Cock-a-Doodle Danged Rooster

I am settled in at the Green River Stables RV Park.  I've worked a couple 5 hours shifts at Amazon and am a little sore and a lot tired.  I try to stay away unjil at least 1 am since in 2 weeks I'll have to be up till 3 am.  

Let me tell you about the Rooster. The place I'm staying not only has horses, it has a loud, obnoxious rooster that travels with 2 red feathered hens. The other morning, at 7:30 he crowed right under my window. So, I get up, grab my broom at head out into the morning to shoo chickens. It was raining but I still shoo'd them away. They went 2 trailers over and continued to peck and crow under a 5th wheel. I took all I could of that and again went to shoo them further away. I was whispering - shoo and get gone and other things to them (whispering because a lot of my neighbors work nights and were asleep). So, the hens and rooster went out into the pasture. I figured they were far enough away and wouldn't bother me again. (I was wrong) And then the horses notice me and started walking up to me, so I decided that I couldn't look any more foolish to stand in the rain petting the horses than I could whispering at chickens while chasing them with a broom.

They came back once today. I got after them with a long stick and they never returned.

The RV park owners know they have a lot of day sleepers. This rooster replaces another that died recently. It too had the reputation for crowing near the campers.

Tomorrow, if the rooster wakes me, I will go look at the 5 other approved parks and possibly consider moving. I'm a very light sleeper and when I start 10 hour days, do not want some danged rooster crowing under my window.

Amazon here I come

I start my 3 month stint with Amazon tomorrow.  I'm staying herehttp://www.greenriverstables.com with wide open lots with grass and trees.  Its a country setting, and directly across the drive way is an entrance to the 28 miles of walking trails.  The green river is nearby though I've been too busy to go look at it yet.

I've got a new hitch on the van since adding the air stocks raised the rear of the van which should make pulling the trailer easier.

The new brakes on the trailer need adjusting as they are a little grabby.  Made the 100 mile drive through the NC/TN mountains just a tad more - uhhmm - exciting?

But I made it here just fine and am glad to be in one place for 3 months.  (Did I really say that?)

New shoes for baby

I was heading to Bartlesville, a town 25 miles away to buy new tires.  My friend, Miya, and I have decided the rear tires have lots of thread left and so I only need to buy 2. 

Did you know Wal Mart will only sell you the size tires that are in their book.  Mine are bigger and they won't sell me the same size, but of course I could still buy 4 new ones of the smaller size.

Nope.  Went to Sears, sign on window said they open at Noon.  It was 10 am so I perused the aisles at K Mart and Goodwill.  Went back to Sears and see a different sign - The service center is not even open on Sunday! 

So, when they call to tell me to come pick up the Trailer, I'll stop by and buy the 2 tires.  IF they won't sell me the size I want then there are a few more tire places around.  I just wanted to stick with a national chain just in case I have problems.

So baby will just have to wait a few more days for her new shoes.

Has it really been that long?

In my last post I was on my way to Maryland to see the family and volunteer at the Common Ground on the Hill festival.  By volunteering I was able to take a couple classes.  The first was a drawing class entitiled everyone can draw - HAH!  Not me.  I also took a basket making class and made 2 beautiful baskets which I gave to my daughter. 

I stayed almost the whole month of July and I got to see my daughter, 3 granddaughters and son in law quite a bit while there.  Karen and the girls and I even went on a 2 day camping trip to a state park.  Had a wonderful time camping with them. 

After Maryland I went to North Carolina to teach at Campbell Folk School.  I love that place!

Then I drove to Missouri to help my friend, Mark and Annie while they ran the Floraculture portion of the Missouri State Fair.  They have a disabled son and my "job" was to be there after the day nurse left and cook him supper.  My good friend Bob is working there so I got to visit with him as well. 

On my way to Oklahoma to make a doctor's appointment, my van overheated and blew the tranny near Carthage MO.  I hobbled into Carthage and called Coach Net (AAA type club for RVers) for a tow to an RV park because at the same time I came down with an infection and for 3 days had a 102 degree fever.  The tow truck drive didn't hook up my trailer properly before towing it and I was worried it might have caused brake damage, but was too sick to care at the time.  I finally left Carthage 4 days later and headed to Claremore, OK to have the tranny fixed (replaced) by a trusted mechanic. 

So, with a new tranny I decided to have the brakes on the TT looked at by an RV repair shop.  Yep, sure enough, towing the trailer with the break-away switch pulled caused the brakes to wear out.  I needed new brakes, drums, the whole 9 yards.  

Yesterday, I taught 10 Cherokee's how to make Cherokee Pucker Toe Moccasins and will be leaving Oklahoma in a few days after the brakes are fixed and the TT is safe to pull.
Whew - that's a lot of stuff.  I'll write more often - no really I promise!!!

