i'm a newbie!

[mountaintramp]

hi i'm Pete, i live in soCal at 6000 feet. i'm 56 and have been working all my life. in april '09 i was laid off, and amazingly life began. i was so miserable during the last 4-5 years of working that while all the other employees were crying when we were told our division was closing, i was dancing and singing. where i'm lucky is, i've always been a borderline minimalist and very careful with my $$. so all the stuff i own is completely paid for, including my small cabin. my total cost for housing not including utilities and emergencies is under 2K.<br><br>basically i wouldn't want to be anywhere else during spring and summer. winter is different, i'm totally over snow and cold. that's where my travel plans come in. although i won't be a full timer, i hope to be a snow bird. that's if i can figure out a way to support myself. when it's warm here i do small machining jobs in my home metal working shop. i kind of have my own "product" which is accurizing Ruger 10/22 bolts.<a target="_blank" href="https://sites.google.com/site/custommachiningjewelingservice/">https://sites.google.com/site/custommachiningjewelingservice/</a><br>i also buy and sell machinist tools and CB and ham radio gear.<br><br>when it's too cold or i'm not home i can't do that though. i know some great free places to stay in the desert when i want to get away from the cold, but supporting myself is harder then. i also do jewelry making and hope to figure out a way to market it during travel time. one idea is to stop at rest areas and sell to passers by. i figure this is probably not legal, but since it's a "victomless crime" i'm not too worried about it. anyone else here ever sell at state run rest areas?<br><br>that's kinda it for now.<br><br><img src="http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g215/ezzpete/TRAILER/IMG_0009.jpg"><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[Mouldy]

First of all, welcome to this great forum. If ya got any questions, it seems like we have enough knowledge diversity here to help ya out.<br> Second, I have a 10/22 that has issues with jamming, ,even after meticulous cleaning. I assume your process would take care of that. I'll be in Sun City, CA in a few weeks and if your close, maybe have ya work on it. Cool jeweling btw!<br>Third, what rough specs do you have for your trailer weight and what size engine/tranny do you have on your truck and how does it perform? I have a 4000 lb trailer loaded and pulling it with a Dodge Dakota 4.7 V8 and it seems that it might not take mountain passes too well.<br>Lastly, I'd sell if i was you, what are they gonna do, take your birthday away?<br>Have a good one, Kris<br>

 

[1oleman]

Welcome!!!&nbsp; Another jeweler.&nbsp; That is great,&nbsp; if I can ever get back on the left side of the Mississippi River I would love to see and talk with you.&nbsp; I am trying to come up with a way to make jewelery my income producer.&nbsp; Ed<br>

 

[Guest]

Welcome and very nice work on the 10/22 parts....I think you are in the right place and can probably do just fine making some money to get by on....<br>Bri<br><br>

 

[mountaintramp]

Mouldy, the mods could help. for now you might try one of the aftermarket extractors. they're pretty cheap and sometimes that will clear up problems. if not i'd be glad to do the work.<br><br>when i bought my trailer i think the guy said it's around 1800 lbs, dry. i have a V6 (3.4)/auto trans. and it does OK, but i don't push it. sometimes i need to shift into 2nd and just poke along at about 40 mph.<br><br>i like the trailer because even though it has a 0 stealth factor, it works best for my type of camping. i like free BLM land and sometimes go to the slabs. i tried a motorhome, but like leaving my base camp behind, when i want to explore.setting up the solar panels gets old if you have to do it all the time.<br><br>1oleman, i'm heading out for 9-10 days next week. i'll be passing some rest stops and plan on trying some stealth selling. i'll let you know how it works out. here's a sample of the type of jewlery i make. mostly necklaces right now. it would be a great way to add some income. i'm also hoping to find some wholesale beading supply sources. those supplies are really expensive at stores around here, compared to at gem/mineral shows. i could make a profit even if i sold at prices somewhere in between.<br><br>here's a sample of my style.<br><img src="http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g215/ezzpete/IMG_0004.jpg"><br><img src="http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g215/ezzpete/IMG_0010.jpg"><br><br><img src="http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g215/ezzpete/IMG_0001.jpg"><br><br>

 

[danelady]

Nice work!

