I'm sailing away

[Every Road Leads Home]

Glad you made it out Jim, the weather is getting cold again and snow is in the forecast here. Wish I was heading south also, but instead, next Monday afternoon I head out to drive to Fargo ND. I have some of the same back issues etc that you have - fell off a roof 20 years ago. I have to say, this is the first winter in many that I'm not aching to the bones. I went gluten free back in September to see if it would help. First thing I noticed was my stomach got much better in just a couple days, I was eating Tums like candy prior. Next I noticed I lost 20 lbs in maybe a month and a half without reducing how much I ate - probably due to eating much less processed food. And with the reduction in aches and pains I'm sticking to it. It doesn't help everyone, but it's certainly worth trying. And it realy isn't that hard to do anymore as so much is naturally gluten free. It just means being more aware of what's in what we eat.

I think going gluten free saved my life when I was going through the worst of my lyme disease.  I've since went back but planning on going gluten free again very shortly to see if I can get rid of some of the last of the symptoms I still experience.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Jim congrats on your departure. I am so happy and excited you're doing this and I guess I won't lie, i'm also a bit envious and jealous!

 

[ArtW]

well NM should at least be warmer than Colorado

 

[jimindenver]

Not yet it isn't. I'm in San Antonio, NM at the Bosque bird wacthers RV park suggested by Cindi along with a lot of other helpful info. It was pretty nippy when I was just out putting up the awning. I am just glad I got out of there when I did.

MP, we will have to do coffee when I get back in the summer time. I was so late getting on the road and made a beeline for the pass.

I'll have to check into the glutton free although I don't eat much of it now. My biggest things are not over doing it and avoiding stress. I may still over do it like I did today but this is about as stress free as I have ever been.

As I said I am in a RV park and I think I will stay a few days and relax. It's full hook ups which is a treat for me. We had electric on our first trip with the trailer 7 years ago, never water and sewer. I took the longest shower I have ever taken in the trailer tonight, felt great. The rig is still on it's own systems but I am using the power for the 400w and 200w heaters. They are reducing how often the furnace runs.

I also only bought food for a few days and there is a grocery and a Walmart near by. it will be easier leaving the trailer in the park than it would be the boonies. I also wouldn't mind getting out into the reserve for some photography if I can. I almost drove into a ditch today when I saw two Sandhill cranes keeping pace with the truck as I came in.

The first thing was to de-winterize the trailer and fire up the water heater. then I started pulling stuff out and moving it around until there was room to move around. After that my back started yapping so I made dinner and took my shower before 8 when they shut off the water. I also mixed up and chilled a few cups of Nido dry milk to try on some cereal. I can say it's better than Carnation which is good. All they had was a huge container for $18.

My Cricket phone was giving me fits today making a call one minute but not the next. I tested all of the devices and only the Verizon 3G seems consistent. Sprint is on 3G, T-mobile is on 4G as is Cricket and freedompop. Tomorrow I will set up at least the basic booster and test again.

ERLH, I hope you get to do it soon, I'm proof that dreams come true.

 

[jimindenver]

I paid for three more days here at the RV park. It has given me a chance to start sorting through and reorganizing all of the crap. Doing so has freed up a considerable amount of floor space and knowing where it is makes it usable. Some of the stuff like a months worth of towels needs to be thinned out and added to the free tarp.

I was nice here yesterday and should be in the high 50's or low 60's all week. I got half the exterior of the trailer washed and hope to get the other half today.

I had set up 400mm and 1000mm rigs to go birding this morning only to realize that all of my memory cards had been pilfered, the list for walmart grows.

Here are a few shots so far. The first three are from the Rest stop just past Raton, then the trucking companies lot and the bird watchers park. You can see my new 435w panel, it has drawn quite a bit of attention.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Nice Panel! Overall your rig looks like a great size between tow vehicle and trailer. Not too big not too small overall.

 

[Gunny]

Jim, it's been nice to read the progress you've made since you first posted this thread. I like to see people succeed, congratulations, sir.

Rob

 

[jimindenver]

Thank you both. The rig is a great match up. I am sure there are faster up the really steep climbs but that 03 is so smooth and hasn't given me a bit of trouble. The trailer while a bit small for two people and three dogs is like a little apartment with lots of storage for just me. I can clean it front to back in under a hour vs the days it took for the house.

Rob, I am about as thrilled as I can be. I can't tell you how much the info provided here and even more so the support has made the transition easier. Just knowing that there is a community out there even if I haven't met them means a lot too.

 

[Queen]

Jim, this is just so cool!!

If you want a treat, head into town and grab a green chili cheeseburger at the Owl Bar, best in the state!!

 

[jimindenver]

I had a two green chili cheese burgers at the Buckhorn yesterday. I've heard there were competing restaurants, I'll have to try the Owl next.

 

[Queen]

Have one for me! We are thinking of roadtripping back to NM this summer, miss the desert and miss the green chilis... hell, I think my wife would put them on ice cream if she could.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

The trailer while a bit small for two people and three dogs is like a little apartment with lots of storage for just me. I can clean it front to back in under a hour vs the days it took for the house.

I know exactly what you mean.  Just adding my girlfriend to my 27' and it feels cramped.  With out her it's twice the space I need.  Still can't figure that one out?!  If I turned the bed sideways in this I could chop 3' off the length and still feel more roomy.  That's why I want to build out my own this spring.  Got some big plans in the making.

