Van envy, cats, dogs, and a minimalist materialist

It's been a very active week in my driveway!

Three boondockers have been my guests.

Here they are!

I met David at "The Slabs" in California last year. He's a retired potter, gardener and martial arts teacher. 

If you don't know what the Slabs are, check the link out below. It's a truly wild place. 

While I was boondocking at the Slabs, David wandered over to me at dusk as I was struggling with a sandstorm, high winds and my solar panel that was taking a beating. He offered me some stew that he had cooked in his car. I'm like ---

"WHAT?? I'm busy here!!" I didn't actually say that but I thought it and I said "no thank you." And who is this weirdo anyway offering me food? 

Then I thought that was not very neighborly.......... and........... I'm just as much of a weirdo..............so I wandered over and sure enough, he was cooking stew in his car. And it turned out it was very good.

David came to stay for a few days in Norwalk this past week while visiting his daughter in the city. And he stayed in my driveway in his Prius.

David's Prius

David's "kitchen"

David is a self proclaimed "minimalist materialist". He loves his toys. He has a motorized folding bike and a pizza oven that all live inside of his car with him. Which by the way is also the ONLY place he lives, sleeps and yes, cooks. 

Needless to say David gets some attention when he drags these gadgets out.

AND it just so happened that journalist Jessica Bruder, author of the new book "Nomadland" came to speak at the Westport CT Library, my home town and residence to some of the wealthiest people in America.  And "Nomadland" is about folks who take to the road to make ends meet. 

David was mentioned in her book, and was there in the audience.

Putting two and two together,  she invited 50 Westport people to come out of their lovely library and take at look at his car and his toys in the parking lot. 

It was a bizarre moment............Westport elite ........car dwelling, uh..........

People seemed interested, intrigued and also turned completely off. "Not my cup of tea" I heard in a thick New York accent. Probably not most of their cups of tea.

David mused "I think I'm kind of materialistic."  So I'm dubbing him a minimalist materialist. He has to get rid of one thing to have another. He can't "collect" stuff. But he likes gadgets that serve his lifestyle and have a cool factor.

David's folding motorized bicycle. This is his sleeping companion. Not terribly cuddly.

David setting up his wood fired pizza oven that he can make cauliflower crust pizza in for his guests.

The next guest was Rachael who showed up in what was once my true love, a RIALTA van camper that I coveted back in the 1990's. It has a Volkswagon engine and got really good gas mileage for the time (about 23 MPG). Now a days, vans can get close to 20 with the newer technology, but back then that was about double what you' d expect a camper to get. 

Rachael is a part timer who lives in Cincinnati, was returning from a Rialta rally, an travels with not one cat, but TWO cats AND TWO DOGS in a 17 foot van!

She cooked us Cincinnati Chili (which has something to do with spaghetti, beans, cheese and other options) for dinner. 

No one thinks they can travel like this with cats. She says "they love it." Well, maybe they don't hate it.  In any case cause they looked pretty chill!

The downside of having so many pets with you is that you really can't leave them for extended periods of time in the vehicle for obvious reasons. But the upside is that you have your pets with you!

Then Rod showed up while Rachael was still my guest with what I considered to be my current van crush, a new Dodge Ram Promaster hightop that was his own custom design and build. How could I say no. This thing was cool.

It was like my first boyfriend meeting my current boyfriend. 

Rod is also a mid-Westerner from Michigan who downsized from a 42 foot 5th wheel with five slide outs to the Promaster van after his wife of many years passed away from cancer a year ago. 

Rod plays guitar and so after our Cincinnati Chili, we had a nice jam! I had to leave on my own trip early the next day, so I didn't get as much time as I'd have liked to play music with my guest. Maybe we'll meet again!

Rod and Laura 

Choochi checking out the action in the driveway

To read more about 

The Slabs click here

 Thanks for reading!! You make this so much fun!!

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Happy trails!

The Adventures of Asher and Journey

My most recent Boondocker's Welcome guests here in Norwalk are a family of four living in a 17 foot trailer! I remarked, if you guys still get along and love each other, you know you're doing something right.

Journey, Michele, Keith and Asher

And that's what matters for Dad Keith, a retired military vet and law enforcement officer from Los Vegas who decided that he wasn't seeing enough of his family. So he bought an RV and they started to travel the country with two three year old twins, Asher and Journey (Asher is the boy, Journey is the girl. Cool names!)

Journey

They've been all over the country, and Journey's favorite place is Leggo Land and Asher's was the bumper cars. I get it. It's all good.

Mom Michele is really amazing at how she organized her family in this small space. "Their toys go here" she pulled out a small drawer that would have held about 1/10th of most kids toys.

