Ep 60 - The Travel Trailer Journey Conversation with Elke Scholz

She planned a warm winter escape, hitched up a custom travel trailer, and headed south alone, only to discover that the road doesn’t care about your plans. Helen sits down with Elke Scholz to unpack a solo RV road trip from Canada to Arizona that starts with immediate chaos: tight parking lots, misunderstandings, a trailer lockout, and the kind of stress that makes you wonder if you should have stayed home. 

Then the real test hits. Elke wakes up at a rest stop to a total power crash, learns the hard truth about what “winterized” actually means, and drives through a major blizzard because sometimes the safest choice is to keep going. We get into the practical side of winter RVing and off-grid living: how propane heat still depends on electricity, why solar and battery capacity matter, what she changed to stay warmer, and how she rebuilt her setup with smarter batteries and reliable internet using Starlink roaming. 

Along the way, Elke shares the moments that restore your faith in people, from strangers who step in to help to off-grid digital nomads who’ve engineered trailers into self-sufficient homes. We also talk candid solo female travel safety, roadside assistance and trailer coverage, and why you don’t need to have everything figured out before you start, you just need to be willing to learn. 

If you’re planning a travel trailer trip, dreaming about a digital nomad lifestyle, or stuck in endless preparation mode, this story will give you both a laugh and a shove forward. Subscribe, share the episode with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

Helen's First Audiobook Narration:

Let Them Pray by Brittany Johnson, Narrated by Helen

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Elke's Homepage

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Credits

Music Credit:  True Living by Patrick Moore

Royalty free music license purchased at soundotcom.com

Transcript

Cold Open On Taking Chances

SPEAKER_06 0:09

Everyday people following their passions.

SPEAKER_01 0:13

That's probably like like one of the highlights of my life so far. Just being able to be creative like that. I mean I've always wanted.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

And then I decided to get another hive, and that turned into a lot of hives. As long as I can do that, I want to be a good citizen. Help people out.

SPEAKER_06 0:33

Putting themselves out there, taking chances, and navigating challenges along the way.

SPEAKER_05 0:40

I I absolutely identified with having stage ride because, you know, anytime I went on stage, I just felt like I was having a hot attack.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

Very first laugh, very first practice session, I crashed, turned the car upside down, made a spectacle of myself, and I got back on that horse and started riding again.

SPEAKER_06 0:56

As they pursue what makes them happy and brings them joy.

SPEAKER_03 1:02

As long as people are having a good time and I have the opportunity to put smiles on people's faces. I I love what I do.

SPEAKER_09 1:08

I have done things that I never thought I could do.

SPEAKER_03 1:13

To have somebody tell me how real it looks and how, you know, from their actual memory. Because that's telling me I captured what I was trying to get.

Host Update On Audiobook Milestone

SPEAKER_03 1:24

Welcome to Assorted Conversations.

SPEAKER_06 1:27

I'm your host, Helen. Hello, hello, hello, and thanks for joining me to listen to another Assorted Conversation. Before we jump into this week's episode, I've got some big news to share with you. I am so excited to let you know I am officially a published audiobook narrator. It's something I've been working on for the past few months. And my very first audiobook, Let Them Pray, by Brittany Johnson, is live on Audible and Amazon. And the person talking for hours and hours and hours is me. Honestly, when I decided to try audiobook narration, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I auditioned, I recorded, I edited, I rerecorded, and I learned about RMS levels against my will. I questioned every breath, mouth noise, and pause I have ever made in my entire life. I asked AI approximately forty-seven thousand things about audiobook narration, editing, and recording. And I have now named my AI partner Bradley Cooper since we spent so much time together. I persevered through it all and I did it. And I couldn't be happier. My voice is on audible. I still can't believe it. A huge thank you to Brittany Johnson for trusting me with her words and giving me the opportunity to bring Let Them Pray to life. If you love audiobooks or you've ever wondered what it would be like to have me talk to you for several hours without you being able to interrupt me, this is your moment. Jump down to the show notes, there's a link to the book on Amazon. Let them Pray, written by Brittany Johnson, narrated by me, is now available on Audible and Amazon. And I think by the time you hear this, it'll also be on iTunes too.

Why A Solo Arizona Road Trip

SPEAKER_06 3:42

So let's talk about this week's episode. Travel is something many folks, especially me, love. However, those that know me and love me would emphatically say camping is not one of my favorite things to do. I am a marginal glamping girl at best, and that and I mean on my best day. But this week's guest purchased a custom travel trailer and set off on the open road to escape Canada for the winter and enjoy the warmth and beauty of Arizona all by herself. Her travel journey was anything but smooth. So buckle up, take a listen in this week's episode, and I'll see you on the other side. What started as a solo great escape idea quickly turned into a series of misunderstandings, late deliveries, driving through blizzards, and learning to bet on herself to not only make it across the finish line, but she also discovered her resilience amid all of her adventures and misadventures.

Trailer Delays And Departure Pressure

SPEAKER_06 5:17

I am so happy to welcome Elka Scholes to Assorted Conversation. Hi, Elka.

