Hobbies on the Road

[KatieinKansas]

<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'll be going to a an 8 day practice/get-away camping trip next month. &nbsp;It's causing me to think about what I want to do with my time while I have the free time. &nbsp;It's fun for me to think about it, and I thought it would be fun to share some of the hobbies/activities that we do/will do, while on wheels. &nbsp;I'll go first. &nbsp;</span></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hiking, Reading, Writing, ..Just relaxing outdoors</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reviving some past hobbies... I use to knit, crochet, and quilt. &nbsp;I put down the needles and thread several years ago. &nbsp;I'm getting excited about starting these hobbies again. &nbsp;...Went to Target and bought some yarn to make a baby blanket for a neice. &nbsp;...Feels good.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How did I ever let creativity go by the wayside? &nbsp;..Time to let it take place again. &nbsp;I'd like to get some ideas from you guys.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Katie</span></font></div>

 

[Mouldy]

I was also wondering what I'm going to do in my free time since I won't have the internet available at my "campground" in Bishop. I spend entirely too much time on the net, when I don't have a job or things to keep me busy. I meet people real easily, so I imagine I'll be walking around and talking to folks. I hope to coerce people into cribbage and card games. It's going to be an odd transition for me considering I've never really lived alone. The closest I have been to it, has been living in the dorms and that doesn't hardly count.<br>I'm always hiking, climbing, biking, exploring, but I'm wondering what i'm gonna do with my after dark time? I imagine i'll read more, but besides that, I don't really have any hobbies that are a one person kinda thing.<br>I'm with Katie, lets here what ya got for singular creative ways to pass time happily <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>

 

[danelady]

Well,if I was spending time near Bishop I know that a lot of my time would be spent in Schat's Bakkery!! YUMMM!

 

[dragonflyinthesky]

<P><FONT size=3>Someday when we meet up Katie, I hope you will teach me how to knit.&nbsp; I kind of can but seem to be challenged.</FONT></P>

 

[1oleman]

I am going to try to make silver jewelery again.&nbsp; Sell on the road.&nbsp; Ed<br>

 

[Hammer]

I was just thinking of this myself.<div><br></div><div>I'm a techno-geek myself, so probably what I'll do is computer or game related.</div><div><br></div><div>Or reading. &nbsp;Love to read, but never have much time to do so. &nbsp;Too busy with 'House' things.</div><div><br></div><div>I just acquired myself a guitar (acoustic) so I'm trying to learn that.</div><div><br></div><div>Hammer</div>

 

[wheelsoffreedom1776]

A few of the things I like to do is metal detecting, ham radio, reading and exercising. I do spend a bit of time online but mainly when it's really cold outside.&nbsp;

 

[akrvbob]

I almost always have Howard Stern on my Siurius radio. In the evening if I have nothing else to do, I'll watch TV series&nbsp; on DVD. I have a huge collection I have gathered over the years.&nbsp; Pretty often there isn't time, but when there is I will watch an hour of a drama and a 1/2 hour comedy before bed. I carry a 9 inch portable DVD player I use because it draws much less power than my laptop. Bob<br>

 

[Guest]

Hi wheelsoffreedom76,<br>I just had to chime in here about metal detecting. I am a total beginner with my detector and love using it....I just spent a week and a half in San Felipe, Baja at a campground with two other vandwellers and while there I spent maybe a total of an hour, maybe two, covering the sandy campground and turned up over $6 in US and Mexican&nbsp; coins! The gold ring with huge diamond eluded me this time and no doubloons&nbsp;<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"> but it sure was a gas turning up quarter after quarter and dime after dime...the best being a 10 Peso coin worth about 80 cents. The oldest a 1959 penny...<br>Can hardly wait until I use it again....?<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0"> I have owned it for about a year and it is a entry level Tesoro but I am getting the hang of hearing what I hit on....it is pretty discriminating and has a pretty good depth of range...a penny at about 6" so far....<br>Bri<br><br><br><br>

 

[Vern M]

Amateur radio is&nbsp; both a hobby and a life-link when I'm on the road. Daily schedules with stations "back home" assure family members (who have the ham's phone number and e-mail link) that I'm alive and kicking if they can't reach me by cell phone, which&nbsp;happens a lot where I like to roam. I also carry two scanner radios that program automatically for what state I'm in and in addition for weather and aviation frequencies that assure me I'm up to date on weather and situation conditions.&nbsp;The rest of what is on board is chosen for me and my dog to have nothing else we need to worry about.<br><br>Oh, yes, I also have WinTV, to allow the computer to receive both digital and analog television if I REALLY get hard up. Nice little program and hardware. From Hauppage and Win7 compatable.<br>

 

[KatieinKansas]

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">dragonflyinthesky&gt;&gt; &nbsp; "Someday when we meet up Katie, I hope you will teach me how to knit.&nbsp; I kind of can but seem to be challenged."</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hi Dragonfly, I'd be happy to teach you how to knit, but I just know the basics. &nbsp;I think the real expert might be twokniveskatie (alias...soft as silk katie.) &nbsp;I've read somewhere that that's her cup of tea.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We'll all knit around the campfire at a future RTR. &nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif"></span></font></div>

 

[twokniveskatie]

<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">dragonflyinthesky&gt;&gt; &nbsp; "Someday when we meet up Katie, I hope you will teach me how to knit.&nbsp; I kind of can but seem to be challenged."</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hi Dragonfly, I'd be happy to teach you how to knit, but I just know the basics. &nbsp;I think the real expert might be twokniveskatie (alias...soft as silk katie.) &nbsp;I've read somewhere that that's her cup of tea.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We'll all knit around the campfire at a future RTR. &nbsp;<img border="0" align="absmiddle" src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif"></span></font></div>

