The traveling hippie couple whose camper was towed after they let more than 20 San Francisco parking tickets pile up bailed their vehicle out of city storage Tuesday, with the aid of donors who put up nearly $6,000 after hearing of their plight.

Now they say they’re heading back home to the South with their 8-month-old baby and fond memories of the city that helped them out when they were stranded.

“I love this city. People have been so nice, and I think we’ve learned a few things out of this experience,” Marielle Lowes, 24, said at the towing office while she filled out paperwork to get her recreational vehicle back. “For one, I’m going to pay tickets as soon as they come in, and for another, maybe work harder not to get them.”

Lowes, her fiance and their son are bound for New Orleans, where they will stay with relatives at first. Then they hope to rent an apartment or house after they land jobs, bringing an end to their days of wandering the West and following what’s left of the Grateful Dead.

Lowes and her fiance, Paul Wassell, 28, had been traveling for several years, dropping into Rainbow Family gatherings and gemstone shows — Wassell makes jewelry — when their journey hit a snag in San Francisco on July 27. That’s the day the city towed the RV from the Sunset District after the couple racked up 27 parking tickets and penalties totaling $2,095.

Lowes and the baby, Donovan Wassell, were left on the sidewalk. Wassell was away during the tow but soon rejoined them, and they all found themselves homeless. They’ve been staying on the couches of acquaintances since then.

More than 50 people emailed or called homeless advocate Paul Boden, who was helping the family, after The Chronicle wrote about their plight Friday. Soon he had enough donations to pay the fees and fines to get the RV freed. The total tab: $5,878, including the towing and storage costs.

People also donated $2,400 to a crowdfunding YouCaring page. Lowes said the family will use it for gas, traveling and resettlement expenses as they make their way home.

Mayor Ed Lee, city parking officials and city homeless services director Jeff Kositsky also have spent days trying to help the family out of its jam. The family was cleared to visit their vehicle, Kositsky connected them to homeless counselors and Lee pushed his staff to keep in contact.

“We are a compassionate city, and we are trying to help,” the mayor said.

The outpouring of aid “shows that individuals really do care about people,” Boden said. “They saw something in all of this, it touched their hearts, and they acted.”

Lowes said she plans to stop first in Houston to visit her mother and get medical care. She is being treated for Crohn’s disease, a painful inflammation of the digestive tract.

“I was so shocked at how many people wanted to help us,” she said. “Everyone was really empathetic; they really cared.”

Lowes said her hippie traveling days are over now, and she wants to settle down and have a more predictable, stable life for her child.

Back to Gallery SF donors help wandering family rescue their RV home from... 2 1 of 2 Photo: Amy Osborne / Photos by Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle 2 of 2 Photo: Amy Osborne / Amy Osborne / Special To The Chronicle



“Living off the grid was nice for a little while, but you miss the luxury of living a normal life in an actual house, with the privacy of a yard,” Lowes said. “Living in the RV and traveling around started to get harder, and felt more like work than being free.”

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com