If you ask Rowan, she’s one lucky lady.

A SOCAL native haling from Huntington Beach in Orange County, Rowan left California in 2015 and temporarily relocated to Arizona to help her parents with their business.  Around that time, she also began pursuing her dream of having purpose.  To that end, she re-started her education, attaining a dual major in business and accounting.  “But I knew that I wanted to focus in sustainability,” she explained.  Thus she began her graduate work with Presidio Graduate School in the Bay area, in a program which couples online and off-campus work with monthly weekend sessions.

At first, Rowan flew back and forth to attend the required on-site meetings.  She is working towards a combined MBA and MPA in Sustainability and Social Justice, along with a certification which will allow her to coach businesses in how to establish “for good”, sustainable in practice and responsible in policy.  She mentioned that commuting from Arizona might seem extreme, but others in the program come from further.  One student travels from Romania, and another from Nigeria, she noted.

But the trip started to wear on her, so she cast about for an alternative.  With housing in the Bay area scarce and costly, she decided on a travel trailer.  “I had long been interested in tiny houses,” she explained.  “A used travel trailer would be a cost-effective alternative during grad school, and also give me an idea of whether I can live tiny.”

Rowan purchased her travel trailer and got ready to return to California.  But a few circumstances intervened .

In July of last year, Rowan, her brother, and her two cats Rosie and Lily, set out for parts west.  A couple of hours outside of Seligman, Rowan got a powerful lesson.  She tried to pass a big rig, only to get caught in the side-draft.  She fish-tailed and fought to control the trailer, which wildly swung behind her.  Other drivers perceived her dilemma and hung back, no doubt praying that she pulled out of the dangerous swerve.  But she didn’t.  The trailer, her pick-up, and the cats in their carrier flipped.  Both vehicles were totaled.  The cats survived and other than a cut and a concussion which Rowan suffered, nobody got hurt.

The accident delayed Rowan’s move.  She also knew, without a doubt, that she’d never pull a travel trailer again.  “It will be a fifth wheel or nothing,” she earnestly asserted.  She has designed her future tiny house in fifth-wheel style.  A few months after the accident, she acquired a fifth wheel and a second-hand Subura, and paid for someone to haul the RV to Park Delta Bay.  Once again, fate intervened.  Her father fell ill, causing her to actually park her trailer and her U-Haul at the hospital while tending to him.  Finally, though, she could leave, and so Rowan got to Park Delta Bay four months later than originally scheduled, in October 2018.

Rowan found the Park as so many others have done, by searching online.  In her case, she looked for places which encouraged tiny houses since she  wants to build one for herself.  For now, she’s parked in her Montana Mountaineer on the east side of the park.  Her cats eventually calmed after their harrowing experience, and now enjoy life as indoor pampered princesses.

Rowan’s future holds consulting work and coaching, but  she intends to establish a permaculture eco-village.  Such villages are closed-loop systems, completely self-contained and sustainable, as to food, water, power sources, and agriculture.  She hopes to attend a conference on eco-villages in Italy this year, returning to one of her favorite countries but this time, to embrace her passion and deepen her involvement in the cause.

With an accounting and bookkeeping background, Rowan has a group of dedicated clients.  She has also started more intricate work for major corporations in distant cities.  But she feels at home in the Park, with its cross-section of residents from all walks of life.  Though her studies, work, and travels don’t always allow her to join in the community activities, she likes knowing that the events and amenities will be here when summer comes, her classes break for a few months, and her hectic schedule slows.

Living in an RV has taught her what works and what doesn’t work for her in small-space living.  She has made a detailed sketch of the tiny house that she eventually wants to build, and will look for a professional to draw the blue prints before choosing a builder.  She likes having her own space, in the quiet of the country rather than the relentless din of the city.  “And I like that I can pick up and go if I want,” she adds, though she’ll have to acquire a replacement pick-up before she does.

In the meantime, Rowan, Rosie, and Lily have a peaceful spot beneath the trees.  She has no regrets, despite the setbacks and challenges.  After all, she crawled out of the wreck and continued, slightly delayed but nonetheless on track.  She’s one lucky lady, pursuing her sustainable dream, safe and sound in the Sacramento Delta.