I remarked "You don't do much impulse buying for the kids do you because there's no place to put stuff."
"That's right," she said "and they hardly play with these, there's so many other things to explore out there."

Sounds pretty good to me. Less stuff you have, less stuff you want or need.
Even kids feel this way if their lives are rich in ways that matter!

Adding Connecticut to their map

The long range plan is to do something called "Space A Travel" that the military offers (this stands for "space available").  Apparently, Army vets can get on cargo planes and travel anywhere for free if there is room. So Keith, who says he can do something for about three years before he wants to do something else (they've been RVing for three and a half years), thinks that's what they'll be doing to start to travel internationally. 

Meanwhile, today, they're off to see the Statue of Liberty.

I can't think of a better way to bring up kids.

The Adventures of Asher and Journey

You can see their blog here:

http://theadventuresofasherandjourney.blogspot.com/

Would love to hear from you!

POST YOUR COMMENT CLICK HERE then scroll down to bottom of post and click on the pencil icon!

Catching the Excitement!

Fernadina Beach, FL

The other day, I was at a little gathering of friends and someone I know who has her own business was lamenting that she could not retire without having to sell the house she adores.

I questioned further.

After about an hour or two discussion, my friend's vision of her retirement totally changed to a happy potential that could happen much sooner and without having to sell her house.

She got bit by optimism!

I've been enjoying watching and listening to her process the new found paradigm of keeping her house and using that as a rental asset, collecting social security when she's eligible instead of waiting until 70, and considering her love of the "tiny house" movement as something that's already been happening for over 80 years! 

      Grandpa Lorenz Anderson and the trailer they called "Baby Elephant" in 1932

Actually my mom and her family were nomadic in the winter and  drove a trailer from Ohio to Florida during the Depression. They were fortunate in that her father was the postmaster of her little town and they could afford to do such things whereas much of the nation could barely scrape enough money together to eat.

              Baby Elephant and the Bender

    Mom Arlene Anderson age nine in Hollywood FL.

The first thing I asked her about was considering how long it would take for her to make the Social Security deferral break even. For me and for her it was at age 82. 

FORGET THAT!

It behooves us to consider how long it would take to reclaim our deferred Social Security benefits if we wait until 70 to take SS and forgo the tens of thousands of dollars we could collect between 66-70 to pay off an asset like a house.  For my friend, it makes more sense to take it at 66 and pay off her mortgage. For others who don't need the money, then leave it alone. Selling her house makes no sense especially since it's an adorable waterfront cottage that could easily fetch a decent rent and substantially add to her annual income.

And she loves the tiny teardrop trailers...............Stay tuned!

Starting to Prepare for Winter 2018 Trip South!

The fall snap is in the air, and everyone is SAD! SUMMER IS OVER. 

Well not everyone, some of ya'll like winter. I love the three seasons but I love leaving when it's dark and cold.

Last year, I made a short list of what I'd do differently the next time. 

Here it is.

1. While I can do just a car, this time I'm taking my little "Livin' Lite" fold up trailer which will allow me the luxury

of a bed, sofa, lots of storage and six foot plus headroom! AND a propane heater!  However I might not always have the situation where I can use this, so I'm still making the car the secondary living/sleeping space.

What's great about this trailer is that you can push it around by hand once it's off the car. And it's only 600 lbs so you can tow it with anything. I love the open "screen room" canvass feeling too when the windows are down.

What's not great about dragging a trailer is that you have to tow it, park it, leave it, lock it, and my car doesn't feel as nimble and zippy as I like it to and gas mileage suffers about a 30% loss. 

It's all about trade offs. If you want this, you gotta not have that.

2. I took a solar panel suitcase to charge my house batteries last year and used it ONCE. And lugging that thing around was a bummer.  Big and heavy.

So I'm going to wire my car battery to my house battery so it charges when I drive. I Just have to remember to disconnect it when I'm using the house battery for my computer etc or it will drain the car. Lots of audio nuts do this to run their audio equipment on the road. (Maybe that's what makes that bass sound so loud in those crazy loud vehicles?)

I'll see how this works. When I come back and still plan on using the car to travel in, I might put a little flexible flat solar panel on the top of my Honda Accord.

3. The biggest luxury I'm probably going to have to forgo is a 12 volt cooler which means back to the ice chest and buying ice every two or three days. 

It takes some serious voltage  to run a fridge continuously, which means getting very serious about generating that voltage with solar panels and a bank of batteries. 

This generally takes a 400 watt solar system and tons of sun, which works in the desert, but not consistently on the east coast.

 The other option for RVer's is a three way fridge which can run off of DC, AC or propane. That's the way to go. But I don't have that in my camper right now. Maybe I'll look into it before I leave just for the heck of it.

