On the fence!!

My friend Maria recently posted an entry to her blog about being "on the pot", so my post today is titled "on the fence" so as not to confuse, bewilder or befuddle any of our good readers! Also, I can't be accused of plagiarism....not sure of that spelling, but you get the idea! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have been pretty much setting in one location since late January, since I took a job to add funds to the travel fund, before hitting the open road once again. But, how much in the travel fund is enough? $5k?? $10k??? $15k???? Past experience tells me I can live quite comfortably for a good period of time on $5k, camped out on BLM lands out west. I already have been stocking up on foods in bulk via Amazon.com but how much of that do I really need? I don't really eat that much, but I literally have enough Honey Nut Cheerios and raisins and peanut butter and jellies and Honey Grahams and dehydrated soups to last a looooooong time while setting still in the desert!! Not to mention all the free coffee packs and instant oatmeal packs I've been picking up in the hotels!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One thing that is keeping me stuck in the mud is my 91 year old mom who has recently been having health issues. I would not want to get 1500 miles away and get a phone call telling me I need to get back home, only to have something happen before I got there......she would (has) tell me to follow my dream and not hold back because of her, but I can't bring myself to hook up the STEALTH trailer and go. Another thing keeping me on the fence is weather!! I love fall, and it is right around the corner!! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forgot to post pics of the new tow vehicle I recently acquired. Here she is:

And heres the cab area.....heated leather seats!! Can't wait to try them out!!

She has an 8 cyl. Vortec engine/4WD/All power/tilt/cruise/6 disc CD/and the back area without the 3rd row seat and the 2nd seat folded flat opens up to a big, flat, carpeted area that is huge!! I might even convert it to sleep in and take it out west or down south! I could put Reflectix over the windows past the front seat, rig up a curtain/wall behind the front seat, an inch or 2 of padded foam on the floor and a good thermal sleeping bag and be quite comfy!! Take along my LP fired heater and 2 burner stove and small tv/dvd player and be all set!! Something to think about..... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nothing new............

This will be short, sweet and to the point: I have nothing to share with you thats new! Life rolls on, working thru the week on the road on the Lowes projects thru mid November, home now nearly every weekend in the STEALTH camper, got the new Suburban and it runs great......got lucky and sold the old Ford pickup for $1700. and the TRAVEL FUND just keeps growing!! *************************************************************************************** Thinking about taking off and doing some travelling in December....maybe down to Florida for a few weeks, or maybe down to Texas.....wherever I end up, will need to be back in Illinois mid January to return to work for this company. If they call me back to work that is!! Have been working as an IC, so they are under no obligation to call me out. If they don't, then will look hard at picking up and heading out to Grand Canyon come spring to workamp! *************************************************************************************** Want to see a video interview I did on Solo RVing/Workamping? Go to www.technomadia.com and check out their Rambling Nomads video series.....my interview is at the top right now......my friends Pat and Cindy from the Low Key Hideaway in Cedar Key, FL are in there as well......along with many more. *************************************************************************************** Well, thats about it! Just not much going on.....everyone take care!

Workamping---NOT for everyone!

I've talked about workamping before, but it amazes me how many people have no idea what it is! If you live in an RV---regardless of type---and work then you are considered a workamper!! That definition may be a little broad, but thats basically it. I guess you don't have to be working at a campground to fit into that definition..... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My first workamping experience was in New Mexico for a retail company that had C-stores along I-10 and I-40. They supplied a full hook up site and a 40 hour workweek plus a check. When I was off, I was free to do whatever I wanted. It was a pretty sweet deal, and I enjoyed myself immensely! It was never meant to be a long term gig, and I only stayed 4 months before heading further west. New Mexico is the "Land of Enchantment" and it was a beautiful state! Especially for a guy that came from the midwest and was used to seeing cornfields everywhere, instead of deserts and mountain vistas! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was in New Mexico that I met my first vandweller. An older person living off a pension/SSI, literally sleeping in a Ford Econoline cargo van. Their champagne tastes always exceeded their beer money income, and before the next check arrived was always broke!! We will call this vandweller Earlene, a woman in her late 60s, with all sorts of allergy problems, who could not tolerate cig smoke, or dogs, or anyone that did not live the way she thought they should. Fast forward to January of 2012.....Earlene decided she wanted to get a workamping job as a campground host, likely thinking she would get paid for doing nothing, other than being a "prescence"......we ALL know people like her!! They want a handout, NOT a hand up!! So Earlene gets a camp host job in a remote area of a western state, and what happens?? She finds out that she actually has to do some work!! And she gets on her blog and cries and complains to her followers that the wilderness area she is in has herds of cows that roam thru her campground and poop all over the place, including the picnic tables she has to keep clean.....and that some campers are breaking rules faster than she can enforce them...and many campers have dogs---oh no!!! I wonder, did Earlene think that it was going to be peaches and cream all the time? Did she do ANY research about the company that she was working for, or the location she was going to, BEFORE making a committment? Very doubtful......and now she is on her blog telling people that they should think twice before becoming a camp host....well, DUH Earlene!! Do some research next time! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before I would accept ANY workamping job, I would research and get as much info as possible about the opportunity. Make it clear my duties, and even more clear my pay and perks if any! Get a FIRM arrival/departure date!! And if possible, get it all IN WRITING!! WORKAMPING OPPORTUNITIES ARE PLENTIFUL EVERY SPRING, IN EVERY AREA OF THE COUNTRY! Have retail experience?? There are jobs in gift shops at attractions, some even pay commission on sales! Have hotel experience? Many national parks have lodging operations where you can get a front office job. Like to cook? Want to put your green thumb to work doing landscaping? Want to be a tour guide? There are workamping jobs for those skills too!! Want to go to Dollywood and hang out for the summer? They hire lots and lots of workampers!! An amusement park in the heartland? AdventureLand in Iowa will fill the bill! Always wanted to see the black hills, or the Grand Canyon? Want to see Crazy Horse Memorial before you die?? Theres workamping jobs there too! But do your research FIRST!!

