Odds and Ends

Well, it looks like Russia’s logistic problems keep getting worse. At the time of writing the Kerch bridge that connects Crimea with Russia has suffered significant damage. No idea exactly how bad or for how long it’ll be out of order. Not only was the roadway damaged, the rail bridge was also shut down. Russia moves everything of significance by rail. Right now I don’t know how it was damaged, but if it happened once it can happen again.

On Friday I dropped off another load of waste vegetable oil to a biodiesel company in Vermont. That’s about the last of the stuff I had stored back when I ran diesel vehicles on waste vegetable oil. With that gone it’ll be much easier to sort out my basement, including adding more insulation.

When we got back home from Vermont I saw a very large black bear about 200 feet from my house. It would not surprise me if his sensitive nose picked up the lingering smell of vegetable oil. There was a small amount of spillage on the grass and that would be enough for a bear to investigate. 

I’d also like to add a bit more to my blog post about tents. I’m a big proponent of using large, comfortable, well made tents. They are really great if you are establishing a base camp for a couple weeks or longer. We also travel with a small tent that’s quick and easy to set up. That’s really helpful when traveling and you are only stopping overnight. 

If traveling by van there’s another neat trick with a small tent. Let’s say you have a great dispersed camping site. Even though you are living out a the van, set up a cheap tent on the site. You don’t even have to put anything in it. The idea is that it serves as a place holder. If you go somewhere with your vehicle there’s still something on your site to show it’s occupied. 

Well, that’s a few random things I want to write whole blog posts about. 

-Sixbears

Freedom of the open road?

In late 2019 I was thinking about doing the full time RV gig. It was something of a passing thought and I’m glad it passed. What happened is that my lovely wife and I had spell of wet and cool tent camping. You get crazy ideas after sitting around in a wet tent. Good thing the feeling passed. 

RV living is not what it used to be. Just a few years ago it was much easier. There were a lot more free camping spots.  Campgrounds were less expensive and fuel was cheap. Free public land has been closed to camping due to overuse, litter, property destruction and unruly behavior. There are even fewer Walmarts that will let you stay overnight. 

During the pandemic RV camping became really popular. Lots of new people got into the lifestyle. Too many new people didn’t know how to behave. Disgusted mom and pop campgrounds sold out to big corporations. The new owners put in new rules and higher prices. RV manufactures had difficulty getting parts. Demand was high and a lot of RVs were slapped together. Poor quality will plague the industry for years. 

Tent camping doesn’t look too bad right now. My lovely wife and I have a week booked on the coast of Maine this summer. I’ve also got some stealth scooter camping planned. I’ve a black cover for the scooter and a small dark green tent. I don’t have to get all that far off the road to disappear. 

-Sixbears

Camping on the coast

It looks like, in spite of high gas prices, campgrounds are still booking up quickly. My lovely wife and I  just booked a week on the coast of Maine in July. We’ve been going to this campground since the kids were little. Now they bring their kids. 

Unlike a lot of campgrounds, this one is still owned by the same people. A lot of mom and pop campgrounds have sold out to big corporations. The new owners hike the rates, often doubling them or more. One campground we used to love in Florida doubled the rates, halved the size of the sites, and put in a bunch of restrictions. Unfortunately that’s a trend. 

For campers on a budget that’s a problem. A lot more people are now trying to camp free on Federal land. That’s great, but the more popular camping spots are overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that so many campers are destructive and leave a mess in their wake. Because of that there are places that have been closed. 

At least I didn’t buy into the RV market. Last year the average price of an RV was over $73,000. That’s just crazy. Heck, I’ve seen little teardrop campers going for over $60,000. That’s a lot of money for something that’s essentially a rolling bed. People are taking on $1,000/month payments and that’s before they even leave the driveway. Full hookup RV sites can be stupid expensive -if you can afford the fuel to even go anywhere. 

Then there’s the issue of tow vehicles. People are paying $100,000 for a truck capable of hauling a 5th wheel or a tow behind. That’s if they can even find a vehicle to buy.

This will be our first camping trip since early 2020. We’ve missed it. Hopefully we’ll figure out camping for next winter too. That’s totally up in the air as conditions are unsettled. However, when we do decide we can load up and be out the door quickly. Our record for packing up and leaving to go camping is 20 minutes. Good bug out practice too.

-Sixbears

Still Here

I suppose it wasn’t very nice of me to mention a big storm was coming and then to go silent for a day.

Yes, the storm did hit. There was lightning, heavy rain and high winds. The inside of the tent stayed dry so I thought we were doing fairly well. When I tried to exit the tent the vestibule had been knocked over. Both pegs that hold it open had been pulled out. All in all, not really much of a problem.

So why no blog last night? It was pretty simple, really. We had a really nice campfire going and it was a good night for watching meteors.

My lovely wife and I had big plans for the day. Instead we met some interesting people and had some fascinating conversations. One of our fellow campers will be staying at our next campground too, so that’s something to look forward to.

While I haven’t launched the boat yet, I’ve done some work on it. Everything is in disarray after bouncing down the road for all those miles. The inflatable kayak is inflated and ready so go, so we’ll at least get something on the water later today.