AND 

4. I took a very very twin large foam mat in the car for sleeping last time because I wanted to sleep well and be familiar with the bed that I normally like. It took up a lot of space, but somehow I managed. So this time, I'm hoping to streamline into a mat made for camping.

There were 94 GREAT "5 star" reviews on LL Bean for this one so it's coming for me to test out.  It's called "Camp Futon" it has  3 inch density and it's $99.00.

And what's great about LL Bean is that if you don't like it or it leaks or something (even after you use it a LOT), they'll take it back. For the rest of your (or its) life.

SO................

I'm mostly going to focus on Florida this year. Or I might find myself on the Gulf Coast of Alabama.

First stop, back to Amelia Island and stay with my pal Mike who I met last year when he hosted me. 

Would love to  drop in on Jed and Dave and see the rebuild of their house in St. Augustine (which hopefully will be spared a second hit!).

Have an old friend near Sanibel Island named Chuck, haven't seen him in a long time.

Around to the west coast to Sarasota and drop in on Pat and her new pooch Flynn.

Will check out "Boondockers Welcome" and "Couchsurfing" invites around the state - generally great way to meet folks.

I might also drop in on A Course In Miracles groups and make friends there also. 

Also there is an amazing amount of open space that you can camp for free. I have to get up my nerve though to do this! For more on this check out this video "Gone with the Wynns"

Free Florida Camping -"Gone with the Wynns"

And in between, do some volunteering at Workaway and other places. I'm sure there'll be lots to do if Irma has it's way with Florida. 

It's easy to make friends on the road. You just have to be friendly and helpful! 

Found a great site for finding volunteer opportunities all over the country.

www.volunteermatch.org

And of course..........walk on the beaches with Choochi. She's the "dog" part of the Me, Dog, Car. 

Great Animated Navigation Secrets from Nature -- Easy!

Click below to watch!

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/wayfinding-tips-tristan-gooley-animation?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=keywee&kwp_0=501001

Lifetime Senior Pass provides FREE admission to National Parks and discounts on camping

DID YOU KNOW???

You can buy a lifetime FREE admission pass to all National Parks that also provides significant discounts on camping and other services once you turn 62!

• $80 lifetime pass, plus a $10 handling fee. An annual $20 pass is also available.
  
• For U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over.
  
• Provides entrance or access to pass owner and accompanying passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle at Federal operated recreation sites across the country.
  
• May provide a 50 percent discount on some amenity fees charged for facilities and services such as camping, swimming, boat launch, and specialized interpretive services.

https://store.usgs.gov/senior-pass

It's a beautiful thing.

Solo Camping for Women by Roxy Whalley

Roxy Whalley is undoubtedly the queen of "life on the road as a solo woman" AND being woman who loves her life in the wilderness. I was lucky enough to meet and make friends with Roxy on my trip to Arizona last winter and her Youtube videos before I left were very inspiring. "If she can do it!" What I have done until now is far less challenging or "scary" than what she does (but she's not scared!) And Roxy says she can live on about $500 per month pursuing her passion of photography. 

Here is something from her most recent blog entry that I hope you find interesting. When I tell women I did my trip solo, eyebrows raise and they always ask me if I felt scared. YES sometimes, but rarely scared, and YES I most often felt safe. I did a very different type of camping than Roxy (mostly I camped around people in the desert and in public parking areas). Being around people means if you make a ruckus, someone will hear you. Blast your car horn, yell, whatever. So someone is less likely to mess with you because they don't want to get caught. That's a cardinal rule for women's self defense. Prey on the attacker's fear by drawing attention to them.

But Roxy is out there on her own and likes it that way. This is how she does it.

https://nomadfornature.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/solo-camping-for-women/

Roxy's vehicle she calls "Studly van"

SOLO CAMPING FOR WOMEN

August 25, 2017 · by Nomad for Nature ~ Tranquil Light Photography · in STAYING SAFE!!!. ·

By Roxy Whalley

I originally wrote this article in 2002 for a woman’s magazine and have updated it a little for this blog post.

I love to camp alone, and the more remote the area the better. There are many dangers involved for anyone camping alone and for women the risks are even greater.

Here are a few tips I’ve learned to help make the woman’s solo experience a little safer.

I first camped alone at the age of 35 (I’m now 55, in 2017) when I  decided to relocate from my home in Indiana (when I left my (then) abusive husband). One day I jumped into my car and hit the highway. With no plans, I simply followed the roads at whim. After 4,400 miles and a month of camping alone, I realized the freedom I felt could not compare with anything else I’d ever done. Since then I’ve camped on my own extensively on the edge of a variety of wilderness areas, and some not so remote areas, either by setting up a tent or sleeping (living) in my vehicle or going for short solo backpacking trips.

