Faced with events that pointed to the brevity of life, photographer and writer Dawn Wilson bought an RV and launched a quest to enjoy our “beautiful world.”
By Kerrie Flanagan
August 2018
In September 2015, 44-year-old award-winning nature photographer and writer Dawn Wilson uprooted her life. She sold her house in Colorado, bought an RV, and set out to travel the country. Her goals: be on the road for at least six months, visit as many national parks and wildlife refuges as possible, and photograph all 428 mammals of North America. She ended up on a 15-month coast-to-coast adventure.
A Shift In Perspective
A few years prior, Dawn’s world had crashed down around her. Over the course of a year, her mom was hospitalized; her boyfriend, Aeric, died unexpectedly; and her father passed away after a sudden heart attack. In addition, she changed jobs twice, sold a house, moved into and out of a condo, and bought another house.
While at a conference for work, it hit her that something needed to change.
“I went out to dinner that night by myself, and I lost it. I sent an email to my boss and said, ‘I can’t do this anymore; this is my my two weeks’ notice.’ He called the next morning and asked if I really wanted to do this, and I said, ‘Absolutely.’”
Dawn realized she wanted to start living her life. She listed the places she had visited with her dad or Aeric, others she had always wanted to see, and destinations she found interesting. She separated them into A, B, and C locations. Dawn called it her “Year in an RV List.”
“The A locations were my priorities,” she said. “They were the places that Aeric and I didn’t get to. Those were my bucket list places — I didn’t want anything to happen to me without seeing them.
“I spent 20 years chained to a desk wondering why I was never happy. It took some major losses and changes in my life to open my eyes to the fact that we live in a beautiful world and that life is very, very short.”
Nothing Will Stop Me!
After quitting her job, Dawn spent two years building up her photography and writing business. She eventually sold her house, put her belongings in storage, and bought a 2012 24-foot Thor Chateau Type C motorhome.
On September 8, 2015, she was ready to begin her adventure. The phone rang. Her doctor called to say she had found a cyst and was worried it could be cancerous. She wanted Dawn to come in. Dawn refused.
“I hear so often from people, ‘I wish I did this or I hope I can still do this when I retire.’ But what happens if you are told tomorrow you can’t anymore. You can’t hide away; you have to live life.”
With more purpose than before, she told the doctor she’d schedule an appointment when she returned in November. Then, she loaded her two dogs and two cats in the RV and took to the open road.
Out On The Road
Prior to buying the RV, Dawn had no experience driving a motorhome.
“I was so green!” she said. After she took a 15-minute test drive and an hour walk-through with the salesman, he handed her the keys.
During the walk-through, the salesman told her about the sewer system and how to clean out the black and gray tanks. He neglected to tell her that she’d need to visit a camping supply store and buy a sewer hose. “I didn’t know there was such a thing,” she said.
She looked at the pipe and tried to figure out what she could use that was small and light. She went to Home Depot and bought a silver dryer hose.
“It worked, except I had to hold it there,” she said. “I made sure I had gloves. I would put it in a plastic bag when I needed to store it. Other than the one time it slipped, which was disgusting, it worked.”
Love, When You Least Expect It
Driving was a challenge at first. She had to learn how fast she could go without flying down a mountain, how to drive near semi-trucks, and how to back up the motorhome.
“I never felt lonely on the road. Every place you go there are other campers, other RVers that are helpful. They were always curious about my back story,” Dawn said.
She has stayed in touch with some she met along the way. Dawn had been following the blog of a couple visiting all 59 national parks in 52 weeks, and she was thrilled to meet them in person in Alaska. There were two couples from Argentina, a couple from Michigan, and some photographers in Maryland.
In mid-October, Dawn was staying at Rocky Mountain National Park. While she was leveling the RV, a man came over and asked whether she needed help.
“We just got to talking. He was kind of in the same boat. He had some things happen in his life and he was out traveling full-time,” she said.
She and Richard enjoyed each other’s company, but he was heading to the Southwest and she to California. He called a week later and they talked every day.
In November, she returned to Colorado and stayed at St. Vrain State Park. One night, she and Richard were on the phone discussing meeting up at the Grand Canyon. He asked her to look outside to see whether she saw any headlights. Confused, she did and there he was. That whole evening while they had talked, he had been driving to see her.