One of the odd things, for us northerners, about Florida is that it feels like summer to us, but still gets dark early because it’s winter.

I’m feeling better the longer I’m here. It’s all good.

-Sixbears

Back to Tent Camping

The ambulance/camper van is no longer in service. That doesn't mean we don't still enjoy camping. So what vehicle do we have left? It' a Nissan Versa Note, a small economy hatchback.

Before putting the van up for sale, I stripped out all the camping gear. Some of that has been repurposed for car camping. We set up the car for camping and tested it on the coast of Maine.

The Nissan has some really nice Thule racks. I built a wooden rack that sits on top of the load bars. The 105 watt solar panel is screwed to that wood rack. It's quick and easy to mount on and take off the car. It charges a type 27 Interstate deep discharge battery that's kept on the floor in the backseat. From that I have DC power to run my small compressor fridge, phones, fan, and C-pap. There's also a 400 watt inverter to power normal electrical devices like my laptop. This set up can stay right on the car, or easily moved to a sunnier spot if needed.

We also have a large tent, sleeping bags, self-inflating sleep pad, air mattress, folding chairs and all our cooking and cleaning gear. The dog came along with us, with all her stuff. We brought a 3.5 gallon water jug, swim toys, binoculars, books, clothes, and other odds and ends. Believe it or not, the car didn't even look overloaded. We were quite comfortable with that set up, even successfully weathered thunderstorms.

While our set up is pretty minimalistic, it provides plenty of comfort. I am amused by the fact that our car is smaller than most vehicles towed behind motorhomes. So what do we do if there is a long stretch of bad weather? We could always check into a nice hotel with the money we've saved by not having a huge motorhome.

-Sixbears

Living Space

It's funny. Back home my lovely wife and I share a fairly good sized house. It was the right size when we were raising three daughters. Now, it seems a bit excessive. It's kinda a relief that my niece will be moving in with us when we get back. The house won't seem so empty. There are times when I think I just have all those rooms so I can keep my books in them.

For a few months now my lovely wife and I have been living in a converted ambulance. It's basically just a bed on wheels. I'm got a bit more space by using my old cooler as a seat. There is enough room for our basic needs. Living on our last sailboat was similar to living in the van. We've been blessed with a lot of good weather, so a lot of our living is done outside.

When my lovely wife and I first got together, we did a lot of backpacking. Everything since has seemed like an upgrade. Even canoe camping seemed posh, as we brought bigger tents and extras like folding chairs. Car camping was another upgrade. You could drive right up to your campsite. Luxury. In fact, even though we've got this perfectly comfortable camper van, we still occasionally tent camp.

I understand the tiny house movement. There's something to be said for having just enough space to meet your needs and no more. As some point we don't own things; things own us. If we were building a place to live in now we'd probably live in a 20 foot diameter yurt. That's big enough to do everything that needs to be done.

Of course, you've really got to love the person you are with to be able to live so close.

-Sixbears

Back to the Beginning

My lovely wife and and I have been traveling in the winter for a very long time. She was working as a hospital lab tech back then. They could not give her the months off that we needed every winter, so she'd quit her job. They always said they could not promise they'd hire back in the spring. We didn't worry about it and they always did.

We had bought a second hand Dodge Neon for one of my daughters to use when she went to school in Florida. After she graduated she wanted to buy a new car, so we were stuck with the Neon. It would not have been our choice for car camping, but it's the car we had.

I made some modifications. It already had a good Thule roof rack for our canoe. I added a small hitch so I could hang a cargo rack off the back. On the rack set a custom plywood box that contained most of our camping gear. It also carried a 12 volt deep discharge battery to run a 12 volt cooler and other electrical needs. The battery was charged off the car's alternator using a battery isolator.

That winter we did a lot of tent camping. One tent was huge with an attached screened in sitting area. The other was a small 4 season tent that we often used when just staying someplace for one night.

Dodge Neons are not known for being great cars, but ours never let us down. We traveled all over the Southeast that winter. We fell in love with the gypsy lifestyle.

By the second year we simplified a bit. Our load got trimmed back some. The cargo rack stayed home. I stuffed some of our gear into dry bags and tied them under the canoe on the roof. It worked just fine.

Now we have our comfortable converted ambulance/motorhome. However, we still occasionally load our gear in my lovely wife's little Nissan Versa hatchback and go tent camping. After all these years we still like tents.

-Sixbears

Travel vehicles

My lovely wife and I have traveled with a number of different vehicles over the years. At the time we decided to live out of a tent and do car camping, we really did not have the right car for it. When our daughter went to school she had a little Dodge Neon. Once she graduated and started to make money she decided to upgrade to a new car. My lovely wife and I ended up with the Neon.

I'm not fussy with what I drive. My “image” does not depend on my transportation. The car had roof racks to carry a canoe so it was all good. Our first season I'd added a small receiver hitch to carry a cargo buddy. I figured we needed all the extra cargo room we could get. That winter the car was loaded down pretty heavily -canoe on the roof, big cargo box hanging off the back.