<div><br></div><div>ooh, yeah, chicks with sticks around the campfire!&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>i love reading, spinning and knitting. i am not an expert but know alot of tricky ways to get really cool stuff without &nbsp;fancy techniques. i'd love to share them down the road. i have been procrastinating doing a blog post to share with vansteaders about knitting and spinning, but will get to it sooner than later!</div><div><br></div><div>the nice thing about kniting is it really is just 2 basic stitches. everything else is based upon that, but you can get really cool results with just those two. i guess i do a sort of feral knitting....</div>

 

[veganprimate]

Hey katie,<br><br>I was looking at a picture on your blog, and I think it was the interior of your van.&nbsp; The focus was supposed to be your dog, but I noticed you had an Ashford Joy.&nbsp; I guess I was surprised that you would be able to fit in in your van.&nbsp; I'm concerned about where I'm going to store my handful of spindles.&nbsp; <br><br>So, maybe I have more room in this van than I think I do and I just can't envision it.&nbsp; Someone in another thread mentioned taking their conversion van bed out b/c it took up too much room.&nbsp; I'm thinking I might have to do that if I start living in it full-time.&nbsp; <br><br>

 

[twokniveskatie]

<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><b>hey, marcy, good to see you here! yeah, the joy was perfect for traveling because of the way it folds up flat. it rode behind my truck seat for a couple years and then in various places in the van. i did eventually sell it, and use only spindles now. trying to figure out which spindles to take along....how few i can get along with. spindle spinning is very clumsy for me because of too-long-delayed carpal tunnel surgery. i so regret putting it off. &nbsp;</b></font><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><b><br></b></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana"><b>anyhow, i have a small basket i keep my spindles in. fiber is another story.....wonderfully light, but oh, so bulky! i carry alot of it in waterproof bags in the kayak. have not stored it there in really high temps, though....not sure if condensation would be an issue? i'll have to test that out this summer....</b></font></div>

 

[veganprimate]

I love my spindles!&nbsp; I had a wheel, a Lendrum Folding wheel, which was awesome, but as time went on, I realized that I preferred using my spindles to my wheel.&nbsp; That was a hard thing to admit to oneself.&nbsp; I mean, who chooses a more primitive method?&nbsp; It's common knowledge that wheels are better, right?&nbsp; Not for me.&nbsp; I sold my wheel and have been happily using spindles since.&nbsp; I have several, but if someone held a gun to my head, I could choose only three.&nbsp; My light bosworth for making singles fine enough for a three-ply sock yarn, my 1.5 oz golding for plying the sock yarn, and my 2 oz. golding for making a thicker singles.&nbsp; My midweight golding is good for two-ply fingering or sport.<br><br>I feel like I had been kind of aimless with my hobbies for years until I found knitting and especially spinning.&nbsp; It's like being connected with humans all through history simultaneously. <br><br>

 

[VanTramp]

Heidi and I have so many hobbies we were going to build out a second van to haul some of the stuff! Now we are thinking it will possibly be an "egg" trailer. So far we have squeezed it all into our 17' RT though. <br><br>Our hobbies that come with us always:<br>Knitting - we both doing and hey I can say Katie taught me <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br><br>Metal detecting - have a minelab Explorer 2 and a ton of gear<br><br>Gold prospecting-Keep a 24" sluice and a few pans, shovel, &amp; other supporting implements.<br><br>Fly fishing - My hobby, Heidi has a regular fishing pole with us too though with a spinning reel.<br><br>Jewelry making - I keep a ton of tools etc with for it. <br><br>Acoustic Guitar - just me. Heidi plays her ipod...<br><br>Slingshots - don't laugh, mine has laser sighting and red dot and both mine and Heidi's also will shoot arrows well!<br><br>Van Modding - yeah, I consider it a hobby too as I never really stop and I love doing it! <br><br>Heidi has a ton of gardening type hobbies, canning and sewing and others as well. <br><br>Mountain biking and exercising. We don't do it enough, but they are always along for the ride! <br><br>

 

[1oleman]

Wow,&nbsp; I want to know about your jewelery making.&nbsp; That is my expensive hobby.&nbsp; Ed<br>

 

[VanTramp]

What would you like to know? I do lots of different types, a bit of silver smithing, wire weaving, PMC, Resin work, Steampunk, chainmaille etc. I am leaving a few out I know. I really like it all! I need to re-organize all my jewelry tools over the next week or so and get a picture. I just added a Foredom flex shaft setup to replace yet another dead dremel. It won't be here till Friday, but when it shows I will get pics of everything. I made a cool mod last year to the van to make doing the work easier inside, I will try to get a blog post up about that fairly soon with pics too. It basically is a vice base mounted on the top of a table pole that fits a socket style receiver that I sunk in the floor near my passenger seat. A table top can interchange with the vice and both come out and get stored behind the drivers seat. It will make more sense with pictures I am sure <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle">

What kind of stuff do you do?

 

[Guest]

Hi Mike....You are going to really love the Foredom...Have you ever had one? They make so many handpieces and devices it will have you doing stuff you only dreamed of....Good for you bro..<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[1oleman]

<img src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/confused.gif" align="absmiddle" border="0">I did make ring,bracelets, and neckless from silver.&nbsp; Lost all my equipment in a house fire 10 yrs ago.&nbsp; Just now getting back in it.&nbsp; Only lost 50k in equipment and uncut stones.&nbsp; Need ideas on setting up a Covington all-in-one to cut stones and a workbench to do silver work all in a 30ft Class A.&nbsp; ED<br>