The adventure begins

[MG1912]

Yes, it lasts! More relaxed, more positive, more grateful...overall just more "well" is a good way to put it. Every day I am thankful that I get to live this life, that the view out my window can be back-lit cactus or snow on the mountains, that there's always another road calling to be explored. Your adventure is off to a great start! See you at the RTR!

That's awesome to hear. Thank you for taking the time to write this. It is very good to know that you are still feeling more positive, grateful, and "well." I appreciate the kind words. And yes, see you at RTR!

 

[MG1912]

Word is don't use any product on a stone.
Just water and scrap it.
It will get a seasoned look after time.
Scrape with a plastic scraper only.

This is correct. After a long period of water only washing your stone will be "seasoned". It will be a nice brown color and provide well cooked pizzas!

Thanks, guys. I did this today. Your advice gelled with what I had read online: no cleaning products, just scrape off with water. Then I used the stone again today, not for pizza, but rather just to even out the heat in the oven while I made bacon in a pan again. The stone is on its way to becoming "seasoned" now!

 

[maki2]

Yes, but there are members here who have been doing this for years.  I'd like to know if they feel the way I feel now, and if it has endured.  I do know that members have done this in different ways, and that seems to affect the experience.

But for those who were already in a good state of mind when they started their nomadic lives -- and who aren't in the above category of people with major financial roadblocks -- does the feeling last?

In any case, as I wrote at the outset of this adventure thread:


So if I decide tomorrow that I don't like this lifestyle anymore, that is okay.

Bob Wells the founder of this forum is happy and would never go back to a sticks and bricks if he can avoid it.

It is of course not just about having a rig break down, many people end up leaving the life because of health issues. Not too unexpected because many of them start their nomadic life with their health issues having put them out of regular employment.  That happens to some at a much younger age, it is not just about older persons. But in the older crowd that is very likely one of the major reasons they leave the road. Bad health can certainly ruin a happy outlook on life even if you have had it for years while on the road.

 

[MG1912]

Today I had another "first." After almost five months of full-time living in my rig, I washed my clothes at a laundromat. Up to this point, I had mostly been staying at friends' or relatives' places over the past five months, so I always had access to somebody's washer, but now I'm on the road. Of course I have washed clothes at a laundromat before, but the last time was probably 15 years ago. I forgot how expensive it is! All told, I spent $8.25 to wash my clothes and sheets (25 minutes of use of the larger washing machine and 30 minutes of dryer).

 

[MG1912]

Bob Wells the founder of this forum is happy and would never go back to a sticks and bricks if he can avoid it.

It is of course not just about having a rig break down, many people end up leaving the life because of health issues. Not too unexpected because many of them start their nomadic life with their health issues having put them out of regular employment.  That happens to some at a much younger age, it is not just about older persons. But in the older crowd that is very likely one of the major reasons they leave the road. Bad health can certainly ruin a happy outlook on life even if you have had it for years while on the road.

Touch wood, I will remain healthy enough to enjoy this lifestyle (or any lifestyle!) for decades to come. As the saying goes, "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." I believe it.

 

[elbobberino]

Hey there.

Thank you for learning and sharing along the way. It's so nice to see your positivity as your adventure broadens.

Have fun out there "in the wind".

Now that you're 5 months in, what habits or small hobbies have you picked up along the way?

 

[MG1912]

Well, I started reading books again after several experiences of spending days on BLM land without a data connection, so that is something I've gotten back into since hitting the road. I read books all the time as a kid and always loved books (I am Gen X, so I remember being a kid and a teenager before widespread internet access), but it seems that they had been replaced in recent years by the internet, I guess because of the immediacy and easy consumption of the internet.

I clean much more frequently. When I lived in houses and apartments, I would go days or sometimes even weeks (hey, it's bachelor life) without really cleaning. I was never filthy (with empty food containers on the floor, etc.), but always messy. Now, I clean up every day because otherwise it would be hard to live in such a small space if it were messy and dirty all the time, with no place to prepare food, etc. So I clean things and put things away much more frequently.

My sleep patterns have changed, too, as I had always gotten up every morning to go to school or work five times a week (seven in Iraq and Afghanistan) pretty much my entire life. And the thing is that I had always struggled with mornings since I was a teenager. I had always hated going to bed early, hated mornings, often went to classes or work tired, and often tried to "catch up" on sleep on the weekends, which is also when I got my introvert energy back... which often led to me staying up all night on Fridays (not partying, just up), sleeping in until the afternoon on Saturday, doing the same on Sunday, and then having a hell of a morning on Monday. Rinse and repeat for 20 years.

These days, I've been going to sleep before midnight and getting up in the AM. That might not sound strange to anyone here, but it's a revolution in sleep patterns for me.

I have also completely stopped smoking cigarettes. I vape exclusively now. I tried to vape more in the past, but I was always working, and especially with the work schedule in Afghanistan I often had to dash out for a quick smoke, which -- for those of you who are not nicotine addicts -- means cigarettes. No vape really fills that niche well. But now that I no longer need to rush cigarette breaks, I can just vape at my leisure, which means I have no need for cigarettes anymore.

So those are four "habits or small hobbies" that have been affected by my new lifestyle!

 

[boutdone]

when my wife and I were sailing thru the islands, at every port was a "book swap", any places like that with the land yachts? we would read a book every couple of days, sounds like I may be doing that again if there is no signal of any kind.

 

[SheketEchad]

when my wife and I were sailing thru the islands, at every port was a "book swap", any places like that with the land yachts? we would read a book every couple of days, sounds like I may be doing that again if there is no signal of any kind.

