Launch day!
- Thread starter Richard
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Canine
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Bon Voyage. Wishing a wonderful life for you.
Good luck! Have fun at the RTR!
WriterMs
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Yippee! We'll expect to see more posts soon about the good and the bad.
Almost no one launches without some little snags here and there, so don't sweat the small stuff, as they say.
Are you heading over to meet up with Bob even before the RTR? (Wish I could get there but that doesn't look promising for me at this time.)
Almost no one launches without some little snags here and there, so don't sweat the small stuff, as they say.
Are you heading over to meet up with Bob even before the RTR? (Wish I could get there but that doesn't look promising for me at this time.)
Richard
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Corvus said:
My first night was a bit awkward but no real problems. I don't have everything organized yet so transitioning between daytime use and nighttime involved quite a bit of shuffling gear around. I expect that will get better over time as I get better organized.
I made I made it to Flagstaff around 8:30 p.m. and was in bed by 10. Since I'm not acquainted with the area, I spent the night in a Walmart parking lot surrounded by a couple dozen others doing the same. It was quiet and hassle-free.
Woke up at 4 a.m. to a bit of a chill so I broke out the mr. Buddy Heater. I made sure to vent the 2 front windows about 3 inches each and in 5 minutes the van was toasty. While the smell of propane wasn't overpowering, it was there and I felt nervous about that. Any thoughts on whether I can use that heater inside? Do I need to open the windows even more? Is any smell of propane a danger sign?
Oh, one more thing. It's only been a day and a night but I'm already frustrated with trying to use the internet on my phone alone. It's challenging enough trying to read such small type, but I've also written several things that have gotten lost because my thumb accidentally pressed the back button on the phone when I was trying to hit the backspace or enter button on the on-screen keyboard. Grrr
Sounds like a few small hiccups, but nothing that can't be worked out over time.
I'm not sure what your setup will look like, but if you plan on wiring solar onto your van, I would recommend this small space heater as another option to propane: http://www.laskoproducts.com/myheat™-personal-heater-model-100/
It only uses 200 watts and 2 amps, but is surprisingly warm. I tested it in my van, and it got the temperature up in about 10 minutes. I plan to plug it into a digital timer at night so that it cycles on for 15 minutes every two hours. That way my van will stay comfortable, but I'll also save power.
I have read that lots of people use propane space heaters, but I would be concerned to do that without ample ventilation. Surely, though, you can get better advice from people who use propane at the RTR.
One other consideration with propane is the legal aspect--this is at least a principal concern for me. The laws where I stay say that you can't store combustibles in motor vehicles. In case LEO comes knocking on my door in the middle of the night, I don't want to give her/him any opportunities to explore my van any further than is necessary.
Hope things keep plugging along smoothly!
C.
I'm not sure what your setup will look like, but if you plan on wiring solar onto your van, I would recommend this small space heater as another option to propane: http://www.laskoproducts.com/myheat™-personal-heater-model-100/
It only uses 200 watts and 2 amps, but is surprisingly warm. I tested it in my van, and it got the temperature up in about 10 minutes. I plan to plug it into a digital timer at night so that it cycles on for 15 minutes every two hours. That way my van will stay comfortable, but I'll also save power.
I have read that lots of people use propane space heaters, but I would be concerned to do that without ample ventilation. Surely, though, you can get better advice from people who use propane at the RTR.
One other consideration with propane is the legal aspect--this is at least a principal concern for me. The laws where I stay say that you can't store combustibles in motor vehicles. In case LEO comes knocking on my door in the middle of the night, I don't want to give her/him any opportunities to explore my van any further than is necessary.
Hope things keep plugging along smoothly!
C.
Richard
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Stephen said:Let me just say, for those of us still on the sidelines, that despite the little bumps, we are jealous as hell!
Heh, well... it's not as turnkey a transition as I had imagined/hoped. I'm not complainin', just sayin'
Just speaking for myself..........I have never moved from one dwelling to another without an adjustment period.
Always a lot of where is that &^*% { whatever it is I can't find} and a whole lot more of why can't that sumb***h fit where I want it too? :huh: I've downsized numerous times from 2004 to 2010..........Tx to SD to Ky to AL and nothing was as drastic a change as you are doing. I encourage you to just hang in there....at least you will be with folks who will understand and support you in this change. I got tired of watching family and friends eyes glaze over when I talk about being living totally mobile so they may just wake one day and wonder where I went.....that is if I ever get to go anywhere!
Just remember to keep the shiniy side up and the dirty side down TJB
Always a lot of where is that &^*% { whatever it is I can't find} and a whole lot more of why can't that sumb***h fit where I want it too? :huh: I've downsized numerous times from 2004 to 2010..........Tx to SD to Ky to AL and nothing was as drastic a change as you are doing. I encourage you to just hang in there....at least you will be with folks who will understand and support you in this change.
