Strolling Amok

Pops goes on tour.

07 May 2013

The Last One! No, Really!

Originally posted 3/31/2013

Well okay, since closing down the office isn’t on today’s agenda, here I am again. And, here’s a conundrum for ya. I decided to check tire pressures a day early. So I was looking at the rear trailer tire on the driver’s side, which has had tarp over it to block the sun’s rays from causing cracking. Apparently, I was too late. Here’s what I saw:

This makes tire dealers get all excited.

This makes tire dealers get all excited.

The rubber is splitting pretty good, and the cracks are deep – well into the “we recommend immediate replacement” territory. I’m sure some are down to the cords. A toothpick drops in deep. It kinda looks like it might be bulging a tad, too. Non-optimal condition. Naturally, I got out the cheapo scissors jack, battled it mightily to get the axle up, and removed the wheel. Took off the bike rack and dismounted the spare, which was about halfway worn but in fine shape. Easy-peazy! I’ll swap now, locate a Goodyear dealer or otherwise find a trailer tire the same 205/74R15 size, and swap again to put the new one into service!

Hold on a sec. The spare is 225/75R15. Taller and wider. The wider isn’t a problem, but the taller is. Even though there’s an equalizer bar as part of the suspension, what if this taller tire affects how the load is carried by the suspension, and so ruins the validity of my Smartweigh test? Considering the difficulty of using the scissors jack, a swap back at the weigh site and then back again afterward does not appeal.

I’m not thrilled about going another 100 miles on this thing doing sixty MPH, but if I’m going to follow the Lazy Way, tomorrow I’ll ask if the RV dealer handles such tires. If not, I’ll call some tire dealers in Blythe CA, some 23 miles away. If one of them has my size in stock, I’ll put on my big boy britches, tear the offending wheel off again, and add a trip to Blythe to my busy social schedule. If I hit a dead end, I’ll be going to the Smartweigh stupidly, on that cracked tire. Adventure! Then I can change it out with the wonky spare after the weigh, and hunt for a replacement in Wickenburg or Prescott later.

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07 May 2013

Goodbye for Now…

Basically, it all fits only one way. I printed this photo out to use for reference for this week!

Basically, it all fits only one way. I printed this photo out to use for reference for this week!

Originally posted 3/31/2013

This may be my last post for a few days.

Tomorrow, Monday, begins the chores of hittin’ the laundromat with a BIG load, refilling a couple of propane tanks, filling the emergency fuel jugs with diesel, and securing the Command Deck (office area) for travel. That means placing things where they won’t be vibrated off to break during towing, and pretty much ends the use of the office until I locate and set up my next long-term campsite. The solar system gets unplugged at the end of the day, and every tire on this combo gets checked for pressure and adjusted.

Tuesday is a big day, labor-wise. It calls for dismounting and stowing those big solar panels into the passageway leading to the office, packing the truck bed to the brim with storage bins and fuel jugs, and basically stowing everything in the trailer to avoid breakage. I then tow the trailer to the camp’s Read more…

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07 May 2013

The Bee’s Knees

Most diehards down in Quartzsite aren't waiting for the forced march on April 15th.

Most diehards down in Quartzsite aren’t waiting for the forced march on April 15th.

Originally posted 3/24/2013

Camping like this is a commune with Nature to some degree. Tenters and vandwellers are really communing with Nature. They are immersed in it, and revel in it. By comparison, I have more of a nodding acquaintance with nature. When it’s hot, I’m hot. When it’s cold, I’m a bit cool but okay. Depending on wind direction, I may or may not be able to fire up the hot water heater. If it’s overcast, I monitor my use of electronic gadgets. I can hardly brag about going back to Nature. But it is a simple life, or at least can be as simple as you desire to make it.

John Burroughs wrote, “I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” Yeah, he makes a valid point, though I’m doubting that Mr. Burroughs ever camped in the Quartzsite LVTA in late Winter/early Spring.

I was walking the half mile trek to some campground dumpsters, lugging about 25 pounds of unused ruled paper pads and other garbage in two plastic shopping sacks, when I heard a loud stereo buzzing sound. Looking up from the rocky gravel trail, I saw a swarm of bees almost upon me, coming the other way and following the road. They were spaced about a foot apart from ground to about ten feet up, going about as far across as the 20-foot wide road. I perceived this as non-optimal, and wondered if they were killer bees disturbed from their nest. Several of them hovered close around me for several seconds and I instinctively  Read more…

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07 May 2013

The Doorway to Heaven

Sometimes even the doorway to Heaven needs repairs, I guess.

Sometimes even the doorway to Heaven needs repairs, I guess.

