October 14: Last Night

The Nomad Nexus camping event I raced to get to in Illinois has been the best gathering I’ve been to. It’s also by far the smallest, which is a large part of the reason it was so wonderful. There were more than 100 rigs and 152 children – many of them feral – at Skoolie UP in August. Here, there were 15 rigs, about 22 people, and two (sometimes three) well-behaved children. It was intimate. Every day, we shared at least one meal prepared for us (jambalaya, red beans and rice with cornbread, s’mores, s’moregasbord, pancakes and bacon, tacos, a yogurt bar … ). There were organized activities during the afternoon, and there was at least one fire to sit around most nights. It turned out to be summer camp for adults. We made sushi, painted, bleach-dyed shirts, played games, went on field trips, and more. I peopled more here than at four other skoolie events put together. And I got helpful tips on where to boondock this winter. 

Most people left yesterday. A few of us stayed today to pack up and clean. I leave tomorrow, making my way to Tennessee to meet up with some folks from here before going farther east to spend 10 days with other skoolie friends. After that, it’s most likely going to be Georgia and Florida for the winter. I am not excited about driving. I am excited that my new morning routine is taking shape. And I want to get inspired and excited about ideas for celebrating the dark moon and Samhain.