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! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------