Originally posted 3/21/2013

I’ve been going through stacked up magazines looking for info, new things worth researching further, and reference articles I’ll need to scan and convert to PDF files. That lets me chuck the pulp versions and helps clear out the clutter. Been doing that since about 9AM, and not letting myself get distracted.

So, when I finally tried to exit the trailer at 4PM, the external door seemed mighty reluctant to open! Hmmm. It’s been pretty moody ever since departing Algonquin. Easy some days, and a PITA on others. When it’s feeling peckish, it just doesn’t want to close and latch, and the lower frames look stressed and unhappy. Once open this time, it became obvious that the bottom of the door was literally coming apart. The bottom frame section had flopped down about a half inch, both side frames had spread, and both inside and outside panel surfaces were exposed at the edges and trying to go somewhere other than where they are now.

Doors on RVs are a big deal. A replacement for this one would have to come from a salvage yard. So, I’d have to do what I could on this one. A couple of corner brackets might be enough to tie it all back together. I could put them inside only, so the trailer wouldn’t look too hillbilly from the outside. I had a bit of sheet aluminum from the water heater vent shield that didn’t work very well, so I broke out the  Read more…

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07 May 2013

Rearranging the Food Chain

A deceased rattlesnake.

A deceased rattlesnake.

Originally posted 3/19/2013

Well, so far, I’ve had a giant spider and a scorpion try to get cozy in my mobile bungalow. I’ve watched a bobcat saunter past the truck, and today was driving to the dump station when I saw a guy beside his quad ATV looking around on the ground as if he’d lost his keys. Turns out he’d seen a young rattlesnake crossing the dirt path and decided to readjust the risk to the many dogs (and people) in the area with a long crowbar. He was now looking for its head, which he was afraid would interest a passing mutt. I don’t know if he ever found it, but I’ll be watching the ground around the trailer just a little more carefully when I groggily stumble down its tilted steps!

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07 May 2013

The Third Degree of Cheapskate

Their silent power stops at sunset!

Their silent power stops at sunset!

Originally posted 3/18/2013

As a rule, full-time RVers are not big spenders. The great majority have prioritized the ability to live in their vehicle ahead of just about everything else. They don’t have much income, and many work temporary jobs here and there in order to continue their lifestyle. This requires travel and gets expensive, but they like the travel anyway! Others deplete their financial kitty and stop long enough to earn another bankroll so they can hit the road for a few more years.

So, over time, I’ve noticed that boondockers get a sense of achievement from conserving on the use of resources like water or electrical power, and from discovering free or very inexpensive campsites. Those from the West Coast amuse themselves by measuring their carbon footprint against what they used to do in their previous “sticks & bricks” lifestyle. Others simply monitor spending in order to gauge their progress toward achieving a Higher State of Cheapskate-ness.

Minimizing expenses is not an easy thing, because even boondocking, the cheapest way to full-time, eats through money much faster than you’d think! “But,” you protest, “How expensive could it be to drive somewhere, park for awhile, and enjoy the great outdoors? Camping, real camping, is cheap! No rent, no mortgage, no motels, fix your own food, fun!”

The current minimum monthly burn rate by full-time vandwellers – people who live out of a van or even a car – is usually regarded to be  Read more…

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07 May 2013

Sweaty Mans!

Originally posted 3/14/2013

thermometer-burningNot that I’m complaining, but it’s actually hot down here in Quartzsite, and it’s only mid-March!?! Today hit 93 degrees, and tomorrow is supposed to hit 97. In Chicago-speak, that feels like about 87 and 91, probably. Nightly lows hover around 60. What? Nobody feels sorry for me? Whatsa matter? Snowblower wouldn’t start?

One of the local vendors who’s stuck around claims it’ll be 100 by the end of the month. Being a newbie at this, that statement and this little heat wave prompted me to check my return route against the monthly average temperature history at wunderground.com. Oops. I may be dead by the time I leave here April 15th, and not recovering much at the boondocking sites I’d had planned. Time for a little readjust.

See, I was going to be boondocking for six weeks at the start of my trip back, in two-week stints, then begin a “rapid” one-week drive back to the Midwest, a 2,000-mile jaunt in total. At 10 miles per $4.20 gallon, now you know why I whimper pitifully whenever I see my trip fuel mileage drop a MPG or two, and do a lame victory dance when I gain one.

So, I’ve devised a more leisurely return that will get me up to altitudes that will get me much cooler days, and propane-burning mornings when I wake up. If anything, it may be too cool. Eight weeks instead of six. If I hang in until April 4th and leave then, I can spend two weeks in  Read more…

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07 May 2013

Tippy, Is It?

Caught this shot through my windshield on the way home yesterday...

