24/7 Chat About Anything

[travelaround]

Probably a good idea to remove the bus and put it at a safe location. The same issues Chris had in being unable to return from the site makes this an unsafe adventure.

 

[desert_sailing]

Probably a good idea to remove the bus and put it at a safe location. The same issues Chris had in being unable to return from the site makes this an unsafe adventure.

Well... people who underestimate and don't plan are the problem here. Alaska is very wild and there is not much chance for rescue in many instances.
I lived there for over 10 years with extensive back country activity.
People get caught in the mudflats around Anchorage all the time when the tide comes in. Given the number of rescues on the "flats" which is far more in number than those to the bus they really should fence off the beach.

Maybe a permitting service should be enforced to keep the unaware restricted to city activities, like shopping and dining..I could support that for sure!

The most unfortunate thing about Chris's experience was that a few miles down river from him was a crank carriage that crossed the river.. :huh:

I think it is always a good thing to know your surroundings AND capabilities.. whether in a city or wilderness.

 

[maki2]

@Maki - so cool to hear of you buying tools and even knowing what they are and how to use them. I wish I was like that.

One of the most difficult things about a build is not knowing what you want to do followed by not knowing how to do it.
Learning how to use tools is the easy part especially now that youtube is full of video tutorials on how to use specific tools.
But perhaps when I head south this fall I will be able to stop off at your place for a week or so and run you through a short course on how to use the tools you will need to do a basic build including how to crimp connectors onto wires. I won't be traveling with an extensive tool collection though due to the weight so you might have to borrow a few tools from friends and family for the tutorial. Not offering to do the build, too rough on my back to be a day laborer, but no doubt you could get part of it done while I advise and supervise. Of course it is all weather dependent.

Working with other solo women van dwellers to enable them to be able to use tools for their builds and overcome some of that anxiety about it is part of my travel agenda for participating in the community. I understand the anxiety of doing new things and using new tools because even though I have used many tools and done many task it is a poor job that does not require learning a new skill. You will have to do a lot of "self talking" to push on through a build but I suspect you are good at that, just look how many skills you have acquired in life

 

[travelaround]

@Maki - if I don't have a handle on it by then I would sure appreciate your help. I don't mind doing the work - I just want to know how to do what I'd like to do, without making a lot of mistakes in the process like I did when I tried to install a floor myself. I think a lot of the van build videos assume too much and go too fast to help me really understand how the work is done.

 

[Qxxx]

... without making a lot of mistakes in the process

It may be small recompense, but just so's ya know, I make so many mistakes before noon every day that I stop counting by then. (of course this is on my little projects at home). FWIW, I'm up to revision #2 (build #3) now in my van. Feel better now, lol? 

Iterative development. Take small steps, see what ya think, then either rip it up before it gets set in stone, or go on ahead. In product development they talk about how the longer you wait in the process to fix things, the much more costly it will be, with the cost-to-fix going up by roughly 10 times at each successive stage. Works in vandwelling too.

 

[WanderingRose]

Probably a good idea to remove the bus and put it at a safe location. The same issues Chris had in being unable to return from the site makes this an unsafe adventure.

There have been many apparent pilgrimages to this bus, two people dying after being swept away in a river and numerous others needing rescued from their own lack of preparation for the harsh environment.

With the bus gone and moved to an undisclosed location, it seems the hope is that the pilgrimages will stop and the high costs of rescue will diminish.

On another note, as a widowed solo traveler for a number of years, I am still learning how to make small repairs myself to my little ClassB.

I recently took my water filter apart, cleaned the filter and got it working again, and today I learned how to clean the connections on my hot water heater.

The latter after having to pay someone to fix it, who then patiently showed me what to do the next time.

A few more steps in the direction of self sufficiency.   :blush:

 

[travelaround]

Every little step counts. I need to man up and do the work.

 

[Qxxx]

... woman up ...

 

[travelaround]

Technicalities.

