Milestones
Every new thing—the ones already done, and the ones still coming. The list will get shorter, and the stories will get longer.
Home from the seller's driveway. Forty-five minutes on the freeway. I checked the mirrors every thirty seconds and had the trailer hitch weight rechecked twice in my head before I left. Nothing moved. Nothing rattled. Pearl followed the truck like she'd been doing it for years.
BLM dispersed camping near the Silver Island Mountains, Utah. No reservations, no neighbors, no noise. Sat outside with chai watching stars appear one by one. Woke up to Volcano Peak through the window. Exactly what I'd been imagining.
Two nights at Bonneville Salt Flats — completely off-grid, no hookups, no cell signal. Hiked Volcano Peak solo on day two. The routine settled in faster than expected. Found what I'd over-packed (too many clothes) and what I'd forgotten (a proper dish brush).
Bonneville Salt Flats, Day 2. Woke up to Volcano Peak framed in the cabin window, light just starting to hit the desert. Made chai in the galley and sat outside with it. No alarm, nowhere to be. That's exactly the version I was after.
Haven't been caught in real rain yet. Looking forward to it with cautious optimism—the roof seals looked solid on inspection, and there's something appealing about the sound of it on a curved fiberglass shell.
Unhitch, level, stabilizer jacks, galley hatch open, awning deployed, camp chair unfolded. The goal is under 10 minutes. Haven't timed it in the field yet.
Pearl sleeps two, technically. The cabin is narrow but manageable. I want to find out how that actually works before committing to an opinion.
I've been told it's not if, it's when. I'm keeping a breakdown kit in the truck and trying not to tempt fate by assuming I know what I'm doing.
Rain I'm ready for. Snow is a different question. The insulation gets its real test when temperatures drop below freezing — curious how warm the cabin holds without any active heat source.
Something will break. A hinge, a seal, a connector — something always does. The goal is to be the kind of person who fixes it on-site rather than the kind who limps home defeated.
A lake or a river — close enough to hear it. There's a specific kind of morning that only happens when you wake up next to moving water. Haven't had it with Pearl yet.
The West has deer, elk, coyotes, the occasional bear. I'm not looking for trouble — just the reminder that you're sleeping in someone else's neighborhood.
Utah and Colorado have no shortage of roads that top 8,000 feet. Thinner air, colder nights, better stars. Pearl hasn't been tested at elevation yet — that changes soon.