Wisconsin-Spring-Bob Davis Podcast 1162.
Travel Is Constant Change
Above the thing about travel is the constant change.
Issues in Life
Therefore when I stop down for the summer in Wisconsin I am confronted with these same issues in life.
New Wrinkles
As a matter of fact as I work harder and harder on my videos for the YouTube Channel that in itself is a big personal change.
For the link to the video version of this podcast click here.
Equally important is the nature of the season of spring.
Travel In The Southwest
After all most of my travel this winter has been in the Southwestern US.
Documenting Travel
And I have produced several videos and podcasts about my travels.
Firstly US Route 50 is unofficially called the Loneliest American Highway. Join me for the trip in Loneliest-American-Highway-US-50-Bob Davis Podcast 1161.
Best American Highway
But Route 50 turns out to be one of the best road trips you can take.
Mega Road Trip California
With this in mind as I ended my mega road trip up the California coast…
Sacramento To The East Coast
I headed for Sacramento as soon as I wrapped up on the Pacific Coast Highway.
However US Route 50 is something altogether different.
Mountains To Deserts
That is to say we start in the mountains and deserts of Eastern California.
Free Camping
In particular in these mountains I encountered my first ‘free’ campsite.
In contrast with the bracing breezes on the West Coast my first campground was a thriving babbling brook.
Most importantly I arrived too early in the year for the campground to be open.
But the gate was down and other people were camping.
Therefore I spent a great first night at the side of the brook.
Subsequently on into the California and Nevada deserts.
Nothing Like A Two Lane Highway For Freedom
Above all I can say there is little more in this life more therapeutic than a deserted two lane highway stretching into infinity.
Open Road
In other words if what you seek is the open road US 50 has it in spades.
Mountains To Valleys
Equally important are the shifts from mountains to valleys and deserts as we travel this route.
Life Pressure
Certainly these days we all wonder what will happen next.
Corporate Grind
Even more the pressures of day to day life and corporate life are heavy for many.
Small Town Antidote
I took a closer look at many small towns along the way with this purpose in mind
What Comes Next
In other words if you didn’t do what you’re doing now how would you do whatever comes next
Small Town Life
As an illustration of that question small towns like Ely, Nevada and Delta Colorado help the traveler imagine what life would be like if things were a little different.
Colorado Mountains and Continental Divide
Finally moving into the Colorado Mountains including crossing the Continental Divide at Mammoth Mountain.
Plains
Then we moved straightaway into the plains of Eastern Colorado and Western Kansas.
National Parks and Truck Stop Camping
From time to time camping at more free campgrounds, national parks like The Great Basin and Black Canyon, and an occasional Truck Stop.
Meditating On History
In addition to the meditation of driving there’s a lot of history in this region of the country.
Farming Ranching Mining
Especially ending in Fort Dodge Kansas, I am reminded of the ranching history of the plains as well as the mining, pioneer and Native American history of Colorado, Nevada and California.
Ancient People
To this end there are artifacts like the Petroglyphs in Nevada where people lived and thrived more than ten thousand years ago.
Full Experience
To sum up all of this is waiting to be experienced on supposedly the loneliest highway in the United States.
But a planned camping trip threw a wrench into the plans to continue the trip up the full length of the PCH from Santa Barbara.
Even though I put a lot of time into maps and planning some happy accidents made a huge difference in the star crossed nature of this trip.
Getting Lost Is Winning
Accordingly getting lost and finding campgrounds that were deserted and free completely by accident made this trip one for the books.
BackRoads and Coastal Campgrounds
Correspondingly finding backroads and mountain roads with incomparable views was a feature.
With this in mind I don’t know if I could tell listeners and subscribers just how I got to a place.
Given these points it’s really all about getting there and now how.
Life Lessons
To put it differently many lessons on the road often turn out to be great life lessons too.
Perfect Beach Towns
By all means its important to hold space for those happy accidents that lead to the sublime.
Overall many listening to Perfect-Pacific-Vibe-Bob Davis Podcast 1160 who have been traveling themselves for any length of time will identify with this idea.
Especially since time and again I found myself in a campground or circumstance that literally took my breath away.
Why California?
Finally people often ask me why I wanted to spend so much time in California this year.
Basically California is one of the most unique places in the US and maybe even the world.
Obviously and certainly it’s expensive and Golden Staters themselves think it’s weird.
But all things considered this is still one of the the best road trips I have been on.
I am on a Mega Road Trip for 2025. Most importantly this podcast covers my trip from the desert, mountains and beaches. Details in Mega-Road-Trip-2025-Bob Davis Podcast 1159.
Take Your Your Time On A Roadtrip
In the first place I’ve learned doing Roadtrips with hell bent for leather travel isn’t so great.
Low and Slow
Most importantly if the traveler has the time low and slow is the way to go.
2 Months From California to Oregon
For example I plan on taking almost two months to get to the California-Oregon border.
Furthermore I plan on taking the same approach to Oregon and Washington if possible.
Desert Mountain Beaches
Generally this podcast covers my trip for the deserts in Eastern California, to the mountains about thirty miles from San Diego and ultimately to the beaches south of Los Angeles.
History
Certainly there is history involved.
Spanish California
That is to say that the purpose I’ve selected for this trip is to learn more about the Mission System in California dating back to the Spanish.
Jedediah Smith
Even more one of the historical figures I am interested in is Jedediah Smith.
By all means Smith blazed many trails in his life.
Do oversharing nomads ruin travel? These days it seems like all the travel highlights have been detailed by oversharing nomads. Details in Oversharing-Nomads-Ruin-Travel-Bob Davis Podcast 1158.
They are generally apt to pull right up next to a vehicle and force themselves on other campers.
On one hand this behavior is based on the idea we’re all brothers and sisters in this effort.
Manners and Boundaries
On the other hand this behavior shows a pronounced lack of manners and boundaries.
Accordingly it is not unusual to find yourself listening to a whirlwind travelogue with ‘pointers’ on where to go and what to do.
How Do You Define Adventure?
With this in mind one wonders when adventure, discovery and exploration happens…
Ticking Boxes
If all we do is tick boxes on a list from someone else.
Amazing And Incredible
In fact my sense is social media and modern technology have made the practice of telling everyone else about ‘amazing’ and ‘incredible’ places very common.
Leave Something To Discover
In the final analysis we should be leaving something to discover for the new travelers.
Not That Hard
In addition these same people stress that Nomad life is extremely complex and difficult.
In summary it’s not that hard.
Sooner or later we all discover the world is a big place and there’s a lot to see.