A Revelation for a Drifter

I lived along the Front Range for a long time. A couple years in the early 80's and then something over 20 years from 88 on. When we pulled out in "Oh ten" something changed. I don't see it as "Home" any more... if I ever truly did.

I say I "lived" here on the Front Range for a long time. Though my kiester was parked on a ranch halfway twixt Fort Collins and Laramie for 'bout half the time, my soul had its eyes, always, on the horizon.

I'm a confusing and confused... uh... "personality". That's the lot of a Yondering, Drifting, Loner, Biker Cowboy I guess.

Funny thing about Wanderers; Though we aren't comfortable any place... Though we must always move on... I think, deep in our souls is a paradoxical urge; the hunger to Belong. I think that is maybe what we (drifters) are all searching for. That Place where we Belong. Of course, when you are the "odd piece", finding the place in the puzzle where you seem to plug in right is a hard find.

So... we keep rolling... keep wandering... keep searching for that elusive valley of our dreams. I've Rolled, one way or another my entire life. Here and there along the road I've thought I'd found Home... only to have it blown apart or taken away...

Hell, the first six or seven years we were married I think we moved maybe eleven or twelve times. I sit in one place too long I get restless... antsy... my eyes start lookin' down the road. Deep inside, grows an unexplainable, driving need to move... to roll. If it isn't satiated it swells up and breaks out in less than prime ways. It will not be denied. The only thing that eases that internal pressure is movement. The literal action of splitting the wind.

Those un-afflicted  can't comprehend the need, the hunger, the Lust - To Wander. It's like... Breathing. Can you convince yourself that you don't need to breathe? Telling yourself to grow up and stop this senseless attachment to breathing is akin to telling a Yonderer to grow up and put down roots.

Sitting behind the windshield of a truck is ok... Straddling the saddle of a horse is good... Hands on the bars of a fine Motorcycle, knees in the wind is the best. But movement, going somewhere new, somewhere fresh... is required. It's the only thing that feeds that unexplainable, gnawing hunger. The only thing that tempers the ache.

When I'm on the road... no matter what is wrong around me... no matter what could be better... no matter what else could be different... If I'm on a Ribbon of Asphalt, somewhere, the road stretching out in front of me... fading into the distance... into the mystery and promise of tomorrow... all is right.

It's how it's been... How it will always be. It's where the words; "If I have to explain it, You won't Understand" come from.

With My Eyes on the Horizon
Brian

Do You Have Choices? Is It All Destiny?

 Or is it just that danged Murphy?

While I might be considered a "Believer"... I'm not one who believes in Fate... or some Organized, preordained Plan that controls my trail. I mean... if what I'm gonna do and where I'm gonna go was already written down somewhere then why, If I've no control, am I strugglin' so hard to sort it out? In fact, if those decisions were already made, why even get out of bed of a morning? Let the 'stand in' speak my "part".

Nope. I believe in Free Choice. Either I have it... or I don't. Now... of course that is tempered a lil' bit by that danged lil' Irish prankster... but then I do have the option to rope his beer swillin' behind and brand him up a bit... maybe even notch an ear or two!

Along the same lines, I don't much believe in the fatefull; "It wasn't meant to be" ~ or ~ "When your number is up your number is up" kind of thinking either. I just don't... I won't believe that the world around us makes our choices for us. Obstacles and difficulties by the bus load are thrown up sure... but... the choices are ours.

Fact is... there's been a time or four that it sure appeared that my Number Was Up. Only, bein' the stubborn buster I am... I refused to accept that. I Chose different.

My thinking is... Everything a body needs was put down here for us to use. If we waste it, that's our choice and the consequences are ours. If we husband what was put together for our use, and manage it wisely, it's Shining Times., and again, by our choices.

Now... THAT, managing Wisely, is something easier said than done ain't it? Since Wisely comes out of wisdom... and Wisdom comes from scars... Even doing it Right sorta means doing it painfully wrong a time or three!

But, in the end I think success or failure, is mostly dependent on how much we want something, and the choices we make in pursuit of Jack Palances "One Thing".  It's also colored by how much of the "Rest" (our secondary ambitions) we're willing to sacrifice to overcome the obstacles we find along the way; To find, achieve and hold on to That One Thing.

Remember that? Jack's Line in the City Slickers film?

Jack asks Billy Crystal; "Do you know what the secret to life is?"

