I’m starting a new series of “notes from the trail” posts that will first highlight our two month trip down to Baja and back at the beginning of 2026 and then, going forward, the series will highlight our other trips, big and small. We’re making some big changes in our life this year, one of which is having a goal of spending a lot more time on the road and traveling.

The first big update is that last spring we replaced our Go Fast Camper that we enjoyed for close to two years and used on our last big trip in 2024 with a slide-in pop-up camper from Outfitter Manufacturing in Colorado. The bigger, heavier camper also necessitated a truck upgrade to a 2024 Ford F-250. I’ll do another post with more details on the camper and why we chose Outfitter over all the competition. But, one of the things that our trip in 2024 taught us is that we needed a bit more space to be able to be comfortable on the road, particularly when weather is bad. We both work remotely, and we needed a place where we could both be comfortable inside when the weather wasn’t co-operating. The GFC simply wasn’t enough space for us to be comfortable both working inside. In addition to giving us much more space, we also have amenities like heat, a fridge, lots of battery capacity, an inverter, and a water system. The whole setup is also not much bigger than our previous one allowing to still get to the hidden and off the beaten track places we like to go. So far we’ve been really happy with it.

We left on Christmas Day, heading East for our first night at Crane Hotsprings outside of Burns, Oregon. We both had the week between Christmas and New Year’s off so the plan was to spend that making our way slowly South to Southern California where we’d set up for our first week of work on the road. It’s about a six hour drive over the Cascades and we came through a deluge over the mountains before things finally cleared up and treated us to our first high desert sunset as we pulled into our campsite. We immediately headed for a soak in their pristine gravel bottomed hot “pond” as we watched the remnants of light fade and the first stars come out. In the common room, festively decorated for the holidays, we were graciously invited to share Christmas dinner of beef stew and ham with a family of fellow Oregonians. Our first of probably many acts of kindness from strangers we’ll encounter on this trip if the past is any guide.

From Crane we headed South into the the wide open wilds of Northern Nevada. We had a soak in a much more rustic hotspring out there before making camp on nearby BLM land.

Our next destination was Death Valley. We spent most of the day driving and camped at Spicer Ranch just outside of Beatty, Nevada. This was a great place to spend the night. They have a large camping area, hot showers, and flush toilets, all provided on a donation basis.

We drove into Death Valley the next day. We spent most of the day hiking on the Badlands loop trail. We started at Zabriskie Point, one of the more popular viewpoints in the park, beautiful but crowded. We followed the washes and canyons all the way to the Badwater road and back up Golden Canyon. It ended up being about 7 miles altogether and as usual in National Parks, just a few miles from the main trailheads the crowds diminished and we found some solitude among the multicolored soil and strange rock formations. Death Valley is indeed a geologic wonderland and beautiful in it’s way, but being just a few days removed from our verdant NW rainforest, the barrenness of it was a bit of a shock.

We camped on the far Western side of Death Valley near the tiny settlement of Panamint Springs. Death Valley is a bit unique among national parks because camping is allowed about anywhere as long as you’re a mile from any main roads among a few other rules. That’s exactly what we did and as happens a lot in the desert, the next morning was incredibly windy. This was the first time we’d tried to put down the camper top in this kind of wind and it proved nearly impossible. As the top was coming down, the wind would push the sides out leaving fabric hanging out and the top not completely down. We tried putting it up and down multiple times, each time resulting in the same problem to my growing frustration. We finally managed to get it down by teaming up and having one person push the sides in from the outside as the top came down. It was a reminder of one of the great lessons of travel, and indeed in life. Things happen that are mostly beyond our control, such as the wind in this case. However, there is always something I can control and that’s my reaction to the situation. I can get angry and frustrated, or I can remain calm, the choice is completely mine.

We continued West the next day up and over the mountains and toward Mt. Whitney and the Eastern Sierra front. We explored the Alabama Hills and the “Movie Road” where many Hollywood Westerns have been filmed over the years and spent the night at one of the most fantastic campsites I’ve ever had the privilege of staying at. The Alabama Hills, due to their popularity, limit camping to designated areas. Somehow we lucked out and got this one just a bit off the main road up a short but rocky four wheel drive trail.

The next day we headed back East and into the Park. We hiked the Darwin Falls trail and, to the delight of our Northwestern hearts, found maybe the only ferns for hundreds of miles around in the oasis created by the spring fed creek and falls.

We resumed our Southward trajectory spending the next night at Tecopa Hotsprings. This was another reminder of another lesson travel teaches. That is to not always judge a book by it’s cover. As we pulled in and paid for camping, it definitely looked a little rough around the edges. Peeling paint, and the camping area was really nothing more than a gravel parking lot. But, when we parked and headed in for a soak, it was clean, the water was hot and relaxing, and the showers refreshing. For $45 for a night, it was well worth it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s also important to listen to your gut and not stay somewhere that feels genuinely uncomfortable or dangerous. However, finding one’s edge and pushing the limits is part of the growth travel affords as well. Knowing the difference is a finely honed skill of the experienced traveler.

The next day on our way toward Joshua Tree, we stopped at the China Ranch Date Farm and the hiked the Amargosa River Trail. This was another true Oasis in the Desert. Down a steep hill through barren dirt canyons, lies this Date Palm filled Oasis and a running river, the only free flowing one in the Mojave. Lined with Mesquite and Willow, there are many endemic species that only live in this thin green strip in the desert. There’s even a slot canyon and one of the best date smoothies around at the farm store.

We spent New Year’s Eve and Day with an old friend in Joshua Tree at her amazing property there. It was cold and rainy just like the last time we were in Joshua Tree two years prior. If I didn’t know better, I would think it’s us bringing that Northwest weather South. While some nicer weather would have been welcome, rain in the desert is always a blessing as our friend reminds us. It meant we could spend time cozy indoors by the fire eating good food, drinking tea, and chatting about our plans and intentions for the new year. It was a relaxing and sweet way to start off 2026.

On our way out, we drove through Joshua Tree National Park getting the rare site of Joshua Trees in the fog. We did finally get some sunshine and a good hike and some bouldering in.

Our next stop is Anza Borrego Desert State Park where we’ll be slowing down and stopping for a week to go back to work.