I got tired of watching family and friends eyes glaze over when I talk about being living totally mobile so they may just wake one day and wonder where I went.....that is if I ever get to go anywhere!Just remember to keep the shiniy side up and the dirty side down
TJB
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Richard said:Oh, one more thing. It's only been a day and a night but I'm already frustrated with trying to use the internet on my phone alone. It's challenging enough trying to read such small type, but I've also written several things that have gotten lost because my thumb accidentally pressed the back button on the phone when I was trying to hit the backspace or enter button on the on-screen keyboard. Grrr
It probably does Bluetooth, if so get a fold out bluetooth keyboard. They come in all sizes.
Bob
mockturtle
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Congratulations! Hope to meet you out here on the road.
Richard
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Hello, Everyone.
I ran into a few snags beyond those I mentioned earlier. To share, or not to share? That's been the nagging question on my mind the past few days.
On one hand, I wanted to share those things with others here because I believe that knowledge/awareness is power. On the other hand, I also wanted to have a magically successful launch and these latest developments left me feeling like I'd failed. Setting a slightly bruised ego aside for a moment, I'll share because maybe it will prove useful to others.
The man who sold me my van told me that it used a little oil. I suppose that's to be expected from a 20-year old vehicle and I didn't give it much mind. Last thing I did on launch day was to change the oil and then hit the road. The place I had the oil changed told me that the engine and transmission appeared to be leaking and I suspected they were trying to up-sell me on some work so I thanked them for mentioning it and went my way.
I drove from Albuquerque to Flagstaff (330-ish miles), then back and forth between Flagstaff and the RTR area several times over the next couple of days. Just because I could No real plan in mind, I was just pleasantly overwhelmed to taste the freedom of mobile-living. Over those couple days, I realized that for all my paring-down things to take in the van, still I had too much stuff: nearly everything I did required a lot of shifting stuff around and it quickly became tiresome. With RTR still a month away, I decided to drive back to Albuquerque and dump some of the excess into my storage room, then head back out again to dabble in my newfound freedom.
The drive back to Albuquerque was as uneventful as the drive to Flagstaff had been. As I exited the interstate and was just a few miles from my storage unit, my oil light came on and the pressure gauge bottomed-out. Somebody queue panic at the disco...
The temp gauge was ok, as was the alternator. I figured the serpentine belt hadn't broken but still I knew that no oil pressure is a big deal so I found a place that would have oil to sell and shut off the van. I'd gone maybe a mile, which in my book is a mile too far to travel with no oil pressure but I felt like I had no choice. I'd driven a total of 800-ish miles without ever checking the oil level to see how much the van might be using. Totally my oversight, a sensibility completely forgotten in the bliss of having launched. I was kicking, repeatedly, and hard, for having so easily forgotten about something so important. In times like that, I tend to get stuck in my head: I should've done this; should've done that. This time, I just focused on moving forward because, really, what else could I do?
I checked the oil level. There was oil in there, but it barely registered on the dipstick. I bought 2-quarts of oil and a bottle of slick-50 high-mileage additive, dropped the slick-50 in and and had room for just over another half-quart of oil, then dared to start it. Thankfully, it started right up, though upon first turning-over, there was a nasty sound for a second or so. I figure that was some bare-metal action yelling at me never to let the oil get low again. I felt lucky: lucky that it started right up (and that metal sound hasn't made itself known since that moment), and lucky that the whole scenario unfold while I was 5-miles off the pavement and without a cell signal. So, with the immediate crisis out of the way, I resumed kicking myself with an endless stream of "I should have" 's.
I drove for about 10-minutes to see whether it would keep running during normal driving and it did. Stopped off at my storage unit and began to unload stuff. And that's when the second consideration hit me: tooth pain. Not one, but two. I had a tooth that ought to have been pulled a long time ago, but that I ignored because it didn't hurt. No doubt, the rise in blood pressure from that oil event caused a flare-up of that tooth. But not only that tooth, but another one, too.
At this point, I felt like "FAILURE" was clearly flashing across my forehead for anyone to see. I knew the van needed to be gone-over more carerfully, and that I needed to get my tooth situation handled, before I'd feel the earlier sense of joyful exhilaration so... I set about looking for a friend who might be able either to help me go over the van and/or who might be able to watch my dog while I got my dental work done. It wasn't to be in Albuquerque. And, reluctant to share my embarrassment here in the forum, I decided to reach back to my Eastern U.S. roots for help.
A friend in Pennsylvania offered to let me stay at her house while I got everything taken care of. Pa. is 1,600-ish miles from Albuquerque and I was nervous about such a long drive ahead but I also felt like I needed to get both the van and my teeth taken care of so... down the road I went.