    Billy answers; "No, what?"

    Palance answers: "One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean sh*#."

    Crystal looks puzzled and asks, "That's great, but what's the one thing?"

    "That's what you've got to figure out."

That's the bottom line of most ever'thing I write about and that; You stick to that One Thing... and everything else don't mean sh*#!!

The inmates of the Goin' RV Boondocking Fifth Wheel and Cowboy Biker Publishing Empire are approaching one of those 'Choices of Wisdom' forks in the road I'm thinking.

How many times have I knocked the dust off my soap box on a tirade 'bout "Avoiding the slithering entrapment of credit?" Or... how it'd be best to swear off the stuff and dig your way out of it, assuming that, like pretty much ever'body else in this soh-sigh-uh-tee, you'd taken a taste... and then like the sailor on his first shore leave... got staggering, face-in-the-mud plastered on the hooch! 

Again, easier said than done. When you're on the shady side of the mountain and can see the good years NOT stretching Out of Sight in Front of You any longer... and that Brick Wall of Mortality comin' at you in a rushin' hurry... the patience required to exercise the alternative to credit kind of loses it's shine... don't it? :)

Choices... Always choices and judgements.

Yeah, well... I guess Avoid and Best are the operative words here, since in this world the only available choices are often the two that have you deciding twixt the Devil and his Demon Sidekick. Unless you're willing to sit and wait, hoping that maybe if you hold your ears right, the clouds will part, the sun will come out, and suddenly everything will be all sweetness and light.

OK... That's a nice thought... But you're not sitting there holding your breath right? and... just in case you haven't noticed... I'm not real long on patience any more. There was a time, as others have said, that I had "the patience of an oyster"... Now? Not so much.

Our rig was supposed to be a lil' different than it is... a little stronger, a lil' better shape... But... the choices I had, the obstacles presented, and the pursuit of That One Thing... has us where we sit. The most important was protected but with a cost to the rest.

... and like Jack promised; all that "everything else?" ... "don't mean sh*#!" ;)

Now, I might get philosophical 'bout a lot of things but it don't mean I tee total ignore reality and everything else. Philosophy is the controls of the boat. The Rudder. It helps me keep things in perspective.

The point is... though I'd like to never use credit again, I'd like to never work for "The Man" again, I'd like to be as Free as the Beaver and the Wolf; The Reality of my Freedom is tempered as is that of the Beaver.

Sure he's Free and can live where ever he chooses... but he's gotta keep a wary eye for the Wolf too! If he wants to avoid being just another Freely Hunted meal on the Wolf's list of Gourmet Wildlife Feasts.

I can see the writing on the wall, some many miles down the road. We've used this Old rig hard, and it has miles left in it for sure... But how many? Is it wiser to wait until we're parked in a high mountain camp north of the back side of beyond... when it craps out? or... get out in front of it... and do something about it before we're backed into a corner where time and situation whittles our options to those that are fewer and less tasty. But, doing "something" means the use of money I don't have... again... the choices and the balancing of priorities.

So... I'm bein' a lil' ambiguous here... with intent. We have choices to make, and realities to accept, and eventually, we'll make 'em and accept 'em. Bein' fortunate to be blessed with a good tolerance for risk and a Fairly clear vision of what's most important to me, I take what comes and deal with it, one way or the other. I'll fly high or I'll crash hard...  Without a whole lot of grey in between. It's how it has always been for me, and how it will always be.

If I crash and burn? While it can be wearisome...it holds few fears. Been there ~ Done that! :) I'll stand back up...lift up My right foot... stick it out in front of me... and Start over... again. Either way, it'll be a hell of a ride! :)

You have choices to make as well. The only advice I can offer is; One thing, just one thing. You stick to that and everything else don't mean sh*#."

 "That's what you've got to figure out."  ... In the mean time, I'll be...

Chasing My One Thing... Always
Brian

I'm a Baaaaad Cowboy.... Sometimes

On this Memorial Day Holiday of 2012, and in remembrance of the fallen, who have given us so much, I find it appropriate to offer a general apology. Though, I apologize for any discomfort the transgressions of which I will speak have caused; I must honestly say, I can not be ashamed for them. Yet I do remain, often, a bad Cowboy.

Though it was from a training accident, I am a disabled Vet. I don't say that for sympathy. I don't want it, and won't accept it. I say it only as background, hoping it might offer help in understanding.

