Cruel Forests

A tree is a tree.. I guess. Even if I haven't a clue what kind it is.

This would be my morning view

I am out in the desert of southwestern Arizona. Its not exactly a foliage mecca. Along washes that are dry 99% of the time, there are forests of sorts. Cruel forests if you are a native northwesterner. Very cruel.

I am on a side channel of one of those washes. I am backed into the trees and have a pretty private area to reside in. Those mountains in the background are miles and miles away. There is nothing between me and them. There won't be either. It is geographically challenged when it comes to RVs.. nothing can get in there. My small RV can get near the fringe, but giant ones can not. I like it this way, and its one of the reasons I live small.

My front door faces the opposite of how most folks out here position themselves. I look out into the "forest" and can see no signs of human existence. I see the trees, the tumbleweeds, the downed wood from trees that died hundreds of years ago, judging by the girth of the stumps, and.. Coyotes. Lots of Coyotes. Occasionally I hear the wild burros that wander .. unfortunately, I hear them mostly after they have met up with the coyotes.

If I turn the opposite way, I see RVs. Lots of RVs. The closest one is to the north of me, about 50 yards away, the next is to the south, about 1/2 mile. I can't see either of them from my yard.

This is BLM land. Owned by the people of the United States. Anyone can come out here and create a space for themselves for a nominal fee that helps pay for the central services. Otherwise, we have all paid for it with our hard earned tax dollars. I am sure it doesn't cost much. Its.. dirt.

We are all temporary homesteaders out here. You get the gambit of folks from the truly homeless.. folks living out of their cars or in tents because they have nowhere else to go and this is a darned good rent deal for them. They have their own "village" so to speak, near the central services. 

Next, you have what I call "Bulgies". Million dollar motor homes towing cargo trailers bigger than some houses I have lived in. They park out in the open and bulge out in 3 or 4 spots, the satellite dishes deploy like magic and you never see humans outside them. You know they are in there. Their generators give them away.

Then there are lots of folk like me, in small to midsized trailers, working stiffs that are out here for the season to make a buck servicing all the others. We work and that's about it. 6-7 days a week. Some are vendors hocking rocks, wind chimes, RV parts, food, junk, you name it. This is our cash collection time. Some make their whole years pay here and take summers off. I work here in the winter to make the bucks quickly and stash so I can play for pay in the summer. This is how I finance my two or more months of NOT working between gigs.

Most out here are snowbirds, folks in retirement that flock away from the homes they have in the northern states. They do this for the weather, and many do it for the social interaction. They group together in little packs and circles. They have giant fire rings that they commune at each nite. There is a nice pavilion that they have dances under, go to church each Sunday under, and have impromptu jam sessions under, both acoustic and electric.

None of these folks are related to the Beverly Hillbillies, nor do they look or act like they are. Most have one thing in common. They are retired. 

You do have the choice of living in a full service rv park here. There are plenty of them. They are all set up to pack you in like sardines, they charge a fortune too. I can't live like that.. I need space and privacy. Even if it means I tote water and am limited to TV via antenna. BUT.. I get my view.

Its not bad, I don't think.