SPEAKER_09 5:23

Hi, Helen.

SPEAKER_06 5:24

How are you? Oh, pretty good. Plan it planning the next trip. Well, that is good to hear, and you survived the first one even better to hear. Yeah. So how did this, was this a bucket list whim for you? Something you've always wanted to do, or was it kind of a spur of the moment? I want to do this, I'm gonna go plan it. I think it kind of uh evolved.

SPEAKER_09 5:50

It wasn't a bucket list for sure. And I think for me, it was I had ordered this trailer, it took three and a half years to be built. Oh wow. Just because of where I was in the lineup, and not that it takes that long to build those, but and they're custom built. And then, and you're right, it was late in arriving, about I think three months, three or four months, and yeah, it created a lot of chaos because I had wanted to take a little weekend trip just to try it out. And right, I had never hauled a travel trailer before. I I used to have a camper trailer which was 12 feet the box, and this is 21 feet, and oh, so almost double, yeah, and plus higher. Oh so a whole different adventure for sure, and so it took some time getting used to uh actually driving it, and it was really trial by fire because I I had once I planned to go, I mean, I could have stayed home and not gone. However, I was determined to go and you know, I wanted to see my friend in Kentucky, and then I was also going to this adventure in Arizona, and yeah, so it was I was determined. So originally the plan was for you to leave when? Well, I had hoped yeah, that's a good that's a really good question. I had hoped to leave end of November, so the weather would have still been good, maybe even mid-November, mid-November and end of November. However, my son and his wife were expecting their baby, and of course, I needed to stay, not for the baby, but for my my son and his wife. And so that baby wasn't born until the first week in December. And then, of course, they were doing their baby moon, and I just went, you know what? I've got I've got to get going. I gotta get out of here. Yeah, and the funny part was I had it parked quite nicely in my property, and my car or well, my forerunner would not pull it out of the snow, so I had to solicit my neighbor. I said, Can you pull it and put it into my driveway so then I can just finish the last little bits and then I can just drive out of the driveway? And so he did that, and it was yeah, it was just crazy. I've got some crazy pictures. How so how late did you end up leaving? I actually left December 13th. I know that's my birthday. Oh, really? Okay, cool. And I also first went to Kitchener, so I kind of went an opposite

Mall Near Miss And Trailer Lockout

SPEAKER_09 8:44

direction to visit my mom. And so we were we planned to have lunch in the trailer. And so she said, Oh park at this mall. And she said, There's lots of parking. Well, I thought, well, there wouldn't be because it's just before Christmas. It's gonna be really busy. Anyway, she she said, No, if you park in this section, and I nearly actually I didn't tell you this, I nearly wiped out a car. So I I'm turning in to go to the back area of the mall, and I look in my mirror and I'm going, oh my gosh, I think I just wiped out somebody's fender. And so I stopped right away. I knew I couldn't back up because I wasn't good enough at that point. So I got out and I went, Oh my gosh, you could see just a sliver of air between the trailer and the car.

SPEAKER_06 9:45

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_09 9:46

And I went, okay, don't panic. Go find somebody that knows how to back it up. So I looked around real quick and I saw these two young guys in this very big truck, and I went, they'll know how to back this up. So I went up to them and I said, I need your help. And they they could see me and I said, Can you back this up? Because I said, I have not hit the vehicle. However, I don't know how to get out of this mess. Because I was, you can imagine these rows of cars in a parking lot, right? And then I have turned this big trailer, and basically I did not kiss the car. And so they looked at it and we were kind of laughing. They said, Yeah, we can do this. So the one guy had to stop traffic because people just wouldn't stop. Right. And then so he went and blocked traffic, and people were getting angry, which is crazy. But, anyways, and then the other guy and I watched and made sure I mean he was fine. And then the other guy drove my trailer out of harm's way and we took lots of pictures. But by the time they had done all this, two security guards come up. Oh gosh. And I haven't even left the province. And they said, Well, we've had reports that you smashed up a car. And I went, Well, this is the car. And they went, Well, we we somebody said you hit it, and I said, No, I didn't. And the two guys that helped me, they said, No, she didn't hit the car. I mean, you could just see if if she hit the car, would there not be like marks on it or or something to say, like it the car was very dirty, which was good. They said, Wouldn't she have at least rubbed the dirt off the car? And the one guy said, Yeah, you're right. And there wasn't any marks on my my trailer or the tires. So they just took pictures, they gave me their card, and they just said, You're good to go. And we we're very satisfied. So that was how I started. And and anyways, my mom and I had a good laugh about it because I was like just totally dysregulated by the time I saw her. And then we had a really nice little lunch, and then I left the parking lot safely. I went and took a bigger, bigger uh alley, and then I stopped at it en route, and I think I wanted to get something out of my car, and the trailer locked itself, and I hadn't put the two keys separate, so I locked myself out of the trailer. Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_06 12:27

And I had You're not even out of Canada.

