What to do when there's nothing to do??

[wasanah2]

I dunno if anyone else has encountered this.  I've been camping for some time, but when there's no wifi, no tv signal, cell phone is too weak, what do you do?  I have been so bored.  I've already cleaned the rig more than someone with OCD.  Yeah, I could hike, but I've done that and there's not anything new to see.  I can't seem to get comfortable with the wilderness.   I'm tired of driving around in circles.  The books I brought with me are either read or I'm not fond of them.  I'm so bored I think I should go find a job just to have something to do.

When you can't use your devices, what do you all do when there's nothing to do?

Thanks in advance!

 

[B and C]

Drink beer and smoke cigarettes JK

If you are that bored without your devices, move to where you have internet unless there is something tying you to where you're at. I generally won't set up camp if I don't have a cell signal. When DW traveled with me, we carried a dish satellite setup. I would put the dish where it could see the sky if in trees.

 

[highdesertranger]

you need to find a pastime that doesn't require electronic doo dads. for me it's easy, I dig holes then extract the gold out. highdesertranger

 

[I Like Turtles]

Hobby or something you've always wanted to learn.
Examples:

new language Can get books, cd's at libraries, book or thrift stores

you like tech, then get a handheld dedicated gps device  You could spend hours/days learning the ins/outs of that.
Turn it into a game by geocaching.

Metal detector

Ham radio

Cooking- another hobby that you can spend a lot of time doing with edible rewards.

drawing, writing: doesn't matter what level you're at practice and you will get better

Musical instrument

My favorite, counting turtles, it's mesmerizing especially when you only see maybe 1 every other day or so, takes dedication.

 

[wasanah2]

Drink beer and smoke cigarettes  JK

If you are that bored without your devices, move to where you have internet unless there is something tying you to where you're at.  I generally won't set up camp if I don't have a cell signal.  When DW traveled with me, we carried a dish satellite setup.  I would put the dish where it could see the sky if in trees.

I don't drink.  I also don't smoke cigs. 

Nothing says "stealth" to my vehicle like a satellite dish mounted on the roof and pointed to the southern sky.  :blush:   LOL

 

[DLTooley]

Generally I hike in the morning, then read in the afternoon. There are a variety of tasks like going into town, cleaning up a rig, or an improvement project that can take the better part of a day every so often. I have a good radio and a good antenna, and can get reception where other techs don't work. BBC on the late night public radio is great.

There is also entertaining tourists, but that takes a bit of spirit and experience.

 

[B and C]

JK means Just Kidding

The dish is not mounted and is portable so it can be placed to see the Southern sky.

https://www.campingworld.com/dish-p...38hE-fZvhyFi21IBcx2ORFjyq5YdOEuEaAs0XEALw_wcB

If you're stealth camping, there should be plenty to do in town.

 

[wasanah2]

you need to find a pastime that doesn't require electronic doo dads.  for me it's easy,  I dig holes then extract the gold out.  highdesertranger

Now I LOVE this idea.  I could do that.  Gold Rush is my favorite show and on a smaller scale, anyone can learn to pan for gold.  I got so excited about the idea and looked at the gear I'd have to buy and it's all within my range.  I looked and someone said you can find gold in almost every state in the union.  I'm in Florida.  Another website said "every state in the union except Florida." 

I do think I'd like that anyway.  I saw you can own a claim and camp on it as long as you don't build any permanent structure.  You rent them by the year.  Tell me please, because I think this would be great for myself and for many, would this be a great way to camp for nearly free along side a river and throw a pan in and pan once in awhile?  This is a game changer.  How much are those claims?

 

[I Like Turtles]

There is also entertaining tourists, but that takes a bit of spirit and experience.

???   Some interesting ideas are popping into my head.

 

[wasanah2]

Hobby or something you've always wanted to learn.
Examples:

new language Can get books, cd's at libraries, book or thrift stores

you like tech, then get a handheld dedicated gps device  You could spend hours/days learning the ins/outs of that.
Turn it into a game by geocaching.

Metal detector

Ham radio

Cooking- another hobby that you can spend a lot of time doing with edible rewards.

drawing, writing: doesn't matter what level you're at practice and you will get better

Musical instrument

My favorite, counting turtles, it's mesmerizing especially when you only see maybe 1 every other day or so, takes dedication.

This is a good list.  I like turtles too.  I have a "Saving Turtles" FL license plate which my extra bux pays to help sea turtles hatch and make it to the sea.  But I don't see any because they all make it to the ocean since many get the license plate.  And all they do is send them back to the water.

I do have a uke to play but it hurts my fingers.  I did manage to play one song, but evidently my perfect pitch of my youth has failed and my daughter who heard my song when I showed it off, begged me to stop before I even made it to the chorus.