Caught this shot through my windshield on the way home yesterday…

Originally posted 3/12/2013

I’m finally learning to pack a camera full-time, in this case an old 1998 Nikon pocket camera which has its problems but still mostly works. In this case I was returning to Quartzsite from a grocery shopping spree in Parker, and saw some guy very carefully pulling out from a sidestreet. He was being careful because each of those ATVs probably weighs about 600 pounds, and with their center of gravity six feet in the air, even dodging a pothole can be interesting.

The usual practice for one ATV is to simply drive it into the bed, and the usual practice for two is to drive them up from the side onto a platform over the bed. Like this setup, both are high in the air but at least are positioned above the bed’s centerline, one in front of the other. I thought that was insane.

This guy’s bed is too short to take the ATVs in line, so he’s got them straddling the bed’s centerline. Maybe the combined CG of the pair works out to the same – I’m no engineer – but I can say that first, he was changing lanes and turning very carefully, and second, he will face some serious excitement if he ever has to face a situation that forces him to quickly deviate from a straight line. Sometimes, brakes aren’t enough. Bonsai! Bonsai! Bonsai!

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07 May 2013

Oddball RV Links

These two campers are from Truck Camper Porn. Gotta wonder just how much work it takes to build it well.

These two campers are from Truck Camper Porn. Gotta wonder just how much work it takes to build it well.

Originally posted 3/9/2013

Here are some RV-related websites that I check on now and then. I visit them because they are always interesting, with original content. By oddball, I mean non-mainstream. If you’re curious about seeing what RVing is really all about once you go beyond the usual commercialized pap and mere tours among KOAs and other premium RV resorts, click on these and see what you think. Except for the first two items on the list, all of these bloggers were at the recent Rubber Tramp Rendezvous in Quartzsite. They are listed in random order. Enjoy.

Truck Camper Porn is a delightful, brief website that offers a “Truck Camper of the Day” photograph. There are no captions or explanations, so you just have to look and wonder. They describe it as, “Fun, offbeat and practical Truck Campers from around the world.” Nearly all of them are one-off, hand-built truck campers. What’s a truck camper? Click on the link.

Hitek Homeless  is a blog by a couple in their thirties who have somehow packed themselves into a truck camper for the last four years. Two people full-timing in a truck camper is quite a feat. They just recently downsized into a van, which explains why a tent is also in frequent use. Seems their Arctic Fox camper had such a litany of structural and build failures that an all-wheel-drive van seemed a good way to end the problem. They boondock full-time, generate income from workcamping and websites, and the articles are plenty interesting. They are both experienced IT geeks who got fed up with life in a cubicle, and hit the road.

Read more…

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07 May 2013
4 Comments

The Five Degrees of RVers

These are Park Models, which are towed to a location and then permanently planted. They're closer to a modular home than an RV trailer. I only mention them because you'll see them in some RV parks.

These are Park Models, which are towed to a location and then permanently planted. They’re closer to a modular home than an RV trailer. I only mention them because you’ll see them in some RV parks.

Originally posted 2/28/2013

In previous posts, I’ve mentioned just a few of the kinds of RVs that people can be found camping in. It’s probably time to underscore that although getting and using a recreational vehicle may seem to be a monolithic thing – buy something and go camping – the reasons and ways that people spend time in one varies quite a bit. Please note that nothing in this post is based on official data. It’s all just observation and opinion – which sounds nicer than “bias”.

Many people get a travel trailer simply to get away from home for several weekends during the summer. They get it out of storage, tow it to a commercial campground – particularly on holiday weekends – and essentially party. Their goal is to find a location they can hook up to for electrical power, water, and sewage, and they use it as a sort of vacation home. Some will forgo storage and simply rent a campsite all year, leaving the camper there. Then, all they have to do is drive to it and move in. Some RV parks particularly cater to this type of use, offering discounted rates by restricting how many days per month that you may inhabit your RV there. Most trailers used for this are connected to the tow vehicle by a common bumper hitch, which means that the RV can be towed by just about anything that can deal with the trailer’s weight. The cost per use of using an RV this way is obviously quite high. Essentially, the RV becomes just another recreational device, like a boat, ATV, or motorcycle.

RV parks in Quartzsite offer short and long term stays up to seven months of the year, before the summer heat kicks in. They are quite affordable compared to RV parks in Northern Illinois.

RV parks in Quartzsite offer short and long term stays up to seven months of the year, before the summer heat kicks in. They are quite affordable compared to RV parks in Northern Illinois.

Other people prefer to save up vacation time and use their RV to visit areas of the country that they haven’t seen before. To them, the RV becomes more of an adventure source. They may  Read more…

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