The Idea of Plans Was Created Just To Frustrate you...

How-Some-Ever... if you'll just breathe in... and breathe out... keep putting one foot in front of the other for a bit... and not get totally bent out of shape... there are times patience pays off.

I've gotten to where I try to just not plan too much... Helps me contend with an excess of frustration.

We left the Great Dunes Planning to set up somewhere in the vicinity of La Manga or Cumbres passes... Only, the Rio Grande and San Juan National Forests are managed for the benefit, apparently, of Campground Management companies...

Every campground we rolled past on the Rio Grande N.F.was Closed... The end of September... the weather is absolutely gorgeous and the camps are closed and locked up!

It started looking the same on the San Juan... most... and I mean MOST, of the campgrounds are already closed in the Pagosa Springs area... The excuse given me is that the "Traffic Count" doesn't make it profitable of the Mgmt. Company to keep 'em Open.

Well, the campgrounds belong to the American People... were put in place, with our tax dollars, for our use... To be locked out of 'em 'cause some corporation can't turn a buck... It's just plain Wrong.

So... that got me started to write a whiney, grumpy post... but... you know what?... NO!

This was our first view from the N.F. campsite we were finally able to locate... and had kept rolling to, because the others were all locked up...

And this boys an' girls... was the sunset, sitting in our camp... last night...

So... why bother complaining... about the many faults... of a government agency and corporations you knew going in... only want to squeeze a buck out of something that don't belong to 'em? It ain't ever changed... and ain't ever gonna... so why waste any more breath on it? Just walk away from it...

Especially when These ... are the kinds of views I'm getting from my front yard these days! :o)

Know what?... I just can't bother with that stuff any more... if they want to behave poorly that's the road they chose to follow and will reap the rewards of that choice... They'll not find me around... 'cause I'm lookin' to reap the rewards of My Choices.

My truck will have rolled me on down the road... to where there's more country like in these pictures to feed my soul.

Like others have said... they can take my money... they can even take my life if they're of a mind to... but Lordy... what a life I'll have, until they do!

We've not got a connection up there in camp... which is why there was a "day off" :o) ... and we'll be there another day or so.  Those "days off" are likely to come along from time to time as I wander... I consider those my "weekends" :o) just know I'm out gatherin' more Pictures and Shining Times!

... and, that I'm thinkin'; "I can't believe they pay me to live like this!" :o)

So.. we'll keep on wandering... takin' our walks... and wading creeks...

... and to show the benefit of waterproof boots!... I didn't have to pull off my boots and suffer the cold rocks on bare feet like she did! :o)

Till next time...

Yondering Somewhere in The West!
Brian

If you've enjoyed your visits to my camp, I'd be honored if you visited My Author Page  at Smashwords to see the selection of ebooks I've written. You can be sure that any purchases you make help keep me wandering, and spinning more yarns to entertain you.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking  or, Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

The Great Dunes National Park Got Remodeled... Last Night!

Down in the Great Dunes National Park Visitor center they've got this lil' "wind box" ... that demonstrates how the wind, comin' from different directions, moves the sand around to build the dunes...

Well, yesterday afternoon, Momma Nature picked up her skirts and either started dancin' a giggling jig or kickin' up a tantrum... 'cause one way or t'other, things started movin' around here! We hadn't any more need for that demonstration Wind Box for sure and for certain.

First thing in the morning... Ok ... second thing in the morning, we took a short stroll up the west face of the mountains that stop the Dunes on the East. Only walked maybe 2 miles or a touch better... and I'd have to say, long term?... I much prefer that Pinion Pine and Cottonwood country to those Dunes! :o)

It's awful nice walking 'cross the face of those hills, and tucking down into a notch that runs back up toward the peaks... finding lil' oasis in that dry land...

Moving from the sun warmed, pine scented slopes, to these cool, Cottonwood Shaded havens... there's only one word for it... Shining Times... Ok... OK ... I can't count... but you get the picture... right? :o)

If not... You Need to Slow Down TOO! :o)

We're gonna pull out later this morning... moving farther south and west... not very far... no reason, other than to scratch that gypsy itch a mite. There's beautiful country pretty much anywhere a fella wants to stop... If he just opens his eyes and looks at it.

Some folks look at this land and see only desolation... I look at it and see FREEEEEDOOOOM! HooYa!

A few more Views of The Great Dunes National Park 'fore I go...

... and last... a couple of upcoming Giants in the RV Boondocking world :o)

Now... since they done it in public... I'd like to say a big "Many Thanks" to Rex and Lloyd...In Public, for the comments they've made in reviewing my recently published "A Matter of Honor" novel... Wow! They left me blushing! Thank You Guys!

Writing is the most personal thing I've ever done... putting it out there in front of folks is the scariest thing I've done... So, to have people Like what you do... is pretty much the most Awesome feeling I can think of a fella havin'... well... almost :o)

Gotta go... loadin', hitchin' and Haulin' to do!

Yondering Somewhere in The West!
Brian

If you've enjoyed your visits to my camp, I'd be honored if you visited My Author Page  at Smashwords to see the selection of ebooks I've written. You can be sure that any purchases you make help keep me wandering, and spinning more yarns to entertain you.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking  or, Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

Great Dunes National Park

77.1 miles day one... 89.7 miles day two... 161.3 miles day three... and today NO miles! :o) we just may get into the proper rhythm.

We're settled in a spot in Great Dunes National Park, the weather's fine... and we don't have to be... anywhere...

Mesa Verde's been there for a couple thousand years... I'm fairly certain it'll be there when we get there, so we're just gonna sit for a couple nights... and S-l-o-w down the meter a mite. Take some time and do some house keeping... and just lookin'.