MPG pulling the trailer

On one fill up I pulled the trailer in Drive (not Overdrive) over 2 very steep mountain passes, serious mountains with inclines that were miles long.  When I approached the incline, I sped up as much as possible to 60 or 65 and kept the pedal close to the floor as the van slowed to 45 and even sometimes 35 before it would downshift and get me up the mountain.  I used AC, keeping it on low.

MPG:  10.45

On the next fill up I pulled the trailer in Drive over some slight hills, but nothing major, drove with the windows down and kept the pedal in pretty much the same place, not inching it closer to the floor, but letting it down shift at 45 mph as needed. 

MPG:  11.62

When I combine pulling the trailer some and not, my MPG is about 14 when its usually 16 without the trailer.

I only put it in Drive when hooked up and in Overdrive when its not.

Would air foils or other additions/modifications help?  Opinions please, good people... (no need to suggest I quit driving over the mountains - sometimes ya just gotta go there....)

So much happened in such a short amount of time.

I'm sitting outside my daughter's house in Winfield MD.  I'll be here until the last week of July, when I will go to teach again (hopefully) at Campbell Folk School.

Thanks to Leonard and Robert I now have:

Solar Panels (thanks, Leonard); slight modifications to said solar panel (thanks, Karen VH and Robert)
Extra Deep Cell Battery installed on the Trailer (thanks, Robert for the excellent wood/cable working getting them installed in an almost impossibly too small space.  You're a very good problem solver and make doer!)
Figured out what the phantom draw was that kept drawing down my batteries (thanks, Robert for that happy accidental discovery)
A Zero Gravity Lounge Chair (thanks, Leonard)
Solar Powered Lights for the Awning (thanks, Leonard)
A week of rest, relaxation, good food and several campfires as Robert and I tried to figure out my phantom battery draw (thanks, Karen VH, Julie, Leonard, Robert and other assorted friends of Karen's)
A second week of rest and relaxation camped beside Leonard's workshop
A 1500 watt inverter (thanks, Leonard) and I gave my 800 watt inverter to Robert
A 10' piece of rain gutter cut in two pieces to be used to support the sewer hose (thanks, Robert)
A genuine appreciation for Bo Jangles Chicken (thanks, Robert)

Thanks to Mountain Air Automotive in Hayesville, NC I now have:

New Brakes, Rotars, Calipers, Hoses, and some other brake stuff
New Axles and Bearings in the van's rear end.  It now is a quiet ride (Thanks again, Robert for pointing out how noisy it was)

I told Dennis at Mountain Air that I was coming back there to teach the end of July and did not intend to spend my whole pay check on car repairs.  Dang, now I've put it out in the universe and now....


I've been able to fill up with gas and drive several hundred miles and can accurately calculate my MPG pulling the trailer.  Before it was always a combo of pulling it and not pulling it and I couldn't get a good reading.  I'll get the figures together and post them tomorrow.  They're a lot lower than I hoped, and I'm welcoming all suggestions on ways to improve said mpg.  I drove each tank full differently and will describe the processes in case it helps y'all make suggestions for improvement.

I need to go back and re-read my posts to see what I've written about so I don't repeat my self.


More to follow...

Cleared for Landing

Don't you hate having to get up out of bed to take care of something that is just aggravating you to no end?

I'm a very light sleeper.  I go to sleep easy enough, just wake at the softest sounds or ... blinking lights.

My trailer had so many lights on last night it looked like a landing strip.

One side was the flashing (not in a pleasing order - kinda spastic) green light on the MiFi, the steady green light of the Microwave, the green light on the wall outlet to tell me I had power to the 12v socket and then there was the red light on the TV letting me know it wasn't turned on.

On the other side was the green light of the carbon monoxide/propane detector, the flashing white light on my computer letting me know it was sleeping soundly and the intermittent red light on the smoke detector.

After about 20 minutes of trying to ignore them, I got up and turned off what was safe to do so (NOT the smoke detector or CO/Propane detector. 

I wonder how I'm gonna power all these lights when I boondock without electrical hookups.   I guess that would be my description of roughing it...lol

Man is it hot in here

OK, it quit raining.  Now it hotter than blue blazes in my trailer.

My friend, Leonard stopped by on his way to work and asked me why I wasn't running the air conditioner.

Because I didn't want to run up your bill, I say.

Oh, don't worry about that.  I changed all the lights in the Workshop to compact florescents saving about $25 per month on my electric bill.  You can use $25 in air conditioning. 

Which I am. 

Man its so nice and comfy in my trailer. 

