1 January….welcome to 2025…it’s about 2am and I’m wide awake…coffee is brewing…I’m having a cup of Black Rifle Company Silencer light roast…so good…I’ve weened myself off sugar in my coffee but still need a touch of milk…all good…still in Florida at my other sister’s place…the cooler weather is nice…and lower humidity…Alyx is with me every day when her dad is working…so much fun until she gives me the stink eye….getting my 5×8 enclosed trailer ready to go…new bike wheel chock is in, tongue weight is set…have a mount to install to hold a 20 pound propane tank I’ll be taking along for my fire ring…I also have a small grill for it so I can cook steaks outside without having the grease splatter around inside the van…went by Alyx’s house around the corner yesterday…she and her best friend Lilly had a “lemonaid stand” set up in the front yard…no lemonaid…they were selling braclets they made and other odds and ends…I picked out a braclet…they wanted a dollar but I managed to haggle them up to two dollars 🙂
I’m 72 now…still feeling really good…I walk and cycle each day…trying to keep somewhat in shape…I haven’t drank a soda in decades…not eating any ultra process foods…I don’t add any salt to my meals and I’m managing to stay away from sugars…mostly.
I’ve found that not having to deal with home ownership and all the things needed to maintain one has really contributed to my mental well being…many folks scrunch up their noses when they find out I live in an RV…and have done so for almost 7 years now…they have no idea the freedom I have…whereas they’re completely tied down with paying for and maintaining a house that most of them don’t own…they’re just renting it from a bank.
Alyx and Lilly enjoy riding around the neighborhood in the back of the buggy…now don’t get all upset…everybody cruises around the neighborhood in their golf carts and buggies…there’s no traffic and we never go more than a brisk walking pace…I make them wear their helmets…they don’t like it because they think they’re 9 feet tall and bullet proof…but when I told them the helmets would keep their hair in place it was ok because at 10 and 12 years old, looks are everything 🙂
Always taking selfies 🙂
4 January…things are going quite well…weather is really nice and I’m feeling great…lots of veggies and fruits and not a lot of bread stuff…sleeping well and I dream every night…if all goes to plan I’ll try to head west next weekend…waiting for a nice rear rack for the bike…it won’t be here until Thursday…getting the trailer all sorted…bike front tire chock is in, tongue weight on the trailer set at 200 pounds…trailer wheel bearings are adjusted and greased…still have about 7,000 miles to go before the next van oil change (every 10,000) so I won’t need to do anything with that until I get back in March.
11 January….pulling out in the morning headed to North Carolina….I have a dentist I’ve been using for years in Waynesville and I need to get a tooth fixed…lost another Onlay….should be an easy repair…gonna stop part way up for the night tomorrow then head on in to my buddy’s place in Maggie Valley Monday…looks like the Espar diesel heater in the camper is gonna get a workout…temps are forecast for the low teens…brrrrrr….all good though as I get to be on the road for a few days…been a long time here in FL…will head back on Wednesday…not heading west till sometime in April….will try to spend a lot of the summer in Utah/Colorado/New Mexico…plans always change for me…my priorities these days are helping Alyx grow up…maybe it’s what I was put here to do…I don’t mind at all…I’ve already done everything I’ve always wanted to do so helping her is nice.
13 January….nice drive from FL to Maggie Valley NC yesterday…weather was great so I drove all the way (550 miles) without stopping for the night…a little chilli this morning here at the motel…27F…snowed before I got here…diesel heater is working perfectly after I fixed the fuel pump connection a few months ago…dentist appt in the morning…I think I’ll drive to the place and spend the night there tonight so I don’t have to bother with traffic…I’ll head over after they close for the day and grab a spot in the back of the parking lot for the evening…should be nice and quiet there.
I don’t think Alyx would like using the pool right now…totally frozen over 🙂
The new bike is coming along nicely…added a small topbox and rear rack…that’s about all I’m gonna do to the thing…it’s smooth, comfortable, and lots of fun…looking forward to getting back to NC to ride my favorite roads.
The Wolfman Expedition tank bag I’ve been using for well over ten years fits perfectly…not a bit of wear on the thing…the older Wolfman stuff is great…the new stuff not so much…looks like they cheaped out on the build and quality.
14 January…well this sucks…maybe not…dentist appt this morning at my favorite dentist Smoky Mountain Dentistry in Waynesville NC….will need a crown on one of my molars…they can’t do it until next week…I’m gonna stay in town until then…not a problem as I’m totally self contained and stocked with coffee, cookies, and Ensure 🙂
Next week the forecast is for lows near ZERO…will be a good test for the camper winter capabilities…should be just fine…I insulated the thing well when I built it and the Espar diesel heater is working great…I set it on 68f and never touch it.
15 January…this morning was the first time I’ve ever woken and found ice in the inside of a couple of windows in the camper…humidity is very low (25%) inside…outside was 21f…I guess I breath out a lot of hot air when I sleep…and when I talk to people 🙂
Since I’m staying here for a bit longer than I planned I’m gonna run to the store after lunch…need paper plates and maple syrup….I know you probably don’t care about my daily chores but I only wanted you to know I can still drive.
Solar panels are cooking…even with the winter sun at low angles…roof panels and 400 watt portable panels are furnishing around 500 watts to the batteries…all good.