SPEAKER_09 12:30

No, no, and I I just went, oh my gosh. And so, yeah, that was a whole adventure. They actually didn't, they were gonna drill out the the lock, and I said no. And I was it took four hours to get somebody to come out because it was already late and it's winter, and anyhow, they that was interesting too because the I had insurance and they did not have record of my insurance.

SPEAKER_06 13:01

Oh, you're kidding.

SPEAKER_09 13:02

No, how did that happen? Well, later I found out it was a glitch in their system that they had been changing systems over, and oh no, that was yeah, anyways, so so far things are going swimmingly. Yeah, yeah, it was just a bit crazy. But you know how he opened it, and I've since I bought myself a set. This is so cool. And he said, Well, I can drill drill out your door, and I said, No, you're not doing that because I want to be able to lock my door. And and he said, Well, you can get a lock tomorrow. I said, No, I can't. It's Sunday, and I said, I'm traveling, like I won't be able to replace this lock for a while. So then he said that what they could do is pump the door. So they they have these little things they pump, and so he puts one above the lock, one below, and they actually the door is flexible enough. They didn't hurt the door, they'd kind of hurt the edge of the door a little bit, and they bent the door enough that the lock gave way. So if you ever want to break in. So I bought myself a set of those, so they work really incredibly well, and apparently they can open car doors in that way too. Not every car, but they can. Yeah.

Border Crossing Then Power Goes Dark

SPEAKER_09 14:24

So then I ended up in Toronto, got to visit the baby and my son, and then I crossed the border, no issues, very easy border crossing. Lots of people in Canada. Oh, don't go, don't. And I'm just going, you know what, we're neighbors, everybody's fine. And they what year was this? It was last winter. 2025 into 26. Okay. Yeah, it was fine. In fact, there were no lineups because people were so freaked out about traveling. And honestly, everybody was uber great and super wonderful. So then I park in New York City at a rest stop and I crashed the system. So I woke up in the dark, so the whole solar, everything just went to zero and I had no power. And I went, seriously?

SPEAKER_06 15:22

When you say crash the system, that's the electrical system for the entire trailer.

SPEAKER_09 15:26

Yeah, everything. Everything done, black, everything. So even my fridge. So I I didn't open the fridge, obviously. All the power is gone, everything is, yeah, it's done. Dead. And it's late. And so that point it was three in the morning. And so I just went, you know what? I gotta get out into warmer weather. Like this is ridiculous. And so I was sold that the trailer was winterized and it wasn't. It was insulated very well. However, it did not have the capacity to keep

Whiteout Blizzard Driving Survival Mindset

SPEAKER_09 16:04

the furnace going. Anyhow, so I I drove through two states and a major, major blizzard. I didn't realize how bad the blizzard was until later at the news. It was a it was uh it was like December 15th. So I went through two states and when it became daylight, and there were times it was white outs, and I went, oh my gosh. I've and I would I was driving fairly slow, but I have done a lot of winter driving living in Canada.

SPEAKER_06 16:35

Well, I I would assume so, but I have to tell you, living in the Northeast, and it sounds like you were in the Northeast at that time, we had a really rough winter last year. Really rough winter.

SPEAKER_09 16:48

Yeah. Oh, when it started daybreak, lots of cars in the ditches, like lots. And I'm going, oh my goodness, what you know. So I figure I have travel angels for sure. And I knew I I had to keep driving because you can't stop in that type of weather. And I also, because of the my my forerunner and because of the trailer, you've got some weight. So just go slow. You don't uh you don't go super fast and you don't put on the brakes because that that uh causes a lot of trouble. So and it wasn't hilly, so that was good. And then I just kept driving. I was in a zone, I just I just went, I have to and determined, like just for safety, for survival. So I got myself to Kentucky at my friend's and she had some hydro for me. So I I plugged in, and of course the weather was much better, and so I was able to get the trailer washed and and then I started doing some research because the solar system wasn't able to support the furnace. So I I had some different options, but I didn't really get anything done until a few like about a month and a half later. So I still ended up crashing the system, and I've learned so much. So you didn't really have a choice. No, but I started to realize. So here's something I started to realize, and I I know this may sound simple or maybe silly to some, but I realized I didn't have to figure it all out. So I I went online and I'm not so used to doing that. So I went online and I started researching winterizing trailers, what should you do?

SPEAKER_06 18:43

Right.

SPEAKER_09 18:44

And simple things like insulating the vents. So I did that right away, and that made a huge difference. Yeah. And and then I also put in blinds because I didn't like when you still have curtains, but that doesn't take the light away. So I had put in darkening blinds that helped the insulation as well.

SPEAKER_06 19:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 19:05

And it was very easy to put the blinds in.

Custom Trailer Built For Daily Life

SPEAKER_06 19:08

Let's uh let's talk about the camper itself. I know we started, you know, talking about the journey. It kind of went from where you're located to Toronto, to you know, down to New York, and then finally to Kentucky. Tell me about your trailer. It's a custom-built camper trailer. So what what what does that mean when you left? What what had you purchased?

