24/7 Chat About Anything

[travelaround]

I don't know, Maki - the plates came with a handwritten note telling me to do away with my old license plates.

 

[bullfrog]

Just mount the license plate upside down then it will be 999 and everyone will smile at you! Lol!!!

 

[maki2]

Travelaround  maybe it really is a case of "... Don't Shoot us Messengers"

 

[desert_sailing]

I never air my annoyances at anyone who has control over something I need/want

EVER!
Unless I want spit on a burger or 666 plates. I'm certain they hear complaints non stop. They can't change the fee schedule, after all they are just low level govt employees.

In Washington State a van that has had the rear seats removed is classified as a truck for registration purposes and we also have very easy to meet criteria for having a van build out classified as an RV...ohh yeah and 35$ renewal tabs.. plus a few sneaky fees*.

I would definitely make sure your rig is classified correctly... it may be the vehicle weight that is getting you.

People make mistakes. Govt workers make stacks of mistakes... why anyone would trust the word of govt muppets is beyond me.

There was a great study put out several years ago looking at why govt is so inefficient. They found that the majority of govt employees have very low cognitive ability and most were found in yeap.. you guessed it.. the DMV. I'll look for the study. It really helped me understand and have consideration for these people functioning a bit above a potato.

Wouldn't you also need a commercial drivers license to operate a commercial vehicle??.. You may want to check on that. I'd imagine your insurance company won't pay if that is the case and an accident happens. Commercial vehicles are also required to stop at weigh stations... I think many liabilities are looming here.

 

[travelaround]

LOL - upside down. I decided to remove the new plates this morning and put the old plates back on and put the August extension paper back in my window. That gives me until the end of August to get these plates replaced. Another 2 hour trip to Yreka. Waiting to hear from the state assemblywoman first! I hope she can help me... usually their office will do an investigation.

I found out the program from the Dept. of Social Services "Disaster Services Branch" is called the State Supplemental Grant Program (SSGP)... and I was referred to them by FEMA. The grant is up to 10K but most awards are from 200 dollars to 2000... so not enough to cover the van build, and there's a list of things I can spend it on. "Van build" is not one of those items. Maybe it could cover the cost of eyeglasses since all my backup glasses burned in the fire, or it could be used to pay a plumber as all the water and sewer pipes need to be replaced before we can move our trailers onto the property.

 

[travelaround]

Wouldn't you also need a commercial drivers license to operate a commercial vehicle??.. You may want to check on that.

Apparently I can use my non-commercial driver's license because it doesn't weigh over 26,000 pounds. I had to get it weighed - it is 6420 pounds... with heavy boxes in the back... things I've been collecting for the van build.

 

[desert_sailing]

Oh that's good TA.

Sounds like they just have your vehicle misclassified. Mine also was until I told them I had no rear seating. Maybe someone at a 800 number for DMV could give you a direct answer considering the weight falls well below the standard for CA commercial vehicle.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/handb...cial-vehicles/commercial-vehicle-definitions/

 

[travelaround]

Thanks for that web page - I hope I can get this reclassified as a passenger vehicle as that's all I've been using it for... it may be large but since I'm not using it for commercial purposes, it shouldn't be considered commercial just because it is a cargo van. In my opinion!

When I was at DMV I didn't complain much... just was in shock when they told me to pay an additional 900 dollars! On top of what I'd already paid - $610. So I said this was the last time CA would do that to me because I'd move out of state before it was due again.

 

[desert_sailing]

"If your registration expires January 31, 2015, or later, you can pay a one-time $25 permanent registration fee along with registration fees and motor vehicle registration taxes. At that time you will be issued a permanent “Z” tab and will not have to renew your registration again"


That's the Alaska way. You don't have to be there in the winter

I've been strongly considering changing residency back to AK... the cold and remoteness keeps a lot of the chaff out.

 

[travelaround]

Nice AK registration deal, if their original cost isn't too much. I could have reregistered this van in Idaho for about $250 for two years by mail, but I was trying to "do the right thing" and call myself a CA resident. So you see the high cost of trying to do the right thing. I'm moving to South Dakota.

 

[travelaround]

I'm letting my daughter take over the property here and build her home on it. I will build myself a little vacation cottage in the back yard. That's my current plan. We'll see if God has different plans for me. But as of right now, I can't really say I have a permanent residence here because it burned to the ground and the TT I'm now in is just borrowed from the Native American tribe.

 

[maki2]

You can establish residency in Nevada. There is an RV park in Pahrump where you pay for a month and show the receipt to the DMV.  A month's rent is way cheaper than driving all the way to South Dakota. You also need to get a mail forwarding address, you do that in Pahrump as well. You will use that address to get your drivers license, tabs, etc, sent to.

This has been covered in various youtube videos but I dont have a link to them.

Slow internet at this campsite so I am not going to search the videos out for you.

As to residency in California. You just use your daughters new address on that piece of land. You have a appear to have a good relatoonship with her.

You also have a son who will help you with a residential address. Isn't he already in Nevada? Use your family resources and remember you are not without their help in these matters. They love you. Get out of that squirell cage you are spinning around in this week. I know it is all because of stress over the licensing fees.