All the years we've lived in Colorado, and we never, not one time, came here. Funny, how you get to thinkin' that you're only takin' a proper trip if you cross a state border or three!

Giant size sand pile. I don't want to rain on anybody's parade... and this is still, to me a pretty place... how-some-ever... I'd have to say that the White Sands in New Mexico is more photogenic... or at least, easier for a picture taker like me to get Good pictures.

Last evening, we took a short stroll across the sandy approach to the Dunes... A Stroll?... uh... pushin' 'cross that sand is more like a Work Out!

Along the way I decided I should oughta make my mark on the world...

Funny, there were quite a few folks scattered widely across those sand flats, so it wasn't like you were in a crowded mall or something... but... once They all left near sundown... and Heidi and I were out on the sand, almost alone... the Quiet was Amazing. You don't realize how much noise people make... or how far it can carry... until they get gone... even when they're bein' quiet! :o) Hmmm... I'll have to remember that! :o)

***Can you spot these folks...in the Next Picture?***

 That lil' Nikon S8000 is a pretty awesome lil' camera! Even when it's been repaired! :o)

Warm during the day... this desert country cools down quick once that sun sets... and it Felt good to wake up this morning, with the Dunes out the window... that cool quiet of a High Desert morning... and knowin' we're where we're gonna be... till we decide to move. :o)

Been "On the Road" just three days... and at least that many fellers have felt the need to wonder 'bout how I get those Bikes down off the Rig. :o) one had to even wait around the truck till we walked back to it last evening. Kinda Fun.

Wandering the Great and Glorious West
Brian

Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so, and I'm grateful for your visit. If you've got an interest in what else I've written, follow this Trail to find
the complete selection. You can be sure that any purchases you make help keep me wandering, and spinning more yarns to entertain you.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway" Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

Freedom... The Open Road... and that Pig Eyed MURPHY!

Climbed out of bed, topped off the water one more time, as is my habit... said our goodbyes to the kids... and headed South West, all the way to Costco... to top off a few grocery staples. The place was purty busy, so Heidi jumped out up front and I just circled around to the back side of the parking lot to wait.

Not, a good choice. We should have just kept on rollin'. Stopping... Gave that pot bellied Murphy SOB the time to catch up... before we got lost in far country.

Heidi walked up to the truck in just a few minutes with the words; "I know you don't want to hear this, but you have a flat tire... completely sitting on the ground flat!" and that was no exaggeration... 'course, with a hole in it the size of your finger, you'd expect it to have some difficulty holding any air.

Some how a wheel weight, not a pointed nail or screw... not a sharp piece of steel of any sort... just a so blunt and soft, all you'd have is bruises if your old lady stabbed you with it for a week... Lead wheel weight!!! ...had impaled the left front Fiver tire as I made the last turn into my waiting place. Had to be that last turn 'cuz I was watching the wheels as I made it, they all had air, and the hole was so big it couldn't have gone any farther without leaving evidence!

...so sometime between after I quit lookin'... and 100' later when I stopped the truck... WOOOSH!

Muuuuuurrrrrrrrpppppphhhhhhhhhyyyyyyyy! You Red Headed Ba@#%$D!

OK, no big deal, just get a replacement, right here at Costco... Nope... they don't have ANY trailer tires... So, jack the sucker up. Pull the wheel. off load the "Clampet" gear behind the hitch. Unhitch. Load the busted rubber and go find Discount tire... drive three or four miles, thinking; "it was supposed to be right here!"... only to find that VERY SHORTLY after I'd pulled out of the parking lot... and was looking LEFT for it... Discount Tire was... You guessed it! ... on the Right Side. but it WAS behind some trees... so it weren't my fault, that I Drove right on By!

Well, $120 dollars out of our really overweight budget later, I hung the fresh rubber on the Eagle and we pulled out... again.

So now a twenty minute stop is nigh on to three hours later... so we sure didn't make The Sand Dunes...

Fought our way out of Denver... after taking a few minutes to snub that red headed Murphy, by his tender parts, to a tree... I made sure to pull that rope tight!... and up to a HIGH branch! to keep him on his toes... and just to show how mad he'd made me... I tied a foot... to the bumper on some old lady's prius! I'll bet there was some squallin' when she headed for home!

Last thing I said to him, 'fore we drove off into the sunset was; "Don't follow this broken down Ol' Buster no more... or next time I'm gonna get Nasty 'bout it!"

Lordy... the traffic runnin' south out of Denver was somethin' best to be heard 'bout on the News, sittin' in your easy chair with an Alaskan Ale!

I kept askin'; "How much farther?" as I squeezed the steering wheel tighter... and her replyin'; "just about 20 miles to Kenosha pass"... where I was seekin' a camp I know about... 'cept when we got there... it looked like a parkin' lot at christmas time... Don't know what the devil was goin' on... likely "Fall Leaf Picture Takers"... though they were mostly gone by there and already blown off, but it was still a two legged zoo I wanted no part of...

...so onward we rolled, and down the mountain... and Oh, how this Ol' truck just begs me for an exhaust brake! like the '98 and the '06 had... sniff sniff... :o(

But just below Kenosha Pass is the lil' town... maybe six buildings and a road sign... of Jefferson... up behind there a few miles are a few campgrounds where the Eagle found a safe place to land for the night... in Lodgepole Campground.

Hadn't hardly shut the diesel down and a fella walkin' by asks me; "How do you get those HARLEYS off of there?" ... Harley's? HARLEYS?!!!

