Over and over and over and...
It's either that I'm really really stubborn, or really, really... THICK...
I mean you start off with the idea... wouldn't it be nice to make a run on over there, and see this or that? and gettin' there will only be, two, really easy days!
So, next morning you load up, hitch up and haul out, planning on an easy day, with an early camp... and you already know just where that'll be!...
Only, when you get there, it's so early, and you're feelin' so good, and the truck is just hummin'... so you say; "well hell, why don't we push on juuuuust a lil' farther, and that way, tomorrow will be set up for an even easier day"
Listen hear... an' write this down so ya remember it!... In the future? If you EVER hear me say such a thing... pick up a brick... and wang it off the side of my head... will ya?
When I wake up, ask me: "Yo... Bozo! What Happened the last 13 times you went an done that ya durn fool? Uh Huh, Right! Ya screwed up then, like ya'll is tryin' to screw up now!... Park the TRUCK ya bow legged IDJIT!"
But you didn't remember to tell me that yesterday...
So, when we get juuuuust a lil' bit farther... the camp where we thought we'd shut down is gone, it's full, we don't fit, or it doesn't even exist... so we have to keep on movin'... Looking for a place to park our butts for the night...
...and the day gets longer... our; "feelin' good" becomes a grump... and we get to feelin' that knot in our shorts growin' and rubbin' a leak in our hide...
Until finally, what started as a really fine day... gets all twisted into one of those smoking unmentionables you hope to forget...
Yup... yesterday... was one of those... maybe early onset Old Timers Syndrome? ... or simply all that beer I syphoned up as a young rooster... truly did kill a million brain cells per ounce?
Compound it all with the effort by so many "Park Owners" to get their buearocrats to legislate us into their overpriced and over crowded RV "Parking lots" and this dumb ol' buster screwed up... again! :o) I mean... uh... $35 for DRY CAMPING SPACE? I might not be the sharpest chisel in the drawer... but I ain't THAT dull!
As we were drivin' along... Heidi brought up a good point... the "tent" spaces were $14... RV $35! In a Gov't camp... well, uh... the tent boys get a little space for their tent, and are gonna use the campgrounds water, the campgrounds showers, the campgrounds outhouses and all the other facilities.
We just want the same lil' piece of dirt to park our RV on... but we carry our own facilities. I don't want power, or water, or the outhouse, most of the time, just a place to park for the night... so why do we have to pay more, to park overnight than a tenter... when in reality, we most often use, far less! Oh Well, unlikely to change that much... is it?
We was gonna go to the Wine valley countrty 'round Napa... but... seems they think you need to roll in there with a big thick roll... and that somehow, they've got some .... "entitlement" right to a goodly chunk of it... Nice try... but... No Thanks... we'll keep movin'. :o)
Now, that sort of thinkin' just gets that knot in my shorts to swellin'... and I'll go to some lil' difficulty to avoid allowin' folks who think that-a-way to make much of a profit off of my cranky Ol' Butt!
So... how do you go 'bout turnin' that danged Ol' lemon into Beer?... Yup... thasss right... Beer! I don't much care for Lemonade! :o)
Well... those RV park fellas think they'll force me to use their stuff? Uh Uh... I'll drive an extra few hours... Makin' sure I buy my fuel to leave... outside of their town... buyin' a few groceries and such as well... some place else... so the WHOLE TOWN loses from their foolishness...
'Cause kids? I'm knowin' that just down the road... somewhere, is a place where they understand service... and want to earn my business... and those are the folks I like dealin' with... Like those guys at the Les Schwab Store... they busted hump, till closin' time, on a walk in, no appointment deal... to take care of us... 'cause we Needed that truck up an' runnin'...
It's a simple deal really... Kind of a mutual respect thing... Works for me!
I used the sort of thinkin' yesterday until the Eagle landed, tired and road weary at...Thunder Valley Casino! over east of Sacramento a mite.
Where they, and whatever local community is here, Welcomed us to use their facilities... (ie. Parking Lot) without the huge charge... Hoping to earn our business...
Guess where we're goin' for breakfast? :o) Thats right! They succeeded and DID earn our business... unlike those fellas back down the road... who lost every, single nickle of it.
... and then, we're haulin' the nickels we got left down the face of the mountains... headin' for Yosemite... and the TRULY big trees in Sequoia... in the HooYa! Sunshine!
