24/7 Chat About Anything

[maki2]

Cut them up and deform them and trash or recycle is what I do.

But I have seen a lot of people use them for the roof of a birdhouse as they are a reasonable good size for that. So if you have a sticks and bricks property and like doing small woodworking projects and want to hang onto the old plate think about that repurpose. Do not put the birdhouse in a hot direct sun location and be sure you add some ventilation holesup near the roof and a few drain holes in a removable base.
Photo below, I was having a fun spontaneous whimsical play day for designing. I built an A frame style of birdhouse with a Victorian era touch of detailing. I was just using up pieces of scrap materials I had lying around in my workshop. The roof on this one was blue Vermont slate shingle samples from a I from a roofing supply company in Seattle. A front and rear licensce plate set would work on an A frame birdhouse. It was sized for average sized cavity nesting birds such as common sparrows. This house went to a local art gallery on Bainbridge Island, WA that represented me. It sold very quickly.

 

[Malamute]

That is a great YouTube site does off road recoveries in southern Utah around Moab. Rabbitbush Repair and Recovery does them a little further west around Hanksville. Matt’s Off Road Recovery covers mainly the west corner of the state. All have YouTube channels that are fun to watch.

Trail Mater, Matts Offroad Recovery and Fab Rats all have interesting content, one of the things I like about them is seeing all the different places they go, it has added places to my list. They also have interesting projects they build, and just seeing the problem solving on the fly is good. Theyve also done some interesting benefit things. Watching that stuff has made me want to get my older suburban back running and use for offroad adventuring/overlanding or whatever one may want to call it.

Many antique or tourist shops sell old licence plates, the western states seem popular. Once they are expired, I dont think theres any real risk to the original owner/user. A check would reveal whatever vehicle someone may have tried to use it on wasnt correct. I save them and put up in the garage or shop, its nice memories of some places and times.

Jason Mamoa is a motorcycle guy. I dont know much about him otherwise besides the obvious actor stuff, but in looking around on Youtube he turned up, he has a number of Knucklehead and Panhead bikes, he loves the old ones and the rat rod custom style.

 

[maki2]

It is spring downsizing time and also time for me to shift seasonal sleep and wake patterns for now getting up earlier to avoid working in heat and strong afternoon winds. I am not a natural early bird person, so this changing of shift start times calls for caffeinated coffee which I have been trying to avoid. I always lack motivation for doing spring clear-out. It is not that big of a job but it still feels like a big job. Just a mindset emotional response as it does involve lifting, bending and a lot of decision making all of which creates pain both physical and mental. So I guess it is time to premedicate with coffee and anti inflammatorys.

 

[maki2]

April 5th in Quartzsite . The past three springs I was sweltering in 90 degree+ afternoon heat. This year I have a blanket over my legs,am sipping a cup of hot chocolate while watching a movie. The wind chill factor and a touch of rain is making it feel downright chilly. I am smiling at the contrast between the previous spring’s weather and this one. The wind has been annoying lately but that is a lot less annoying than trying to cool off when you do not have AC in 90 degree weather.

 

[maki2]

Today was sorting out stuff time in the interior of my travel trailer. I filled one 13 gallon bag with various items ready to take to the thrift store. Mostly clothes I just never get around to wearing. Better one bag full than no progress at all on downsizing. Not much more to do inside my trailer. But plenty more to do in the rear of my tow vehicle and a small amount of sorting and downsizing in my screen room.
One week to go before I have to move or pay to stay. I am not against paying for a few extra days at the LTVA using my senior discount if the weather is just too windy for an easy travel day. I did that a few years ago.

 

[Morgana]

Curious -- has anyone here been to Puerto Peñasco (aka Rocky Point), or even just across the border into Sonoyta, Sonora? If yes, any impressions of the towns, the road, or the beach?
(I was at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument recently and thought it was just stunning. I'm amazed how different AZ and NM, ie the Sonoran and Chihuahan deserts, are.)

 

[bullfrog !]

There is a large number of people even groups and communities from The Tucson area that live or visit there every year you could research those, when certain areas of the border closed this year it became a highly reported on story which was sensationalized in local news. Mexican Army was seen in Sasabe dealing with some cartel members when Lukeville crossing was temporarily closed. It was also closed a while by the Mexican community during Covid. Locals call it the “Mexican Riviera” Lol!!!