Thanks Leonard, and Mr. Edison.

Rainy night in Georgia

It is one.  And, it was a rainy day in Georgia.  Tomorrow looks to be the same. 

It rains a lot here and in North Carolina this time of the year, almost every day so far. 

Shouldn't complain - Oklahoma had such drought and so many little ponds and creeks dried up, crops died and farmers and ranchers sold livestock because they couldn't keep them fed and watered (cost of feed and hay went up due to demand and less crop production).

I posted a message on Facebook about how I enjoyed sitting by an open window with it raining and how we can't do that in Oklahoma.  Rain usually comes in at a slant, or during storms, sideways.  Its pretty windy in Oklahoma.  Leaving the windows in your house up will leave you with a wet floor.

Did you know that Oklahoma is the 10th windiest state?  Texas and Kansas are windier.  Of course a couple F5 tornadoes with close to 300 mile per hour winds ups the daily averages, but still its a windy state.
 
Peace, Love and Singing in the Rain

What the book doesn't tell you

I've written a few posts about visiting my friend in Ellijay that lives at the Coosawattee River Resort.  Karen lives on a little strip of land, no wider than a normal RV spot at a campground and there was no room for my trailer there, so I left it at her land just outside of town and slept in the van.

I'd found that there was a phantom draw on my battery power that was depleting my battery within a day of getting it fully charged.  I had the battery tested twice at 2 different Wal Marts and they assured me it was still a good battery, and that it just needed charged up.  Which I did daily.

Anyway, Karen, Robert and I all read the manual trying to figure out just where the draw might be.  I called Jayco, the manufacturer of my trailer and they gave me the name of a repair place about 30 miles away, but it was Memorial Day weekend and so I was going to wait until Tuesday to take it in.  I even bought a second battery and a generator just so I didn't get caught somewhere without any source of power. 

Quite by accident, when Robert was wiring the second battery to the trailer, he touched the little box thingy attached to the bottom of the trailer tongue that the break away brake control line plugs into and it was very hot.  It seems that even when the trailer was unhooked, if the line was not plugged in, the trailer was doing what it was supposed to do and applying the brakes.  So for days, it sat there, going nowhere, with the brakes being applied.  Robert plugged the line back into the box and sure enough, within an hour the box had cooled down and the meter quit showing a phantom draw.

This would have been good information to have in the manual though we concentrated on the parts that had to do with the electrical appliances and never even considered the braking system.  Another lesson learned.

Peace, Love and Happy Accidents

Practice makes perfect - well....

I successfully unhooked all the trailer's hookups and hooked up to the van by myself.  It only took 4 attempts at backing up to get the hitch and ball in the same place (very important to hauling a trailer down the road).

I'm feeling less like a newbie and have made several mistakes that I've learned from.  I understand this is a valuable tool - learning from your mistakes.

Will spend this week in Jasper then head back up to Brasstown, NC to teach.

Peace, Love and Confidence

Fear

At Campbell folk school most of the students are retired folks.

On our name tags it tells our state of residence and what class were taking. When. People read Oklahoma, of course I get storm questions.  But when I tell them I,m a full time RVer they ask me if I'm not afraid to travel alone.

No, I say.  And they then try their best to convince me that a wise and prudent person would be afraid.  What about my family, they ask. My daughter is fine with my decision, I say. So now they're not only sure I'm not playing with a full deck, surely my child is also not wise and prudent otherwise she would convince me to not live this life. .  

Some people turn a pale shade of gray with envy and others say why not live my best life anyway I can. (I like talking to those folk)

I just smile but may soon. Pretend I still have a home in OK just to not give the fear mongers fodder.

NO. I am not afraid to travel alone.   I wish you were traveling with me. 

Peace and prudence to you all

An Indian Conversation

Native American's are not known to be big conversationalists.  Some would say there's no way that is a cultural phenomenon.

When in the company of others, whether its just one person or many, I won't make conversation for the sake of talking.  Matter of fact, if I do, then its usually a nervous response to being in an uncomfortable situation.  To me, sitting quietly with friends is just as much communing with them as talking.  It shows I'm comfortable in their presence.

Why bring this up?  Last evening around the campfire at Karen's she and another friend talked for hours about all sorts of things.  I said little to nothing, just listening and enjoying the fire.  And, while it wasn't unpleasant (if it was I would have left the area) it made me wonder just why I choose not to join in.  I'm sure by now they know I'm not ignoring them or tuning them out.  They didn't try to draw me in.  I guess they too felt comfortable with my choice to sit quietly. 

