INTJohn's Winter Truk Livin' 4 '22-'23

[INTJohn]

Ok, mid Fall '22 thru mid Spring '23 is prolly more accurate but u git it..........
If U want to review previous winter tyme travels the threads are there for your searching pleasure but if not familiar start here:
https://vanlivingforum.com/threads/how-i-became-a-vagabond.22301/
I haven't left Kamp Jonny Koon yet but will be in the next several days - not later than Wednesday, 12 October. Been packin stuff up these last several days and enjoyin kampfires, foliage color change and my neighbors: the local wildlife; whom I've more in common with than most people.

"The Big Picture Plan": head West on the Northern route to Seattle: Cross Lake Michigan on the Ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee; take I-90 to there........ and prolly with several side trips that I don't know about yet.

From Seattle: turn south along the Pacific Coast Scenic Hiway to San Diego; again several side trips that I don't yet know about. Will visits with friend south of San Francisco.

From San Diego head East toward Florida Keys via Amistad near Del Rio, Tx; blah, blah along Gulf Coast; around Fla then north along Atlantic Coast to Va Bch then back to Kamp Jonny Koon in West Central Michigan. About 12,000 miles but with side trips and back trax prolly more like 15,000. Sayin.........

No dates to b anywhere - but will be back to Michigan by mid to late May and I won't be in the Keys till after New Years........

none of this is etched in stone or blessed by god
intjonny koon luzsha baybee alway have alway will

 

[INTJohn]

11 Oct. 22
Left Michigan today headed toward Seattle. Boat ride across Lake Michigan was chilly but uneventful. Drove from Milwaukee to Madison and am spending night off I 90 west of Madison.
intjonny boi off again for the winter.

 

[INTJohn]

14 Oct
Woke up early on the 12th and took US 18 to Mason City Iw then turned North on 65 and got back on I 90 in Minnesota headed West. Weather was major league SUCK! all day into South Dakota. Cold rainy with a 20-25 mph sustained wind.

Took a break in Iowa at Effigy National Park and would’ve stayed longer but to repeat weather sukt. Stopped for the night near Rapid City SD. Ignored Badlands n Mt Rushmore as I seen them decades ago when in Dakotas for minuteman missile silo familiarity; don’t think it’s changed much.

Next morning gassed up and continued West on 90. Weather hadn’t changed. Windy as hell. Saw Dorothy blow by yellin at Toto and lookin for Kansas. Spent night of 13th in Bozeman, Tana.
Today was especially nice day weather wise taking my time thru western Montana, Idaho panhandle into Washington. Spending night off 90 in central Washington. 2maro will head to Tacoma not Seattle but not till after the 9am PST kikoff time Michigan playin Penn St.
GO BLUE!

Time to slow down my drive now that I’m near the pacific coast relax chill……
Ain’t no plan.
intjonny boi livin the dream

 

[INTJohn]

18 Oct Somewhere on the Northern California Coast.
Entered NorCal few hours ago after spending couple days trekking along coastal Washington & coastal Oregon.
Washington didn’t do that much for me. Don’t mean that to sound negative because I’ve been all around the world so my perspective is more encompassing. I was mostly impressed with the basaltic lava formed Columbia Plateau as geology is another thing of mine but also mountains & pines…….. Washington has it all in that regard.

Coastal Oregon I would return to and do a sequel tho would want temps a lil warmer. Maybe a September jaunt if i would ever do a repeat. Idk.

For now tho it’s the Redwood Hiway and 2maro: another New Day means another New Way.
jonny boi luzsha baybee

 

[INTJohn]

I should comment on fuel prices:
Topped off the tank b4 leaving Michigan at 3.40$/gal and as I migrated West the price slowly increased until it passed 5$/gal when I filled up entering Washington.

Hit 5.50$/gal in Oregon at a Fred Meyer and also to my befuddled surprise I wasn’t allowed to pump it. Hadnt seen that since I was a teen and gas $ way back then was 27.9 CENTS per gallon.

