California Sisters On The Fly

This past weekend, I joined the California chapter of Sisters on the Fly for a weekend at the Kern river in Kernville, CA.  What fun we had!  As you might know, I love taking portraits of people and especially love taking pictures of women and their rigs.

All of the sisters in this group gave me a warm welcome (being the newbie and all) and I instantly felt comfortable being there among about forty or so women that gathered at this campsite for the weekend.  As social as I might seem, I get shy meeting new people and sometimes it takes me a while to feel comfortable in a group situation.  Having a camera around my neck allows me to hide at times, but it didn't take long for me to unwind and be myself.

I love the fact that these women camp solo with their trailers.  Since this was not an "official" sisters trip, dogs and husbands were welcome to join.  It's perfect for me because I prefer to travel with my dog, Max and I think a lot of the husbands were happy to be included with the group to see all of the fun the women have together.  It was cute to see some of the husbands with a sad face when the sisters were announcing upcoming trips and said it was a "sisters only" trip.  I think it's great that the husbands are so supportive of their wives running off with a trailer in tow to meet up with other women doing the same.

For a lot of women, camping solo may seem like a daunting task.  I receive emails from women every so often asking how I am able to travel solo as a women and feel safe.  I usually trust my gut and try to camp where there are people around, however I have made some mistakes here and there and I've learned some big lessons from them.  I think this group is great for women who are afraid to make the leap to solo travel.  You can find meet ups in your area with these women and believe me, you won't feel so alone.

I enjoyed my weekend with these ladies and I hope to come across more sisters on my travels when Max and I head out on the open road.  For more pictures of these women, click HERE.

Sisters On The Fly "We Have More Fun Than Anyone"

I love to camp and it's always nice to meet people with similar interests.  I heard about "Sisters On The Fly" a long time ago when I was searching for vintage trailers.  The fact is, their group has the best collection of "art trailers" that capture the cowgirl spirit that I have ever seen.

I have a teardrop trailer that isn't decked out, but I noticed other sisters with a teardrop on their website so I figured it was still okay to join.  You can join this fun group even if you don't have a trailer.  Beware...after seeing these wonderful rigs in person, you won't be without one for long!

The only thing you need to join this group of wonderful ladies is a good attitude, sense of adventure and an open mind.  Oh yeah, and you have to be a woman.  I figured I fit the bill so I signed up and headed out last weekend on my first adventure.  They have gatherings in each state and a few large events throughout the year.  The group I joined last weekend consisted of mostly women who live in Arizona.  It was held at sister Faye's cabin near Seligman, AZ.  Besides my little teardrop trailer, there were 5 other trailers at the site and many women came without their rig.  Each trailer had a very distinct personality and name that matched the owner that cared for it...I mean, her.  Names such as, "Lazy Ass Ranch," "Skylark," "Getting My Kicks," "Mustang Sally," and "KC" accompany these rigs.  You can take a guess at which name matched the trailer in these pictures.

During the weekend, we toured a working ranch, strolled around town, chatted over potluck meals, and just enjoyed each other's company.  The nice thing about this great group of ladies is that they take the time to meet each other away from the responsibilities of their "other life."  It's about sisterhood and empowering each other to be the best person we can be...and have fun while doing it.  If you join, remember your sister number!  I was asked several times throughout the weekend what my sister number was.  Mostly because a lot of earlier members want to know how large the group has grown to.  My number is #1416.  I know I am a newbie, but not for long!

A special thank you to Faye who coordinated this great group of woman and hosting us at your cabin in the woods.  I loved meeting all of you and I look forward to meeting the sisters on the road again soon.