There is a magazine devoted to Native American traditions and crafts called Whispering Wind.  It usually has a carton in each issue.  In one issue there is a cartoon where an indian couple welcomes another couple into their home.  Several frames go by without anyone saying anything then we see  the visiting couple leaving and the hosts saying "come again - we enjoyed your visit".  Typical Indian visit.

So if I sit by a campfire, around your kitchen table or ride in a car with you - and there's not much talking going on - its just how I am.  (Either that or I am just wishing you'd STFU!  lol)

Peace, Love and Quiet Communication

Danny

Last night I had a wonderful dream about the younger of my two brothers that passed away 9 years ago.  I haven't dreamed about Danny in quite some time, maybe over a year.  It was so good to be near him.

Many times, now that its been so long since either of my brothers has passed away I see them in dreams but not their faces - they're more like an embodiment of themselves.  The last dream I had of Bobby, the older of the 2 brothers I only saw his legs as we were walking and talking together.  I knew it was him, but did not see his face.

I was so very glad to see Danny's face.  I can't explain how touched I was by this.  I have memories of them.  I can recall how they looked years ago, and I can look at pictures, but to be able to sit and look into his face was moving.  I'm tearing up now remembering the dream.


Peace, Love and dreams of the very best kind.

Bleeding money

I am sooooo very tired of spending money to support this new lifestyle.  Golly is it expensive!!!!!

But, now I think I finally have all I need.  And, when I list it, you'll probably say I have too much.  But this is a one time shot - if I don't get what I need now then I may have trouble affording it later.

Thanks to my friend Leonard, I have Solar, 1500 watt inverter,  second coach battery, dorm fridge for the van

I bought a 2k watt inverter/generator for those times when I don't have enough sunshine to charge the batteries via solar, or when I need to start/run something that the solar/batteries aren't strong enough to power.

Of course the travel trailer has a heater, stove, microwave, fridge, shower (verrrry important), toilet (ditto) and bed.

The van has portable heater, fan, porta john, bed, fridge.

I am leaving the solar portable so I can take it with me on short trips in the van or use it at the trailer when camped in the boonies.  I'll also do this with the generator, just depending on which I need to have along.

I have 2 laptops and a cell phone.  I can work and play (when near wifi hotspot).

I really think, except for water needs, I would be able to camp for 2 weeks without restocking.  I guess I need to buy a couple of those 5 gallon water jugs to cart along so I won't run out. (OK now the water jugs will be my last purchase!!!) Plus, using water to shower in the trailer is a whole new learning curve.  I'm used to taking being frugal with water when washing up, even showering, in my van, but the oh so wonderful shower in the trailer is a water waster.  I just have to get a grip on how best to conserve water.  It will be a lesson well learned. 

Tequila????

My friend Leonard went on a cruise to Cozumel and came home with several different bottles of tequila. 

He handed me 3 and told me to take my pick. 

Pistachio

Peach

Honey

he wouldn't let me test drive each one, so I had to guess which one was the honey and which one was the peach.  I guessed right - that honey tequila is AWESOME!!!!  

Good golly - I enjoy honey bourbon but honey tequila?  YEAH!!!!!

Thanks, my friend. 

Precious is

I've spent the last 4 days at my friend Karen's camp at Coosawatee River Resort in Jo-Juh.  A very nice, quiet, serene place.  I'll probably spend a few more days here and my friend Robert and I might go to the Tumbling Creek Campground in TN for a few days.

Robert Clark from Florida came by yesterday and I spent today with him visiting another friend, changing my oil and oil filter and working on a little electrical problem with my trailer.

I wish we had someone at where my trailer is parked to take pics as Robert and I crawled underneath my van  so he could show me how to change the filter and oil.  There is one picture floating around with me and leonard's legs sticking out out from under the side of the van when he was showing me how to change the transmission fluid and filter.   It would have been neat to have one with me and Robert as well.


Robert has a little 2 1/2 lb teacup chihuahua named Precious.  I don't really like that breed of dog.  But this little girls is a heart stealer.  We stopped by a drive through restaurant and almost all the workers came to the window and oohed and ahhed over her.  All I can say about her is...Precious is 

The dark ages

By choice, I will soon be losing my iPhone number and its resulting internet access.

I can be reached by email at BarkingWaters@gmail.com.

This may hurt just a bit (as the saying goes)...

A Beautiful Drive

On Monday I drove from Sedalia, MO to Leslie, MO to drop a WWOOFer off at his next farm gig.  It was a lovely drive down a good 2 lane highway.  My new buddy - Brandon is a 26 year old Hippy.  Interested in world causes, the environment and social justice.  Reminds me or me at that age.  Here at age 57, I'm more of a "Been There, Done That, Now its Your Turn" kind of a gal.  I still care, just not as ferverently as I did at age 26.

