Stories on RVNoise generally come to us from the people who tell them, straight from the horse’s mouth. But once in a while we’ve met folks who are no longer around to tell stories that deserve to be told. I met Joe a few years ago, a nomad who had lived a long, adventurous life as a jack-of-all-trades in northern California. He was in his mid-70s, retired and living in an old Class C motorhome with his irascible English Bull Dog Goober.
Joe and Goober made such a striking pair that I doubt anyone who met them would forget. Joe could be cantankerous but his words were always eloquent and his heart always in the right place. Despite suffering a myriad of health issues, Joe was spry, wiry and full of fire. During the time I spent in his company, Joe was rarely content to sit still. He kept constantly busy with projects to improve and maintain his RV rig, and had the expertise and tools to do anything he set his mind to do. On days where his energy wasn’t up to the task, he could be found reading novels in his camper and spoiling Booger with pieces of cooked chicken.
I first met Joe at a campfire in the Arizona desert. He gave me the gimlet eye as I approached the group on arrival. I asked “who is in charge of this fire?” in hopes of contributing to the stockpile of wood. Joe’s reply was “It all depends on who’s asking”. Unbeknownst to me, the stack of ponderosa pine near the fire pit had been harvested from the surrounding desert, which was illegal there. Joe suspected I might be an undercover Bureau of Land Management ranger looking to catch violators red-handed. We later had a good laugh about that. I also learned that it was always preferable to get firewood from a local vendor. Joe on the other hand was often vocal about rules he thought made no sense.
There are more Joe stories than space to tell them here. His personality and character helped inspire this blog about interesting people we meet on the road, so it is important to share a bit about him.
The last I heard was that Joe served as host at a campground in the California Sierras for the summer but had received some concerning results from recent medical tests. He was embarking on a new round of treatments to commence over the winter months. Joe, if you’re out there I hope you and Goober are having new road adventures in the motorhome and I’ll see you again around the campfire someday. I’ll bring the wood this time.
Who is an unforgettable person you’ve met in your travels and what made them unforgettable? Please share your stories in the comments.