 

[masterplumber]

Jim, glad you're settling into a routine. The rig looks good, although for some reason I thought your trailer was a toy hauler. I must have misread something somewhere and it stuck. I love that rest stop south of Raton, especially in the early evening as the sun is setting. I think I've parked right where you were and enjoyed dinner a couple times. The truck stop south of there also has good food in the diner and some cool old cars in a display inside the store. If I'm running later i usually stop there for fuel for both myself and the truck. Enjoy the trip!

 

[jimindenver]

It is pretty nice and I didn't feel unsafe at all. It was the first stop out in the open like that, I was worried I wasn't going to be able to sleep at all.

I did make it into town yesterday for the grocery but not Walmart yet. I prefer to buy my meat at a grocery, some of it at Walmart is of a interesting color. Can goods, dry goods, etc, I am fine with. Plus I'd just rather support a smaller local shop if I can.

I woke early to go birding this morning but decided on a nice indoor day when I saw snow on the truck. I made steak and eggs for breakfast, did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen and bathroom. There wasn't anything on local TV so I switched over to the Firestick running on the Verizon 3G, it has a full signal and easily streams.

Now the problem with watching TV and a RV furnace is the furnace can drown out the TV and it was running a lot. I decided it was time to do something about it. I had a partial roll of 1/2 inch open cell foam that I use to use for padding in the art crates I made. I made a piece for each window and the door. The window pieces are partially held in with the blinds and especially the tabs that hold the bottom bar in place for travel. The door pieces are just sandwiched between the door and the screen door. Boy did it make a difference. The furnace didn't come back on for 45 minutes and I had gone in and out three times. Even better is that the furnace is only running 5-7 minutes at a time now. The only window that wasn't done with the blinds holding the insulation in is the escape hatch in the bedroom. It has a slit in the middle for easy removal.

The nice thing about the white 1/2 inch is that it still lets some light through.

I also had a small amount of 1 inch blue foam that I cut to fit the vents. It just presses up into place.

 

[Queen]

Pretty smart fix, gotta love how inventive you get to be in a camper.

 

[BobBski]

Hope your enjoying yourself as much as I am reading about it. Enjoy

 

[jimindenver]

I'm having a blast Bob. Someday I may follow your lead a do a video, y'all have been forewarned.

The insulation works great, in fact maybe too good. The furnace doesn't come on as often nor as long because it doesn't have to counter act so many cold spots but that means a few other cold spots are not being covered. It was 19* this morning and I just couldn't get the floor and my feet to warm up. Once cold the joints start aching so I have the heating pad on the floor.

The door pads did well on the door but fell out as soon as I opened it. At 19F I am not about to stand there with the door open stuffing them back in. The other thing is the door frame is metal and touching it is like touching the evaporator in your fridge. That was a issue with the windows too so I'll have to cover the whole door and frame too. The other cold spots are the wheel well covered only in some carpet and the area under the edge of the bed. It gets no circulation and gets chilly.

it needs to warm up or I'm going straight past the Q and heading to Baja.

 

[Almost There]

Jim, you'll be relieved to know that it was 40 this morning down by the river in Ehrenberg. That's the lowest temp in the forecast until the 18th, mostly lows in the mid to  high 40's with daytime temps in the 70's.

No need to just head to Baja, although it does sound like a nice plan....

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Cool idea with the foam for the windows, might steal that page out of your book.

I was surprised at how little mods to my trailer kept the warmth in much longer. I had about 1000 sq feet of cardboard from the kitchen cabinets I bought. I cut them to fit anywhere I felt cold coming in, mainly under my bed, it has outside storage under half of it and drawers to the living space under the other half. Cold spilled out the drawer fronts like an AC. Cardboard solved it. I can get 4 to 5 days out of a 20lb propane tank now and that's in temps that have never risen above 30. Some days have been low teens and single digits.

I was wondering why my floors don't feel very cold, looked under my trailer for the first time, who ever owned it before me had the whole underside spray foamed. It's about 6" thick! Looks like crap but it's working excellent. Plus you can only see it when you crawl under. Everything is burried in it now, tanks, wires, water tanks. Be a nightmare if anything ever needs to be replaced. Good think im selling it in the spring!

 

[jimindenver]

AT, I sure do look forward to warmer temps although it was only down to 23* this morning.

ERLH, every little bit helps. Last night even a towel folded up over the wheel well made a difference. I also found that one of the bunk mattresses I had planned on adding to the free tarp covers the door perfectly frame and all. That let me move the small heater to the bedroom to warm the area beside the bed where it's cold enough that the pop stored there doesn't need the fridge. I wouldn't mind have the tanks sprayed. They are under the bathroom and that floor gets nippy.

I got lucky again last night. I was cooking a late dinner when I noticed orange flame on the burner. Rut roh. Luckily I had a half a tank that's used with the outdoor stove, BBQ and propane fire pit to swap with the tank that emptied earlier in the week. Hopefully there is a open propane shop on Sunday or I'll have to pick up a heater at Walmart.

One thing that has been making more room has been unboxing the things that came in the last week or so from Amazon. Take the SunFlair oven out of it's box and it takes up half the room. I also put the weather station together and on a board it fits into the milk crate that holds the extra propane tank. Doing this has allowed me access to the areas holding the electric hotplate which I should have been using all along to save propane. Hopefully it warms up enough to install and test the hot rod for the water heater while I have power.