"Harleys? Those aren't Harleys" I tell him with an icy, snobby, arrogant tone... "THOSE machines are Star Motorcycles, by Yamaha!" :o) " And I just pick 'em up and set 'em down gentle like!" :o)

To start saving back the unexpected loss of that tire money from our budget... Heidi ate her camp grilled hot dogs... without bread... savings? = 'bout 17 cents! :o)

'course my smoke signals couldn't get through to connect up with Verizon this morning, so this message had to wait to get posted, somewhere down the road.

Wandering the Great and Glorious West
Brian

Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so, and I'm grateful for your visit. If you've got an interest in what else I've written, follow this Trail to find the complete selection. You can be sure that any purchases you make help keep me wandering, and spinning more yarns to entertain you.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway" Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

Finally... THE .... LEAVING!

Finally... only 4 1/2 years in the making. After being whupped on with real estate catastrophe, financial termites and personal bungles... wrecked trucks, broken parts and tee total trying times...

 ... we have done it! The Eagle is on the Road. She has taken flight and is runnin' for her life... we have, finally, executed what we have long awaited... 

THE LEAVING! 

Broke, lame and needful of quiet times and far country... we loaded up long about noon yesterday and hauled Cowboy Butt for the mountains... Lookin' kinda like 21st Century Okies... what with stuff and motorcycles hangin' all over the rig! :o)

Apparently, the thumpin' I was handing out got the message across to the blockers and obstructors... They got out of my way... well, for the most part. :o)

Only... We didn't go far... just down to my Daughters place in Northglenn on the top side of Denver. Today we'll start working south/southwest... toward Mesa Verde I'm thinking... 

Am I feeling good? ... to tell the truth... No... It's too early. The last few years have been such a difficulty, and we've run against the wind so hard, for so long, and had so many expectations turned into manure... that... I can't say I'm very trustful of this 'situation' just yet! :o) I'll have to give it some time... and let the dust settle. :o)

Had one interesting incident on I-25 rollin' to Denver. A big, white, Ford F-450 pulled up alongside in the heavy, bumper to bumper traffic... For a minute I figured they were just checkin' out the bozo with all the motorcycles adorning his rig :o) ... and then he started tootin' his horn!

First thought in my head was; "Aw hell... what have I broke now that I can't see?" When I looked over the driver started hollerin' out his passenger window, but over the road noise of those diesels... my artillery ears couldn't make sense of what he was shoutin'... 

... so he tried a couple more times... and between reading his lips... and straining my ears... it finally got through... "I Read Your Blog!" :o) 

He sent me a message later via the facebook do hickey... that they were on a trip from South Carolina to Yellowstone... and were on their way home... He'd spotted the old flatbed dodge pullin' a "White" trailer... with TWO bikes... and "Had to speed up to see the Driver"... :o)

Now, think about this... they go all that way... thousands of miles... and our paths manage to cross in that little piece of highway we share for just a very little while... and he recognizes my old rig and manages to shout a "How Do" across the highway... What are the odds?

THAT, was pretty cool! :o) and a really nice way to soften a genuinely stressful day...

We are...

Wandering and Hunting Shining Times... 

Somewhere in the West

Brian

Whack! Whack! Pow! Crunch! .... THWACK!!!

"I Tol' you... You ugly, carnivorous,  pin eared Monkey!... I'm Goin!"... Thump! Bang! Ka-POW!

That is the sound of the Beast gettin' thoroughly battered and clubbed around the head an' shoulders... The sucker won't let me go! ... But we're Goin' anyway!

Sheesh! 4 and nearly a half years later! and they're still tryin' to trip me up... Hope they're good at dealin' with frustration... 'cause... take me off the fire... I'm DONE!

Those accountants dinkin' 'round with stuff don't look like they're gonna have it buttoned up 'till next week! Well guess what?... Next Week... Don't work for this agitated, exasperated, itchy and completely provoked, Cowboy Philosophizin', RVin' Biker!

So... using a hammer, a K-bar... an' a short length of Iron Pipe... I started in to educatin' and whackin' on that malicious Ol' Beast last night... there'll be a few more hours of thumpin' an' Bumpin' this morning... and then, as I've said before...

... We're gonna just take what we got, and Go on and Go if we're Goin'!

'Course... This final lil' brawl seems to be leaving a few fresh marks and scrapes on my hide... but, it's kinda like a battered Ol' Ranch truck... hard to tell the new ones... from what's already been there for some lil' while! :o)

So... while the Official LEAVING... won't be 'till sometime early? this afternoon... ya'll can just go ahead an' color me GONE if'n you want to!


The next post you get will be from somewhere, not too far off... but somewhere that ain't here... and the people where we've been shall be seein' nuthin' but Taillights!

Just Shortly Before THE LEAVING!
On The Road Again!
Brian

The Bikes are Loaded... We're Ready... and Now... All We Can Do is Wait...

...for these last few odds and ends to settle out...

We're still waiting on UPS to deliver that repaired camera, before we leave town. Turned out... that camera shop in Denver (whose useless self shall remain nameless)...that's drug this out for nigh on to three months... didn't... ship it Monday when they said they were... after we called 'em, after they didn't call us when they promised to...

Nope... they were gonna ship it Wednesday... when we called 'em again, when the camera didn't show up as they promised... again... They've been like that for three months... one empty promise after another... tee total useless performance... aw well... what can you do?... sheesh...


Then... we have to hang loose till we can put the '09 tax... Thing... to bed. We're really expecting that today... so... I've got my fingers crossed that Friday, will be the Leaving... just takin' a deep breath and lettin' it out slow... no use gettin' cranked up at this point... just breathe slow and... wait easy...

