The Nomadic Life

[AngryScientist]

Good for you Bill. Must feel good to cut some of the bigger strings.

[bigbill]

Good for you Bill. Must feel good to cut some of the bigger strings.

Thanks. I've been focusing on getting all my obligations (bills) set up so I can handle them remotely or have autopay. My wife's sister and husband live about half a mile from our property in Wyoming. He did the power for multiple 30 amp outlets and in the next two weeks we'll get a septic tank and water. It looks like I'll hit the road the week of 7/25 and take a few days to get there. We drive up through Flagstaff, Kayenta, Monument Valley, Moab, Rifle, then north to Wyoming. I avoid interstates whenever possible, I'm not going much faster than 65 anyway and that's the limit on state and US highways, for the most part.

[72gmc]

Good for you, bigbill. I hope your next life treats you very well.

[ides1056]

“But I reckon I got to light out for the Territory ahead of therest, because Aunt Sally she's going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can't stand it. I been there before.”

You go Bill.

[bigbill]

We've got our permit for a septic tank and getting estimates for two slabs, a 12X40' for the trailer, and a 20X30' for a shop. Tomorrow is my farewell luncheon with those small Jimmy John's sandwiches and a cake. Friday is tamale day. Still holding out hope for a Monday delivery for the truck shell. No matter what, we must be in Wyoming by the evening of the 29th for an equestrian event on the 30th. We'll be back in AZ by early September.

[bigbill]

Truck shell and liner on Monday, hitting the road Wednesday night to catch sunrise in Monument Valley on Thursday morning. Driving through Flagstaff is always better in the middle of the night and the turbo diesel will appreciate the cool air.

[bigbill]

The truck is done. We're leaving on Wednesday for central Wyoming.

[Too Tall]

Love that setup Big man. Safe travels. Will look forward to more from you.

[bigbill]

We made it to Wyoming yesterday early afternoon. We drove from Kingman to Moab via Monument Valley and stayed at an RV park near the entrance to Canyonlands NP. The next day we drove to Alcova, Wyoming, which had great hookups for $35/night. Along the way, we hiked around Independence Rock. Yesterday we drove on to Worland and parked it. My wife's sister has a shaded area set up for us with a 30A plug and septic. We have a 500-gallon tank for watering the horses. I've got a submersible pump with a garden hose connection so we can fill the RV potable tank from the 500-gallon one.

Lessons learned, you consume DEF at a much higher rate when towing. More than can be accounted for with the gas mileage. I used the WD hitch, but I believe the ball is too low and caused a little squat. No handling or braking issues, but it should be another hole higher to level everything out. No issues at all towing the trailer with the F250; I could lug uphill with the cars. The ten speed Allison transmission was great for engine braking. I'm glad I had a box of DEF with me even though I ended up not using it. The Sinclair in Rawlins, Wyoming, had a DEF pump next to the diesel pump so I filled up. We were only on interstates for short distances, most with 75 or 80 mph speed limits. I had the cruise on 70. On the state and US highways, I'd set the cruise on the speed limit which was primarily 65. My wife is the trailer pro, she was good about reminding me to swing wide on turns. I'm happy to report I only jumped on one curb and no signs.

[Too Tall]

Great report Big man. LOL Yeah I have a little voice in my head that says "wait until the last possible second before swinging the wheel" ;)

FWIIW In the "Are you kidding me" department....the Airstream Trailer International rally for next year will be in Rock (effing;) Springs, Wy. I can tease because I lived there for two years. That please was so bad that I'd advise tourists at the gas station to keep moving, nothing here for you which was really good advice IMHO.

What is this DEF you speak of? My truck burns dead dinosaurs.

[claritycycler]

...What is this DEF you speak of? My truck burns dead dinosaurs.

Link to "20 facts about Diesel Exhaust Fluid":

https://www.capitalremanexchange.com...ust-fluid-def/

[bigbill]

Link to "20 facts about Diesel Exhaust Fluid":

https://www.capitalremanexchange.com...ust-fluid-def/

On the interstates, I saw many places with DEF pumps and a dedicated diesel section for trucks and RVs. The closest station to where we are staying has a DEF pump because of all the diesel farm equipment and farm trucks. I've never considered removing my DEF equipment, it's just not a big deal to have it. I get a warning light with a chime at 500 miles to empty. That's totally reasonable. My wife's 2500 is a 2007 so it doesn't do DEF.

[bigbill]

I brought the Disc Dirt Road Racer with two sets of wheels. The canal roads are okay but there is the occasional herd of cattle or sheep, and in places, I'm riding through someone's backyard. I outsprinted a territorial dog on Friday. Today I put the "road" wheels on and took off for town. These may be the best roads I've ridden in a decade or more. My 32mm Hutchinson Sectors were just humming along.

[bigbill]

Tomorrow is the two-week point since we departed Arizona, so here's an update. The Coconino as a road bike is working out well. I'm moving up on some local strava segments without trying hard. I honestly didn't know they existed until I got back from riding. The travel trailer is working well, we have a spot at my sister-in-law's place with power and septic. We're still filling fresh water from a 500 gallon tank and a submersible pump. The pump puts out enough flow to flush out the black water on occasion. We're going to Yellowstone next week and staying at the Fishing Bridge RV park for two nights. The park has full hookups. I'm hoping to cycle from the Tower at Roosevelt to Slough Creek turnoff. Last I read, they're allowing some vehicles into that section. If so, I probably won't ride because the drivers will be looking for wildlife and not a cyclist.

