I plunked my savings from rafting season into buying a motor home. It’s a little early for me to retire, but Al and Jennifer Bell gave me a deal on their Winnebago, “Minnie Winnie,” so I scooted down to Arizona to pick it up. So far I’m loving my new hobby of calling friends back in Wallowa County to ask how cold it is.

Turns out there’s a good population of folks from the county on the same program. I learned of Wallowa County RV potlucks held in Yuma, Ariz. Everybody knows potlucks are a powerful institution in the Wallowas, but I had no idea it had grown to where potluck colonies are being established beyond the borders.

I was lumbering through the town of Prescott and tracked down Jesse Rens, who recently moved back to Arizona after working at the hospital in Enterprise. You will remember Jesse as one of the Wallowa County beard contest winners last summer, and he admits that all the fame and autograph seekers have driven him into the desert, seeking solitude. Stay strong, Jesse.

I also looked up Damian Seuss and his family, formerly of Joseph but now in Flagstaff. After selling their home in Joseph, the Seuss family toured New Zealand in a 16-foot motor home they bought and nicknamed “Teeny-Tiny.”

They left Teeny-Tiny on a consignment lot, expecting a check sooner or later. But back in New Zealand, the RV dealer went out of business and Teeny-Tiny disappeared. Two years later, Damian flew over, hired a private investigator who is a Kiwi version Magnum P.I., got Teeny-Tiny back and finally sold it himself.

“I’m sorry,” I kept saying as Damian told me the saga of Teeny-Tiny. “It’s OK,” he said. “Go ahead and laugh. Somebody should.”

I should have been taking notes instead of laughing, since I’ll be selling my RV once I’m done dodging cold fronts. It’s been brought to my attention that investing in a luxury item may not be the wisest move during a wounded economy. Well, someone’s got to show some confidence if this deflated economic situation is going to rebound, so it might as well be me. Incidentally, anyone looking for a motor home?

But for now, Operation Minnie Winnie is going full force. Wallowa County friends hiked me into old cliff dwellings out in the desert. My dog and I are getting better at avoiding cactus. There’s a collection of highlights, low points and pictures at jonrombach.blogspot .com if you want the inside track on infiltrating the snowbird community.

One highlight that began as a low point was Damian taking me climbing up Morning Glory Spire outside of Sedona. It was breathtaking. Not the scenery. The climb. It took away my breath. But the red rock view was something to behold.

I’m camped for now in the high desert outside of Sedona, which is known for its power spots and vortexes, where the earth’s magnetic fields converge to create unusually high concentrations of timeshare salespeople, Jeep tours and souvenir stands.

Damian pointed me toward his favorite camping spot around here, which he usually has all to himself. Except for the time he arrived to find the dirt road jammed with vehicles. He asked someone what was going on and they answered, “Aren’t you here for the UFO landing? They’re coming tonight.”

So I’m waiting for visitors. And when they arrive, I’ll invite them into the Minnie Winnie for a potluck, Wallowa County style.