 

[maki2]

There are groups of nomads who caravan to Rocky Point for the winter. They seem to connect using a Facebook Group pages. I see the chit chat for that in some other Facebook groups. There are also videos on YouTube of where they stay, the amenities as well as what is needed to get there for the winter made by people in those caravans.

 

[maki2]

First direct hit of the season by a very large dust devil on my travel trailer and screen room just happened! Both survived without any real damage.

It is time to pack up the screen room to get ready to head north. But that needs to wait for the wind to die down which means getting up and at it early tomorrow morning before the winds kick up again.

 

[Happy Camper]

Glad to hear your reinforcement efforts were successful in the first true test. Time well spent.

 

[maki2]

. The sun is simply brutal for causing UV damage in southern AZ. What the sun and heat does not destroy the wind will. Winters in Quartzsite has its extra cost in ways new nomads do not always hear about. I will return again but I do have work to do this summer to catch up on for fixing UV damage that has happened to my travel trailer.

 

[maki2]

I was being a slow poke this morning packing up my tent, then finishing streaming a video before aI went into town to do laundry. Being slow turned out to be a good thing as I missed potentially getting into a horrific fatality accident on Hwy 95. This was the worst accident I have ever seen involving multiple RVs There is no way the driver of the travel trailer could have survived as as the policeman who stopped me for driving further north said it was a fatality incident know for sure that driver did not survive. It happened shortly before I got my act together to put my tent into its carry bag and headed to the laundromat. A large class A headed south has crossed the north bound lanes and ran way further into the desert than the ditch sea. Just behind it also headed southbound was a totally and I do mean totally destroyed travel trailer and tow vehicle. Also on the northbound side of the road ditch area. Behind that was a pickup truck also headed south bound but on the northbound side ditch area. The rear drivers side of the truck bed was pretty much destroyed. How all those southbound vehicles ended up over on that side of the road is unknown to me. But I am guessing the answer will be on the Arizona news broadcasts this evening.

 

[VanFan]

Being slow turned out to be a good thing as I missed potentially getting into a horrific fatality accident on Hwy 95...

Oh, Maki. I am glad you missed (most) of that.

 

[bullfrog !]

In my experience the driver has a stroke, heart attack or falls asleep usually after having a few drinks then crosses the center line into on coming traffic snd out into the desert if not getting hit. The oncoming traffic try’s to avoid the vehicle by going into the on coming lane and the sequence continues until no more on coming traffic is near. Human nature to avoid getting hit sometimes works against us.

 

[user 22017]

In my experience the driver has a stroke, heart attack or falls asleep usually after having a few drinks then crosses the center line into on coming traffic snd out into the desert if not getting hit. The oncoming traffic try’s to avoid the vehicle by going into the on coming lane and the sequence continues until no more on coming traffic is near. Human nature to avoid getting hit sometimes works against us.

Antihistamines play a role, too:

 

[maki2]

I guess I had better do my best not to focus too much on it as I have more packing up to do inside my trailer. But if I do not feel rested in the early morning hours I will wait until a better day. I do not HAVE to move until the 15th. I just wanted to leave in the morning.

 

[NctryBen]

Safe travels Maki… it’s a good reminder to all of us to be careful out there. Bullfrog is right about a common situation. One of the reasons I’m working on taking more time when I can start my trek home… if my sleep time doesn’t improve my daily progress is going to have to be limited…
Hopefully we’ll all see each other in the fall…

 

[shadowmoss]

Quartzsite Chatter said that the Class A blew a tire. I don't get the actual news broadcasts.

 

[maki2]

Quartzsite Chatter said that the Class A blew a tire. I don't get the actual news

A blown tire makes pretty good sense for loss of steering to put that southbound class A into the northbound lane if it was a front tire.

 

[bullfrog !]

My 1983 Barth motorhome had Howard steering assist that you could adjust to keep the motor home going the direction it was pointed even when experiencing a flat. I never experienced that but thought it was pretty amazing they had figured a system like that out in the early years.