I then continued on down the road, past St. Louis to sleep in a Rest Area on Highway 24. 

On Tuesday I visited a friend in Woodbury, TN and spent the night there parked next to the sweetest smelling honeysuckle vines.  I left Woodbury on Wednesday morning heading somewhere - not at that point in time sure where.

I decided, since I was having electrical problems to get a portable generator at Camping World south of Chattanooga, TN.  I bought it, but cringe at the thought of all those hundreds of dollars spent.  BUT, I need power.  Once I have power I can get on with writing tutorials and lessons and get my online craft instruction business jump started.

I then drove towards Ellijay GA.  I took the scenic route, along route 52 from Dalton to Ellijay which went up a mountain and down the other side.  The drive was lovely and I would highly recommend it. There were some pull off points that gave a very impressive view of the surrounding hills and valleys.  At the top of the mountain was the Fort Mountain State Park.  It was already 6pm so I didn't enter since it closes at 10pm and I wanted to be off the mountain before it got dark.

I decided to call my friend Karen the next day (today) and parked for the night at Lowes.  And, who pulls up?  Karen!  We'll have more time to visit today.

So, now here it is already Thursday and I'm about to attempt to start a portable generator to get my battery on the trailer charged.  I guess having a portable generator is a good thing.  It will always get me going, even on days of no sun, as opposed to solar.  So I just have to bite the bullet and open the box and start it up.

(Sigh)  I have got to quit spending money.  Surely there's not anything else I need to buy for this full timing in a camper adventure...right?

Peace, Love and Access to Power

Now What

Well, I'm sitting at the most beautiful homestead in Tennessee.  My friend Robert has been doing some work here and I stopped by to say hi and spend the night.  I camped near the tree line that was full of Honeysuckle vines, that when the rain fell on them, made their fragrance even more aromatic.  It was a good night, even with the storms.

Now what....where am I going to go next.  I have about 10 days to do something with and several choices.  The typical - no where to go and all the time to get there - problem.

Peace, Love and Honeysuckle Vines (don't they make a honeysuckle wine?  I bet that would be good)

Rv Education 101

Well, experience is the best teacher and I am learning lots about RV ownership.I've already made so many mistakes but have learned from them.  (at least I hope I have).

I'll be leaving for Brasstown, North Carolina via Leslie MO and Woodbury Tn and maybe Tumbling Creek Campground at Copper Hill, TN on Tuesday the 21st.  It will be good to get on the road again, but I will so miss this place and the people here.

I'll be back here in August.  The family I'm staying with does a lot with the State Fair held here in Sedalia, MO and I told them I'd come help out and enjoy the festivals with them.

Then, on the 25th of August I'm due to be in West Liberty, KY to help Habitat for Humanity build Geothermal Houses.

Peace, Love and Livin the Dream

Worth the weight?

Last year I lost about 45 pounds.  Since then I've been, at time, obsessive about the rest I need to lose.  And about not gaining any of it back. 

Now that I'm traveling full time in an 18' Travel Trailer, I find that everything (including me) that goes in the van costs money to move down the road.  This has caused me to give away another tub and a half of things I just couldn't live without, in a effort to lighten the load.

So weight is very important to me.

One thing I really wasn't sure whether to take or not was the scale.  Do I really need to pay to move something around that tells me I need to lose weight?  Isn't that understood?  Not only for personal reasons but to save gas.

Ultimately I brought the scale. 

I'm so vain!!! 

Master Gardener

I'm visiting a friend at the .https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bright-Hope-Farm/189681972503. Annie is a Master Gardener with the state of Missouri. 

She asked me the other day if I liked to plant flowers.  No, I say.  You would have thought I'd slapped her!!!!  Then she said - well, how do you feel about pulling weeds OUT of the ground?  That I can do, I say and we spent some pleasant time taking things out and putting things in the ground.

Today, however, we were in her garden and she was planting vegetables.  I'd pulled all the weeds I could see, so I begrudgingly started to help her.  And what happens?  I broke a nail off up in the quick.

Ha!!!!  I swear that's the last time I plant anything and the last time I accompany her to the garden.  No really, I love this place so much.  I love the Albrights and the multitude of animals and pets here.  I have cut all my fingernails off short in anticipation of more gardening. 

It is a nice place to be.

Peace, Love and the love of Gardening

Thank you Meriwether and William

On this date in 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, Missouri, on a mission to explore the Northwest from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.

The expedition traveled up the Missouri River in a 55-foot long keelboat and two smaller boats.

On September 23, 1806, after almost two and a half years, the expedition returned to the city, bringing back a wealth of information about the largely unexplored region, as well as valuable U.S. claims to Oregon Territory.

Now that's what I call a slow mosey!

