‘Everybody had to leave, even the staff.” She chalks it up as a “hard introduction to life on the road.” “And, of course, the experienced nomads around me were saying, ‘Well, this is what happens. If it's not a tire blowing out or something, it's the park having a problem. You learn to take these things in stride.” Carol has found plenty of local places with her membership and has grown especially fond of a spot in Sonoma County on the Russian River. “It's one of my favorite places because of the staff and the location,” she says. “It's four miles from Cloverdale, which is just a slice of nostalgia. It's amazing.” Not all the places she stays at are part of the membership. “Because I started out in Napa County, I had already found places that I can go when I want to park, like Skyline Park, where I used to take my son for Boy Scout activities,” she says. “It's quite nice, the staff is lovely and they have full hookups for RVs. You're paying, like, eight bucks or something,” she says. “I mean, it's nothing, and it's a nice location in Napa.” The nest egg from the sale of her home will eventually run out and then so will the camping membership. “Then that'll be a different story,” she says. “I'm getting down to the end of my money. It's a scary thing.” Carol says her RV is beautiful with two big pullouts to expand the size. But even in a nice RV, life can be challenging. Even so, she doesn’t regret her decision. “I've had the moments that anybody will have when they make this transition, and I call them the, ‘Oh sh-t I'm homeless!’ moments. I've had those moments, but I have not had one single instance where I sat there and cried over wishing that I was back at the house.” She acknowledges that she’s been fortunate so far and even when the nest egg runs out, she’ll still be better off than many who don’t have a home on wheels or any money coming in. “Most people that find themselves homeless don't get to sell their house and have a chunk of money with which to make some plans,” she says. ••••• All three women—Kim, Charlene and Carol— have found strength as well as adversity in their choice to live in their vehicles and for all three the future remains unclear. They all agreed that if there were safe parking areas where they could remain discreet and anonymous it would make it easier for them to safely remain in a North Bay that, for them, is far too expensive—a North Bay that, for them, is still where they call home. g
The view from inside Kim's ‘skoolie’ bus parked on a street in Healdsburg.
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28 NorthBaybiz
December 2024
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