SPEAKER_09 19:37

Well, I purchased a 21-foot trailer. And so custom means that you can, well, they have basic layouts. I didn't change the layout too much, but what I wanted was a wider floor space so that I could still do my workouts, uh, my yoga and my uh 21 dependent right. So I ordered a wider trailer. I got a little resistance on it, so eight feet. A lot of the trailers, they make them a little more narrow so that other vehicles that a regular mirror can see. And I I said, no, I wanted eight feet because I did the measuring and I said, I want to be able to do to roll my yoga mat out. Um, and that's a really important to me. And I also wanted a walk-around bed, so I have a full queen size bed with closets. Yeah. And uh that was important because sleep to me is extremely important, and so I did have very good sleeps when I when I was warm. And then the other thing, you could I have a very big fridge because cooking is important, and so is the fridge. So I I and then the other thing is I don't microwave, but I did get an oven and three burners, and that so that so I got to custom put in what I wanted, and then the table, they made the table as large as they possibly could because it was going to be my office. I still did my work, and plus I'm creative, so I do collage and painting, and I wanted to be able to do that. So that's yeah.

SPEAKER_06 21:16

With with the with the custom aspect, it really is more the quality of life piece of of the camper. Is at any point did they say, you know, what are your plans for this? You know, is it just gonna be a summer, you know, pull-along camper trailer? I did you share with them how it was. You know, you were gonna do long distance travel.

SPEAKER_09 21:38

Yeah, I was very clear that most of my travel would be off grid and that I would be going for months at a time, not just weekend trips. So like the trailer, it would have it would be no problem just to be off grid for a weekend in warm weather, not even cold weather. And and that's that's a little bit, you know, there's Some probably I could have done more research. I mean, I did as but best I could. However, northern Arizona gets very cold at night. Yeah. Minus 11 and freezes everything. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 22:14

Desert, extreme weather on both ends, whether it's hot or cold.

SPEAKER_09 22:18

Yeah, and I didn't know that I was. I mean, I did know that the elevations made things colder and warmer. And and I had been told where I was going was mild, which wasn't true. But so then I crashed the system a few more times.

SPEAKER_06 22:34

Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I'm kind of surprised that the folks you purchased the camper from didn't do a better job of trying to assess how you were going to be using this so that they could recommend some of those things like winter rising and you know, you may want to consider this, you may want to consider that. So that really is something you had to roll up your sleeves and identify just based on the fact that it became an issue.

SPEAKER_09 23:05

Yeah, and I did, I I was clear, though the people that built the trailer are not winter campers. They are not months at a time campers, like they do camp themselves. And most of their people don't do or use the trailer like I I wanted to, even though I said, you know, I want Wi-Fi, and they said yes. And there wasn't Wi-Fi, it was a booster, and you needed cell phone, and where I was going, that wasn't even a thing. So I I mean I saw things along the way. And I mean, I got a Starlink roaming, which was phenomenal.

Solar Limits Starlink Fixes Battery Upgrades

SPEAKER_09 23:48

We got it set up and it was great. I mean, I sometimes I had it on the dash of my car, sometimes on top of the trailer, and I was able to still do Zoom, like interviews and my clients, so that it was really good that way. Then what I learned, I actually met a great young electrician that his hobby and not just hobby, but his whole interest is solar, self-sufficiency, batteries. And the interesting thing is he put in a battery for a fraction of the cost and he tripled the capacity of my battery system. So oh wow. Yeah, it was just we had a good conversation, and because of all the research I did, because the fellows that built the trailer couldn't answer my questions. So I went right to the company and I had lots of conversations and with the battery people, with the controller people, because I wanted to understand why it wasn't supporting the furnace. So the solar, it's so interesting the way they build trailers now. The solar gets the system going, then the protein, the propane runs the heat, but it needs the power to run that. So it's really my other trailer was independent and duo. It was so it's very different. So the other thing I'm doing is I'm gonna double the battery again. I have room, and I'm going to put an inverter in so I can actually use the plugs and it will run everything, and I won't have any issues.

SPEAKER_06 25:34

Well, good. It sounds like you had some travel angels along the way if you stumbled upon an electrician whose specialty was solar and he was able to help you out in in such the way that he did.

SPEAKER_09 25:46

Amazing. Yeah, terrific. Yeah, yeah. And I I just found lots of real cool sceneries, even by accident. I discovered, I don't know if you know about the granite bluffs in Prescott Valley, and I just enjoyed all the western stories and did lots of hiking and discovered a beautiful campsite right nestled into these granite dells, and it was just fantastic. And that's where that's where the electrician where I I met him, and and they're neat, they're mobile, so they come right to your location, and it's just different in the states because the market is much bigger, so so that was pretty cool.

SPEAKER_06 26:32

From from start to finish, well, at least for the first leg going from Canada and

Arizona Beauty Granite Dells And Big Views

SPEAKER_06 26:40

eventually making it to Arizona. How long did that take with everything else that happened?

SPEAKER_09 26:47

Well, I stayed in Kentucky for a week and then I traveled over Christmas, and that took actually five days, I think. Four to five days. I think it was five days from Kentucky to Arizona. Yeah, so that that was quite a quite a journey. And then So it was it was pretty much what two weeks total from Canada to to Arizona by way of Kentucky.

