Wanderer wrote:
Well, this was just a pondering question. I was planning on getting a storage unit (Might see if I can use a plug in to have food storage) but also a foldable tent, bike and trailer. That way, if something terrible goes out on the van, then I can pop over to the unit, get the stuff I need to survive and go from there.. I have in fact, noted areas where I could set up a temp place to sleep. I jsut found out my work is not at night, so this means I probably won't be very visible to most people.
Yes, I appreciate the curious mind investigating the options alright. I spend a lot of time pondering my
projects too. Some are too quick to call those who do this...."dreamers". But if you have a Dream,
then you can begin to define Goals and execute a Plan and break that down into List that will help you manage your
goals by objective. Whether it is locating materials, or acquiring them, repairing a project or building it
from the ground up it will be best done in small steps.
In the early 90's I had a mid 80's Ford Van I used. I lucked into a mid 70's Opel Station Wagon that had been in a hail storm in Oklahoma. It looked like someone had worked it over with a ball-peen hammer. The windshield had been replaced and otherwise it was in good running condition. Got it super cheap and it
became my spare Car/Trailer and if I folded down the back seat I could even sleep in it.
Compact Station Wagons back then weren't anything people wanted and a lot of "working Joe's" bought them cheap for "honey for the money" work cars or "grocery getters" for the wife. As I read about the
Opel (German Built...later ones built in Japan by Isuzu) It had some real quality features. But with the back seat folded down and front seats slid forward all the way...I could just about have the utility of a Trailer
or a small Car. In those days I had an old Schwinn Continental 10 speed and a bike rack that fitted to the
bumper on front of the Van. I could put the bike in the back of the Station Wagon and drive somewhere to park the Car....and ride the bike back to the Van. It seemed the little Station Wagon went under most peoples radar. I guess a Station Wagon just says...."Family Car....Family Man"....and is seen as non menacing. I guess a one could pick up a baby seat in a yard sale and carry it in the car when they park it to further legitimize it.
A young guy could always say it is for the Kid and an older guy say it's for the grand kid. Otherwise it could be carried in a black plastic trash bag to conceal it when traveling.
Right now I see places like ALDI's grocery stores selling tents for cheap. Stores are dumping Camping stuff to make room for Back To School now.
And Dusty and Optimistic, good points on the spectro analysis. One Corporation I worked for Fleeted a bunch of Diesel Equipment. They were constantly taking samples from those engines to send off. I remember
one of the Engineers telling me that they didn't run antifreeze in them (as they all had heaters in the block) and a chemical called Boron was used in the coolant. Thus if Boron showed up in the Oil they knew there were water leaks.
