The Nomadic Life

[Too Tall]

My next project at home is to rebuild the fence on one side of the house so I can get the RV closer to the connections in the side yard. I used 50' of hose last night to dump the tanks into my septic system. I have water, power, and sewer connections, but backing the trailer in puts it all on the wrong side. If I can move part of the fence, I can pull straight in with the truck, use 10' of hose to dump tanks, then back out, do a three point, and back the trailer in. There isn't enough to angle in with the existing fence.

A friend at work recommended putting an ounce of the blue stuff along with about half a gallon of water in each hose and cap them for storage. I need a lower profile tub for the two hoses we'll take on the road.

Nobody does that. Rinse the hoses as your last operation after dumping. Rinse into your sewer and leave them open to the air. For your type trailer a slick storage option is to buy a piece of 4" PVC pipe. Glue a endcap on one end and a threaded cap on the other. Hang the tube the width of your trailer with SS strapping. I store in the bumper, rinsed and uncapped. Never a smell.

[72gmc]

Not too early to start thinking about Burning Man even though it doesn't officially open until August 28, last time for us was pre-covid 2019. We arrive early and exit late because we're part of a build crew, 12-13 days total, some "regular" burners are there 8-9 days, most are 5-6 days. Logistics are a bit challenging since the only thing available for sale on the playa(in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada) is ice; no food, no water, no nothin', if you don't have your shit together you'll be sorry. Anyway, this is a pic of my truck/camper and rental trailer entering in 2019, we use every thing we bring.

What do you build?

[bigbill]

Nobody does that. Rinse the hoses as your last operation after dumping. Rinse into your sewer and leave them open to the air. For your type trailer a slick storage option is to buy a piece of 4" PVC pipe. Glue a endcap on one end and a threaded cap on the other. Hang the tube the width of your trailer with SS strapping. I store in the bumper, rinsed and uncapped. Never a smell.

I will do that. I have four sections, I'll likely travel with two. I just ordered a snugcap topper for the F250, I'm going full-on old guy with the truck. I'll fill it with bikes, generator, and tools.

[claritycycler]

What do you build?

We set up/build/assemble a shelter and infrastructure for a few groups of people that have offerings to the BM community at large, located on a main road with thousands of people passing daily. This includes but not limited to: a seat in the shade, interesting conversation, free drinks and sunscreen, water spray down service, knot tying lessons, small library, minor bike repairs.



Pretty much how I look throughout our stay(except at nights, sometimes surprisingly cold), notice our feet, playa dust(consistency of talcum powder and alkaline) is a bitch.

[Too Tall]

Clarityrider - Serious question. I was crew chief 2X for athletes doing the a RAAM qualifier which passed thru Death Valley. There is a notoriously dusty portion that had riders by the side of the road puking. We had advanced word and I made my guy wear a mask. Those minerals can cause real havoc....any precautions at BM?

[claritycycler]

Clarityrider - Serious question. I was crew chief 2X for athletes doing the a RAAM qualifier which passed thru Death Valley. There is a notoriously dusty portion that had riders by the side of the road puking. We had advanced word and I made my guy wear a mask. Those minerals can cause real havoc....any precautions at BM?

I've been to Death Valley more than a few times, never have seen(to my eye) soil/sand remotely resembling playa dust. I do know there is some nasty stuff in that dust(see below) but have no knowledge of anyone becoming ill from it nor do I know if there are any studies on detrimental long term exposure. It is recommended to always carry a dust mask(mine is N95) in case there is a dust storm, relatively common, and you're out in it. Take shelter where you can and hunker down. Bad playa dust storms are known as "white outs"(think snow storms, or approaching dust walls armageddon in proportions as seen in movies), I've been in some where during the worst of it for short periods visibility was 15' max(not kidding), pretty friggin awful. Some days there are storms lasting for hours, not white outs, most burners don't leave their camps/shelters. For the large majority of time BM takes place it is calm and surrounding scenery spectacular, so far the positive experiences outweigh the negatives, I still return, choose your poison right?