So... I spent yesterday... getting the V Star Loaded... and building a video of loading it on the Cowboy II Motorcycle carrier I built to boot! (It's about 12 minutes of Oscar winning Cowboy Theater...yeah, right... )



and... scattered through the day, I received notifications from Smashwords of sales of my Brand New Western ebook Novel; A Matter of Honor... along with shining, ego boosting comments of many readers regarding that book... A very fine day!

Another day? ... and we'll be goin' down the road... with plenty of time to be wrangling the words for the next story! :o)

Anxiously waiting for Others to get their stuff together... So I can get to... THE, Leaving... that is getting Close!

Brian

 Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so, and I'm grateful for your visit. If you've got an interest in what else I've written, follow this Trail  to find
the complete selection. You can be sure that any purchases you make help keep me wandering, and spinning more yarns to entertain you.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

It's Official... I'm a Published Novelist! :o)

Sold... ONE ... Copy of A Matter of Honor last night ... hmm... guess it'll take a couple more than that to consider it a success huh? But you know what? That'll already set me up most of a cup of Starbucks Coffee :o)

The way ebook publishing works... An Author will get more from one lil' $2.99 sale at Smashwords... than he'd have gotten from selling eight... printed, $10 tomes from a regular publisher...

Pretty cool. I get to hawk my stories for about a third, or less, of what the old line publishers charge, saving readers a bundle... and then I get the greater share of the price... rather than the 3 or 4% a paper author takes home... and, bein' ebooks... I get to save a tree in the process! :o)

The only difficult thing in the whole deal is that Hawking part. I'm kinda shy 'bout such things... Not much else... but when it comes to sellin' things... I'm not a barn burner... hopefully anyone who reads one of the stories will like it and pass on a good word... and word of mouth will mostly get the job done... and take care of me in the process... as good as I need... which really ain't much :o) We'll see...

That not needing much just might be the key for my Writing to be successful... as in, if I don't need much... not selling a whole lot will fit right in! :o)

Just give me a Big Red Motorcycle with gas in the tank... and I'm good!... well OK... a bean or two on the table would be good... and, maybe an occasional new pair of jeans? ... Oh... and maybe enough to keep some IPA in the fridge?... for if Mark and Bobbie ever come visiting... he's kind of partial to that High Class stuff! :o)

Whatever... anything my writing returns is way above the drudgery of selling PVC plumbing parts at a hardware store. Nuthing agin' those who are still stuck doin' that... but... Been there done that and you and I both know... Shining Times - IS NOT - selling Plumbing parts. It's Freedom! It's Bob Seeger on my Ipod in the High Country... Splittin' the Wind on a Raider!

and... we're thinkin' one day... maybe a day and a half... and we're rolling... for as long as this journey lasts...

The rig is old... much of the gear is worn... the doors are dented... and the bank says they're still owed...
but...

You're still gonna find me...
Yondering... somewhere in the West

Brian

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
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As The Leaving Approaches...

It's the eve... of our Leaving... or close to it... as always with me, loose ends that need tyin' up, have a way of poppin' up and draggin' things out..

Was hopin' for Wednessday... lookin' more like Thursday...

Remember that camera we busted some time back? Well, Nikon managed to repair it, supposedly, good as new... for a lot less than replacing it with new... and it's supposed to show up UPS, Wed. afternoon... and we're expecting the acct. fellas to have the tax junk done on Thurday... so... we drag our feet a bit...

Got the repair of the 7 way RV trailer connector done... Geeze... And I gotta admit it... I made it a LOT more difficult than it needed to be. I hadn't gone to the dealer to look for parts... 'cause Dealers are badly overpriced... Right?...

Well... Not so much! Having trouble sorting out the wiring layout of that plug, and failing to find a reliable "After Market" RV Connector... I finally gave in and went to a Dodge dealer, figuring I'd have to take it on the chin... and just buy the whole dang $115 harness... only... I didn't need the whole harness... just the broken Trailer Connector receptacle... and guess what?... They had just THAT , and it was only $27!

... and it just plugs right on... no fiddling with the wiring diagram required...

So all's good right? ... Not So Fast!... it's me we're talkin' about ya know... Yup... screwed that up too! Bein' in an all fired hurry over the weekend... I'd cut the male end of the harness off, that plugs into the back of the RV 7-way... to wire on an after market receptacle, only to run into "issues" trying to figure out how to put the 8 wires... into a 7 wire plug! AAAARRRRGH!

... and to keep things interesting... I'd cut those wires off Short... uh oh... now I gotta splice that plug back on... so I can install the New... Replacement Receptacle... which is all I needed in the first place, and would have been a five minute deal... had I pulled the reins on that "All Fired Hurry!"

Well, end of the story is... I... juuuuuust barely... had enough wire left to splice that plug back on... and it all works... so the moral is... stop and have a cup of coffee... and think about things some more... before you cut!... and if Cut you must... leave yourself enough wire so you can back up and repair the damage you did if necessary! :o) Whew! All's well that ends well...

And now... a word from our Sponsor... Namely... ME! :o) This is the hard part for me... the "Commercial" side of writing and makin' a living... but... since the store's round here won't take a picture of my purty self as payment for groceries... or Diesel... a fella has to swallow hard an' just do it... Right?

That fancy book I told you about? A Matter of Honor ? Well, I got the editing done... I got it loaded into my distributors system... and that story of a Genuine Western Hero is Published! HooYa! Just follow that link, if you're interested. It'll take you to my main Smashwords page where you can see it, as well as the other three ebooks I currently have floatin' around out there...

