Sharlene Minshall explores the “The Department of Imagination” and the exciting experiences of boondocking.
I can’t imagine that with a 1.5 billion Powerball jackpot looming a few days ago, you didn’t spend a few minutes wondering what you would do with all that moola after taxes. I can’t say I’ve spent much time dreaming because my kids remind me that you have to actually buy a ticket to be eligible to win. I’d love to give lots of it to my kids but I’m quite proud of how they are doing on their own and I wouldn’t want to upset that applecart. I would maybe set up a fund for each of them…just in case. The grandkids would have the same, but I would set it up so they would not be eligible to receive it until 2026. Even more fun would be to take all of us to an exciting place we’ve never been – maybe in our own helicopter!
Many organizations would be delighted to receive a few thousand. Sadly, I don’t trust the people who run many organizations so I would limit those donations to my church and to the Salvation Army. With that kind of money, you could fund someone to build houses for the military who are struggling, the victims of tornados, hurricanes, floods, and well, the direction of that kind of giving is endless. It would take far more than one Powerball winning to take care of all the homeless, the hungry, and the troubled, but it would be a nice start.
As long as I’m dreaming, I will be completely selfish and run to the nearest RV dealership and order a custom built, mouse proof, push-button sewer emptier, push-button water filler, air conditioner, and solar-powered unit with a GPS (that I’d have to learn to use). It would need huge tanks for gas, water, sewer, and a smidgeon of storage. I’d like a comfortable ¾-bed with storage above and below, roomy bathroom, a microwave, one burner stove, and one comfortable tilt-back chair.
This should all fit into a 25-foot Class A chassis with a swirly Irish and light green exterior. I don’t think they even make slideless RVs anymore but with that kind of money I could have everything done to my own specifications. Why no slides? Well, some of my fondest memories are being out in the middle of nowhere boondocking. If something happened and the slides wouldn’t come back in or if a persistent bear knocked the stuffing out of them (see Doing the Dalton Part 2-April 29, 2013, www.rvlife.com) where would I be…heading down a haul road or a forest service road hoping not to see any big trucks or overgrown trees.
I certainly wouldn’t need to keep it all for myself but I think it would be hard to choose where to give.
Ah dreams, where would we be without them?
(Author note: In this case of the Powerball there were three winners who split it. The state of Washington calls the lottery, “The Department of Imagination.” Lots of winners came out of Washington State including a $500 VISA gift card for someone right here in Sequim. You just never know.)
Winter in the Wilderness, Minshall’s first novel (e-book & hard cover), and the fourth edition of RVing Alaska and Canada are available through Amazon.com.
At 45, Widow Minshall began 20 years of solo full-time RVing throughout Alaska, Mexico, and Canada. Sharlene canoed the Yukon, mushed sled dogs, worked a dude ranch, visited Hudson Bay polar bears, and lived six months on a Mexican beach. She lectured at Life on Wheels, published six RV-related books and wrote a novel, “Winter in the Wilderness.”
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