I didn't get the trailer level enough side to side, it's really minor but the shower collects water on one side. I've got the wheel ramps, I'll make it right when we return from Yellowstone. It's not bad enough to correct for now. Diesel prices are dropping, I've seen $4.45 to 5.83, all on the same day. Locally, the cheapest is 4.99. Without the trailer the F250 gets 21 mpg so it's not so bad considering all the places we go. Tomorrow we're heading up Hwy 14 to fish the Upper Tongue River, should be epic and underfished. BTW, river is subjective, there are parts of the Upper Tongue River that I can step across while Ten Sleep Creek is wide and fast flowing.

[bigbill]

I did a picture dump over on ride reports. The RV park at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone was great. They had 30/50 amp, the greatest drinking water ever, and easy dump connections. They only allow hardshell vehicles because of bears. A few bison wandered through, but I didn't see any bears. We were gone all day seeing sights in the park, fishing, and doing some riding. While I rode, my wife fly-fished. Yellowstone has many bike routes, but the flooding in Lamar Valley a few months back opened up an opportunity for me to cycle to Slough Creek while surrounded by grunting bison and the occasional herd running across the road. I did my best to keep 50 or so feet away from the bison but there were times when it was closer. I just did my best to be non-threatening and avoid cows with calves. The two rides this week are in my top ten all-time rides, and I've ridden my Pegoretti on the Appian Way.

[mjbabcock]

I did a picture dump over on ride reports. The RV park at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone was great. They had 30/50 amp, the greatest drinking water ever, and easy dump connections. They only allow hardshell vehicles because of bears. A few bison wandered through, but I didn't see any bears. We were gone all day seeing sights in the park, fishing, and doing some riding. While I rode, my wife fly-fished. Yellowstone has many bike routes, but the flooding in Lamar Valley a few months back opened up an opportunity for me to cycle to Slough Creek while surrounded by grunting bison and the occasional herd running across the road. I did my best to keep 50 or so feet away from the bison but there were times when it was closer. I just did my best to be non-threatening and avoid cows with calves. The two rides this week are in my top ten all-time rides, and I've ridden my Pegoretti on the Appian Way.

Okay…folks don’t reply, but we (lots of us) are reading your posts…and plotting a retirement. Keep posting! And kudos.

[bigbill]

Okay…folks don’t reply, but we (lots of us) are reading your posts…and plotting a retirement. Keep posting! And kudos.

I learned a lot from reading posts. Each day is a learning experience; today, we parked the trailer back in its spot but got it level this time. It was amazing how a trailer that is not level (side to side) affects your daily life. It's all dialed in now. I have the USPS app on my phone, so I see what is in my daily mail. So far, I haven't had to jump through hoops to pay bills or answer letters. We're better at the travel trailer in general. I'm making a list of stuff to fix this fall in Arizona, including replacing the power cord due to a burned spot. The trailer was four years old when we bought it. I'm also considering upgrading the battery to two lithium iron oxide 100 ah batteries which will require a new inverter. Our winter trips don't necessarily need the generator or power hookups since the heater is propane and isn't needed often. Our place in AZ will be good for a 5G hotspot soon, so I'll stop the Starlink home system and purchase a Starlink travel system with a new square dish. We only pay for the months we use it when traveling. Internet is a good thing when you travel and places out west are spotty.

[bigbill]

We're winding down our Wyoming summer with the travel trailer. It will be five weeks by the time we leave on Thursday. Except for three days in Yellowstone, we've been in the same spot at my sister-in-law's farm. We have 30A power and septic. Filling tanks require five hoses from a faucet near the horse pens. We fill gallon jugs of water from the house faucet. We cook and shower with the onboard water, which holds 80 gallons. I did a thorough black water flush today and plan on doing one more at the Co-op on the way out of town, then top off fuel and DEF. We will drive to Rifle, CO, on Thursday and stay at the fairgrounds so the horses can get a break. Overall the drive is 17 hours, so we'll muscle through the second day and get home.

In the last two weeks, we have installed a septic system. The leech field is above ground level (buried now) because of the water table. We installed a 1000-gallon tank to build a relatively large place in the future. Yesterday we trenched in electrical from the 200A box to the location for the shop slab. 110' of 0000 aluminum is pricey. An electrician will finish all the connections when the shop is built. We may hold off on the concrete slab until March, so the water line will be easier to install. We back up to an irrigation canal, so when the canal is flowing, from May to October, we get seepage at about 4' down.

Mohave Community College is hiring me to teach Community Education classes a few days a week, 2-3 hours a day. That should keep me out of trouble.

[SlowPokePete]

We're getting ready for a two week jaunt down to the the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the Assateague Island area.

We haven't been back to our favorite place since 2019, and this will be the first time with our Airstream.

We've been going there since probably around 2005.

In 2020, Covid was at it's peak, and we had just retires and moved to Hillsdale in June...we knew we would not be looking to go away that year.

In 2021, my fully vaccinated step-son took a trip in August to Florida and came back with Covid...we decided to cancel the trip that year. We would also have been in our old trailer, a Coleman pop-up, without the benefit of our own bathroom and shower (although we do tend to use the trailer bathroom for #1 only...toots i don't know how you do it with your stature but it's a bit tight in there for me).

So here we are, 2022 with our new rig. We've taken two separate one week trips back in June...one to Cape May, NJ, and one to Cape Cod, MA. Neither place was very dog friendly, with "No Dogs Allowed" on any of the beaches in the summer months.

We take our dogs, who aren't keen on being left alone in the trailer (we're working on that), so looking forward to going back to our favorite place, located directly on the Sinepuxent Bay, with a beach a couple hundred yards from our camp site, a beach that allows dogs, and a sandbar full of dogs romping in the sun and surf.

Also looking forward to doing some flat miles on the Waterford for a nice change of pace.

August 16, 2018 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

[j44ke]

Enjoy Pete!