Fall 2023, page 50

23 September…I love it here in western North Carolina this time of year…temps are very nice, humidity is low, the days are relaxed…being on the road gives me a sense of calmness that allows me to reflect and enjoy the waking hours.

The 30 gallon water tank my buddy John helped me install before I left Florida a couple on months ago was nice but I began to worry about how it was deforming when full of water…the sides would bow out quite a bit because the wall thickness of the tank was not very thick…I got what I paid for as it was very cheap…oh well…I received a 20 gallon tank from NWConversions a few days ago…MUCH better quality with very thick walls…the left side of the tank is indented so it sits over the wheelwell and fits snuggly against the side wall of the garage area under the bed…plus I can use a water outlet on the front of the tank and not the rear as before…very clean installation…after almost 5 years on the road I’m getting the van sorted out 🙂

The small hose coming out of the tank at the top left is the vent…you can just barely see the water line that feeds my sink coming out of the bottom right side of the tank.

Dinner last night was nice…lots of sliced veggies and Johnsonville brats…quick and easy.

There’s a truck show across the street at the Festival Grounds this weekend…mostly older restored square body Chevys…my niece would love it…as she ‘s a square body fan…at age 10 🙂 I was going to go take a look at the trucks but they wanted $5 to go in…I can sit in my chair across the street and see them as they come an go so being cheap I choose to sit…I saved the $5…now I can use that money to get my a number 3 sized cup of butter pecan ice cream this afternoon 🙂

2 October... going to the store on the bike with a backpack on to get milk and stuff is a hassle…the little top box I put on the bike is almost full with the tire repair stuff so I can’t really put a any groceries in it…so…I took it off and relegated it to hold my large van tire air pump/hose and installed a 45 liter top box…nicely built and comes on and off with the simple flick of the rear latch…I will be able to get all the things I need from the store now without making multiple trips. I left room between the seat and the box to carry my Rotopax fuel container when I need to get gas for the generator.

Nice ride this morning exploring the many little mountain roads in the Max Patch area here in Western North Carolina.

13 October…another beautiful day here in Western North Carolina…met my buddy Patrick at Dave’s 209 Cafe on Hwy 209 for lunch…then a great ride on nice gravel roads…he took a photo of me when we stopped at an overlook on the Max Patch Road…I can’t believe how cool I look on the little 125 rocket ship 🙂

29 October…just picked this up a few days ago…really nice…it’s a good compromise between weight and plenty of highway speed…2023 Honda CB500X.

13 November…after a few nice weeks in Florida visiting family and friends I headed north a few days ago…stopped for two nights in Augusta GA to see my sister then headed out this morning to Maggie Valley…now at my buddy’s motel property, all set up, and ready to relax.

Stopped at a sweet little veterans park in a tiny little town called Bowman in North Georgia to make a nice bowl of oatmeal with an apple for brunch. Took a walk around the old town center.

Here’s some of the modifications I’ve made to the new bike to make it more comfortable for me.

Oxford heated hand grips because I hate picking my nose with cold fingers.

Taller Puig windshield

Knight Design footpads…1.25 inch lower than the stock pegs and much wider…so much more comfortable when standing.

Using my Wolfman Expedition tank bag for a tail pack.

And to make servicing the chain and fixing flat tires easier an OEM center stand.

December 10…as I relax here in Florida visiting friends and family I’m slowly getting the refinements and mods done to the camper and trailer…all is going well…have the 30 gallon water tank installed and plumbed in the trailer for carrying extra water when I’m boondocking…have a simple tap on the end of a hose that I will use to fill up a container for showers or to wash up…the new bike fits perfectly in the trailer and I’m really looking forward to doing some exploring in New Mexico and Arizona after Christmas…I’ve reinstalled the “Bug Wall” screen thingy in the sliding door of the van…I’ve taped, glued, and screwed the thing to the walls instead of under the weather stripping…it kept coming loose as it pulled away from the stripping…really nice and tight now with no chance of anything working loose…will be a joy out in Quartzsite with the little desert bugs and flies that always seem to find their way inside the camper…my little trailer always rode a bit nose up when towing…I like everything nice and level…I found this beautiful receiver on Amazon for about $40…American made and all heavy duty aluminum…it has a 6 inch drop and will allow the trailer to ride perfectly level after the 3 inch lift that Agile Offroad installed a while ago.

Yes I know there’s a gap at the bottom but I’m counting on the bugs to be stupid.

25 December….Merry Christmas to all….this is my favorite time of the year…even though the reason for celebrating the time has been replaced with buying things that really don’t matter….most will eventually end up in a landfill….I long for days past when families would get together to just talk about prior happy days…to sit and watch the young ones play with simple but appreciated toys while sipping a warm drink…I don’t know how many Christmas’s I have left…only the higher being knows for sure….I’m going to try and make every day in the future a tiny bit like Christmas day…to be thankful.

I’m headed west soon….the solitude of the desert enjoyed with the occasional group of friends is tugging on me….I love being on the road…I’m beginning my 6th year of traveling and living full time in my self built camper….I love it more each day….to know I have my home with me where ever I might stop in this beautiful country….many of my friends tell me they’d love to have the opportunity to be a nomad like me….others can’t imagine not having a big house….two or three cars….they may have those things but the one thing they don’t have and will never have is freedom….the trappings of the expected lifestyle of our consumer society these days owns them….too bad….I prefer to not be owned by anything but my desire to live my life only owning myself.

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