Lexi Goforth

Lexi Goforth

Lexi lives in a truck camper down by the river.
  • Joined: February 14, 2019
  • Articles: 750
  • Comments: 149

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas is a bi-polar blend of foodie fair and raucous partiers. For the foodie in search of new experiences, Austin offers up everything from clever food trucks to high-end artesian cocktails. The town is a delightful blend of high-rise prosperity and down-to-earth historic landmarks. There is an emporium of oddities, complete with a Fiji mermaid. There are light towers from the turn of the century. There is a magnificent parade of bats that emerges from a local bridge every evening. And monkeys in bars!

Who Messes With Texas?

Texas desert wilderness

We have come into Texas and are immediately bombarded with the same and constant refrain: "Don't Mess With Texas." It's on t-shirts, bumper stickers, roadsides signs, and even government vehicles. This brings out the armchair psychologist in me. How defensive is Texas that it has to tell everyone right away not to mess with it? Did its mom tell every teacher on the first day of school, "Dear Texas is a very delicate youth and takes things very personally. Please make sure that the other states don't mess with Texas."

The Days of Dodgy

The days of Dodgy are slowly coming to an end. Today, the passenger side window rolled down two inches before it moved no more. At our next stop for gas we bought a roll of duct tape and covered the…

Tombstone, Arizona

Showdown at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona

We hadn't planned a stop in Tombstone but it just so happened that we were driving right through. It is almost as if the town itself were saying "I'm Your Huckleberry." At the very least, it offered tasty steak and locals dressed in period garb. As much of a tourist trap as it was, it was that fun kind of tourist trap and we handled it the way we handle all such draws: by remaining out of the gift shops.

Bisbee

I hear that Sunset magazine is going to try to say it, so let me say it first: Bisbee is the best little town to live in. It has a ton of history, quirky community, artists, a micro brewery, and amazing scenery. Originally a mining mecca of rich copper deposits, Bisbee only barely survived the closing of the mines. Yet, as real estate prices slumped, the artists took notice. Cheap land and scenic views drew artists looking for a place to work and revived the area into its artsy, touristy present. While we only stayed two days, a return is definitely in order.

Tucson, Arizona

After a night outside of Phoenix with friends and some excellent Mexican food, we moved on to Tuscon, where the gem show continued but we had already had out fill of gem shows in Quartzsite. Instead, we rediscovered the wonder of the local library and its open internet connection, taking a few days in Tucson to see more friends and get work done. We may need to start reviewing libraries. Some of these are truly superb, with gorgeous views along with useful tools. Libraries are now, officially, added to our list of digital nomad's core tools, along with truck stops, Walmarts, and Denny's.

Quartzsite, Arizona

Quartzsite is the snowbird's nest. Every year, the tiny Arizona town swells as RVs and campers flood the trailer parks and BLM land and a two month long gem show commences. While the main street does offer some restaurants and a few hotels, the action is in these popup towns where venders sell quartz, antiques, pizza, and beer. If we hadn't already made plans in Phoenix, we would have spent a few days enjoying the warm weather and Beer Belly's Adult Day Care.

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is an interesting example of when humans take water away, give it back again, and then take it away, yet again. The sea was a long standing body of water until the Colorado River was redirected. When a levy failed, the redirected river returned to it's original path, replenishing the Sea for years while the levy was being rebuilt. It experienced a golden age as a recreational destination for Los Angeles's cramped denizens...until it started to sink. As more water evaporates per year than is replenished into the Sea, the Salton Sea retains little other than salt, farm runoff, and the resulting dead fish. Rent is pretty low.