You can download a pretty fair sample of the story... and see if you'd like to spend the $ to find out... the Rest of the Story!

Well... the V Star is sittin' ready to be loaded up onto the Cowboy II Motorcycle Carrier... as soon as my help arrives, to twist the winch switch! so I better go make sure everything else is ready... 'cause I'm makin' another video... of actually loading a bike on my Cowboy Engineered Motorcycle Carrier! :o)

... starring... Yup... Me! uh... and the V Star of course. :o)

On the Eve of the Leaving...
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

Raiders, V Stars, Tax Men... and Wannabe Mechanics Putting Wiring Where It Shouldn't be!

The Raider is loaded... along with most of what else will ride on the truck... The V Star will get loaded, hopefully, this afternoon... or tomorrow morning?

Most of today is gonna be spent... either chasing down a replacement Factory Wiring Harness... or waiting on an ordered one... 'cause we can't go nowhere... without the the Fiver wired in...

Once I get the RV Trailer connector repaired... and relocated from where, some Bozo Wannabe Mechanic put it... before I owned the truck... so it don't get busted up again... we'll only be waiting on the tax mans cipherin'...

Once we drop that signed paperwork in a mail box, we'll pull back into the mountains... somewhere... and see if our starvation budget can catch up a bit...

Down to doing my Redmarking on the last few pages, of the hard copy, of my Great Western Novel. Been doin' what I hope to be the final edit... then, all I've got to do is go through the computer file, and make all those redmark edits...

So, if anybody's interested... A Matter of Honor... should be gettin' published as an ebook, by way of my Smashwords Distributor in the next couple of weeks... which for the un-initiated means it will be available either directly at Smashwords (which you can get to through my lil' bookstore) or currently, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Diesel and Apple!... sometime in the near future... they're supposed to be getting Amazon in the Loop pretty soon as well...

Then what's gonna happen is you're likely to hear one of three things... 1. Nuthin'... as in a big Ol' wind suckin' FLOP! :o) or #2. "Why, ain't that nice? two more books an' I can buy another pound of coffee"... and then, possibility #3... The big shining fantasy... HooYa! That lovely is payin' the rent! :o)

So now, I'm off to hunt for wiring harnesses...

Packin' up... and gettin' ready to roll.
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road

Made the Second Loading Late Yesterday Afternoon...

Just to make sure the first loading wasn't a fluke. I'm needful of knowing I can ride that Two Wheeler up the ramp, and stop at the top, NOT jumping off the other side... with regularity.

In case you're not one of the regulars on my bike site... here's the video of the "second loading"...



Right after this was done... I discovered that I'd killed the batteries in the truck... aaaaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh.

The 7-way RV plug has been busted up for a while... The previous owner of the truck had foolishly hung the thing down low, when he installed the flatbed... leaving that receptacle open to all sorts of damage...

Being cheap and not wanting to pay "Dealer Price" for parts I looked around but could not find the Plug in replacement... So I just went with a hard wire 7-Way... cutting the old busted plug off...

WRONG!

Did you know that the factory 7-Way RV connector... now has 8 Wires? ... Nobody I could find while I was struggling to hook it up the new connector yesterday had any sort of an idea what that 8th wire was for... or what it does. The only thing I know is... the old busted up plug was Working when I took it off... but the wires are dead now! ... and there ain't no blown fuses... 

My guess? that wire runs some sort of a solenoid that controls things for some reason... Only thing I can do now is go ahead and pay the $115 extortion for the Factory part, splice it into place... and hope for the best... Crap...

Anyhoo... in trying to figure things out... guess I left the key on too long... and knocked the batteries down... which I guess aren't real shiny anyway... so, one more thing to take care of while waiting on the taxes to get done.

Maybe we'll get a nice return that'll make up for these last minute snafus!

Relearning Why I never wanted to be a Mechanic...
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

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Just a few more days... I think.

Heidi is babysitting in Denver, while our Daughter is doing a show to promote her photog business... I'm trying to button up a couple of things here...

As soon as those things are all done... the only thing left is waiting for our accountant to put the bow on our tax stuff... we could haul out before then... but faxing and such would be a hassle... so we'll hang tough for a couple days and wait out this One Last Thing... so we can put our signatures on it and stick it in the mail...

Then?... I believe we'll roll south/southwest toward Mesa Verde... and the canyon country of Utah... over to Zion... and finally... put this show on the road... I never would have dreamed what seemed such a simple thing... to sell out a bunch of junk, haul out... and live slow and easy, would have taken such a long and miserable struggle to get cut loose... We started workin' on this in the late winter of '06... It's been better than four years of turmoil! Lordy!

Guess I was chained up stronger than even I imagined! :o)

Well, that's OK... most of the chains are gone... the ones remaining rusty and weak... and they're tied on an Ol' buster that purty much don't give a hoot for any of that any more... the road is close now... just a few days...

The ramp showed up day before yesterday... did a test load yesterday... Hmmm, that first look... kind of gets your attention for a minute...

*First look at my Black Widow Motorcycle Ramp*

 But... I've come too far to let a few Jiggly Quivers stop me now... So...

*12' Black Widow Motorcycle Ramp and Loaded Raider*

... and I didn't just ride off the other side! :o)

I almost made a video of that first load... then... decided... if It all went south on me... maybe I wouldn't want Such Doin's on record... I will be putting a loading video on the motorcycle site in the next day or so I think... soon as I Do make one.

There is one lil' issue... when the bike first starts up the ramp, with the front wheel on the ramp and the back on the dirt... the break there lifts my feet off the ground, so there's no walking it up slow and easy. A fella has to commit and just Ride It! :o)

Gettin' it back off was no big deal either... I can just walk down beside it with hand on break and clutch... No Worries...

