Reflections of Life on the Road – October 6, 2025

I travelled from Elko, Nevada to the Twin Falls area of Idaho a couple of days ago and have settled in…to the extent possible since I’ll be moving on in a few days. I’ve run into a few challenges…several rainy days caused some power shortages. My fridge is on the fritz. I have a small leak in my ceiling fan. I realized I need to clean the solar panels and am in search of a telescoping ladder…this raises the issue of online shopping’s effect on my ability to get what I need IRL! Grrrr.

I was reminded by my sister that I’m living on the road and that means various maintenance tasks exist, just like if I was living at home…it’s a good reality check.

On the travel front, much of my drive on I-80 through Nevada and then highway 93 into Idaho involved battled the wind’s effect on my high-roof van. When I was looking at vans before I bought mine I had asked numerous people who had high roof vans if they encountered much trouble with wind…no one expressed concern. I, on the other hand, held a two-handed, firm grip on the steering wheel, with my arm braced on the armrest for extra resistance. My shoulders were tense throughout. There were a few occasions when I passed semis in the oncoming lane that I felt strongly moved…and not in a good way:( I made it just fine, but it rivaled Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride and I’d rather not go again. I’m sure I’ll encounter similar conditions as I travel on…it’s a part of the package.

My first camping spot was Balanced Rock Park in Buhl, ID and it was lovely…just 10 or 12 spots and only four of them occupied in this dispersed campground. A dispersed campground is usually on federal land and is free! There were fire rings, picnic tables, pit toilets and potable water…these are the basics that I like to have (although I haven’t had a campfire yet. I’m uneasy managing a fire with just me to keep an eye on it…too much responsibility!). A river flowed through the narrow park with high rock walls on either side. The next day I took the short, steep climb up to see the rock…at 48 feet tall, 40 feet wide at the top and just 3 feet by 17.5 inches at the bottom, it’s impressive.

I then headed on to Minidoka, and this is when I encountered the effect of the government shutdown. I had already seen notices on the websites of various national parks and campgrounds – The Radical Left Democrats shut down the government – but hadn’t felt the impact directly. Let me be clear: any of the ways I’m impacted in my travels are trivial compared with the people who are without paychecks, even if they’re required to show up for work. I’m not looking at a loss of essential nutritional support, or the inability to buy required flood insurance in states like Florida.

Having said that, I was grateful that Minidoka offers a 1.6 mile walking trail of the concentration camp site providing information about the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during WWII, but I wasn’t able to experience the visitor center. Already outraged by this historic injustice and the repetition of the violation of human and civil rights happening now, I learned some details that made the harm caused by our government’s decision more salient. For example, the incarcerees arrived there after losing practically everything back home on Bainbridge Island and other west coast locations and had to get to work building the prison facilities. From September to December they had no heat or running water and their living quarters were inadequate to meet their needs in the harsh weather conditions ranging from intense heat to high winds to snow and ice.

After working to build out the facility and develop an agriculture program robust enough to sustain the entire camp, and earning just 5-10% of their wages prior to being locked up, they were excluded from the lottery for that very land after the war ended. Some veterans of the war were given the opportunity to enter a lottery for land to build a home and settle there, but the Japanese-American veterans were blocked from the opportunity! This is just one of so many examples of groups of people being systematically harmed and then that harm being exacerbated by policies and practices, rather than measures being taken to ameliorate the harm.

Amidst my feelings of sorrow, my hope for what is possible was elevated by the story of how the prisoners in the concentration camp built a sense of community by creating recreational programs – softball and baseball teams, for example – and replicating other aspects of community life outside the fence. In spite of obstacles, hardship and injustice, people came together to claim their humanity in ways that lessened the agony of their situation and offered something more than just their basic needs.

A final note…I didn’t see a single sign naming the Minidoka Internment National Historical Site until I was two miles from the entrance. Might I have missed one? Sure But I was scanning for signs as I drove, hoping for affirmation that I was, indeed, going the right direction. Seems significant to me.