The author and her husband are at MoonBeam Farm in October of 2021.
I told my wife that the pig was friendly as we walked towards the bar area. There is an RV site in Texas that has award-winning pulled pork, apple pie fries, and a giant pig. She was happy to be petted. She was talking to the pig.
There are places where we fear our gayness may cause an angry reaction from people who don't agree with us. We walk a few feet apart and feel like we are just friends. There were times when this was the case.
We acted casual near the bar. We took in our surroundings like covert operatives. Two women were looking at us without being noticed. I whispered under my breath that this should be interesting.
We were surprised when the women welcomed us to the bar as if we were old friends. We were invited to grab a beer and sit next to each other. The last thing we expected to see in a small town bar was a lesbian couple. When you live on the road, you don't know what you'll find.
We were looking for an undisturbed life when we decided to sell everything and move into an RV. We retired early from health care because we wanted a relaxed pace without being responsible. We don't acknowledge how fortunate we are to have been able to retire earlier than most. We've been on the road for more than a year and have had some amazing experiences.
The author and her wife are at a bar with a pig.
We had a once-in-a-lifetime experience at a campground in the Grand Canyon. We arrived a couple of days early to enjoy the area before my partner went on the hike. A strange sound woke us up on the first day.
When I woke up, I threw on some clothes and opened the camper's shades to see the world. I yelled. There are two big animals outside.
The bulls were about 50 feet away from the females. I fumbled with my phone, trying to bring up the camera without the help of my glasses, and stumbled out of the trailer to take a video.
The bulls sounded like whales under the water. The cows were eating in response. When the females cried, the bulls stopped attacking each other. We were able to see the mist from their breath as they bugled. The view of nature was enhanced by the rising sun through the trees.
When we decided to live a nomadic life of adventure, we imagined epic moments like this. We thought giving up our jobs, home, and security would make us feel better. We didn't think about the possible drawbacks of full-time RV living.
The waste from our black tank spilled all over the ground at the random dump station, we didn't think it would happen to us. Severe winds whipping our trailer side to side as we traveled through The Gorge in Oregon was something we never thought about. We didn't think about how we would be perceived in the conservative areas of our country.
We lived in a city that celebrated diversity as though it was new. Black Lives Matter posters and pride flags can be seen in businesses and homes. Being a lesbian couple in that environment made me believe that being gay was accepted. I was too focused on being idealistic to know better.
The RV and tent camping communities are mostly white. We don't see a lot of people of color. When we see that our campground neighbors are gay, we feel the eyes of judgement and disdain.
We once saw a camper adorned with a life-size window decals of Trump, and it is not uncommon to see RV flying Trump flags. People try to avoid eye contact with us and hear derogatory comments about us. As soon as we learned, we were as stealthy as we could be.
I don't think it's possible to enjoy RV life as a straight couple I don't know what it would be like to walk through a campground and feel like you fit in. Straight couples may be unaware of their freedom due to the lack of sense of belonging.
When we embarked on this journey, I didn't think I would have to hide who I am again. It took me nearly 50 years to come out of the closet, so I feel like my safety is at risk if I don't closet my gayness. When camping in the South, we have seen too many videos of gays being attacked on the internet to hold hands.
When we traveled to an RV park, I began to feel cynical. I would judge people based on their license plates, who they would accept and who wouldn't. I was expecting Texans to be judgmental and unwelcoming before we arrived in Texas. We were surprised by our experience at The Lone Star bar.
The author and her spouse are in Utah.
The lesbian couple who welcomed us to the bar had a great time as we sat with them. They told the tale of how a local woman came to own the bar. They told us how they ended up in Texas. They encouraged us to meet the pig.
While visiting the Lone Star, we swapped stories with our new friends and felt connected. We returned to our trailer with full bellies and happy hearts after a special moment with Minnie Pearl.
We talked about the irony of the situation and how our preconceived beliefs were shattered when we saw apples that were cut and fried to look like french fries. Our tendency to judge others is something we acknowledge.
Queer people are at risk in this country because of who they are. It feels like we are going backwards because of the "Don't Say Gay" bills being passed in several states. This is a large country with good people.
We are aware that we need to be careful. We have been pleasantly surprised on our journey, and we are challenging ourselves to be more fluid in our thinking and to foster an openness that waits and watches before making judgements.
Kim Kelly Stamp is a coffee lover. She and her husband travel in a 21-foot trailer. Kimkelly writes on Medium and you can follow her on social media.
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