I still need to double check turning clearances and such but not expecting anything unexpected there...

Clouded up and misty rain this morning ramp and truck are wet... so I guess I won't do another test load... till the sun comes back out... and yes... I will likely not do much loading/unloading in bad weather... just no need... I've done enough in the rain for this year! :o)

Just a couple more days... all I have to do is stay out of trouble...

Take Good Care
Brian

Motorcycles, Ramps, Winches... and Spare Tires... and juuuust a lil' Evel Knievel?

Myrddn asked, so here's the answer... I originally planned to winch the bike up the Motorcycle Ramp... but... as always, unless you got one of the high dollard remote wireless winches... that takes two people, and I'd rather have this thing work solo, along with wanting to simplify its operation... so... the plan is to Ride the Raider up onto the truck...

...The truck bein' tall... and the scooter been low... brings up that High Centering issue. There's a couple of ways of dealin' with that...
1. Find a dock or high spot to set the Motorcycle ramp on, to cut that angle... What a pain in would be to have to go running around looking for a place I could unload the bike!
2. Spend a freaking fortune and get one of those powered, Motorcycle self-loader setups... nice... but out of my budget for the foreseeable future!
3. Build a long ramp... good... but heavy... unless you can weld Aluminum... which I can't!

and DA DAAAA! Door Number 4! Just suck it up and buy a Factory built, folding, 12' Ramp which really dents the budget, but Should do the trick.

Good Ol' geometry calls for a 10.5 foot ramp +-... and that's figuring a straight Motorcycle Ramp. I opted for the 12' version, shallowing out the attack angle; Plus, the ramp I'm getting is arched. Having it arched takes out some more of the approach angle... so, again,  I should be in good shape.

Except for oooonnnnne last little thing.

When you ride a motorcycle up a ramp into a pickup bed... and you screw up and get goin' a lil' too quick... there's that cab sittin' there to stop you... CRUNCH! :o)

 Buuuut.... I'm gonna be loading sideways... or crossways, behind the cab... So... if I get goin' too quick doin' that... WHooooHoooo! it'll be a quick ride... right off the other side! :o) Genuine, Western Motorcycle Rodeo! Jumping big bikes off of truck beds! :o)

The saving grace... I think... is that my Big Ol' Raider has the torque to just idle up the ramp... so... the ramp is supposed to be here, day after tomorrow, so we'll find out pretty quick whether this is gonna be a ride up or winch up deal.

In the mean time, while I wait on the ramp... I keep thinkin' 'bout some sort of safety blocking that I might could set in place... in the event of too much adrenaline when loading... I may come up with something that don't look too bad. :o) We'll see...

Yesterday, as I was finishing up torqin' down bolts, and putting things back in place I had a pretty good lil' idea... I think.

When I built the Motorcycle carrier on the tail of the fiver... the spare tire carrier for the trailer got removed... leaving the spare floating around, always in the way for the last couple years...

I may have come up with a solution:

Fifth Wheel Spare Carried with Truck Spare

Two spares Stacked on Spare Carrier

 I stacked it on the Truck's spare and cranked it up under the truck! It doesn't make any ground clearance issues to speak of... Neat... one more issue taken care of right?

Not quite...

If you look close at the tire stack, you can see the problem... When it's just the truck tire... it sits a lot higher. With two spares stacked, the lower one is a lot closer to the exhaust pipe... that ain't gonna work... but, I believe, that if I reverse the stack... and put the smaller diameter, fiver spare on the bottom... I'll maintain enough clearance...

... I'm gonna give it a try. If I ruin that trailer tire, no matter. That sucker is 10 years old! Yup it's the original spare from when the Eagle was new, never been on the ground and is way too old to rely on... so worth the experiment... and it needs replacement anyway!

More chores to get done today... so I'll get to work now...

Still parked in Nunn and Wrenchin' on the Rig... but Not for long...
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

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Steel Burning is Done... and the Hitch is In...

Sort of. I still have to get out there this morning and do some wrenchin' on the bolts... and a few other odds and ends... but, I need to drain the coffee pot first, to build the ambition.

Guess the Army knew what it was doin' when it declared me unfit... and put me on the disabled list, huh? :o) Yes Ma'am... I'm feelin' pretty stove up this morning...

Yup... All that crawlin' around on my knees and the effort required to drill a whole bunch of bolt holes in half inch steel to build my gooseneck hitch, has me feelin' kind of puny today. 'Least I was smart enough to manipulate Jamie into doin' the crawlin' around underneath part of this gooseneck hitch installation! :o)

But, we got the thing put together and stuffed into the truck... now don't go cussin' cuz I cut that hole so big... that was a calculated decision... I asked myself; "Can I hit that mark so that the thing fits tight? with no space?"

The answer? "Not Likely ya half blind hairless biker!... make it big enough and invest in some silicone!" :o)

Now... if our Cowboy Engineered Custom Gooseneck Hitch don't go KAPOW! in the first six miles of haulin', I'll be in fine shape! Well, I will be... just as soon as I suck down another pot of Hot Cowboy Coffee to wash down that handful of Tylenol I just ate! :o)

So... all this effort to squeeze in the necessities of life... that bein' Two! Fine Motorcycles!...

Ya know what? Those folks Down Under have some pretty fine rigs... that I can see... to deal with those "Necessities" ! Check out this one I just found!

Tell me that ain't the slickest lil' Class C toy hauler! So, why haven't the American RV builders done something small, light, and slick like this one? Sweet!...