After lunch I headed to the Recreation Center in Waynesville…nice hot showers for $4….then off the Publix to get a few things…set back up in my spot…here’s a shot of the solar panels…400 watts on the roof and 400 watts portable…I’m a bit OCD when it comes to cables and tension on connections…I run the cable from the portables through the ladder then use a bungie cord to keep the tension off the plug where it plugs in to the camper.
17 January…28f this morning…a heat wave…but next week is a different story….have my dentist appt on Wednesday…probably spend the night before in their parking lot again…it’s gonna be colder than an arctic well diggers butt 🙂
18 January…0600…39f…really bad winter storm coming…already raining heavily…I’m warm and dry in Petunia (in case you forgot it’s the camper’s name)…my buddy Roger may stop by this morning for breakfast but with the weather maybe not…gotta raise the windshield wipers off the windshield so they don’t freeze in place…maybe get a bit more gas to have in reserve for the generator should I need it with the overcast dreary conditions that might be a solar issue…yes I still carry the small Honda genset in the winter…already had my coffee and a small Jimmy Dean sausage and biscuit…if Roger can’t make it oatmeal is gonna be good….got a text from Alyx saying she misses me…that warmed my heart…more after the break…
19 January….helped around the motel this morning…usual stuff collecting sheets and trash left in the rooms…Rob and his staff always seem to appreciate the help when guest check out and there are rooms to get back in order.
It’s just after lunch and the temperature is falling like a rock now…the polar vortex is here…light snow is beginning to fall…temp should be around 20f by 8pm…should be around 8f in the morning…this will be the coldest I’ve ever experienced in my life…gonna be a good test of Petunia’s insulation and the Espar heater…I don’t expect any problems…I’m well stocked with food and drink…have my last dental appointment on Wednesday then it’s on the road back to Florida for a while.
23 January….after my dental appointment yesterday I started back south to Florida…NO traffic until I turned south from I26 onto I95…then the backups started….the winter storm had made driving hazardous…took me almost 4 hours to drive the 95 miles to the Cracker Barrel at exit 102 in Georgia…many semi trucks crashed along the way…utter chaos…the roadway was totally covered with ice…I had to be VERY careful not to slide off into the ditch…set up now at the Savannah Cracker Barrel…23f this morning…Interstate 95 is shut down from here to the FL line…high today will be around 40f…will stay right her another night…not willing to risk a crash…the positive thing is it’s an adventure 🙂
It may look like slush but it is solid ice…black ice around the van…have to be really careful not to slip and buss my noggin.
25 January….nice to be back in FL and out of the snow and ice…was a challenge getting back with I-95 closures and the ice….woke to a nice day today….it was time to service the Espar diesel heater….pretty straightforward… pull the glow plug out and clean the soot off it…replace the atomizer screen….and clean out the small air intake hole near the glow plug…all back together and low and behold the thing blows out hot air….should be good to go for another two years.
Tomorrow I’ll give the camper a good wash…lots of dirt from the trip south.
25 March…did you think I’d died?….it’s been a while since the last update….back and forth to my dentist in NC for two crowns…all is done and dusted….good cause I hate going to the dentist….been hanging with Alyx and having a great time the past weeks…riding the new bike and cruising around in the buggy….and speaking of the buggy, I have it for sale in the Facebutt Marketplace…you know me…lots of plans for it but kinda petered out so away it goes….lots of tire kickers offering low bids…since I don’t NEED to sell the thing I’ll hold out for my price…if it sells ok, if not ok…here’s a link if anyone is interested….https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/671060762026788/
This morning after I dropped Alyx off at school I did my spring cleaning on the awning…I do it every year…a little wipe down with an alcohol soaked rag to remover any signs of mold and it’s good to go…I love keeping things clean and maintained.
The plan is to head up to Maggie Valley this coming weekend…want to stay a week or so to get some riding in…wonderful backroads up there…won’t say too long cause I’ll get the stinkeye from Akyx if I’m not around to be her slave :)…planning on bouncing back and forth all summer the hopefully out west to Utah in the fall…more after the break.
21 April….had a nice week in the mountains….Maggie Valley is one of my favorite places to park up…back in Fl for a bit taking care of Alyx and myself…I’m concentrating on eating mostly veggies, fruit, chicken, and fish. No more cookies (for a while)…Alyx is getting braces in a week or so…she’s gonna be so cute…she turned eleven last week…really growing…the bike is wonderful on the mountain roads…smooth, light, and a pleasure to ride…met my buddy Kent for grub a couple of times…he’s taking flying lessons and is about to by a Diamond DA42 airplane…I can’t wait to go for a flyaround with him!
The camper is doing great…still no problems with it at all…130,000 miles…of course I keep it serviced and clean…hopefully I’ll get many more years out of it before I need to settle down and stop traveling.
25 April….concentrating on staying in shape…walking 2 miles a day in the mornings now when it’s cool and cycling a few miles each night…feeling great…still having my cuppa coffee when I get up and now a nice cuppa tea after the walks.
Today was the day Alyx got her braces on her teeth…I didn’t think she could get any cuter but she has 🙂 She sent me this goofy pic from the ortho’s office.
Really dreaming about getting back on the road for another long trip…won’t be until this fall…I think I’ll leave the trailer and motorbike behind and only take the Lectric bike on the bumper carrier…I really hate towing a trailer…and it’ll be less things to worry about and maintain…there’s nothing I need that can’t fit in the camper…I’m enjoying walking and hiking more and more.
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