 

[travelaround]

Well, here's some good news. I just talked to the RV guy and the new carpenter! The new carpenter is another displaced fire survivor (same fire as me) . . . it is a miracle he and his wife survived.

Anyhow, the good part is that they're going to probably do the roof work next week. It will include the fan, air conditioner, multiple solar panels (as many as he can fit on,) wifi booster and cell booster. That's a good start. Then he'll wire the interior of the van ... all that, and I'll get a basic interior from the carpenter. Nothing fancy... except the shower... the shower pan is here in the van now. It was custom made and turned out very nice. I like it.

So I'm happy to make progress and I have until the end of August to work out my problems with DMV. They're going to do the van build right here under the shade trees in my RV park space, so not being able to use the van is not a problem. The store and post office are right across the street; in case I need to go there, I can walk.

 

[nature lover]

Hello fellow nomads. I am back at my favorite Tuscarora Forest campsite in Perry County PA. I’m hoping to put a picture up for you all, we’ll see how that goes. I wish that I had found a way to save what I wrote yesterday. I couldn’t post it because of my band with problem in the valley. Now I’m on top of the mountain with a great band with and I can’t remember all the witty and wonderful things I said.  So I’ll just have to make up some new stories.

I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to keep this fantasy of living outdoors and traveling in a van going. Since I started out full-time lumber has gone up 300% groceries have gone up 80% gasoline has gone up almost 150%.  And it was announced that we seniors on Social Security are going to get a 1.25% cost-of-living raise. I canceled my plans to go to Maine for the summer because of gasoline. The accident I have is gonna cost me about $1600 total for the van. I’ve been in the hospital three times since I started full timing.  I started out free of debt and saving a little bit every month for a emergency fund. Now I’m $17,000 in debt and what the heck is an emergency fund? I am discouraged but I’m not gonna give up yet I’m gonna keep fighting I just wanted to let out some steam and I knew my fellow nomads could take it.

If the picture I’m trying to load it successful it will show you why I still think all that crap is worth it.  God bless the nomads wherever they are today and tomorrow and the next day. And should you come along Bower Mountain Road in Perry County Pennsylvania and find me laying in a ditch throw some dirt and leaves over me and let me go I’ll be fine. Ashes to ashes dust to dust.

 

[nature lover]

Hello again nomad friends. Apparently my picture files are too large to put on here and I’m too cheap to buy the editing software. I got the free one and used it once and then the advertisements Apeared and covered the Controls. now I have to buy the software in order to use the free software. And I’m stubborn enough that I don’t want to do it. Hey the creator of the software deserve something for his effort but don’t lie to me about the having free software and then screw it up so you can’t use it without pain. That makes the designer a liar. And since it’s probably not allowed on this forum I won’t mention who they are.

Take my word for it the view out my door is amazing.

 

[maki2]

No locksmith showed today. Monsoon rains and some flooding in Flagstaff. Not bad service from him. He kept in touch but became rightfully  concerned about the roads in the area. There were flash flood warnings issued for Flagstaff and the highway 89 there did get flooding, got closed in areas and made a mess of the traffic. I told him it was not critical to make it this afternoon when he checked in with me. So the ingnition repair is rescheduled for tomorrow morning... if there is not a major downpour happenning in the morning. I do want to get into town tomorrow to mail out an order. But my world won't fall down if I don't make it into town tomorrow. 

The other person who was camped here decided not to try to get through the Flagstaff road closures to make it back here to camp. He has stuff here, a little cargo trailer, chairs and such. But of course his bed and kitchen traveled with him in his van. So he will urban boondock tonight.

When the rain quit a while ago I took my garden rake and went under the trees and gathered up pine straw. No shortage of pine straw at this site. I laid down a thick layer over the ground outside my trailer door and made a path way of it over to my screen room. That solved the muddy shoes issue!

 

[user 30781]

I just saw an article said we on SS are going to get the biggest cost of living increase in a long time, like 6%+

I think I got pretty close to heat stroke today. Dumb being outside so much.

 

[travelaround]

Just daydreaming already about what I can do with my extra 6%. Not enough for a tank of gas. Maybe a restaurant meal.

Great ingenuity to have a pine needle pathway, Maki. I like hearing about that.

Simple life, simply lived.

Nature Lover, I want to tell you to send me your photo so I can decrease the size of it. But I don't want you to send me a lot of photos because I don't want to spend a lot of time doing it. If you send just one or two by email, that's okay. Or by text message - that works too. Let me know what you think.

 

[crofter]

I would rather see the big picture.
-crofter

 

[travelaround]

Big pictures are nice, but this website won't accept them for uploads. File sizes must be decreased.

RV guy is coming back today - I'm not sure why. Work on the van build will probably start next week.

I haven't read my books, except the audiobook, for three days. I hope to get back into reading today.

Yesterday at the post office a woman wanted to invite me to a book study - and while we were talking the man in charge of building new homes for fire survivors came in. The group moved into the empty Assembly of God church building that survived the fire and they will be providing labor for people who can buy materials for their homes... which may include locally milled lumber to decrease costs. I'm hoping they will help my daughter build a house.