First, I checked the oil at 150 miles, then 400 miles. No apparent decline. Checking at 800 miles, I was a half-quart low. To me, that's a testament to the power of the slick-50 additive. Over the next 800 miles I checked it again 3x and it only used an additional half-quart. So, at least I got there without any oil issues. I'm going to get my teeth fixed before the van so at this point, I'm not sure I'll be able to make RTR after all. Color me extremely bummed about that.
Now, if you'll all be so kind as to excuse me, I have to go clean the egg off my face
I ran into a few snags beyond those I mentioned earlier. To share, or not to share? That's been the nagging question on my mind the past few days.
On one hand, I wanted to share those things with others here because I believe that knowledge/awareness is power. On the other hand, I also wanted to have a magically successful launch and these latest developments left me feeling like I'd failed. Setting a slightly bruised ego aside for a moment, I'll share because maybe it will prove useful to others.
The man who sold me my van told me that it used a little oil. I suppose that's to be expected from a 20-year old vehicle and I didn't give it much mind. Last thing I did on launch day was to change the oil and then hit the road. The place I had the oil changed told me that the engine and transmission appeared to be leaking and I suspected they were trying to up-sell me on some work so I thanked them for mentioning it and went my way.
I drove from Albuquerque to Flagstaff (330-ish miles), then back and forth between Flagstaff and the RTR area several times over the next couple of days. Just because I could
No real plan in mind, I was just pleasantly overwhelmed to taste the freedom of mobile-living. Over those couple days, I realized that for all my paring-down things to take in the van, still I had too much stuff: nearly everything I did required a lot of shifting stuff around and it quickly became tiresome. With RTR still a month away, I decided to drive back to Albuquerque and dump some of the excess into my storage room, then head back out again to dabble in my newfound freedom.The drive back to Albuquerque was as uneventful as the drive to Flagstaff had been. As I exited the interstate and was just a few miles from my storage unit, my oil light came on and the pressure gauge bottomed-out. Somebody queue panic at the disco...
The temp gauge was ok, as was the alternator. I figured the serpentine belt hadn't broken but still I knew that no oil pressure is a big deal so I found a place that would have oil to sell and shut off the van. I'd gone maybe a mile, which in my book is a mile too far to travel with no oil pressure but I felt like I had no choice. I'd driven a total of 800-ish miles without ever checking the oil level to see how much the van might be using. Totally my oversight, a sensibility completely forgotten in the bliss of having launched. I was kicking, repeatedly, and hard, for having so easily forgotten about something so important. In times like that, I tend to get stuck in my head: I should've done this; should've done that. This time, I just focused on moving forward because, really, what else could I do?
I checked the oil level. There was oil in there, but it barely registered on the dipstick. I bought 2-quarts of oil and a bottle of slick-50 high-mileage additive, dropped the slick-50 in and and had room for just over another half-quart of oil, then dared to start it. Thankfully, it started right up, though upon first turning-over, there was a nasty sound for a second or so. I figure that was some bare-metal action yelling at me never to let the oil get low again. I felt lucky: lucky that it started right up (and that metal sound hasn't made itself known since that moment), and lucky that the whole scenario unfold while I was 5-miles off the pavement and without a cell signal. So, with the immediate crisis out of the way, I resumed kicking myself with an endless stream of "I should have" 's.
I drove for about 10-minutes to see whether it would keep running during normal driving and it did. Stopped off at my storage unit and began to unload stuff. And that's when the second consideration hit me: tooth pain. Not one, but two. I had a tooth that ought to have been pulled a long time ago, but that I ignored because it didn't hurt. No doubt, the rise in blood pressure from that oil event caused a flare-up of that tooth. But not only that tooth, but another one, too.
At this point, I felt like "FAILURE" was clearly flashing across my forehead for anyone to see. I knew the van needed to be gone-over more carerfully, and that I needed to get my tooth situation handled, before I'd feel the earlier sense of joyful exhilaration so... I set about looking for a friend who might be able either to help me go over the van and/or who might be able to watch my dog while I got my dental work done. It wasn't to be in Albuquerque. And, reluctant to share my embarrassment here in the forum, I decided to reach back to my Eastern U.S. roots for help.
A friend in Pennsylvania offered to let me stay at her house while I got everything taken care of. Pa. is 1,600-ish miles from Albuquerque and I was nervous about such a long drive ahead but I also felt like I needed to get both the van and my teeth taken care of so... down the road I went.
First, I checked the oil at 150 miles, then 400 miles. No apparent decline. Checking at 800 miles, I was a half-quart low. To me, that's a testament to the power of the slick-50 additive. Over the next 800 miles I checked it again 3x and it only used an additional half-quart. So, at least I got there without any oil issues. I'm going to get my teeth fixed before the van so at this point, I'm not sure I'll be able to make RTR after all. Color me extremely bummed about that.