The foreign language is a good idea.  I actually got a cassette set from the FREE bin at the library.  I tried that but with no one to practice with, it was a bust and I quit.  Not too many people want to speak Swedish where I live and I sounded a lot like that Swedish baker on Sesame Street.

Cooking?  Not a great stealth activity.  The great smells kinda give you away that you are cooking outside with your car.

2 ideas I did like in your list is a radio that goes long range and metal detecting.  When I was a kid, we had a shortwave radio and it was mind blowing when I was young that you could actually hear people on the other side of the world.  OK this is good.  Thanks for the ideas!

 

[wasanah2]

JK means Just Kidding

If you're stealth camping, there should be plenty to do in town.

Yep I know JK means Just Kidding.  That was a perfect set up for my comment so I ignored the JK.  LOL   But seriously speaking, I find that when I *DO* something in town that it costs money.  I don't mind doing some things in town, and I enjoy it but I don't want to go to town just to spend some money.  I mean when you eat out, you rent the space your butt sits on.   The library is a place you don't pay for and I spend a lot of time in the library, but it's boring after a time.  I don't want my highlight of my week to be going to town to go to the laundermat.

 

[wasanah2]

Generally I hike in the morning, then read in the afternoon.  There are a variety of tasks like going into town, cleaning up a rig,  or an improvement project that can take the better part of a day every so often.  I have a good radio and a good antenna, and can get reception where other techs don't work.  BBC on the late night public radio is great.

There is also entertaining tourists, but that takes a bit of spirit and experience.

OK what you are doing, minus the good radio is what I'm already doing.  I clean up, go to town, hike, improve the van, etc etc.  I'm liking the good radio idea.  Entertaining tourists is an intriguing idea, but I'm sort of an introvert.  I could never pull something like that off.

 

[Bobflhtc]

If you're really desperate you could frequently check this forum for new updates.

I learned early on not to hang around the house when I was a kid or to ever admit I was bored. Seems like my mom always found some unpleasant work for me to do. This understanding served me well when I was in the army. Seems like they were always finding unpleasant tasks too.

 

[wasanah2]

If you're really desperate you could frequently check this forum for new updates.

I learned early on not to hang around the house when I was a kid or to ever admit I was bored. Seems like my mom always found some unpleasant work for me to do. This understanding served me well when I was in the army. Seems like they were always finding unpleasant tasks too.

I'm looking for things to do that don't involve "devices."  So getting online to check the forum isn't something I can do. 

Yeah parents have a way of making work when you are bored, that's true.  I think that even if you suppress the thought that "I'm bored," that it doesn't really go away, just no one can hear you complaining.  You're still bored inside.

I had a professor in college who taught a literature class and he said that the word BOREDOM doesn't appear in the dictionary before the turn of the century.  (1900)  He actually thought people weren't bored when they didn't have a word for it.  I think they did have a word for it.  I think they called boring activities "tiresome" because that's how boredom makes you feel.

So anyway, I'm looking for activities I may have overlooked.  Stuff to do when you don't have wifi.

 

[highdesertranger]

a few things on mining claims,

the only thing you get from a claim is the mineral rights.

a claim does not automatically give you the right to live there.

you cannot stop anybody else from participating in a lawful activity on your claim, that means people can camp, hike, fish, hunt, ride horses/bike, ride ATVs, etc. as long as those activities are permitted. the only thing you can stop them from doing is prospecting or rock hounding.

for the most part you can only file mining claims in the western US.

I advise newbies not to file a claim until you know what you are doing. much better to join a club. there are hundreds of clubs even in areas you can't file claims(back east). most clubs are cheaper then filing a claim and if go to the meetings you can meet people with experience that will pass on local knowledge.

anybody that wants more info feel free to ask. I also give a prospecting seminar at the RTR. highdesertranger

 

[VanForNow]

If you aren't camped too far from a town, you might consider volunteering. Local humane societies, libraries and food banks often need volunteers. Volunteering can be interesting, helps the community and gives a chance to meet folks in the local area.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I dunno if anyone else has encountered this.  I've been camping for some time, but when there's no wifi, no tv signal, cell phone is too weak, what do you do?  I have been so bored.  I've already cleaned the rig more than someone with OCD.  Yeah, I could hike, but I've done that and there's not anything new to see.  I can't seem to get comfortable with the wilderness.   I'm tired of driving around in circles.  The books I brought with me are either read or I'm not fond of them.  I'm so bored I think I should go find a job just to have something to do.

When you can't use your devices, what do you all do when there's nothing to do?

What kind of person are you?  Do you get emotionally charged by being around other people?  Or do you need to get alone to recharge your emotional batteries?  It makes a difference.  I am an introvert so I need to spend quality time by myself.  If you are an extrovert you may not be comfortable being alone for long and need to plan for quality social time.