 

[maki2]

Every little step counts. I need to man up and do the work.

yes, so do I on most days

I got a few small steps done on the project today. But not anywhere close to being what in younger years I would have regarded as a "good day's work".   I need to literally get on the stairs and go up and down them until I am out of breath and do that several times a day for the next month. My stamina is gone, I need to get some back. Working on the trailer is not aerobic enough to increase my stamina and oxygen levels.

 

[travelaround]

I used to use the stairs (in my apartment building in North Idaho) for exercise. Now I just go mow the lawn or do some other gardening activity. When I start sweating and feel like I can't go on, mowing/gardening time is over. That reminds me - I should do more of that this evening.

 

[maki2]

Now that I have my wheels back on my small travel trailer I need to torque the lug nuts. So I first had to look up the specs which are lower in feet pounds than would be on my vehicle. Then I watched a video to review the process, it has been quite a while since I did it and reviewing instructions never hurt anyone. I figured I remembered correctly and I did. But the video also mentioned the need to calibrate the wrench once a year or so. Well I have never done that process before or even really thought about it. Which means that today I got to acquire a new bit of skill with tools . It is not too hard to do but I will have to find something to use for the weight a DIY calibration method uses to hang off the end of the torque wrench handle. Now I just need to find something to use as the weight to calibrate it with. When you live in a workshop space one thing for sure, there are plenty of heavy objects lying around the place.

I really do love the internet for quickly obtaining information. The information "freeway" since it saves not just time but also money.

 

[travelaround]

Yes, almost anything I need to do, I can find a video of someone teaching me how to do it. Helps a lot! Every time I've had a computer problem, I just had to google for a solution. Helps to have a second computer to do that on.

Happy Sunday everyone! I'm done with church services for the morning... and have no special plans for the rest of the day. Maybe I'll film a few more videos for my Booktube channel.

My son has a new video out of him climbing around in the hills nearby looking for a cave, finding a mine...

[video=youtube]

 

[Qxxx]

Oh wow, thanks for the video. I've been long wanting to do Hwy 96 from Yreka to the sea. One of these years.

 

[desert_sailing]

This guy on Mother Earth with a great little space. Not a vanlifer but surely something many of us are interested in. If I could build it in Hawaii it would be Nirvana.

https://www.motherearthnews.com/rea...ng-100-percent-of-my-food-for-a-year-zbcz1903

A 12 minute video of a tiny homestead.. enjoy.

 

[maki2]

The Lady Bug has landed. When you have a black and red trailer and tow vehicle and they are cute as a pair of lady bugs, the name to call them is pretty obvious  But the trailer is called "little red caboose" by some of the neighbors, another obvious choice.

The trailer is finally down off the ramps with its new wheels in place and all torqued to spec. Not a perfect match to the wheels on my Honda Element but similar enough in style to be OK. I want to put some window tint on the trailer windows, currently it does not have any tint on them.

Only towed it a few feet today, just out far enough out of its parking spot to sweep all the dirt and debris off the pavement before rolling it back into position.  Lots to do yet before it is ready for a road trip.

No rain predicted for the next several days this week. The top of the trailer really needs another coat of paint so that is my next exterior job priority to work on. Getting it off the ramps means I can use a shorter ladder.

 

[1shemp]

The guy with the tiny house is very impressive.

 

[travelaround]

The Lady Bug has landed. When you have a black and red trailer and tow vehicle and they are cute as a pair of lady bugs, the name to call them is pretty obvious    But the trailer is called "little red caboose" by some of the neighbors, another obvious choice.

The Lady Bug / Little Red Caboose... so cute. Perfect color match.

 

[maki2]

As close as it was going to get when using a completely different type of paint.  In a photo you don't notice the difference in the two reds unless you are looking for it. The car has a little more blue and black in the red, the trailer is a little more on the fire engine red side. The trailer paint is an off the shelf color from a good quality brand of marine paint that will stick to fiberglass. Not a fun type of paint to work with.

 

[WanderingRose]

That is very cute, maki2, and much admiration to you for having done this yourself.

It does look more like a little red caboose than a lady bug, to me.