Well like me, Oregon is a lil different on a variety of levels.
Jonny boi movin on

 

[bullfrog]

I believe at one time you used to almost have to be invited to be a resident in Oregon, consider yourself lucky they let you visit! Lol!!!

 

[INTJohn]

I believe at one time you used to almost have to be invited to be a resident in Oregon, consider yourself lucky they let you visit! Lol!!!

Sounds more like Texas…….
I could’ve moved to Oregon 40 years ago as Oregon Tech was one of the 6 universities I applied to for my graduate degree. Others being Florida, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Cal Tech and Michigan. Chose Michigan but OT was high on my list. My first choice was actually the University of Calgary but GI Bill only could be used toward US institutions.

 

[INTJohn]

3 Nov ‘22 Somewhere in San Diego

After entering California, traveled along Hiway 101 along the Coast till north of Fortuna where I turned into hiway 211 traveling the “Humboldt Loop” from north to south.


This description is from south to north but same loop different direction. Google 4 more info.

After joining back to hiway 101 continued southward till turned unto hiway 1 at Legget, Ca. South and stayed traveling at a leisurely pace along the coast till to the famous Golden Gate Bridge where I spent a night on the North end.

Thats my truck 2nd from left sandwiched between 2 van couples; 1 of which from France & the other from Germany touring the US. Had a great time with them for a day and a half.

After crossing the bridge and driving thru San Fran, rejoining hiway 1 continuing south along the Pacific Coast Hiway. Past Santa Cruz to Monterrey………
More 2 write but need a short break.
intjonny boi livin the dream

 

[INTJohn]

Continuation of prev post:
After the traveling & sight seeing of a thousand miles of rocky pacific coast & forested wilderness hills & mountains across Washington, Oregon & Northern California……..

Hmmm, well how much different can the rest of it be? Sooo after spending a night somewhere near Monterrey I awoke and headed SE along some sorta backroads toward hiway 101 and then hopped on I-5 at a place I don’t remember.
Had the great pleasure of hitting the north LA burbs right at noon and was accompanied by a gahzillion other drivers thru the LA megapolis.

A few hours later I was pulling into my familiar spot on Mission Bay, San Diego; fed my face; had a cupl gin & gingers while stretching my ole man legs and then crashed for the night.

San Diego Dreamin’…….
jonny boi luzsha baybee alway have alway will

 

[INTJohn]

Weather was preemo in SD but I’ve since left to hang n the desert…….

SD elaboration: frequented usual beaches:
Pacific Beach; Mission Beach & Ocean Beach. Had to do a cupl Wednesday Eve OB “farmer’s market’s”. There’s no farmers market anywhere in the US of A like that in Ocean Beach SD Ca.
Sayin…….,
Hung with a friend cupl days who moved back here from Michigan 19 months ago and ran back into a van cupl from Texas that I met 4 years ago back I think. They r very kool and what a plezsh to run n2 them again !!
Damn luv SD but weather turned kool and I had to get my ass out 2 desert regions.

Peeps think there’s NUTHIN in a desert but there is sooo much kool **** stuff in SoCal desert if 1 is open minded and wants to xplore. Yes!!
I luv my desert spots…….
Talk more ltr.
Jonny boi desert out

 

[INTJohn]

Spent several days at Salton Sea in the South California desert. Salton Sea is one f my fav places anywhere anyplace in Murahka. It’s is sooo eerie remote desolate odd, etc. i absolutely love the scenic desert desolation of this place.

And if you want a place that NOBODY goes too; we’ll this is it! Salton Sea is like 250 feet below sea level and every time I’m here I always think of how the entire Ocean would love to just fall right in here! Awesome.

And I had to stop at the Ski Inn at Bombay Beach and have a Bombay & Tonic; DUH!
Ski Inn on Salton Sea’s east side is one of the pre imminent major league dive bars anywhere and bought a bar t shirt as the 1 I bought while first here 12 years ago had long worn out. REPLACED!