I grew up on a farm and I learned very early that 'there's nothing to do' was code for 'I need more chores', so I made sure I always had something to do.  I hike a lot and never run out of new things to see.  Learn to identify wildlife and plants; get binoculars, learn to see the fine detail of the natural world. Or take up photography.  I can spend an hour or more just sitting in a prominent place and watching the world go by, but I am comfortable with my own thoughts and need to spend time by myself.  

But I usually have too much to do.  In the woods I can take as long as I want and be elaborate with my cooking.  In town I go to a park; nobody pays any attention to someone cooking in a park.  Devotions, meditation, stretching, exercise take time, as does personal hygiene and the camper cleanup.  I have too many books to read.  Evenings are spent cataloging and editing pictures I have taken that day, reading, planning my next move or next day, watching sunsets, watching stars.  I can usually get a cell signal (I have a booster) and I will call friends and family daily, but I limit the amount of time I spend on the internet, it can really suck up the time.

 

[wasanah2]

a few things on mining claims,

the only thing you get from a claim is the mineral rights.

a claim does not automatically give you the right to live there.

Well, you have to be there to do the mining....it seems to me that you can camp there, at least from what I've read.  If you are legally mining on your own claim, camping there for the night should be perfectly fine.  But yes, I'm new to this and I just got the idea from you tonight, so I have a lot of research to do, but from what I see, this is a boondocker's dream.  I'm legitimately interested in mining the gold, so it's not a scam to have free parking or anything, and if I bought the claim and rent it year to year from the gov't, I don't see what would be wrong with that, but this is early in the investigation. 

I don't plan to go to the RTR. 

I like the idea of joining a club for learning purposes.  But likely I won't go that route.  I'll find someone to teach me.  The gear isn't that expensive.  I mean you can pay a lot for an awesome sluice, but you can also get very small ones and I'm not planning on going high tech on it.  But this seems to be something I would enjoy.   If others can ride horses and do other things on the land, that doesn't bother me.  It's not my land anyway.  As long as they don't jump my claim, they're free to be there too. 

I was in Idaho one time along the Snake River and stopped the car at a wide shoulder to check a tire and when I got out, I saw the strangest thing in the river next to the shoulder.  I was there just looking down at it and it reminded me of that bird toy that dips into a drink as it made that motion... and someone came roaring up behind me and got out and they were the claim owners.  I still haven't ever seen a contraption like that on any of the gold shows.  Not sure how it worked, but the nice claim owners patched my tire for me as I had a flat and they had a compressor and generator and hooked everything up and got me down the road.  Nice fellas.  I meant to ask about that gold thing they had in the river, but didn't have a chance. 

At any rate, there's a lot of gear I don't know anything about, and it will take some research.  But the more I read about it, a claim seems like a great place to have to boondock (as far as I see I don't see that you can't as many do camp where they mine, but it may depend on where) and something to do outside.  Well, stay tuned on this one.  HDS knows a lot about it.  Unfortunately I won't be able to attend his RTR seminar. 

Such a great idea!

 

[wasanah2]

What kind of person are you?  Do you get emotionally charged by being around other people?  Or do you need to get alone to recharge your emotional batteries?  It makes a difference.  I am an introvert so I need to spend quality time by myself.  If you are an extrovert you may not be comfortable being alone for long and need to plan for quality social time.

I grew up on a farm and I learned very early that 'there's nothing to do' was code for 'I need more chores', so I made sure I always had something to do.  I hike a lot and never run out of new things to see.  Learn to identify wildlife and plants; get binoculars, learn to see the fine detail of the natural world. Or take up photography.  I can spend an hour or more just sitting in a prominent place and watching the world go by, but I am comfortable with my own thoughts and need to spend time by myself.  

But I usually have too much to do.  In the woods I can take as long as I want and be elaborate with my cooking.  In town I go to a park; nobody pays any attention to someone cooking in a park.  Devotions, meditation, stretching, exercise take time, as does personal hygiene and the camper cleanup.  I have too many books to read.  Evenings are spent cataloging and editing pictures I have taken that day, reading, planning my next move or next day, watching sunsets, watching stars.  I can usually get a cell signal (I have a booster) and I will call friends and family daily, but I limit the amount of time I spend on the internet, it can really suck up the time.

Spiff, I'm too hyper to do some of the quiet activities you do.  I guess I don't care much about the details of the natural world so much.  I'm not so spiritual about the woods either.  I like to be out there, but I need to be doing something.  

I'm sad to say that just watching a sunset would be so boring to me.  They happen every day.  It's not anything special. 

You are so right about the internet sucking your time.  I limit my time too.  Thanks for answering and your thoughtful ideas.  The problem is me, I suppose.  I'm too hyper.  I have to be busy.

 

[wasanah2]

If you aren't camped too far from a town, you might consider volunteering. Local humane societies, libraries and food banks often need volunteers. Volunteering can be interesting, helps the community and gives a chance to meet folks in the local area.

Oh wow, that is a good idea.  I love it!!