Now... they only need to stretch it, 'bout 3 feet... so I can load the second bike! :o)

It's nigh on to time for me to get that wrenchin' done... see ya'll down the road somewhere... SOON! :o)

Wrenchin' on the Rig... In the Great and Glorious West
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
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Hitches, Motorcycle Chocks and Fifth Wheels... Cowboy Motorcycle Carrier

Another evolution.

Got most all the parts together to get the work done... a few odds and ends yet to pick up at the Hardware store... I'll wait on those 'till we know exactly what they are...

But so far the new turn over ball gooseneck hitch unit got here, and the new Wheel Dock motorcycle chock that'll fit that big Ol' 21" wheel on the front end of the Raider... Now I'm just waitin' on my welder to get back from his errands... so we can go to burnin' steel and wrenchin'!

... and the Motorcycle Ramp which I'm hopin' for by the end of the week...

The Wheel Dock Motorcycle Chock is sitting in its approximate final location up in the left front corner of the bed... Gotta add a mount there that'll push it out 'bout 2 inches over the edge of the bed... That Raider is a one hundered and one inches... Loooong Motorcycle! :o)

I've actually got the Fiver, sittin' down on the bed in this picture... and the springs aren't quite into the overload springs... so, once I get the Raider loaded... I Should be close to bein' level and in good shape...

Don't know for sure... I may decide to add in a Firestone air suspension system sometime, if it all seems a lil' soft... I'll haul some miles to find that out... 'cause actually, once the V Star is loaded on the back of the Fiver... that weight goin' on back there, takes some of the pin weight off of the truck.

So... we'll soon see if this conflagration of a Cowboy Engineered Idea is gonna haul the freight... That bein' that fine Big Red Motorcycle! :o)

Modificating Fifth Wheel Trailers in the Great and Glorious West!
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
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Yeah, Yeah, I know... But What Can I Say?

Couple folks have slapped my hand for whinin' an' grousin' a bit... and sure, I know, a LOT of folks can say; "What in hell has that fool got to complain 'bout? let him walk around in my world for a day!" ... and it's true...

But... you got to have some understanding of the sit-chee-a-shun! :o)

Ever'body who knows one... Knows... the natural, built in, part of their genes, how they live and breathe, way of a Soldier - or - a Cowboy, is to complain 'bout how things ARE... and how much better they'd be if all those folks dumber than him (the leadership above him and nearly ever'body around him)... would just do as he says! :o)

Now... ya'll got to take into account a couple of things... that Soldier and That Cowboy... Volunteered for where they're at... and, since I was both... just how smart can that bugger be? :o)

... and the second thing to keep in mind is that part 'bout the natural way... Ya see, it's a venting mechanism... Don't matter how much worse most other folks have it... that Cowboy/Soldier builds up internal pressure steady as the Wyoming Wind... and since Human Hide only stretches a certain amount... if nothing is done, it's only a matter of time... 'till it ruptures...

He'll complain 'bout the rain on Monday... and then how freakin' hot it is on a Sunny Tuesday... all resulting in a collection of pressure...

Now... if'n that pressure don't get siphoned off in some manageable way... 'bout that second or third week... his hide has reached it's terminal stretching point and catastrophe is imminent!

Stand Back People!

You'll hear 'bout it on the morning news; "A local cowboy/soldier was having coffee and a muffin this morning at Starbucks ... (Hey, we may be whiners but we do got so-fisti-kay-shun!) Witnesses said, with little warning he suddenly, spontaneously, Detonated!... BLAMMM!

"Hear now from a woman who was sitting nearby; "It was awful... just dreadful! He just started grunting and twitching for only a few seconds... and then... it happened. Oh My God... he went everywhere! It's all in my hair... my dress is ruined!... I've never seen anything like it!"

So... you see... all that noise and smoke from such fellers is really just their constant effort to save all you folks from the trauma of havin' to clean up the mess! :o)

All Vented and Ready to Roll! :o)
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
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Hurry Up and Wait!

Aaaaaaaarrrrrggggghhhh! Waiting!... I hate it! I feel like I'm back in the freakin' Army. Hurry up and wait soldier!

The problem with waiting on much of anything is that it gives somebody like me... somebody who overthinks everything... waaaaay to much time to take a good idea... and turn it into a cowboy wreck with second thoughts and fixing what ain't broke. :o)

We're both ready to just hitch up and go... and nigh on to did! We'd pretty much decided to go with just one motorcycle... buuuuut... then, we changed that to; "I don't like the idea of sellin' off that good V Star" (that's me talkin') "so let's figure out how to load 'em both!"

Which led to conjurin' up some more Cowboy engineered Bike carrier... and the idea that I'd weld up a ramp of my own design that would do the job...

Only, of course, I sold my welder a couple years ago... back in the early days of "The Leaving" so I had to suck up to friends an' relatives; "Please help me weld this sucker up? please?.... puuuuhhhhllllllease? sniff, sniff sniff!"

And... of course... ever'body is as busy scratchin' out a living as hard as anybody else... so timing and scheduling becomes a big deal... which takes the shine off that idea quick!

So... I'm simplifying that carrier system, and only gonna use "store bought" pieces an' parts... and leave the Cowboy engineering and manufacturing... to somebody whose hitch itch is less intense. :o)

And... of course... don't ya know... doin' that costs dollars. :o) well, 2/3 of those parts are on the way... sitting somewhere in a UPS truck... in the meantime, we're working the point off a pencil, and wearin' out erasers, figuring how to squeeze a high dollar factory ramp into our battered lil' budget... which is made even tighter by the fact that the flatbed on our Imogene Pass climbin' Dodge... sits higher than most, so it requires a longer ramp than most for my low rider motorcycle.

