Wanderlust

Starting a meteorite and gem business is what first motivated me to head out on to the road. Selling rocks from space has to be one of the more novel ways that somebody financed almost 2.5 years of traveling. There were other income sources along the way but it was meteorites, more than anything that made it possible. There were many times when I wondered if I’d pay the bills that month. Somehow I did.

I traveled from coast to coast and from north to south. Even with all of this travel, I added no new states to my roster of 44 that I’ve visited—though I did see many new places, as well as old places anew. I was close to Maine and tempted to cross in to a state I’ve heard much about, but I never made it.

Of all the places I stopped along the way, one stands out more than any other: Quartzsite, Arizona. Quartzsite is a town that fills up with misfits and others who also have wanderlust. It booms from Christmas through late February. I’d never heard of it, but a few people I met at rock shows filled me in on this strange sounding place. I completed two seasons as a vendor at Quartzsite. During the first season I stayed for fifty days in the hardscrabble town and loved every minute of it.

The Airstream allowed me to spend more time in coastal California than I ever had before. It is a magical part of our country. From a friend’s ranch in Fremont (near San Francisco) to the mountains of San Diego County, I was able to enjoy the Golden State, even as much of the state reeled from a tough economy.

What gives some of us the unquenchable desire to explore?