New solar experiment!!

Well, I have been on the road working for 2 weeks straight without being home to the STEALTH camper.....we are just super busy in Lowes thru the end of this month! Then starting in September we are booked thru end of the year as well, in Home Depots in Indiana/Illinois.....and since I love to travel, it doesn't bother me at all to move from city to city, hotel to hotel, presently am in Logansport, IN at a real nice Holiday Inn Express thru Monday night. And since the company is picking up the bill, I'm not complaining! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While I was in Arizona this past winter I met a couple who were living in a Chevy van, by choice.....they were in their 60s, no kids, and they were enjoying themselves and adapting to their new lifestyle. They were camped on BLM land outside of Quartzsite and had a little Honda scooter to ride to town. Oscar and I hit it off from the beginning, as he was a retired funeral director so we had an instant connection! Susan was retired from Macys. One day, they invited me over for dinner, and Susan had cooked up a great meatloaf along with potatoes and carrots and onions, with brownies for dessert! It struck me about midway thru dinner that because they were vandwellers, how did she cook up this great meal?? I knew they had a 2 burner cook stove, but brownies require an oven to bake them...so how did she bake the brownies?? In this:

A solar oven!! In fact, she cooked up the meatloaf in it as well!! A SOLAR OVEN!! I had heard of these, but never seen one much less enjoyed food cooked in one!! This intrigued me greatly, but I put it on "the back burner" so to speak...lolol...for more research later on. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, has anyone had any experience with a solar oven?? Have done some research online, and these things cost anywhere from $200. to $400. but will last for many years. The concept is simple enough, and the interior temps can get up to 400 degrees F.....so you can bake/cook nearly anything!! Look at it as a solar crock pot, because it takes time to cook in them!

And in the winter when the old sun is lower in the sky, I guess you would have to angle it greatly to get the full benefit of the suns rays.......whether I buy one or not will depend on different factors, but mainly the size of it!! Even folded down, the one I saw in the desert was pretty big!!

New wheels!

There comes a time when all good things must end, and that time has come for my old Ford pickup!! It has been a great old truck, has given me 150,000 miles of solid performance with only a few hiccups along the way, those being in the last year.....new water pump in New Mexico, new hoses in Arizona, scorched rotor cap in Texas......but all in all flawless driving. She has been everywhere I have been in my travels, but is showing signs of her age and wear and tear.....she has developed an oil leak....she had dual tanks but one has quit working....getting rust around the rear wheelwells...she needs new tires, but I just don't think she will last another 50,000 miles on the road, so not buying any! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, yesterday I went looking and found a really nice Chevy Suburban, with 4WD, that belonged to the father of a friend of mine who I've known since school....his dad bought it new but has recently went to a nursing home, so the son had it up for sale. I drove it Saturday afternoon for a few hours, and it sure is nice! We came to terms and shook hands and its a done deal! Here she is.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ain't she purty!!! And she has HEATED leather seats and heated power outside mirrors, which will be real nice in the winter! Loaded with all the goodies, including fold flat 2nd as well as 3rd row seats and a luggage rack.....

