Fall 2025

3 November…it’s 4 am and I’m starting a new fast…after a small dinner last night I won’t eat again for 36 hours…I do this once a week and it’s working great…I’ve had a bit of digestive problems for a couple of years and since I’ve been fasting once a week they have all disappeared…so good…I’m having a cup of black coffee (any milk or cream will break the fast)…it’s not bad but I do miss the little bit of milk with it…watching some videos about folks headed to Quartzsite for the winter season….I really miss going out there…for the past few years I’ve been helping my nephew take care of my niece…have not had the chance or desire to do any long trips but as she becomes more mature I’ll be comfortable knowing she’ll be safe with me being away from her on longer trips…I’m doing a bit of tidying up the wiring in the camper…also added a more robust main switch to turn the battery back off if needed…it’s inside the camper and easy to get at should a problem arise…it’s made by Blue Seas…much more expensive than most but the quality is outstanding…you can never be too safe when dealing with electricity 🙂

5 November….over the past two weeks I’ve had some work done on the van….preventative maintenance needs to be done every so often…the quality work done by my mechanic Dale at Daytona Mercedes is expensive but he is meticulous….both front wheel speed sensors, serpentine belts, Crusie control module, fuel filter, front brake rotors, front brake pads, brake fluid flushed, complete front to back inspection, tires rotated and rebalanced….about $4000….I haven’t had to spend any money on the thing since I bought it new in 2018….the 4000 amortized over the past 7 years is only about $575 a year plus the normal stuff like oil changes…I do those myself so the cost is only about $130 in parts every 10,000 miles…I good with it.

I’m all packed up and ready to head to the mountains after I drop my niece off at school in the morning. Was thinking of heading west but a family unit is probablly gonna need some help in the next two weeks so I’ll grab a short getaway for now….I haven’t been back out to the southwest in a few years and I am really getting antsy….

9 November…Rob, his girlfriend katie, and I drove up to the Mile High Campground near the Blue Ridge Parkway to camp yesterday….main road was closed but Rob knew a back way in….nice gravel road up the mountain…we had the campground all to ourselves as it’s closed for the season…no barrier gate so in we went….Rob and Katie had their nice rooftop tent and of coarse me, I had my house on wheels…beautiful views…homemade chilli cooked over the fire and all was well with the world…we sat around telling jokes and generally acting stupid till about 9 pm…that was my bedtime 🙂

Rob and Kaite’s set up….Katie drove the jeep in case they had to run back to the motel…Rob owns the motel and it’s a 24 hour a day job…all was well for the night.

The two lovebirds….

Nice sunset last night

This morning was foggy and cold up on the mountain…we’re at 5200 feet altitude…temp was around 40f

10 Novenber….it’s 0530 here in Maggie…coffee is brewing and I’m feeling great…nice night’s sleep…temp is 24f outside…70f inside…the hum of the diesel heater is nice…having lunch with my friend Patrick at the Haywood Cafe today…the food there is excellent…was going to do my usual 36 hour weekly fast today but a nice lunch with a friend is more important…I can fast tomorrow…don’t know how long I’ll be here…may head back to FL the end of the week…weather down there is finally getting very nice…the camper is doing perfect…so am I…life is good.

0737 BREAKING NEWS….high today is only 26f and a chance of snow around 1400…more after the break 🙂

11 November Veteran’s Day….shout to to all the vets out there…I was in the Army Reserves in the mid 70’s…air defense artillery…Vietnam was shutting down….I never saw any combat but did my small part to support those who did….certainly different times back then….would love to be able to serve in today’s Armed Forces.

Crystal clear and COLD here in the valley this morning….13f and I’m covered with a beautiful blanket of powder snow….only black coffee this morning as I start my weekly 36 hour fast….will eat again Wednesday morning….I’m feeling wonderful after researching the benefits of fasting….don’t know why I didn’t start sooner….I have no more indigestion feelings or discomfort in my bowels or head….so good.

12 November…another beautiful morning here in the valley…my fast was broken by a wonderful cup of Black Rifle Company coffee and tree eggs…it’s 34f now at 0745….much better than the 13f the other morning…after lunch with Patrick and Roger I’m gonna start back to FL….will park up somewhere tonight along the way….Alyx has already informed me that upon my return I’m to take her to Bass Pro Shop for a camo winter jacket…love that kid….still sweet.

I’m in the process of putting together a back roads route out to Arizona….hope to leave right after Christmas….will replace the front tires on Petunia…that’s all she needs…my trusted mechanic Dale at the Mercedes shop said I should get at least 400,000 miles in the van with the way I attend to the maintenance….no way I’ll put that many miles on her before I retire from traveling….it does give me confidence though in my choice of vehicle.