... and a lil' note... the last few nites... having that new lil' RV Generator of ours... to top off the Batteries... has taken such a worry off... wonderin' if those batts gettin' that low was doin' harm... has been sweet! ... The Point?... if you're puttin' in an RV Solar Power System... don't fudge like I did... Just pencil in your Backup Generator for your RV Solar Power System... as a REQUIREMENT! :o)
Closing in on El Capitan and the Big Trees...
Brian
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...and Yondering, to the beat of a different Biker Cowboy Drummer
10 comments:
Gotta agree wholeheartedly about those pricey campgrounds, Brian! Can I suggest that you invest in some RV books that have free to $10 ones? And Mountain Roads book to avoid steep Passes (East and West). If I remember correctly, going into Yosemite, the road is narrow, with huge boulder shoulders, so be very aware and careful so you don't take out the sides of your truck/5th wheel!
Name of the bookstore I'm talking about is RVBOOKSTORE.COM. They have awesome RV books, DVDs and Chuck Woodbury is the editor. Bet you might have heard of them? Based in Edmonds, WA. They can mail to a General Delivery Post Office anyplace you happen to be.
Hey,
Might have missed the redwoods, but hoping you can get in the Sequois. Take loads of pics. We are planning on going there too.
You figured out how to make our generators quieter yet???? Remember, write it as a tech manual, publish it, and put it as an ebook on your ebook reader site. I have a Nook, so be sure I can download it. You have sold your first book to me. LOL
OK Brian, I'm confused.... I've been RVing 12 years with a 40 ft Class A pulling a Silverado HD big enough to pull many 5th wheels. I don't profess to write a blog on "Boondocking" but if I did, I would know how & where to find boondocking sites! We stay at Wal*Marts, Flying-J's (whether or not we need a lot of fuel), K-Marts, etc. Even in Canada, we took a 10,000 Island cruise one day. After we got back I asked the cruise people if I could stay overnight in their parking lot. "yes - just leave by x when the next days riders start getting there"... Join the Elks -- not hard to do, just stop in at any Elks and ask how. They have parking lots that allow overnight stays for cheap. Many small towns all over the USA have "cheap" stays. We stayed at Magnus Park in Petoskey MI right on Lake MI for only $22/night. While there I learned I could have stayed free at the local Indian Casino. Let's be positive and helpful and show all us readers how simple it is to stay overnight free --- a key draw of a "boondocker" site's appeal. As for "miles per day" -- what's your hurry? We head from MI to FL next week. If I average 150 - 250 miles a day that will be more than enough. Just my thoughts.... ernie
Anon: Yup... what you say is exactly true. We use Walmart a lot... rest areas, cracker barrels..etc...
and like the post said... last night... rolled for the closest casino...
The problem we've had recently is in the part of Calif. below Redding- in the winter months... is...
And the State/Towns don't allow... and run off folks trying to use Wally World, or other such willing partners.
and straight up Boondocking sites are few and far between in the developed, populated areas... especially if you wander into the areas that are considered "Major Attractions"... We had little trouble finding good low cost/free spots across Colorado, Utah, Washington and Oregon...and, Northern California...
We chose to come see this part of the world, in a season we'd not been here before... and though I've been wanderin' for a lot of years... I've Never claimed to know ALL the answers... just an Opinion on 'em!
And I've always claimed to be open to education...
and somewhere in all this scribblin' It's said you can learn from what I do right... and what I do wrong! :o)
Hope this clears up a mite of your confusion...
almost forgot... your mileage of 150-200 a day is right in the range we try to hit... Took us quite a while to get down the Columbia and down the Oregon coast... our last camp we set in for 7 days...
Move a hundred miles or so, most travel days, under two hundred... and daytrip out from there for a few days... or... not at all :o) ... just gypsy livin'
we're in this camp for the second nite now...
Early on in this run I had a pretty good itch to scratch... and miles scratched it... mostly I tell folks... travel to please yourself... Not anyone else!
I came across this site on another blog and thought you might find it of interest.
http://www.harvesthosts.com/
Finished your book this week. I was really impressed. Couldn't hardly put it down it was so fast-paced and action filled. That's some writing, cowboy.
forgot to sign! chuck and ayn
Brian,
California is lost. As expensive as any public service is, expect it to double then be taxed to high heaven.
When you head east, there is a great BLM boondocking spot on the north side of Lake Mead. Typical low fee, if any.
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