The next season we eliminated the cargo buddy completely. We'd pared down our stuff some. Other gear we packed in dry bags and stuffed inside the canoe on the roof. The little car rode much better.

What I was really wishing for was a classic VW camper van. Maybe it's the old hippie in me but I really liked the romance of those old mini-vans. My lovely wife and I looked at a number of them. One of the things that slowly started to change my mind was that a lot of the vans we looked at had blown engines. Then I found one in great shape.

The woman who owned it was stuck on a price and I was stuck on a lower price. I had cash in hand. Her husband really wanted that cash, but the van was in her name. No way was she going to budge. I left as the marital disharmony was reaching a fever pitch. That's the closest I came to buying one. Considering how underpowered and unreliable they are I probably dodged a bullet.

Right after that I got into running diesels on Veggie. We had an old Mercedes Benz 240D converted to run on WVO. With a small utility trailer on the back for veggie oil our range was 3000 miles. Loaded up with a canoe on top and all our camping gear, it accelerated like a fat man jogging. Eventually it would get to highway speeds. Still died on the hills, but we loved that old car and put 400,000 miles on it.

Later we ran a Ford F250 on veggie. That was a pretty good camping rig. Once we got into sailing it was a great tow vehicle. Unfortunately it was susceptible to rust. I changed both fenders and did a lot of patch work. Then we started to have drive train problems so we let that go.

That's when we won an ambulance at auction and turned it into the veggie van. It it's a good camping rig, fun to drive, and pulls the sailboat well. That's out current set up. It's pretty comfortable with a full sized bed, 12 volt cooler, microwave, and solar electric power.

Once in a while we find ourselves going back to more minimalistic camping. My lovely wife has a Nissan Versa Note. The little hatchback has roof racks for camping gear or a canoe. In a way it's a lot like back when we camped with the Neon all those years ago. We are still fond of tent camping. My lovely wife thinks tents are romantic and who am I to argue with that?

-Sixbears

Car and tent test

What does one do after customizing an ambulance into a pretty darn good mini motor home? Leave it in the driveway and take the little economy car camping instead. There is method to my madness.

First and foremost, my lovely wife and I really do like tents. The weather forecast looks pretty good so we should be very comfortable. Had the weather looked rainy I'd have taken the converted van in a heartbeat. As much as we love tents, day after day of rain gets old. However, that doesn't look like a problem for this trip.

There are some advantages to taking a little car to the coast of Maine. Those coastal roads are narrow and twisty. It's also much much easier to park a tiny car in those cramped coastal towns.

This trip is also a test to if we can take the essentials in the car. Nothing like actually doing it see how it all sorts out. We are toying with the idea of leaving our van and boat home next winter. Instead we'd pack just the essentials and drive south. Once we get down there we'll go boat shopping. It might make more sense to keep in boat in Florida than to haul one thousands of miles on the road every winter.

Right now I've got most of the stuff for camping packed in the car. That includes the big inflatable two person Sea Eagle kayak. Some more clothes and a cooler and I'll be ready to go.

Hope to have some photos for everyone when we get back.

-Sixbears

Back to tents

A buddy of mine built a remote cabin on an isolated island somewhere in the North Atlantic. It's about as remote a place in North America as you'd want to go. The island can only be reached by boat and most of the island is surrounded by steep cliffs.

Last winter an 11 foot storm surge sent a huge piece of sea ice right up the cliff and into the cabin. It was moved back 35 feet then tipped over on its side. Never underestimate the power of mother nature.

He's decided to salvage what he can from the cabin and will burn the rest. Instead of rebuilding a simple tent platform will take its place. His tent, at 12 X 16 feet, is pretty good sized. It's designed to be used with a wood stove. A well made wood heated tent can be surprisingly comfortable. I once stayed in one during an overnight cross country ski trip.

A quality tent is not cheap but worth the money. If you plan on spending any time at all in a tent don't spring for the cheapest Walmart disaster. Quality only hurts once. The difference between a good dry night's sleep and having your tent shredded in a storm is priceless.

For me, the type and size of tent one buys depends on how it's going to be hauled around. If it's going to on your back in a pack, weight is a major factor. However, if it's going to be carried in a vehicle or even a canoe, it's a different story. I've been known to carry a 50 pound canvas tent in a canoe. It was roomy enough to comfortably sleep a half dozen adults.

It was rated for more, but don't believe those ratings. For example, a four man tent is just about big enough for two people. Maybe 4 people could sleep in the tent, but forget about rolling over or having any gear in the tent with you. You want a tent big enough so you can sit up and play cards to pass a rainy day.

Maybe it's the nomad in me, but I still love a good tent. It might be a good substitute for that remote cabin. Even the most remote cabins have been broken into. A tent platform isn't something anyone's likely to steal or vandalize. It gets the tent off the ground so it's warmer and dryer. The tent sets up faster than on the ground too.

No, you don't really need a good tent. I've spent nights sleeping on snow covered mountain tops with a tarp. However, a good tent makes everything just that much easier and more comfortable.

-Sixbears