SPEAKER_06 27:13

Yeah. That's actually not bad time considering the storms.

SPEAKER_09 27:19

Yeah, and I'm not sure. Yeah, and I wasn't I wasn't trying to be in a hurry or anything. I just thought I'll travel through Christmas because I didn't want to trouble people through their holidays, which was fine. And and then of course, as I got to Arizona, there wasn't any there wasn't any snow. It only I think rained a couple times. And then once I was on the off-grid location, it snowed a few times, but just it would snow and then melt, you know, by noon kind of thing.

SPEAKER_06 27:50

So what what were some of the the memorable sights that you saw along your journey making your way to Arizona? Had you ever traveled anywhere in the States before?

SPEAKER_09 28:02

Not like that. I've I've flown, but no, not like that. So yeah, what I what I noticed is I just love the vistas. And so when I go back, I want to spend a little more time looking at New Mexico. Like the scenery is just incredible. And I don't know if I'll get to Utah because there's still so much in Arizona. And then I think the Granite Dells really impacted me and Prescott. So I'm gonna be spending a month there at that campsite. Oh, nice. They were just amazing, and I I just felt really comfortable there. And like I said, I love the culture, I love the Western culture, and and people are mostly pretty relaxed. Yeah. And so that, and then you said scenery-wise, I mean, I love the cacti, I love the ruggedness. I think a lot of uh like I went to the big crater, that was mind-blowing. I I did get as far as the Grand Canyon, however, I decided I was gonna wait till I go this time and then camp close by. And so then you can get like those five-day passes.

SPEAKER_06 29:20

Right.

SPEAKER_09 29:20

And uh so then the canyon's beautiful. Yeah. So we want to do that. And yeah, so that was kind of the scenery, I suppose, that I saw.

SPEAKER_06 29:33

What what about memorable characters, people you met along the way, or people you observed? You you didn't even

Kind Strangers Dealership Gifts Road Characters

SPEAKER_06 29:40

necessarily have to have an interaction with them, but I don't know, somebody you noticed at a rest stop or just a funny road story, travel story.

SPEAKER_09 29:49

Yeah, I've got a few, as you were saying, that that popped in. One, which was kind of fun. I I needed to get actually uh the engine light went on. This was, I think, was this before Kentucky or after? And I went, oh no. So I didn't want to get stuck. So I went to a Toyota dealership. And actually, yeah, it was just before Arizona because it was close to Christmas Eve. And I went in and just told them and they said, Yeah, we'll we'll fit you in, which was our extraordinary. And I didn't know what was gonna happen. Anyways, I guess there was just a short in the system, and they just handed me the keys back, got my trailer loaded up, and said, Merry Christmas. And they wrote up a whole report and they said, Take it to your mechanic. But we we think it's just a loose wire throwing off the engine light, so it's not an issue. But they did a full, they must have spent over an hour, and I didn't ask for anything, but they they just said Merry Christmas. So that was really sweet. And then when I went to the next Toyota dealership, that was a few weeks later because it needed an oil change. The one service manager, he was waiting for me to say a and call him a hoe's head. Anyways, and he says a. So that was kind of a funny little kibbutz. And and then I met some really cool people that live off grid, that are digital, real digital nomads. So they don't have a house, they just have a trailer. Wow, and I did have conversations with them, and it was fun because they were also they all had made the trailer their own. So I realized that, you know, no matter what, that I'm customizing it, it's not quite ready. It will be soon, and it will be the way I want it to be, and it's gonna work the way I need it to work. So that's okay. Because there was another guy, like some of these trailers, they look like they're on steroids, they're like Hummer version of trailers with huge tires, and one guy, I think he has said he had seven batteries. I said, What are you doing with seven batteries? He goes, Well, I never want to run out. He said, I've I my work's too important and I'm on the computer all day. And I went, Wow.

SPEAKER_06 32:19

And so yeah, so people do different things to Did you did you find a lot of folks were going more off-grid? Because to me, that is a whole new world. But where the nature of work, depending on what you do, especially if you, you know, you own your own business or you're a freelancer, you're, you know, a consultant, being able to work from just about anywhere is pretty common. And, you know, it would make sense to me to see a lot of folks doing what they said they were going to do when they retired and had the time, doing it now because uh a lot of employment right now can afford that type of freedom. As long as you can hook into the internet and run a computer, you can work from just about anywhere. Did you find a lot of people like that on the road, or were they more of the environmentalist types that you know really do want to live off the grid for the sake of living off the grid?

