After 50 years of marriage and spending 13 years on the road, Graciela Szwarcberg and Hector Porch have discovered a “rhythm” to their relationship.
Graciela and Hector were camping on Thursday at Lake Farmington in an RV they bought 13 years ago in France. It was in 2013 that the couple from Australia decided to travel around the world in a camper and essentially live off the land.
“We are completely off the grid,” Graciela said. “This life we live is very simple.”
The RV is equipped with a bench and table, a tiny kitchenette with a refrigerator, a toilet and a small shower. The bed is stored above the table, and the couple takes it down at night to sleep.
Graciela said nothing could prepare you for the life-changing quest of ridding yourself of cellphones, credit cards and having only one phone and one key
But they have learned to be comfortable in their space.
“We like the same things,” Hector said. “We do everything at the same pace.”
They prepare all their meals from scratch, buying fresh foods at grower’s markets when available. They quickly learn about the place they are visiting and move on.
“We get immersed in the cultures we go to. We get involved with the people, see what makes them tick,” Graciela said. “Then, we move every night.”
Graciela said she and Hector were born in Argentina and met at the age of 15. “We married young,” she said, because they wanted to backpack across Europe.
However, they moved to Australia and started a family. She showed off a picture of her five grandchildren on the inside wall of the RV. “We try to go back every three to four months to visit them,” Graciela said.
The outside of the RV is adorned with stickers of flags from every country they have visited, as well as from every U.S. state.
“We’ve been all over the states,” Hector said. They had the RV shipped from Germany to Uruguay, and they “drove from Mexico to Alaska.”
They also visited Key West, Florida, during their first year in the U.S.
“We are exploring the middle now,” Graciela said.
They have a map of the U.S. on the side of the camper, and red dots show every location, where they have stopped and stayed.
When they ended up in New Mexico, Graciela said they didn’t have much knowledge about the state. “We were blown away. We love it.”
Hector said he enjoyed the landscape of Taos and the art in Santa Fe.
When they rolled into Farmington, they decided to visit Lake Farmington, where they hiked the entire perimeter of the lake, and then went for a swim.
“What you have here is a gift,” Graciela said of the lake. “The water is super clean. The whole area is very well kept.”
The couple also enjoyed historic downtown Farmington by visiting the Makers Market in Orchard Park and area galleries.
“We love art,” she told Tara Taylor, an owner, at Artifacts Gallery. “There is beautiful art in here.”
Hector said the couple would be moving on July 17. “We want to go to Colorado for hiking,” he said.
“We do a lot of physical activity,” Graciela added. “We had a great time in New Mexico, and we are thinking of doing one more year in the U.S.”