Back in Pawhuska

I came back to Pawhuska to pare down my possessions a little more in preparation for traveling with my trailer.

I still plan to sleep in the van because I want the security of being able to get in the drivers seat with a moments notice if scared (bears and other predators).  I also plan to convert the bed area of the trailer to storage and a work area. 

I pick up my trailer on Tuesday.  Tick Tock.   Tick Tock. So glad when I wont be waiting for things to happen or change.  

I have a traveling companion now. I'll introduce you in my next post.

Peace, Love and Rain, Rain go away....

My home on wheels

Today I signed a contract on a 2013 Jayyco Swift SLX 185RB travel trailer. I'd debated and researched whether to buy a new or used trailer or a cargo trailer that I would convert. This has been something I have researched many times.

But this morning while talking with a friend I realized that my new better life should start today and no longer wait

I had looked at trailers several weeks prior and went back to a camper sales store for another look. My salesman, Don had another customer and instead of making me wait' gave me the keys and said to help myself.

I preferred to shop that way and took my time and videos of the few trailers I was considering.

I made an offer and they accepted it and I pick up my new home on wheels next Tuesday.

YAY!!!

5-2-13

Today is the first day of the rest of my life.   

Corny but true.

I just closed on the house sell and am free to go where ever I want when I want.

I've never felt so lost in all my life.  

Onward I go. :-)

Selling my Van (?)

So, the reason I want the stealth of the van, is that when I'm sleeping in it I don't want people to know.  Plus i didn't want to drive a Class C as my daily driver, BUT, now I'm thinking of buying a small class C.

I'm gonna look at some tomorrow.

I also checked with my insurance and the 6 month premium for the Class C would be cheaper than it is for my van.  Go figure.

So, I may be selling my 1994 G20 Van that me, Leonard and Robert worked so hard on.   Hmmm..life sure has a funny way of turning around.

Peace, Love

Come on - sing it with me

I'm so excited!!!!

Signed a contract with my realtor last friday for the sale of my houses in Oklahoma.  I had just arrived at my daughter's in Maryland barely a week before he called and said he had a buyer.  So I turned around and headed back here where I'll be using the next few weeks to finalize business and finish clearing out the houses.

This has made me think long and hard about my next steps.

Here's what I think so far - opinions and suggestions are welcome.

I bought a 4 x 8 Harbor Freight trailer for my trip back east thinking I would be gone for about 6 months.  It traveled really well and didn't reduce my MPG buy by about 1/2 gallon.  I had to buy a new tarp in Maryland, but thanks to my friend Robert, I now know how to prevent going through tarps like they where sheets in the wind.

So, I'd rather have a tall aluminum Cargo Trailer to make into a portable Shower/Workshop/Kitchen.  I don't plan on sleeping in it as I prefer to sleep in the van for those times when I need or want to make a quick get away. 

I've been looking at places to order one on line, but know that it would probably be cheaper to find one for sale through craigslist or ebay.  But, once the papers are signed on the house I'll have to leave it and don't have much time to shop around.

So, do I sell the 4 x 8 and hope to find an enclosed trailer soon?  Or do I keep the 4 x 8 and take it with me to Georgia, Florida or North Carolina and try to find the perfect cargo trailer enroute.

The next issue is that I've decided I want to buy a small piece of land in or near Cherokee NC.  I want to put a small shed/house/camper/trailer on it - hopefully off grid to use as my home base.  I teach and make native american crafts and can find plenty of work around Cherokee, plus there's an Indian clinic there for my health care needs.  I'm not really selling the houses for very much, they're going "as is" to an investor and I need to plan for future needs instead of blazing through the money and not have anything to show for it when I get older and sicker.

So, what do y'all think?

Peace, Love and Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Pre – build pictures. My Baby Here’s the pictures of my 1994 G20 Van converted by Glaval – Unconverted by ME
 
The access port on the left is where I stick the extension cord through when plugged into shore power.
The 100ft extension cord is resting between the outside and inner walls. The black extension cord (with yellow plugs, pic 3) is plugged into the female end of the extension cord.

Here’s the rust around my windows. Leonard helped me take the window out and I use the grinder to take away all the loose rust. After this I brushed Rust Converter on the frame, and sprayed primer where I was going to paint. (I’ll get to the paint soonish.) The next day we put the window back in. Taking the window out and putting it back in is a two person job.


I taped reflectix to the outside walls, but by the time I got to the back quarter panels I was ending up with a lot of odd sized/shaped pieces of reflectix – so I just taped them together like a crazy quilt. I didn’t bother to cut them to the perfect shape or size figuring any overlap is more insulation value.