Have since left Salton Sea area……
jonny boi movin on.

 

[INTJohn]

I need to add a cupl things on the Salton Sea.

That white “beach sand” isn’t really sand. It’s feet thick of sun bleached fish bones from gahzillions of fish that have died and their bones have become the beach. Future limestone. You’ll want to wear decent foot covering too Not SANDELS as those lil bones are sharp as hell and can tear your tootsies to shreds.


And the San Andreas Earthquake Fault runs right along the East line of the Salton Sea too and I literally camped ; parked right on top of it. Awaiting for the Big Rock Break to occur. Life “on the edge”.
jonny boi luzsha baybee

 

[BelgianPup]

I went to the Salton Sea just once, eons ago, and the stink was incredible.

 

[INTJohn]

I went to the Salton Sea just once, eons ago, and the stink was incredible.

Yeah that was the years of the big fish die off; tilapia mostly as they’re about the only fish that can deal with the salt content but now is even more salty and as the sea slowly shrinks in size it becomes more n more saltier. It now is quite abit more salty than even the Pacific Ocean.

A few more decades and it will have completely dried up. Back where it started b4 a massive engineering *** up in 1902 that caused it’s 20th century existence.

intjonny boi thinkin Enjoy it while ya can.

 

[Zerpersande]

intjonny

INTJ. I see that!

 

[INTJohn]

How many recent train wreck sites have I ever come upon? Actually none in my entire life and then BOOM! in a span of a week or so I happen to pass by the clean up of 2 train wrecks. 1 had 2 fatalities.
https://www.laweekly.com/2-workers-killed-train-collision-bombay-beach-mecca-ca/
https://www.newswest9.com/amp/artic...unty/513-c7a8e12c-5a80-4cd9-b3ab-f3d17d01f0d9
My mothers father was a train engineer so it’s part of my childhood lore. I never met the man as he died long b4 my birth and I grew up barely knowing my mother but trains became a part of that romantic part of my childhood that is now a distant memory……..

jonny boi singin Roger Miller’s King of the Road

 

[bullfrog]

Me too, I drove one of the new electric switch engines in the yard in 1955 at 4 years old, both my grandpas were railroaders with the C&O.

 

[BelgianPup]

How many recent train wreck sites have I ever come upon? Actually none in my entire life and then BOOM! in a span of a week or so I happen to pass by the clean up of 2 train wrecks. 1 had 2 fatalities.
https://www.laweekly.com/2-workers-killed-train-collision-bombay-beach-mecca-ca/

I wonder how fast they were going??? I worked around trains and rail yards for almost 7 years (crew transport), and they always moved cars slowly, never even heard of a wreck on the sidings.

 

[INTJohn]

I wonder how fast they were going??? I worked around trains and rail yards for almost 7 years (crew transport), and they always moved cars slowly, never even heard of a wreck on the sidings.

Ya got me hangin….. idk anything about em. All up to Union Pacific and the NTSB. I just drove by and saw what looked like a big pile of junk sheet metal and axles then it dawned on me ****! That’s a train wreck.
Then a week or so later drove past anutha 1.
Google told me about it.

 

[INTJohn]

10 Nov ‘22 Somewhere near Texas/Mexico Border; South of Laredo.

After leaving Salton Sea, Ca area headed south toward I-8 & the Holtville Hot Springs where filled my solar shower with a few gallons of hot spring water and got me a hot shower, always a treat. Then jumped on I-8 heading east.

Drove across Az and spent night at the familiar lot at Lordsburg NM. Awoke next day early AM destination Amistad Wilderness Area, Tx; North of Del Rio….. Spent a few days here; as had the entire north disbursed camp area all to myself.

Then moved southerly along the Rio Grande, makin my slow leisurely way to my present spot. Temps in the 90’s - warm. B here 4 ?? Only karma knows……intjohn