You Just Never Know Who You Might Run Into

The challengers' RV.

Jade is watching Helen and one of her RV mates packing
up all the hoses and electrical hookups.

Yesterday morning (Wed) we left Cortez, CO to head southwest to Monument Valley.  As we were packing up, Jeff struck up a conversation with the folks in the RV next door (it was a group of pretty Asian women!)  They are here from China taking part in a reality challenge.  She said they have a youtube channel that they post stuff on. They have two RVs with 4 women in each and they are competing to see who can be the most self-sustaining.  When they began they knew nothing about RVs or how any of the stuff works (think water, sewer, electric hookup) and they have to work together to figure it all out and drive the RV. They are not allowed to get help from anyone. I think they aren’t given the day’s destination until that morning. Jeff asked where they were headed and she said she didn’t know! She (Helen) told us that they get $50 a day for food for the 5 of them.  Her team also has a special needs girl with them who they are raising money for and she gets to be on the adventure with them.  If I had to put my money on one of the teams, I’d bet on Helen.  What a dynamo. She said her group is the outgoing, crazy group and the other ones are all quiet, etc.  She was so funny.  They film crew follows them around.  They were staying in the little KOA cabins right next to the RV spot.  I’ve Googled it and can’t find anything but they seemed legit.  Maybe when we have better wifi I’ll do some more searching.

The camera crew's vehicles and cabin.

View from the window of our RV at Monument Valley KOA.
(I think if you click on the picture, it will enlarge it - shows
what it really looks like a little better.)

Our day of driving was a short one. Only 125 miles or so.  We crossed from Colorado into Utah and then into Arizona.  Didn’t stop at 4 Corners (where these three states and New Mexico meet) because we’ve been there before.  Most of our travels are on the Navajo reservation.  Talk about treating the American Natives like crap.  The place is beautiful in its own arid, stark, ain’t-no-water, I-don’t-have-to-live-here kind of way but it is stinking desert in every direction you look.  We haven’t seen any wildlife to speak of- a single cow or two wandering around in the heat trying to eat the spiky grasses that dot the area.  Every time we come to this part of the world I feel embarrassed and sad.  Embarrassed to be a white person and sad at what our ancestors did to the original inhabitants of the US.  Casinos are juxtaposed with the ramshackle homes that folks live in. I’ll get off my soapbox now.

So tomorrow we go exploring Monument Valley.  Just the view from our RV spot is spectacular.  I can only imagine what lies around the corner.