SPEAKER_09 33:21

Both. Oh, okay. Yeah, both. And I think and and all those things that you said is if you can do it, like why not? And I think what happened, you know, through the pandemic, there were people, colleagues, that they just left the country to go to a warm place like Costa Rica, or they they went to South America or Mexico, and they just went, you know what, I'm gonna work from here and wait till all this blows over. And I just went, wow. And then some of my colleagues up north totally went digital. They don't even see people in person anymore. Now they're not that that particular person isn't traveling, but so that kind of started opening me up, and I kind of went, well, wait a minute. And I talked to my clients, and I just said, you know, I want to do this, I'm still with you. So there was about three people that didn't want to do virtual, but everyone else said, Yeah. And then I still have clients that I've never met and they were virtual anywhere, anyways, so they didn't care if I was in a trailer or if I was on the beach. It, you know, they it didn't matter to them because I was their virtual

Off Grid Work Life As Therapist

SPEAKER_09 34:40

therapist. So yeah, so I saw both, and I saw people living off grid, though the same people living off-grid, they had businesses. Yeah. Um, and because we're still doing commerce and we still have to buy food, we're not, you know, even though I grow a lot of my food, you still need money. So you got to earn money. So yeah, it was both. It was really interesting, and I'm really excited to go again because I've learned of some more communities. So I'm going to do that, and I'm going to go further south first, as and as it warms up, I'm going to uh head more north. So the Grand Canyon is going to be in March or April.

SPEAKER_06 35:24

Oh, good. And you know, you will be surprised at how warm it can get at that time of year out there, but still beautiful.

SPEAKER_09 35:32

Yeah. And good. Yeah, and I'm winterized now. I mean, I don't have to panic. I have a heater. The other thing I panicked about was my my tanks are would freeze. And it's okay for your gray water to get a little sludgy, but you your fresh water, you don't want it to freeze. So now I have a nice heat pad on there and it just keeps it from freezing. So yeah, it's a lot, a lot more relaxed. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 36:01

Well, you know what? It almost sounds to me like there's only so much you can prepare for. And then you've just got to pull the trigger, go and experience it, and figure things out as they break or as they they don't work. Because I think if you sit and prepare and prepare and prepare to be 100% ready, you're never gonna get out of the gate.

SPEAKER_09 36:24

No, and you know, I prepared, I have lists. So I I had a sewing kit, I had first aid kit, like all these things. Yeah, it takes a lot to prepare. Like right now, my trailer is in my driveway, and I finally I've got it all cleaned up, and it's really nice. And I'm gonna go on a two and a half day trip, just short. However, I don't have there's a lot of things I don't have to do. It's ready. Like I put shelves in, the blinds are in, I yeah, I've got the bedding, like everything, that all that coordination and the containers and the cleaners and whatever you need in the bathroom and towels, it's all packed and ready in there. And yeah, it's nice.

SPEAKER_06 37:12

But even like the mechanical side of it, like not knowing not knowing about you know, winterizing prior, you know, prior to leaving and actually going, hey, I need to do some research to keep warmer, it's it that at least you you know you you had to stumble over in order to discover it, but then you know, you found a solution for it, and so the next one will be smoother. At any point during this trip, because it really was like the discovery trip for you, I think. Yep. At any point, did you ever consider turning around and going home and saying, I just forget it, this is just too hard.

SPEAKER_09 37:58

No, I didn't actually, because I know that there was just so so much craziness. And I have to say, the Arizona sun, so by noon, I was sitting in a lawn chair in the sunshine, and I just went, This is why I'm here. Uh, this it was worth it.

SPEAKER_06 38:20

So you saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

SPEAKER_09 38:23

Yep, and and the other thing is, I mean, this time I'm gonna pack warmer clothes. I I almost had enough warmer clothes, but I'll be a little boy, you know, I'll have insulated boots and I'll just be a little more prepared and tweak, tweak that part.

SPEAKER_08 38:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 38:42

And then, yeah, and and and you know, who knows? I mean, I just I think I'll be ready.

Coming Home Lessons And Slower Planning

SPEAKER_06 38:50

How long how long did you stay? It took you what, three weeks to get to Arizona. How long did you stay in Arizona? And when did you when did you head back home to Canada?

SPEAKER_09 39:01

Well, I left March 23rd, and I went uh to Niagara Falls, so that took me a uh five days. I had lost a credit card and found it. I didn't find it, the gas station did, so that turned out okay. And then I got to Niagara Falls and I thought, because it was still too early to come home, I work with First Nations, and my community had been evacuated to Niagara Falls, so I I doubled up my time to work with them, and so I spent three weeks in Niagara Falls. And you know what, Helen, it rained every single day. And I went, I haven't seen rain for months. And I get home to Canada, and every day, and no word of a lie, it rained every single day that I was there, and the last day it didn't, and that's the day I came home. Oh wow. And that was a weird, it did feel weird being on the road for so long because I lived in that trailer for four months, and and then I came home home, and I had left my home in a disaster, so I'm not doing that this time, and my plants were half dead, and there was just issues here. So this year I'm just going, I'm just taking it slower.

