Camping Out

I had managed to side-step building codes by constructing not a building, but a "travel trailer.” With that stumbling block out of the way, I still faced a zoning problem. I want­ed to live in town, and, like most towns, Iowa City does not allow trailer camping just anywhere. You cannot just buy an old lot and park there indefinitely. The restric­tions do, however, allow for "camping out” in one’s own backyard.

Upon discovering this, I snatched up a small fixer-upper on a large wooded par­cel and proceeded to set up camp. The rent collected from the big house covered the ensuing mortgage and taxes. I would "camp out” in my own backyard for the next five years before selling the property and heading West.