Saying Farewell to my Nomadic Life

For those of you that know me, I've been living a Nomadic (i.e., houseless) life since August of 2024. The past two summers I've been traveling and pondering whether to continue living a nomadic type of life or to settle down into my own home again.

In my last post, I spoke about my permanent move to Wytheville, Virginia, and now that I've been a homeowner again for the past two months, I'm finding there are aspects of the houseless lifestyle that I really liked, but overall, I am very, very happy to be living in my own home in an area that I love.

The southwest region of Virginia is magical to say the least. So much history, arts and culture, nature, and absolutely wonderful people.

Since my last post, I've navigated all of the necessary things you need to do after moving, including getting my things out storage in Arizona and trucked to my front door. I have my wonderful daughter, Cheryl, to thank for helping out with the latter. She hopped a flight to Prescott, packed my U-Haul U-Box, and a couple of weeks later, all of my items were delivered literally to my front door.

All Emptied Out :)

U-Box Packed to Perfection

There was only one minor casualty -- a broken stand on a very old monitor. Other than that, everything made it the 2,000 mile journey just fine. I did a much better job of paring down all of my items than I remembered, as once everything of mine was in my living room, it didn't amount to very much.

My Stuff -- Half of Which is Camping Gear

Cheryl drove out from North Carolina to assist with unloading the U-Box, so the day prior to the delivery, we set out to explore. Our first stop was to hike the loop trail at Crystal Springs Recreation Area, just a couple of miles from my home.

Reservoir at Pump Hollow

Crystal Springs is in an area known as "Pump Hollow", and what is now a small pool fed by Venrick Run, was formerly a reservoir used by the town of Wytheville as their source of water a hundred years ago. Now, this lovely spot is a town park with many hiking and MTB trails.

Yield to Bears!

The area I moved from has its share of a bear population, but honestly, I think this is the first time I've seen a yield to bears trail sign. The usual animal that everyone is to yield to is a horse. :)

Why use the bridge when crossing the creek on foot is more fun

Fall is beginning to show itself

Our next stop was to Comers Rock another 7 miles down Highway 21 from Crystal Springs. A nice gravel road takes you to a trailhead, where a short hike rewards you with 360 degree views from the highest point in Wythe County. Storm Isaias was beginning to roll in, which made for a brisk and slightly wet obscured view.

Cheryl braving the wind and drizzle at the peak

Looking East from Comers Rock

We were contemplating journeying further south, but with the pending storm, we headed back home where Cheryl whipped up a lovely pot of soup. We spent the rest of the day enjoying each other's company and a home cooked meal.

Chicken Broth and Vegetable Soup -- Yumm!

As I'm writing this, the weather has cooled considerably, and we've had a couple of frosty mornings. The leaves have turned and I'll have some Fall photos to share in my next post. 

I hope this post finds you healthy and happy and enjoying life. Cheers!