SPEAKER_06 40:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_09 40:29

Cleaning like I moved my office last year. I I had I was audited, I had to write a big four to six hour exam. These were all little surprises, and there was a just a whole bunch of stuff that happened that you won't have to deal with again. That I won't have to deal with. And and so it's just like I said, the trailer, now I look at it and I go, oh, I don't have to build shelves, I don't have to go measure, I don't have to put liners in, I don't have to get little containers, and I don't have to worry about retrofitting everything and the silverware is all in and all the cooking side. Like it, like yeah, it's really I mean, I kept it clean, like once you have it set up, yeah, and I I like the stuff that's in there is designated to stay in there, I just went, it's done. And doing this little weekend trip, I have a little list, but most of it's just food for the weekend. Yeah. And everything's ready, and it's like, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 41:31

So through that journey last year and and at the beginning of this year, what do you think you learned about you through everything? Because you spent, you said you spent four months living in that trailer. You had an awful lot of time to be with yourself and an awful lot of time to reflect. What what do you what do you think the big takeaways from that first journey were for you?

SPEAKER_08 41:56

Wow. I think that'll always be able to figure it out. I don't have to do it by myself.

SPEAKER_09 42:08

So I can research that lots of people are are like really everybody was super nice. And my mom, she was so funny, she goes, You have to put that on Facebook. Like, people think Americans aren't nice. And I went, They were phenomenal. And and she and and like I had friends that said, You're not gonna be able to come home, they won't let you back in the country. I said, You know what? Like, just go away. I want to listen to it. Oh, she's so funny. I know it is funny, and and everybody was so nice. And the only hard person that I had was a Canadian ticket woman at the airport. And I went, seriously, you're the one giving me a hard time. But anyways, it just is made. Is it funny?

SPEAKER_06 42:50

It's funny. A lot of the people that are here for the World Cup from Europe are saying the same thing. What's that? You know, that Americans are not the ex, you know, experiencing Americans is not what they have been led to believe. You know, that people are nice and they're friendly and they're open and they're welcoming. So thank you for discovering that as well.

SPEAKER_09 43:14

Yeah, and it's nice, right? So, well, you know what? I know some Americans even asked me, they said, Are you guys mad at us? I go, No, you're my neighbor, you're human, you know, you're kind, and I'm kind, and that's good. That's all that matters. Yeah, and then that was it. Then all the political discussions were off the table, and we just continued to to talk about plants and gardening and life and kids and as things should be.

unknown 43:47

Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 43:49

So you did this trip once, you have plans to do it again. I have to tell you, it is and and it was actually started by my parents. My parents both said when they were of retirement age, their dream would be to get a camper and drive across the United States, camp, and you know, see everything that this country has to offer. And I got bit by the bug with a friend of mine who is also kind of my partner in crime for travel. And I don't know if this is going to happen, but we did start a spreadsheet of if we were going to take a cross-country trip and do this in retirement, where are the places that we would want to go? And we broke it down into like places we wanted to eat because they were like regionally known. So it was like restaurants, places to stay down in Kentucky, staying in a big bourbon barrel. You can actually do that. So we have this spreadsheet of places we want to go and things we want to do. And again, traveling across the country to see what we have here is I've heard a lot of people say it's something they would love to do. What's your second trip going to be about?

Second Trip Goals And New Stops

SPEAKER_06 45:08

Now that you've experienced it a little bit, what else do you want to see when you come back?

SPEAKER_09 45:15

Well, I want to go a little earlier to visit my friend. She has a wellness center and do some workshops with her. We just didn't have enough time and it was getting too close to Christmas. So we're both looking forward to that. And then I want to visit the people I met. Yeah. So I want to go further south because it's warmer. So down to Tucson and Tombstone and some of those places. And there's some intentional communities down there. So I want to check them out and visit my friends that I've met. So they're they're in Arizona and actually, yeah, they're in Arizona. And so it's just again to hike, you know, in the Sabina Valleys and Sedona, and then work my way up. And then I know there's some spectacular areas in Colorado and Utah. I don't know if I'll get there because there's so much still in Arizona. Yeah. So, so, and then ease my way home. People have said don't come home till you know mid-April. I think I'll just come home end of April. Yeah. And that'll still give me lots of time for my garden and my greenhouse. So that's it'll just change that way. It'll be away a little longer. Yeah, but that's okay. I'm okay with that.

Solo Female Travel Safety And Support

SPEAKER_06 46:34

Now you did the solo. What advice would you have for a solo, a solo traveler or even a female traveler? Because I I think I would be a little intimidated. And when my friend and I were talking about taking this road trip, we were like bringing her husband too, because there's no way I'm driving a camper. But what advice do you have for solo travelers or even female solo travelers? Because I think it is a a a little different being a female out on the road alone.