 Here’s what the wall looked like after I removed the inner walls.  Lots of wires.  I left all this stuff and it is still behind the walls once I put them back up.  What you don't see won't hurt you.

I was able to remove the carpet and padding by myself



There were a bazillion itsy bitsy rust spots like those shown here. I sanded them, painted on rust converter then sprayed them with primer. Overkill? Maybe – but at least I know the floor won’t rust through from the inside out!

Ok, y’all may laugh – and that’s OK. After mom passed a few years back I ended up with tons of styro places and bowls. Since I try not to use styro (I’d rather wash a plate than throw one away) I came up with a way to use them in the van.  I crumpled them so they wouldn’t work their way back to being stacked together, plus I knew that if I got a lot of squeaking that I could remove the panels and throw them away. But, after several months and much travel they’re working out great. What you don’t see is the layer of reflectix taped to the door from the inside. So, the door has reflectix and either carpet padding and/or styro bowl/plate for insulation.


Here’s I have finished taping reflectix to the outside walls and over the wheel wells and the ¾” foil back styro insulation on the floor. Plus the ¾” subfloor plywood is down. Before putting the styro and subflooring down, I put the walls back up
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Here’s where I laid down some nice vinyl flooring from Lowes. I hated the carpet and love this easy to clean floor now.
 

You’ll see the bed frame below. Under the mattress, Leonard made cubbys for me to put my clothes/food/tools. The mattress rests on a piece of ¼” plywood.

I used to have the house battery in a plastic box vented outside. Now I have it in its own wooden space that Leonard built. He made it large enough to fit 2 batteries. The 800 watt inverter is screwed to the front of the bed frame, right behind the driver’s seat. Its easy for me to reach and I can disconnect one of the leads so that the battery doesn’t go down due to Phantom Draw  I do not have the battery box vented.

At the end of the bed frame is a box where I can put my big stuff, like my 20lb propane tank and extra 5 gallon water bottle. Robert Clark made me a cover for it (not shown), so now I can use it as a chair. Its just the right height and in the right place for me to sit and cook on the coleman.

Here’s the counter that Leonard made for me. He built a box type thing for my bar sink and hand pump. I have a tube from the hand pump down into the bottle below. To the right of my sink is my Coleman cooktop, and below are tubs of food items and cooking utensils. I plan on enclosing the open shelves so everything isn’t visible.  

 

The van is far from being “finished” but I’ll get around to it some day.  I think I now have 90% of the things I want for long term boondocking. There’s plenty of work left to do – and plenty of time to do it in. I hope to see you down the road and to share a campfire and a meal with you some day. Send questions or comments to BarkingWaters@gmail.com. Donna Wiggins

Monday 3 18 2013

Found out today that I do indeed have a buyer for my houses in oklahoma so I'm headin back that way tomorrow. I'm a little surprised I'm not having an Oh, S*&t! moment wondering if I've done the best thing. I'm completely OK with this and actually feel like I'm about to begin the part of my life I've hoped, planned and dreamed for. I will soon be houseless, living full time in a 1994 G20 Van. I have a bed, storage, sink, cook top, toilet and outdoor attachments (screen room, shower room) that make everything nice and comfy. This trip I brought my TV, but I've been staying at my daughter's in Maryland and its been coolllddddd, so I've not been in the van except to sleep. And I've slept in it even in the 20s. I sleep under a fuzzy blanket stuffed inside a very warm sleeping bag. I keep the little buddy heater pilot on, though it really doesn't provide much heat, and turn the heater on when I'm awake. I don't sleep with it on - I'm pretty sure the oxy sensor would work just fine, but would hate to wake up dead to realize mine was the one in a million where it didn't work. So, my friends, my complete, happy, easy livin life is about to begin. A few more weeks in Oklahoma to clear up last little bits of business and then I'm on the road for good. Hope to see you somewhere down the line. Peace, Love and Freedom