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It already has synthetic oil in it, and the tires have less than 10k on them, so shouldn't have to worry about buying tires for a couple years. I must have drove it at least 60 miles and the gas gauge barely moved.....I suspect it will get the same mileage I got on the old Ford, which recently was right at 18mpg on the highway! Now all I need to do is get everything cleaned out of the old Ford, then get it cleaned and detailed, and put it up for sale!! I couldn't believe the old girl still has a NADA and KBB value of over $3500!! Be tickled to death to get that, but would settle for $2k!! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The days roll on.............

Been a few weeks since I have posted anything, have just been super busy with work! Been in Kentucky doing jobs and nothing much of anything else. Money is good, and we are super busy with existing projects! The 3rd quarter is already booked solid and they are telling us the 4th quarter will be very busy as well! ************************************************************************************** Was recently notified that the class action lawsuit settlement will yield me a check for just over $2400. which is not even close to what I was hoping to get, but its low because we settled, rather than going to trial.....but $2400. is better than a kick in the teeth and I will gladly take the money! *************************************************************************************** I make it home to the STEALTH camper generally every weekend, and am happy to report that it is serving its purpose very well! The solar is doing an excellent job of keeping the batteries at a constant full charge, and the fridge is plugged in all the time keeping a constant draw on the power levels. Recently sold the little genset and battery charger I had bought, since we are working pretty much full time and I am hooked to shore power. When I do hit the road again, whenever that may be, will re-think my genset need, but will buy a good Honda genset, something like this---

this is a 2000 watt and the plan is to use it to charge the batteries if/when I get parked somewhere that has more shade than sun. Some fellow Workampers I know out in the Sierra National Forest report that they are parked in such dense shade that their solar power systems never get enough sun exposure to charge properly, so an alternative charging system is needed to maintain their power levels. *************************************************************************************** The Travel Fund grows every week, as I have very little expense at this point. The company I am working for generously pays all our hotel rooms, mileage and a per diem, so my only expense on the road is what I spend on myself, including food and laundry. And my frugality is allowing me to stock up on little "freebies" at every hotel we stay at. I may never again have to buy coffee/creamer/sugar/shampoo/soap/conditioner/peanut butter/jams/plastic cutlery/styrofoam cups ever again!!!!!!! And no, I don't consider that stealing...its there for guests use, I'm just not using it yet!! And some may laugh at that, but have you seen the price of a can of coffee lately????? As long as its available, I'm stocking up!! *************************************************************************************** Hope everyone is staying safe and cool wherever you may be!

The heat subsides......

Whew!!!!!!! Man has it been HOT!! Days on end with record breaking temps and no rain....week after week of no rain, the crops dying in the fields, gardens drying into dust plots....and 100F temps day after day after day.....but this morning as I set outside the STEALTH camper under my awning, with a temp of a cool 75 and a slight breeze, enjoying fresh coffee as I type this out, it seems obvious the heat wave has subsided for a time! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Work has resumed, now in Lowes stores, and have 2 weeks in.....leaving later today for Louisville and will be on the road 2 full weeks there. Getting the travel fund built back up, but wondering now whether will even be going on the road this winter?? We have tons of new reset projects stretching into the spring of 2013, and its just hard to pass up weeks of $1000. or more!! Plus free hotels and per diems and paid mileage and paid drive time.....hate to say it, but the lure of the almighty dollar is creeping back into my mindset.....NOT GOOD FOR A MINMALIST!! But it does take money to survive, even though I spend very little. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Workamping offers for the 2013 season are coming in already, from the Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky to the Grand Teton Lodge Company way out west to a huge KOA in south Texas and even from a place in north Georgia. Maybe, MAYBE by next spring I will be tired of working and will be ready to hook up the STEALTH trailer and take my butt somewhere and follow the dream of camping AND working.....but so many places won't let me come in with the STEALTH camper!!! Have been told--"thats NOT a camper!! Thats a cargo trailer!!" Hmmmmmmmmm......it says CAMPER right on the title!! If they were to see the inside of it, I think they would change their mind..... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently met a woman, 68 years young, at a rest area along I-70 just outside Indianapolis who was pulling a trailer very similar to mine and she was "living the dream" of travelling the country and living out of the trailer. She is a widow, drawing $963. a month social security, and that is her only source of income. She travels with her 9 year old min pin named Sadie, and they are camera shy, so no pics! Sorry gang. But she was very upbeat, telling me she was from Oregon, been on the road 3 months, and loving every minute of it! She will drive anywhere from 100 to 200 miles a day, depending on her mood, and will often stay the night at Walmart lots or rest areas.....she knew that I wasn't judging her way of life, and that I "got it".....she told me she wished that more people "got it".......she had no ultimate destination, and often decided which way to go by flipping a coin!! Serendipity at its finest. More power to you Sally, and enjoy yourself and be safe! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------