SPEAKER_09 47:05

Well, yeah, I think part of it is confidence. So I actually belong to Harvest Host, and I'm a host as well as a member. So what is Harvest Host? Well, it's a it's an app that where you pay very little money. I don't even know anymore, but it's not a it's not a lot of money. And then I have people that will stay on my property, they don't have to pay. And then you can travel through the states. There's thousands of sites where you can travel, and then you're actually staying at somebody's property, which is nice. Wow, yeah. So I did that a couple times, and then the uh and I learned a lot from them. They were very helpful and encouraging. So I would recommend something like that. And then there's a group, there's Facebook groups of women campers they that solo camp. So uh joining that is a good idea. And the other thing is I really enjoyed the truck stops, they were super easy, they were on route, and especially when I had to really, you know, watch my time, and uh they were safe. The truckers, they were very safe. And I have some fun pictures of you know where I parked, and then two transports, they park like cigars beside you, and they're perfect. Um, I wouldn't have been backing it up like that. They backed up after, but you know, there's these big honking trucks and then little me. Yeah. And very safe. It's sometimes it's noisy, but they now have other designated spots where RVs can park. And again, very reasonable, very clean. So yeah, I I think, and you know, if you're worried, then you know, I know pepper spray I think is illegal, but you know, you might have to arm yourself. It's just about, you know, just be safe. Like I didn't travel in the dark, and yeah, just I don't think I think maybe once I felt a little nervous. I was a little more remote than I I liked, but other than that, I didn't, I felt really I felt pretty safe.

SPEAKER_06 49:18

I think I think besides the safety, the other thing that would worry me is if technically anything were to break down. And it's the the same concern I have when my car breaks down at home and I have to go to the mechanic. It's like, are you really being honest with me? Are you taking advantage of me because the only thing I know how to do with my car is check the oil and put gas in it?

SPEAKER_09 49:41

Well, actually, you bring up a really good point. I have, I do have CAA, and I know you guys I think have triple A. That's really good. And you can get trailer packages. I also got a special trailer package insurance. So I I think I was a little overinsured. However, for the first time around, I thought that's okay because then you have backup. You have they'll come and get you, they'll come and get you to safety, to a mechanic or whatever you need, or fix tires or whatever, unlock you. So yeah, that that that's really important. Uh definitely would get travel insurance.

SPEAKER_06 50:27

Yeah, no, good ad dealer. Good advice, good advice. So where can folks do you blog?

Where To Find Elka Online

SPEAKER_06 50:37

Do you have did you post anything from your adventures online? Is there anything I can help you promote?

SPEAKER_09 50:43

No, it'll be our. This is the only time that I've really talked about my trip. I didn't post things on Facebook because I didn't want people to know I was away.

SPEAKER_06 50:54

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_09 50:54

Good point. Because of my property. Now, maybe next year, because I do have an Airbnb, so if that's occupied, then then that could work. I would then I have good neighbors, but I'm still remote. I think let's promote this blog so people have this podcast so people can hear about it. That would be and if people want to connect with me with my books or any of my work, lovingyourlifebook.com is an easy way to find me. And they can check me out. And it has all my links like Facebook and LinkedIn, perfect, Instagram, and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_06 51:33

So perfect. Well, Alga, thank you so much for your time. This has been really fun. I love, I love that you are just a roll up your sleeves kind of woman to and and get out there and do and learn as you go. I can't say I'm a hundred percent like that. I think I get to the point where it's like I can't possibly plan or prepare anymore. Otherwise, I'm just gonna stagnate. But yeah, jumping in, getting your trailer, taking off in the middle of winter. I like hats off to you. I really admire that. I really admire that. And thank you so much for sharing your story.

SPEAKER_09 52:13

Oh, you're most welcome. I don't I don't know if it's admirable. They say there's a fine line between courage and stupidity. But I think, you know, I I think if you've got a dream, just do it and you're gonna figure it out. That's what I I believe that. And obviously, I knew that I would come home safe. Yeah. Um, and and I was open to it. And so, you know, just try you gotta trust yourself a little bit that you're gonna figure it out.

SPEAKER_06 52:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_09 52:47

Yep.

SPEAKER_06 52:48

And and it's okay. Absolutely. Again, Elka, thank you so much for your time. Well, thank you.

Takeaways Photos And Community Callouts

SPEAKER_06 53:06

What an interesting woman. I loved chatting and getting to know Elka. My main takeaway from our conversation was her ability to just go for it and figure out the rest as she went. I think sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in the preparation and making sure we're ready that sometimes we forget to start, or we start so late we never really hit our stride. I know that's a struggle for me. Elka bet on herself and gathered up the missing pieces as she continued moving forward. To me, it's a it's a great lesson to just prepare as best as you can and don't be afraid to move forward, knowing that you've got your ability on your side and that you're going to be able to bounce back from whatever might happen. Let me know what your key takeaway was from her journey by using the link at the top of the show notes. All of Elka's contact info are included in the show notes. And while you're there, don't forget to connect with me and the podcast. All my socials are listed there as well. Plus, check out my first audiobook narration, Let Them Pray. I've included the link there too. If you're not following the podcast on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok, or you're not a part of the Assorted Conversations Podcast community, join now, follow now. Don't miss out. I'll be posting photos from Elka's journey. So you'll get to see her camper, you'll get to see some of the sites that she saw, and uh they're really beautiful. So make sure you're hooking up with us on social media. As always, thank you for listening and for supporting and sharing and reviewing. We hit a milestone this past week of 7,500 downloads. Again, thank you for just always being there for the podcast. And our next milestone will be 10,000 downloads. So again, thanks for listening, and I'll see you in two weeks.