Back and Forth

Hey all, I want to catch up on my trip so far, so grab a cup of coffee or tea, in my case, and travel the past 9 days with me. On day 3 of my trip, I arrived at Glade Creek Campground and met with fellow VanDweller Dave Campbell from WV. The trip from Kentucky to Beckly Wv was pretty uneventful, except when I stopped for gas at Murphy Gas/Wal Mart, I lost my locking gas cap. Actually, I still have the key and really think it will show up around here once I get my traveling legs under me good and I can finally get organized. Wal Mart sells gas caps, but not for my old van, so I went in town and bought another. Did you know that for those of you in states where Murphy Gas gives you a discount if you use a Wal Mart Shopping card, that you can also sign up with MurPay.com. On that site, you can text how much money you want to spend and get a special code to put in the gas pump. Then pump the gas and what ever the lowest price within 24 hours prior is what you pay. This comes in handy if the gas is skyrocketing. On day 4 of my trip, Dave and I just sat around the camp, ate, walked around the campground and generally had a good, quiet time. The morning of day 5, it was overcast and rain was predicted. Dave asked if we could leave early (we'd planned on staying until Wednesday morning) and I told him I would be happy to stay or glad to go. I really wanted to see my granddaughters in Maryland, so choosing whether to sit in an overcast, chilly campground all day wasn't really a difficult choice to make. So I drove to my daughter's in Westminster MD. Since then I've been here in Maryland, (its now Sunday night). I was here for my granddaughter's 3rd birthday and have enjoyed my stay so far. I'm getting antsy to head on down the road or back to Oklahoma. Why back to Oklahoma already? Well, the realtor called and he has a firm offer on the houses so I might go back to finish clearing out the houses and close on the sale. I've been pulling a 4 x 8 trailer and will offload it here in Maryland then when I come back with the last load, I'll decide what I need with me and what I can leave at my daughter's or give to charity. There's really not that much in the houses, but I kept thinking if I didn't sell the houses and ended going back there in the fall that I'd need what was left behind. I've also been working on orders for customers. I'm going to set up my sewing machine and table in the van tomorrow. Working on special orders while on the road has been one possibility for me to make income and I need to try my hand at it. I've sewn in the van last summer, and used the house battery to power the sewing machine. But, being here for a week, and using my lamp some, I'm not wanting to run my battery down. I have a meter on my inverter but if i get busy sewing and forget to keep track I could ruin this new battery. So, I'm gonna run a power line from my daughter's house to the van. Oh, I also bought a jack up wheel thingy for the front hitch of the trailer. The first time I tried to back up and hitch to it, it took me 7 tries to get it right. Robert Clark has given me some pointers on how to do this without all the false tries. But, with the wheel hitch thingy, if I get close I could just nudge the trailer over and lower it on the ball. Robert also told me what to do so I knew where the back of the trailer was while backing it. See its so narrow that when backing it, you really don't know where it is until its way out of line and in sight of your rear view mirrors. If I don't go back to Oklahoma then I'll head south to Florida. I'll try to get there before the end of the week. I hope you enjoy my blog. I'll be in touch. Peace, Love and Rolling Wheeled Hitch Thingys

Slow Mosey I - day 2

Good evening, This morning I was able to finally stop by Springfield Leather Center in Springfield, MO. I usually buy all my leather and tools at Tandy in Tulsa, but SLC puts Tandy to shame. Wow! I spent over an hour there and then stopped by Jo-Anns to return some fabric and buy some green taffeta so I can finish a special order. Didn't get out of Springfield till about 11am which was a good 3 - 4 hours later than hoped. I'm sitting at McDonals in Princeton, KY and will go find the hosptial to spend the night. There's not a big ole Wal Mart here and I actually enjoy sleeping in a Hospital's parking lot (as long as I can park somewhat far from the ER entrance - for obvious reasons). Its not unusual to see out of state car tags, especially for a town that's right on the highway. The trailer is holding together. Each time I stop I do a walk around. In MO I noticed one of the license tags screws had come off (oh, yeah, now I remember I was going to get some plyers to titghten them down) and the one screw that was left was barely holding on. The fix? Zip Ties. After it started getting dark I started wondering if the hitch ball was tight still. I hadn't checked it and every little bump had me worried. But, here at McDonalds, I looked at it and its still safe and secure. I'm going to the WV GTG and will have a 7 hour drive tomorrow. I'm actually feeling like I'll never get there. But, when you drive 60 mph it takes a while to drive 983 miles. But, that's OK. I hope to be there until Tuesday then hotfoot it over to my daughter's in Maryland to help celebrate my granddaughter's third birthday. Peace, Love and Kudos to the person that invented Zip Ties.

Slow Mosey I. 2013

Left Pawhuska yesterday for my first slow mosey of 2013.

 I left a lot later than hoped, but since I hope to be gone about six months, I bad to be  sure I had everything packed for the 5 classes I'm teaching, plus all the stuff I'm giving to my  daughter  and others along  the_ way.

 I'll soon be putting a video online of my build of my4x8 Harbor  Freight trailer.   Plus I'll post a photo of my van pulling my new trailer and how I put the hitch rack given to me by Leonard S. and modified  by Robert C. on the front of the trailer. Its A pretty sweet setup.

 I haven't checked my MPG yet, but it does seem to be using a little more than usual though I'm still driving about 60.

 I'm heading to the WVGTG and should be there Saturday morning.

 See y'all down the road!

Peace, Love and faith in my trailer building ability!!!