Have I been scared? You bet. On my first solo backpacking trip, I was awake half the night, my ears straining towards the tree where my bear bag hung, and listening for evidence of bears stealing my food. The presence of bears worried me less than the possibility of losing my food on the first night. That would have been disastrous as it would have cut my sabbatical to one night instead of three.

But bears and mountain lions rarely bother with people unless they invite trouble. Here are the basic rules:

Keep a very clean camp (a BARE camp) and follow all the rules.

Store sleeping clothes separate from the clothes you eat in, hang all food including other scented items like toothpaste out of the reach of bears (fifteen feet from the ground and ten feet out from the tree trunk) and ensure pots and pans are clean and odorless.

When leaving camp it’s a good idea to store your sleeping bag along with your night clothes in a garbage bag inside the tent, you are then assured of a dry bag and clothes to warm up in if you get wet.

 

Even if I go for a short hike on my own I always have emergency gear with me. Some people may think this is being over cautious, but when I’m alone there is no one to help should anything go wrong. The key to survival is to think of all the many things that could go wrong and be prepared, without being paranoid.

When backpacking always let someone you trust know where you are. If you go for an unplanned hike, leave a note in your tent so others will know where to look in case you do not return. Ask other hikers of weather and trail conditions up ahead. One time this prevented me from a possible dangerous encounter with a female moose and her two calves. It is wise to stick to the trail, then if you injure yourself your chances of being discovered are greater. There are times though, when the temptation to explore something off trail may be too great. When doing this, be prepared mentally and physically to accept the consequences should anything go wrong. Always carry a map and compass and other survival tools (such as a PLB) and know how to use them.

When setting out for a solo backpacking trip or hike, never let strangers know you are alone or where you are going. I lead them to believe I’m meeting a party of hikers. One time on the trail a man approached me who did not generate an, “I can be trusted,” aura. With my hand on my bear mace, out of sight, I turned and shouted into the woods, “Come on Jack hurry up, I could have gone three times by now”. The stranger glanced to the woods, saw no one, but continued on his way. I know I led him to believe I wasn’t alone.

When car camping I find roads that lead to the national forest and sometimes bordering a wilderness area. Before heading into these remote spots do a quick check over the vehicle. Be sure the tires are inflated including the spare, the gas tank is full and the oil and water levels are good. Then stock up on food and drinking water. Even if you only plan to be there one night, it is wise to have enough supplies for several days in case you get stranded and have to hike out for help.

Visit the forest ranger’s offices whenever possible. Let the ranger’s know of your intentions, and ask for the best spots for a woman to camp alone. I prefer to camp in remote areas that are well hidden (I’m talking about dispersed camping or boondocking). In doing this I can see and hear people approaching, often before they are aware of my presence. This feels safer as it gives me the upper hand and a chance to prepare for an unwanted visit.

Other women may prefer to be in full view.

One summer I went on a ten-day solo trip around Colorado (this was back in the year 2000 before I became a full-time vehicle dweller and nomad, but did a lot of solo camping trips). On one road I saw a lady walking a dog, and stopped to inquire about the condition of the road and where it led. She could see that I was camping alone and was concerned. So I set a small rock inside a tree stump and told her that when I left in two days, I would remove the rock. If it was still there in three days, she and her husband should come and check on me. They seemed like honest people, and I chose to trust them. Admittedly, it was easier to sleep knowing that someone was aware of my presence in that wild, remote place. (This was many years ago, before cell phones and Personal Locator beacons were common and more affordable, but if you don’t use a PLB, you could maybe do something like this).

--See previous "Me, Dog, Car" for Roxy's
discussion on these new devices--
http://medogcar.blogspot.com/2017/08/roxy-lives-among-bears-and-other.html

There are times and places that are a safer bet for women alone. During my 4,400 mile trip back in 1996, I stuck to State Parks because I felt considerably safer as it was hunting season, and large groups of men at various levels of inebriation were everywhere. Since then I have experienced camping mostly in the backwoods, and can’t tolerate the noise and thoughtlessness of other campers in such places, so I rarely stay in State Parks or any kind of developed campground. Additionally, they cost money, and I refuse to pay for camping except in very special circumstances.

For myself, the rewards of camping alone far outweigh the risks. I’ve learned to be more independent, and have found strength both mentally and physically I didn’t know I had. I also have a much stronger sense of self, so when at night I hear a twig snap close to my flimsy little shelter (or outside my vehicle) and wonder what is moving around out there, or when I walk quietly within a herd of deer; in those moments, with my senses in override, I know I am truly alive.

Until next time, stay safe out there.

Roxy ~ A Nomad for Nature