Kathleen
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- Joined
- Oct 4, 2016
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Hi friends. I spent many years hauling a heavy load. Not an 18 wheeler, just my car, so much inside, it rode on the axles. My best friend shook his head every year when I took off from my home in the Southwest to drive north. My route was along the old Plains Indian trail, the Rocky Mountain corridor that runs north and south. I've always been prompted by inner guidance, and that's what led me 18 consecutive years along that route. I scoured old forts, battlefields, ceremonial sites, and places of historic interest. Traveled alone and met friends along the way. Joined up with tour groups here and there, got led to conferences and gatherings. The Plains Indian people divided into small groups during the harsh northern winters and gathered again in warm weather in big groups. I found that folks in South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana still do the same today. When the snow melts, people want to join together.
I drove from reservation to reservation and never had a bit of trouble, though I didn't know a soul when I arrived there. Each year I met more beloved friends. I call them my Northern clan. After many happy years on the road I suffered a sudden collapse. All my life I believed in my ability to take care of myself, so this came as a total surprise. For 5 years the people I saw the most were docs and medical staff. Seeing them, and getting poked and probed and tested felt like a full time job, but the help that came out of the woodwork was amazing. I learned about aspects of life I never knew existed before.
Nature was one of my greatest forms of support. Whenever I felt strong enough I walked out my door into the National Forest, in an area others did not travel. I found ancient coral, opalized shells, petrified wood, and minerals of every color. For those with an interest in American Indians you may appreciate that the rocks were very much alive to me. Most consider them to be inanimate objects. To me, they were the Stone People, and I credit them with saving my life.
To bring this story up to date, several years ago I started looking for a van. I figured if the SHTF I may as well have a metal shelter to keep me out of the wind, snow and rain. I also wanted to travel again, in spite of health challenges but I'm not going around the corner at 95 mph on two wheels any more! :blush:
I watched tons of "living in my vehicle" videos and looked at Craigslist every day. Finally in mid June, I turned on the pc while slurping down my first cup of java. There was a 2005 T and C Touring Van, 54k miles, garaged, one owner, never smoked in. Estate sale, a bargain. I called and got the seller of my dreams. He spent a good natured half hour answering my long list of questions. A friend joined me right away and we drove 20 mins out of town to see the van. The service records were all in order along with the vehicle manuals.
We didn't drive test drive it very far. After spending two hours talking about everything under the sun with the man selling the van I decided to buy it based on trust. I had promised myself not to purchase a vehicle without my mechanic's inspection but the seller's phone was ringing off the hook. It helped that the man selling the van was a jet mechanic and he knew car mechanics inside and out too. Couldn't have asked for a better guy, so I bought it.
When my mechanic inspected it two days later he wistfully said he wished he could've bought it. Right away my van gave herself a name: "Freedom", something I'm ready to embrace again. Life's been over the top busy since I bought Freedom. For her maiden voyage out of town nature whipped up one heck of a storm. We cruised through thunder and lightning, a double rainbow, giant clouds, and major excitement til we reached our campsite at a friend's rural location. Lots more to share, but I'm sure there will be a chance to do that later.
If I can get free from family commitments I'll be at the AZ RTR and look forward to meeting all of you and the guy who helps bring the tribe together every year. Yup, that would be Bob. I especially enjoyed that video where he pulled the other van dweller out of the mud. Pretty funny, and the dogs add so much to the show.
On a final note, I'm interested in learning "primitive" skills, which actually aren't primitive at all. Things like gathering medicinal and edible plants, dehydrating and storing high quality food, making pemmican, ancient fishing and hunting, tanning hides, flint knapping, fire making techniques (gotta stay warm), building shelters & lots more.
When I was a kid I saw the future. It pretty much lines up with what Bob wrote in one of his Survival Blogs. I saw the petroleum run out and what followed wasn't pretty. So here we are. It's a good time for us to learn how to take care of ourselves and each other, teach each other what we know, and pool our knowledge. I hope some of you share my "primitive skills" interests and want to learn the same.
Many blessings to all, Kathleen
I drove from reservation to reservation and never had a bit of trouble, though I didn't know a soul when I arrived there. Each year I met more beloved friends. I call them my Northern clan. After many happy years on the road I suffered a sudden collapse. All my life I believed in my ability to take care of myself, so this came as a total surprise. For 5 years the people I saw the most were docs and medical staff. Seeing them, and getting poked and probed and tested felt like a full time job, but the help that came out of the woodwork was amazing. I learned about aspects of life I never knew existed before.
Nature was one of my greatest forms of support. Whenever I felt strong enough I walked out my door into the National Forest, in an area others did not travel. I found ancient coral, opalized shells, petrified wood, and minerals of every color. For those with an interest in American Indians you may appreciate that the rocks were very much alive to me. Most consider them to be inanimate objects. To me, they were the Stone People, and I credit them with saving my life.
To bring this story up to date, several years ago I started looking for a van. I figured if the SHTF I may as well have a metal shelter to keep me out of the wind, snow and rain. I also wanted to travel again, in spite of health challenges but I'm not going around the corner at 95 mph on two wheels any more! :blush:
I watched tons of "living in my vehicle" videos and looked at Craigslist every day. Finally in mid June, I turned on the pc while slurping down my first cup of java. There was a 2005 T and C Touring Van, 54k miles, garaged, one owner, never smoked in. Estate sale, a bargain. I called and got the seller of my dreams. He spent a good natured half hour answering my long list of questions. A friend joined me right away and we drove 20 mins out of town to see the van. The service records were all in order along with the vehicle manuals.
We didn't drive test drive it very far. After spending two hours talking about everything under the sun with the man selling the van I decided to buy it based on trust. I had promised myself not to purchase a vehicle without my mechanic's inspection but the seller's phone was ringing off the hook. It helped that the man selling the van was a jet mechanic and he knew car mechanics inside and out too. Couldn't have asked for a better guy, so I bought it.
When my mechanic inspected it two days later he wistfully said he wished he could've bought it. Right away my van gave herself a name: "Freedom", something I'm ready to embrace again. Life's been over the top busy since I bought Freedom. For her maiden voyage out of town nature whipped up one heck of a storm. We cruised through thunder and lightning, a double rainbow, giant clouds, and major excitement til we reached our campsite at a friend's rural location. Lots more to share, but I'm sure there will be a chance to do that later.
If I can get free from family commitments I'll be at the AZ RTR and look forward to meeting all of you and the guy who helps bring the tribe together every year. Yup, that would be Bob. I especially enjoyed that video where he pulled the other van dweller out of the mud. Pretty funny, and the dogs add so much to the show.
On a final note, I'm interested in learning "primitive" skills, which actually aren't primitive at all. Things like gathering medicinal and edible plants, dehydrating and storing high quality food, making pemmican, ancient fishing and hunting, tanning hides, flint knapping, fire making techniques (gotta stay warm), building shelters & lots more.
When I was a kid I saw the future. It pretty much lines up with what Bob wrote in one of his Survival Blogs. I saw the petroleum run out and what followed wasn't pretty. So here we are. It's a good time for us to learn how to take care of ourselves and each other, teach each other what we know, and pool our knowledge. I hope some of you share my "primitive skills" interests and want to learn the same.
Many blessings to all, Kathleen