FYI

The Black Rock Desert playa dust consists primarily of silica and organic materials. One soil analysis revealed the following composition:
Silicon dioxide (silica): 43.1%
Organic matter and loosely bound water: 25.4%
Aluminium oxide: 11.8%
Iron oxide: 5.32%
Calcium oxide (quick lime): 4.51%
Magnesium oxide (magnesia): 3.46
Potassium oxide: 2.82%
Sodium oxide: 2.29%
Titanium dioxide: 0.49%
Phosphorus pentoxide: 0.19%
Manganese oxide: 0.08%

From:
Toward a Silicate-Based Molecular Nanotechnology by Stephen L. Gillett
Dept. of Geological Sciences
Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada 89557 USA

[claritycycler]

Clarityrider - Serious question. I was crew chief 2X for athletes doing the a RAAM qualifier which passed thru Death Valley. There is a notoriously dusty portion that had riders by the side of the road puking. We had advanced word and I made my guy wear a mask. Those minerals can cause real havoc....any precautions at BM?

I've been to Death Valley more than a few times, never have seen(to my eye) soil/sand remotely resembling playa dust. I do know there is some nasty stuff in that dust(see below) but have no knowledge of anyone becoming ill from it nor do I know of any studies on detrimental long term exposure. It is recommended to always carry a dust mask(mine is N95) in case there is a dust storm, relatively common, and you're out in it. Take shelter where you can and hunker down. Bad playa dust storms are known as "white outs"(think snow storms, or approaching dust walls armageddon in proportions as seen in movies), I've been in some where during the worst of it for short periods visibility was 15' max(not kidding), pretty friggin awful. Some days there are storms lasting for hours, not white outs, but not pleasant, most burners don't leave their camps/shelters. For the large majority of time BM takes place it is calm and surrounding scenery and experiences spectacular, for me the positive experiences outweigh the negatives, I still return, choose your poison right?

FYI

The Black Rock Desert playa dust consists primarily of silica and organic materials. One soil analysis revealed the following composition:
Silicon dioxide (silica): 43.1%
Organic matter and loosely bound water: 25.4%
Aluminium oxide: 11.8%
Iron oxide: 5.32%
Calcium oxide (quick lime): 4.51%
Magnesium oxide (magnesia): 3.46
Potassium oxide: 2.82%
Sodium oxide: 2.29%
Titanium dioxide: 0.49%
Phosphorus pentoxide: 0.19%
Manganese oxide: 0.08%

From:
Toward a Silicate-Based Molecular Nanotechnology by Stephen L. Gillett
Dept. of Geological Sciences
Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada 89557 USA

[bigbill]

Nobody does that. Rinse the hoses as your last operation after dumping. Rinse into your sewer and leave them open to the air. For your type trailer a slick storage option is to buy a piece of 4" PVC pipe. Glue a endcap on one end and a threaded cap on the other. Hang the tube the width of your trailer with SS strapping. I store in the bumper, rinsed and uncapped. Never a smell.

The rear bumper is 4" ID, I got three 10' sections to slide inside. Now I just need to put the elbow and rinse cap/hose in a small tub. The truck gets measured for a camper shell on Monday. Each day at work I'm closer to telling a group of people to kiss my ass. The shell will be here in four weeks, somehow I predict four more weeks at this job. My wife is having a septic tank installed on our Wyoming property. We already have power and water.

[Too Tall]

The rear bumper is 4" ID, I got three 10' sections to slide inside. Now I just need to put the elbow and rinse cap/hose in a small tub. The truck gets measured for a camper shell on Monday. Each day at work I'm closer to telling a group of people to kiss my ass. The shell will be here in four weeks, somehow I predict four more weeks at this job. My wife is having a septic tank installed on our Wyoming property. We already have power and water.

Fat City baby. All this sounds amazing.

[bigbill]

Fat City baby. All this sounds amazing.

Yellowstone is out of the question this summer, so is fly fishing at our favorite spots. After the floodwaters recede and the silt settles out, it will be a whole new adventure. Hopefully, I'll be standing in knee deep water by August with my fly rod. I wish it was going to be Lamar Valley, but nature wins.

[Too Tall]

Yellowstone is out of the question this summer, so is fly fishing at our favorite spots. After the floodwaters recede and the silt settles out, it will be a whole new adventure. Hopefully, I'll be standing in knee deep water by August with my fly rod. I wish it was going to be Lamar Valley, but nature wins.

Good luck with everything. Someday I'll have to recount some remote high altitude lake fishing I did in the Mtn. range behind (north) of Rock Springs. The short story is that in the 50's some tough guys backpacked trout minnows to these lakes. One of the town's old guys told me about it, he was right.

[SlowPokePete]

Just arrived for a week in Cape Cod.

Peter's Pond, Sandwich, MA.

June 14, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[Tom]

Oh man, the Lamar River. Nothing and then a couple bugs and then Holy God. Pick a fish. Time it. 1 2 3 4 5 cast and wham. Cutthroat aren't exactly brain surgeons but when they're the size of your leg who cares?