At the LTVA check in offices there are book swaps and free tables this year.   I picked up some nice books, and remembered I'm in a van 

So I'm reading some and will drop some back off, but a few I'll tote around with me until I alight, whenever that may be!

 

[SheketEchad]

MG, where are you camping BLM with no data connection? I'm at Ehrenberg now and the connection is better than in Quartzsite(crowds). But I've stayed at other BLM and always had a connection. I do use a weboost, as I work from the road and must have a connection.

But reading is always good, connection or not!

BTW, great photo previously. Did you make it to Q yet?

 

[maki2]

it is easy to get free e-books that you can read on a tablet, computer or phone. You just download them when you go into town. I check them out from the library in my home base town and can keep each one for a 21 day period. So I will load up enough for 3 weeks, there is a 25 book max checkout at any one time, from the library. Of course no late fees ever as they return automatically at 21 days if you have not already returned it.

There are also lots of sources for free ebooks that are out of copyright, all the great old classics are available. You can download and keep those forever and read them on a tablet or your computer or your phone. Not just fiction books but things such as tin and black smithing, woodworking, math, science, history, biographies, travel diaries, how to build cabins, shelters, canoes and lots more. Of course all those free ebooks that you can download and keep can also be passed along to friends because there is no copyright or time restricted when they expire. They are no like audible books where you need to have it registered to a particular device from one owner. Archive.org is one source, gutenberg.org,
There is a good list of options for places to download free ebooks on this website https://www.tckpublishing.com/websites-download-free-ebooks/

While I have always enjoyed owning books in print I gave that up a few years ago when I quit living in a house. Now that I have some retinal damage I have trouble reading paperbacks and other books with a small size of print. So my tablet is now my source for all my leisure reading. It holds a charge for quite a few days of reading. But I do want to get one of the Kindle Paperwhite tablets for non glare reading out of doors.

 

[MG1912]

MG, where are you camping BLM with no data connection? I'm at Ehrenberg now and the connection is better than in Quartzsite(crowds). But I've stayed at other BLM and always had a connection. I do use a weboost, as I work from the road and must have a connection.

But reading is always good, connection or not!

BTW, great photo previously. Did you make it to Q yet?

Hi SE! I went pretty far off the beaten path in parts of west Texas where there was no data or phone signal. At times I had no signal in Arizona, although most of the spots I stayed at were close to I-10.

I have not made it to Quartzsite yet. I decided to go down to Yuma, and so I'm in that general vicinity. But I think I will start heading up toward Q this weekend to make it to RTR.

 

[MG1912]

Today, I decided to figure out my budget/expenditures for my first month on the road.

I spent about $800 on “normal” expenses:  food, insurance, cellular and data plans, propane, and general supplies.  I could definitely cut out the “eating out” portion and do my grocery shopping better, but I’m comfortable with what I spent this month on groceries and supplies.  I’m actually surprised at how little I spent on eating out because it felt like I was spending more.  As expected, I filled a propane tank once. 

However, the majority of the last month’s expenses were spent on “one off” things.  I spent over $700 on diesel alone, which I am labeling “one off” here because that’s what it cost me to travel the over 2,000 miles from Georgia to Arizona.  I believe I’ll be traveling much shorter distances (and much less frequently) this coming month.

I had an unexpected vehicle repair expense when my brake line busted a week ago.  That cost me about $250.  And I had to replace a broken screen door latch on my camper, which cost $15.69 at an RV supply store.  I had some unexpected, one-off expenses come up in the amount of $292.  So, that’s a total of over $1,200 in “unexpected” and “one-off” expenses.  We’ll see how common such expenses are in the future.

I am comfortable with a general budget of $1,000 or somewhat less per month, which looks possible unless something changes drastically in the future.  I now understand how people can spend less than $500 per month; if I didn’t travel any more than the required 25 miles to get from one 14-day BLM location to another, and I really cut my food budget down to beans-and-rice type meals, I could get by on $500, I believe.  I’m sure I could also lose weight in the truck and camper and strategically travel when my water tanks are empty, etc.  I have no inspiration to undertake such cost-cutting measures quite yet, as I am comfortable spending around $1,000 per month, but I realize that this lifestyle can go hand-in-hand with extreme frugality and minimalism.

 

[wayne49]

A good area would have multiple agencies in close proximity. Foe example, Idaho and Oregon have locations with BLM, USFS, and other agencies, where one can move a lesser distance than the required move between the same agency's spots. Even rotating through the same spots. BLM -> USFS -> Other -> BLM ...
Always verify the rules for the different Ranger districts.

 

[maki2]

What no health insurance cost in that list????

 

[MG1912]

Ah, yes, I added it to my spreadsheet after I posted on here. It's $67.

 

[VanFan]

I have come to believe there is no such thing as "unexpected" expenses, so I expect them and pocket the difference when they don't come up.  The trick is figuring out how much unexpected to expect  :-/ !

 

[GypsyJan]

MG1912:

Thanks for the spreadsheet....it is such an inspiration, knowing it is possible to thrive on a fixed income. 3 years, 2 months, and two weeks til I go full time...but who's counting!

 

[user 22017]

Well, I started reading books again after several experiences of spending days on BLM land without a data connection, so that is something I've gotten back into since hitting the road.  I read books all the time as a kid and always loved books (I am Gen X, so I remember being a kid and a teenager before widespread internet access), but it seems that they had been replaced in recent years by the internet, I guess because of the immediacy and easy consumption of the internet.

Hi MG, You write very well. Have you thought about creating a blog? You could use the posts you have made here to start filling it. (Post in both places). People would love it. Just a thought

 

[maki2]

people still read books, they just don't want to lug those heavy volumes around or devote wall space to storing them. Much like the music industry the book industry is changing over to digital formats.