“That has to be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. It’s pretty flattering when someone wants to surprise you that much,” she said.
No Longer On Her Own
They spent a couple of weeks at that campground together. At one point, Richard asked her where her sewer hose was. She held up her dryer hose in the baggie. He looked at her like she was kidding, and when he realized she wasn’t, he told her they needed to go shopping.
“So, we got a real sewer hose, and I said, ‘Oh, look at this, it even attaches.’”
When she set out on this RV adventure, she planned to do it all on her own. But Richard changed that. In January 2016, Dawn sold her Type C, and together she and Richard bought a 39-foot 2005 Fleetwood Discovery Type A.
“I spent three years doing my own thing and now, unexpectedly, there was someone to share those things with,” Dawn said. “I think that was the biggest thing I missed about being in a relationship — experiences together. Whether it was sharing the experiences or talking about them.”
During another trip back to Colorado, she had outpatient surgery to remove the cyst. Richard helped take care of her before they continued their travels. She was relieved to find the cyst was benign, and grateful she hadn’t let the concern stop her back in September.
Great Photo Ops
As a wildlife and nature photographer, Dawn always looks for great photo opportunities. Photographing the Firefall in Yosemite National Park was on the top of her list. This phenomenon happens for about 10 days each February when the light from the setting sun backlights water pouring down Horsetail Fall, making it look like liquid gold.
For years, she had tried to see this natural wonder, but it never worked out. “It was one of the last big trips Aeric took, and I didn’t go with him because I put work ahead of traveling with him,” she said.
This time, with Richard there with her, Dawn spent four days photographing the waterfall, allowing her to cross it off her bucket list.
The day they were scheduled to leave, they heard there was a bobcat hanging around a Yosemite visitors center. They hoped to see the cat. When they stopped for a bathroom break, it walked by them right before they went in.
“We followed the cat around for about three hours. He could not have cared less that we were following him. We watched one guy try to go up and pet him (that had to be one of the most stupid things I have ever seen anyone do). I got some amazing photos.”
She enjoyed photographing the bears and sandhill cranes in Alaska, the elk on the sand bluffs in Point Reyes National Seashore in California, the spoonbills in Louisiana, the bluebonnets in Texas, and the bald eagles in Maryland.
What’s Next
During her 15 months on the road, Dawn traveled more than 58,000 miles, saw two oceans, visited 27 states, coped with the death of one of her dogs, had surgery to treat a cancer scare, took more than 75,000 photos, and fell in love.
In December of 2016, she ended her adventure and now lives in Estes Park, Colorado. She picked up a job, while she continues her freelance business. She and Richard are upgrading the RV with solar power and modern electronics in preparation for their next big adventure.
Although Dawn currently is taking a break, she hopes to be back on the road soon with Richard. Dawn is grateful she had the chance to travel, experience the nomadic lifestyle, and continue to further her career. She now embraces each day, makes time for the people who are important to her, and does not let opportunities pass her by. She looks forward to exploring more of our beautiful country.
“When I left Jackson, Wyoming, in September after a visit to Grand Teton National Park, there was a sign in front of one of the businesses that really summed up my feelings about this project, this adventure, this wanderlust year: ‘Don’t cry because it is over; smile because it happened.’”
RV Lessons Learned
On her blog, Dawn shared what she learned during her first week of RV ownership:
1. Things will go wrong with the RV.
2. Not everything will go your way during your travels — rain will fall, kayaks will loosen on top of vehicles, and dogs will bring mud into the RV and then jump onto the bed.
3. The RV lifestyle may cost more than you think.
4. Always return items to their proper location — it saves time from hunting in all those nooks and crannies of creative storage spaces in RVs.
5. RVs use a lot of gas — A LOT!
6. Always detach the Jeep from the RV on flat, level ground.
7. RVs rattle a lot — nothing is spared from the constant jiggling (I found sticky dots work great to hold things in place).
8. Vinyl flooring and seats make a ton of sense in RVs — road dust and dirt gets everywhere.
9. You will meet a lot of people who share stories, want to hear your stories, and are willing to provide information.
10. Just because you no longer own a brick-and-mortar home doesn’t mean you don’t have chores to do — kitty’s claws still have to be cut, beds still need to be made, and dishes still need to be washed (or they rattle around in your sink).