 

[akrvbob]

I'm in Quartzsite, AZ most winters now and it is flea market heaven! It might be worth checking out for you. I am a campground host in the Sierra NF just north of you. I'm out of Shaver Lake. I work 6 months a year (but you can work less) for $8.50 an hour and then take 6 months off living in the desert. The state of California is extremely generous with its unemployment (which is part of why they are broke) so I let them pay me all winter. Works extremely well for me!! Bob&nbsp; <br>

 

[mountaintramp]

there's a lot of swap meet s alright. but boy, people are really expensive, and don't want to haggle. being from soCal where there are yard sales and swapmeets to go to all the time, i know what junk is worth.<br><br>i'm kind of the opposite of you Bob. i have a place during the summer. i wouldn't mind doing some campground host work during the winter, but can't find any that pay during that time. i can only find host positions for that time that supply you with hookups but not cash. if i'm not getting paid i'd rather not work and live out in the boonines by myself. i don't need the hookups and know where to go for free camping.<br><br>thanks for the compliment danelady.<br><br>

 

[cyndi]

<P>hey Pete, love your camper!&nbsp; I'm a fan of the vintage trailers!</P>

 

[twokniveskatie]

<font class="Apple-style-span" face="Verdana" size="4">great necklaces, pete. the color choices are gorgeous, my favorite, like looking at nature.....</font>

 

[sl1966]

Hiya Pete! Nice to see I'm not the only one with a trailer as I was starting to feel like the odd man out with everyone else here in van conversions.

 

[akrvbob]

If you guys are the odd-man out, so am I. I am in a converted 6x10 cargo trailer. Everybody who want to live mobile (full or part-time) is welcome here!!! Bob <br>

 

[Les H]

Hey Mountain tramp, I'm on the east coast, upstate Ny, in the Catskill mtns. I have a mostly rebuilt 69 Shasta 14' travel trailer. We have camped with it many times, and I use it as an office/ camp trailer for out of town work. Right now , it's parked at the house my wife and I own that I have been rebuilding. ( look real close at the background in my aviator pic) . I would rather pull my house than break down camp to run to the store or home depot, though I can be quite comfortable in the bus too. Welcome to the forum. The Shasta is on the far right.
Les

 

[mountaintramp]

thanks twokniveskatie, the natural look is pretty much what i go for. not sure this style is very popular. i've tried at a couple of swap meets, with no luck. i'll be trying rest areas in the next few days.<br><br>Les H, i like that style trailer that you have. aristocrate makes one real similar. it's a little smaller than mine and would look cool with the axle positioned under the axle instead of on top. that would raise it 4-5 inches, then bigger tires will fit. most of the areas i camp could use the extra clearance. <br><br>Bob, i'm close to becoming a 99er. it dawned on me, i could be a campground host for the summer and then become a 99er all over again. wouldn't that piss people off?<br><br>

 

[1oleman]

Ok, what the heck is a 99er?&nbsp; Are I one?<br>

 

[mountaintramp]

you know, someone who's collected the full 99 weeks of unemployment and still can't find a job. <br>

 

[1oleman]

Ok, I don't qualify.&nbsp; I'm retired.&nbsp; Just never heard it called that.<br>

 

[sl1966]

I'm an almost 99er. I fell short a few weeks because I left CA early on.

 

[butterfly]

<FONT size=3>mountaintramp,Id be interested to know if you have luck selling at rest areas, In my travels lately I have my eye on the clock. How fast can i get from point A (home) to point B (usually Grandkids house </FONT><IMG border=0 align=absMiddle src="https://vanlivingforum.com/images/boards/smilies/love.gif">) <br><br><FONT size=3>rest stops are strictly take care of business, stretch yer legs,put out the cig, honey, gotta&nbsp; get on down the hwy...alll riiiight, did that pit stop in 7 min! </FONT><br><br><FONT size=3>A fellow could be giving away gold nuggets and I wouldn't even see him. </FONT><br><FONT size=3></FONT>&nbsp;<br><FONT size=3 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">maybe I'm not your typical traveler?&nbsp; I can see everyone giving eye rolls at my insane travel methods...and I really do need to make changes to that mind-set.&nbsp; Even I can see that's no way to have fun.</FONT><br><FONT size=3>But when I get behing the wheel,something kicks in that makes me want to see if I can do an 18 hr trip in 17 hrs 30 min.</FONT><br><br><FONT size=3>Wishing you all the best in your sales endevors.</FONT><br>

 

[sl1966]

In Utah I saw the local tribes on the eastern side of the hills of I-70 selling their crafts at the rest stop. The highway patrol was there and wasn't bothering them.