[Too Tall]

Go on with your bad self Pete. Life is so fine.

[bigbill]

Oh man, the Lamar River. Nothing and then a couple bugs and then Holy God. Pick a fish. Time it. 1 2 3 4 5 cast and wham. Cutthroat aren't exactly brain surgeons but when they're the size of your leg who cares?

Two summers ago I was working along the west bank and there were a few hundred bison on the other side just snorting and kicking up dust. I was keeping my prescribed distance, but it was still pretty cool. There was a pack of wolves on the hillside above the bison. I really didn't care if I caught any fish, I just wanted to be there.

[SlowPokePete]

June 7, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

June 16, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[bigbill]

Feeling jealous of SPP. This has been a particularly bad week at work. I'm going to spend the weekend visiting friends and giving serious consideration to dropping a two-week notice next week. My wife supports it, I just have some lingering loyalty to those around me but not above me. My Bike Tires Direct order showed up yesterday afternoon. I ordered another 32oz Orange Seal, some 21mm tape, and some new valves. I haven't ridden my gravel wheels in over a year so I'm assuming they're dried out and will need a cleanout and remount. The rims are WTB I-23s so I assume I'll jack up the tape. When I leave for Wyoming, I'll take the Coconino Disc Dirt Road racer and two sets of wheels. Canal roads await a newly unemployed guy.

[Too Tall]

Feeling jealous of SPP. This has been a particularly bad week at work. I'm going to spend the weekend visiting friends and giving serious consideration to dropping a two-week notice next week. My wife supports it, I just have some lingering loyalty to those around me but not above me. My Bike Tires Direct order showed up yesterday afternoon. I ordered another 32oz Orange Seal, some 21mm tape, and some new valves. I haven't ridden my gravel wheels in over a year so I'm assuming they're dried out and will need a cleanout and remount. The rims are WTB I-23s so I assume I'll jack up the tape. When I leave for Wyoming, I'll take the Coconino Disc Dirt Road racer and two sets of wheels. Canal roads await a newly unemployed guy.

Congratulations Bill. It will all be for the good.

Pete, I hate you a little. We are stuck home for a bit longer than back to the mtns. Way to do it right man :)

[froze]

I've been to Death Valley more than a few times, never have seen (to my eye) soil/sand remotely resembling playa dust. I do know there is some nasty stuff in that dust (see below) but have no knowledge of anyone becoming ill from it nor do I know if there are any studies on detrimental long-term exposure. It is recommended to always carry a dust mask(mine is N95) in case there is a dust storm, relatively common, and you're out in it. Take shelter where you can and hunker down. Bad playa dust storms are known as "white outs"(think snow storms, or approaching dust walls armageddon in proportions as seen in movies), I've been in some where during the worst of it for short periods visibility was 15' max(not kidding), pretty friggin awful. Some days there are storms lasting for hours, not white outs, most burners don't leave their camps/shelters. For the large majority of time BM takes place it is calm and surrounding scenery spectacular, so far the positive experiences outweigh the negatives, I still return, choose your poison right?

FYI

The Black Rock Desert playa dust consists primarily of silica and organic materials. One soil analysis revealed the following composition:
Silicon dioxide (silica): 43.1%
Organic matter and loosely bound water: 25.4%
Aluminium oxide: 11.8%
Iron oxide: 5.32%
Calcium oxide (quick lime): 4.51%
Magnesium oxide (magnesia): 3.46
Potassium oxide: 2.82%
Sodium oxide: 2.29%
Titanium dioxide: 0.49%
Phosphorus pentoxide: 0.19%
Manganese oxide: 0.08%

From:
Toward a Silicate-Based Molecular Nanotechnology by Stephen L. Gillett
Dept. of Geological Sciences
Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada
Reno, Nevada 89557 USA

I know in Bakersfield CA there are spores in the dirt, and when the wind kicks those spores go flying, some people are highly allergic to it and get what's called Valley Fever, and some of those that catch it die from it. I would think, but not sure, that those spores would be all over that region including Death Valley. You probably don't hear about as much in Death Valley since the population is so sparse, and most people just travel through it, but for those riding bikes or running, could get into a serious health situation if they're allergic to the spores, which those type of people are inhaling the spores deeply.

[bigbill]

I just had a sit down with my boss and my last day is either 7/22 or 7/29. He'd like for me to interview replacements. Those dates work with the scheduled arrival of the shell for my truck and some pesky medical appointments that I need to wrap up before heading to Wyoming for a few months.