I found this video this morning…it sums up my thoughts perfectly about how we are chained to our electronic devices…I’m going to try and ween myself off my phone.

I’ve been retired now for about 4050 days….during that time I’ve realized I don’t need or want very many things to be comfortable and safe….money to buy healthy food, a warm or cool place to sleep, one or two good friends, and no worries have replaced the rat race….I do what I want, when I want, for as long as I want, and with who I want….I go where the weather is good or exciting and where the people are above average…it’s nice….I know one day I won’t be able to travel or live in my tiny home….every morning when I get up I thank the man above for the chance to live the way I want…I try to be a good person with empathy for those suffering or needy….I can only do so much but when I have a chance to help in some small way I try….I know I was put here to help my family…I cared for my mother during the last 20 years of her life….she devoted her entire life to me and my sisters….there was no way I wouldn’t help her with hers in the twilight of her life….my niece also….her family is split…mom living 3 hours away from her and her father….she sees her mom only every other weekend….her dad works hard….if I’m not around she has to spend many hours by herself….my sister and brother in law live close and help out as much as they can…it’s a struggle balancing giving her what she wants and trying to teach her that frugality and looking for value in things she wants to buy are good qualities that will benefit her later on…right now she has to have the latest and greatest things she sees on the internet….she’s eleven….if I can help get her through the next few years without being corrupted by the world around her I will be happy.

14 November….nice drive back to FL…Petunia is running like new….removed my DISH Network satellite dome from the roof at the front of the van and and mounted another solar panel in it’s place…I had a couple of extra 100 watt Renogy panels in the shed….one fit perfectly where the dome was…I now have 500 watts of solar on the roof of the camper….along with my 400 watt portable suitcase panels I should be set.

The 100 watt panel fit perfectly in the space where the Sat TV dome used to be. I used 3M VHB (very high bond) tape to secure the panel mounting brackets to the roof…then for extra security, I covered the brackets with Interna Bond…I can probably wrap a chain around the panel and lift the van in the air…that stuff really holds.

Still need to secure the cable from the panel to the rear connection.

Also a nice view of my TWO AC units cause if I get hot I get cranky.

28 November….it’s 330 am and I’m up…coffee and surfing the news…mostly all bad as usual…I’m so happy that I’m doing well compared to many others…maybe I’m just lucky or made a few (very few) good decisions in my life…why is the first cup of coffee always the best in the mornings…Alyx has been on a trip with her mom in North Georgia and is having a great time seeing new things and places…Thanksgiving dinner with my sister and brother in law was nice…quiet…I got one of those rocking camp chairs the other day…don’t know why I waited so long…the thing is really nice…I’m slowly getting ready for another trip out west…hopefully will leave right after Christmas…my favorite place to camp in Arizona is calling.

Right now I’m planning on taking the trailer and my Honda NX500 motorcycle…I’ll use it to explore and to run into town for grub and showers…I love riding the thing…the picture above is from my campsite just north of Bouse AZ…really peaceful…the sunsets in the high desert are beautiful.

3 December….life us good…excited about getting away after Christmas…Alyx has her first band concert soon…she’s playing the trombone…who would have thought…so happy she has an interest in music…the universal language…was going to install a window in the rear of the camper but have decided against it for now…did my bi-yearly water system cleansing last month and just refilled the tank…no more bleach smell…I only use water out of the tank for washing dishes…use distilled water in my coffee maker and for cooking.

10 December…I have come to the conclusion that there are no camping videos on Youtube where half of the footage is showing building a fire or cooking…pretty boring…it all looks the same.

19 December….slowly getting everything sorted and packed…heading out on another 6,000 mile trip to the American southwest right after Christmas…will be on I-10 westbound for about four days just droning along…first destination is Tombstone Arizona…I love old west history…plan to spend a couple of days there before heading on to Quartzsiten Arizona…I have a few really nice boondocking places in that area of high desert…really looking forward to getting back out there…may also head over to Death Valley or up into Nevada…all depends on the weather.

My old shower tent thingy has always been a real pain in the ass to set up…so…I have a new NEMO Heliopolis shower tent coming…gonna be nice and easy to set up…I need to shower every few months so it’ll be nice.

My buddies Roger and Patrick from NC may come out west also…if it happens it’s gonna be really fun with the gang all together…my friend Anthony is also planning to meet up with me…we made many enjoyable motorcycle trips together (Alaska) and it’s always great to hang out.