Longer ramps require... of course... more of those lil' slips of green paper with the BIG numbers on 'em. :o)

But the good side is, as soon as all those bits and pieces come together, they'll bolt on quick, the rig will get loaded the next day... and we'll be RV Boondocking... FINALLY! ... 'cause we'll be too broke to do anything but boondock and Wally dock for a while! :o)

Good thing I cowboyed long enough for us to get good at survivin' on peanut butter sandwiches and beans!... so we will need to get down to somewhere warm enough to sleep with the windows open...

In the Final Stages of Preparation for our Official and Final Leaving!
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
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God Bless Australia!

There's a group of singers from Australia... who are simply Awesome... this Video was sent to me... I just had to pass it on here... There's several versions online... all of 'em leave an Old Geezer with Tears flowing...


Having had the Honor to serve with Men of such Courage and Honor. The Finest Men I can ever hope to Know...  Makes a man feel pretty small and insignificant...

It keeps my trivial little difficulties in proper perspective...

Live Well People... They gave us ALL the Chance...
Brian

Hear that? I do believe it's the sound of the Liberty Bell!

But First... a word for the Reader from Vancouver British Columbia who just bought a Motorhome... I was going to reply to your email... but some gremlin in my laptop disappeared your mail... If you could... resend it? so I can reply? :o)

And now... on to the bell.

Much of what I've written about here, over the last, goin' on four years, has been not so much about RVing as it has been about FREEDOM! Hell, even my Motorcycles... when I stop and think on it... are all about FREEDOM!

For me... the best way to get to that Freedom is to have an RV of some sort haul me up to the high meadow where it grows, or at least close enough so my feet can move me the last mile or three... Ever' bit as good an option... and often the better one, is to have a fine Motorcycle carry me there through the twisties. :o)

Ever'body has to find their own way of gettin' there... and I suppose... they've got to find exactly what it means to them...

Maybe that's even the toughest part... cutting away all the chaff that hides the True Jewel of FREEDOM!

For fellas like Mark an' me... the day after day drudgery of doin' the Massuh's chores... 'cause he's too busy cavortin' in Cancun... on the backs of the poor day laborers he's conned... is pretty much a verrrrrry slow, and mind warping, death sentence.

The only thing that's held us to it... or at least me... I should only speak for my self.. eh? :o) That's Canadian for "Right?" :o) See, I learned something on my last trip... Bet you didn't know there was a Canadian Language did ya?

anyhoo... the thing that's held me to it... is the sense of Honor the system builds into its' servants at an early age... or at least tries to... The sense that an Honorable man makes himself... "Useful"...

The thing about Honor is... A fella has to be a mite careful about it... It's an abused attribute... It's the best part of a man, and the most powerful weapon used to enslave him... fits right in there with "Casting Pearls before swine"...

So... when you're looking at Your Honor ... You have to make gol' darn, clear and certain, SURE, that you're simply living Honorably... and not having the finest part of yourself perverted and turned back on you as the bars of your cell!

So... what was that 'bout the Bell? ... well... work with me here... Even though we all want off the Man's Treadmill... we still want to eat; and though I want very little in the grand scheme of things, I still don't have an aching desire to live naked in the wilderness...

... and trust me... ya'll don't want to be out hikin'... and stumble upon this Ol' Geezer... Naked in the Wilderness either!

Some beans, some jeans... a simple roof over my head (preferably one with wheels under it!) and one or two fine Motorcycles... and I'm good!

So... a fella still has to produce a subsistence of some sort, in a tolerable manner, to live decent on this lil' blue marble in the Universe.

It's toward that goal I've been pushing these last three or four years. The previous Too Many having been spent, largely, drifting aimlessly... not liking where and how I was... but not seeing a Trail to follow...

So again... where's that dang Bell!!!?

For me? It's Right Here! Truly!

Writing, here on my sites, and now... with my lil' ebooks... and more ambitious projects soon to be realized... has become my Liberty Bell!

Enriching? nahhh... but... Each week that passes, the contribution to our subsistence grows a touch... and the ringin' of that Bell gets louder and clearer. It started faint and unsure... I really had to strain to tell if it was actually a Bell... or just the tinitis  in my ears! :o)

Now... I can hear that glorious ring... clearly if faintly... and I know... that if I just keep on doing what I've been doing... the music will only grow stronger.

The thing that makes it FREEDOM rather than just another Treadmill is the unexpected Joy it brings me... and that's the key, ain't it?! Finding that THING... that enterprise, that activity, that puts beans on the table... but allows you to do what feeds your Heart and Soul in the process.

... and here's something to keep in mind as You look 'round for your Thing. I hadn't any idea that the writing would be IT!... I was just flippin' through the pages... leaving my mind open allowed the opportunity to work its' way in...

So... as you're doin' your THING Looking... Consciously Keep Your Mind Open to Possibilities!

Listening to the Liberty Bell, ringing in the Distance! :o)
Brian

Help keep goin' RV Boondocking...goin' RV Boondocking!
Have you enjoyed your visits to my camp? I sure hope so. If you'd like to see what else I've written, you can follow this Trail to my "Bookshelf". Just know that any purchases of my lil' books and tales, helps keep me following the Trails of my beloved American West, collecting stories and yarns to entertain you with... and are Much Appreciated.
Many Thanks!

Return to the Home  page of goin' RV Boondocking
Visit my "Ribbon of Highway"  Blog on the Lil' sister to this site, Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road