Now, if you'll all be so kind as to excuse me, I have to go clean the egg off my face
Cheli
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Stop being so hard on yourself. This doesn't mean you failed, it means you hit a couple of bumps in the road. You will get it straightened out and be back on the road in no time. Give yourself credit for taking such a big step toward your new lifestyle and the rest will work out.
I haven't heard a single story yet about this lifestyle where someones launch went perfect.
Chin up.......you will get through this and laugh about it later.
I haven't heard a single story yet about this lifestyle where someones launch went perfect.
Chin up.......you will get through this and laugh about it later.
Oh Richard I am so upset.. :s ... I truly felt that out of the 1,000s and 1,000s of people iv'e been in contact with in my life that you were the one perfect one that would never make a mistake I don't know if I'll ever get over this.
I WILL TRY............. ...O.K. I'm done, over it now.
So to my way of thinking you did the best you could. You had 2 unforeseen issues crop up at the same time and you dealt with them both short term by prioritizing and dealing with the oil as it needed to be at the top of the list.
Now you are where you can deal with dental, oil issues or repairs, and a safe place for you and your 4 legged companion until you get back on the road. You know sometimes when traveling in older vehicles stuff just happens.
In 2007 I had planned for months to move from SD to KY as soon as I sold my home.........I had my 1991 Ford Ranger In the shop and fixed everything that needed fixing, even added rear helper springs to stop rearend sagging while pulling a loaded trailer. Somewhere in south MO the tranny started going out to the point that at one small gas station I bought every bottle of tranny fluid they had.............That was the longest 800 mile trip I have ever been on. I made it and I have every confidence you will too....just don't give up and please keep posting so we will know how you are doing.
Jewellann and Queenie
I don't know if I'll ever get over this. I WILL TRY.............
...O.K. I'm done, over it now. So to my way of thinking you did the best you could. You had 2 unforeseen issues crop up at the same time and you dealt with them both short term by prioritizing and dealing with the oil as it needed to be at the top of the list.
Now you are where you can deal with dental, oil issues or repairs, and a safe place for you and your 4 legged companion until you get back on the road. You know sometimes when traveling in older vehicles stuff just happens.
In 2007 I had planned for months to move from SD to KY as soon as I sold my home.........I had my 1991 Ford Ranger In the shop and fixed everything that needed fixing, even added rear helper springs to stop rearend sagging while pulling a loaded trailer. Somewhere in south MO the tranny started going out to the point that at one small gas station I bought every bottle of tranny fluid they had.............That was the longest 800 mile trip I have ever been on. I made it and I have every confidence you will too....just don't give up and please keep posting so we will know how you are doing.
Jewellann and Queenie
Richard
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Recap:
I launched. After only a week, I un-launched. I remained un-launched for 4-months, then hit the road 3-weeks ago, licking my wounds.
Over the past 3-weeks, I've bounced from Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Colorado Springs, then retraced my steps back to Albuquerque. Yesterday was my 54th birthday, which I spent alone. By choice. I spent most of the day reflecting on these past 5-months. Despite the hardships, I remain enthusiastic that a mobile lifestyle is what I prefer.
Conventional wisdom would confidently declare that I 'jumped the gun'. I did. I'm wingin' it, month by month, with no safety net, financial or otherwise. I make no excuses for my decision, and I don't recommend others follow my example. That said, I did what I felt best for me. Looking back, even with all that went wrong following my launch, I'd do it again and not change a thing.
I've dreamed about living this way for many years. I never imagined it would always be easy. It's not. But with each new thing I learn, it gets easier. On that note, I thank everyone here for sharing their time and experience. Because of you, I'm happy to announce my re-launch!
I launched. After only a week, I un-launched. I remained un-launched for 4-months, then hit the road 3-weeks ago, licking my wounds.
Over the past 3-weeks, I've bounced from Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Colorado Springs, then retraced my steps back to Albuquerque. Yesterday was my 54th birthday, which I spent alone. By choice. I spent most of the day reflecting on these past 5-months. Despite the hardships, I remain enthusiastic that a mobile lifestyle is what I prefer.
Conventional wisdom would confidently declare that I 'jumped the gun'. I did. I'm wingin' it, month by month, with no safety net, financial or otherwise. I make no excuses for my decision, and I don't recommend others follow my example. That said, I did what I felt best for me. Looking back, even with all that went wrong following my launch, I'd do it again and not change a thing.
I've dreamed about living this way for many years. I never imagined it would always be easy. It's not. But with each new thing I learn, it gets easier. On that note, I thank everyone here for sharing their time and experience. Because of you, I'm happy to announce my re-launch!