I've read where; "There are moments in your life that define you, that speak of who you are."

Those moments, in my life, have made me Intensely Passionate about Freedom and Liberty. I have seen the human race at its absolute, most depraved, worst... and paradoxically, at that same moment, its absolute and glorious finest.

In my "sermons" I have generally been careful to say, clearly, that each and every person must make their own choices in this life. That whatever those choices are, they are theirs to make... without judgement or criticism. Defense of that Right is what I served for.

At the same time, it is my desire to be a catalyst... an agent that prods and provokes people to stretch and reach beyond their "comfort zone" and strive for the true glory that is Freedom. It is my belief that the citizens of this society are conditioned, trained and propagandized by the system to be fearful of risk. To recoil from and reject risk at almost any cost. It is through this conditioning and the promise of future security in exchange for ever more of your liberty that the system grows its power and control; which is the one and only goal of any government.

It is a facet of my personal philosophy, for My Self that; An intense and all consuming focus on current and future security that seems to occupy and enmesh the majority of people's thoughts and efforts, is a cancer that consumes my todays if I allow it.

To sacrifice Necessary Liberty in the name of a fleeting and ephemeral Security is something I simply can not do. It is a personality trait that I know, many see as a flaw... but... it is my flaw.

It is also my opinion that the greatest part of any "security" is mostly fleeting and imaginary, and largely based on small pieces of paper that can be devalued without warning. Or consumed by the cancer of inflation over which there is no defense; and which is largely controlled by those selling the imaginary security in the first place. "Out of chaos comes control."

But... This is only My Opinion, which I live by and with... within the fevered confines of my own brain. 

In my desire to promote the joy that is Freedom and Liberty I on occasion, have found that I can become excessively assertive and aggressive in pursuit of that dream. The dream of dying knowing that something I did in my life led some few others to Freedom.

The Love I have for Liberty; Born of a sure and certain knowledge of the inherent costs and risks that make it so Precious; can sometimes blind a man to the reality that others might not Value it to the same degree, as is their Right.

It is also my belief that most have never known true Freedom, concealed under their blankets of Imagined security. It is my belief, Spoken freely. If you disagree, that is your Right. The Right that I and others served to Protect and Defend.

I have been advised and I believe it is true that I am endowed with a higher tolerance for risk than that carried by many if not most others. I do not fear failure or death. I have failed many times. I expect to know a few more.

What I fear is Life without Freedom.

I believe it is right to be so. However; It is not right to attempt to impose my belief on anyone or bully them into adherence to it; no matter how correct I might believe myself to be.

The definition of Liberty and Freedom dictates that anyone, striving to support and promote it must respect the values and choices of all others, within their own lives, as they demand such respect for their own. On occasion, my passion for Freedom has led me to say things in ways which I understand can be misread as denigrating those opinions of others. That has never and will never be my wish or intention. It is simply the consequence of an Overzealous lust for Freedom. For this I apologize.

I have put my life on the line in defense of the Freedom of which I speak. I would never, knowingly, betray that Treasure. My Freedom means more to me than Life.

So... If my words in Defense of Liberty have ever Offended or seemed excessively Aggressive; I apologize. I hope that you will understand that while I can not guarantee they will not be repeated, and though my Passions may lead me to speak too loudly at times... I hope only that you will understand my true motive, and tolerate my occasional overzealous expression.

This old soldier apologizes for any discomfort his passions may produce and asks for your forgiveness for the vice with which he is afflicted; His Passionate, all consuming, and sometimes overbearing, Love of Freedom. 

Brian

Is THIS... All There IS?

Mark, Boonie, Randy an' a few others have been working over the "Meaning" of RV Boondocking... and the Wandrin' Life... Like a lot of folks, it seems to me, they've been looking for what's "Missing"...

... and seeking ways of re-Shaping the life... to fit some imaginary blueprint. Pretty much Human Nature I'd guess. Kind of like the human equivalent of Beaver's. Cut here... fill there...poke this bit in over yonder... and Wa'La! A New World.

Only problem with that is... The More things change... the more they stay the same... as soon as you go to trying to "Re-invent" soh-sigh-uh-tee ... you wake up and you're driving an Edsel... same old same old with a new hood ornament... Put Lipstick on a pig, and ya still got a pig. ;)

~ ~ ~
I would get up in the morning...drivin' from my bed by the caustic scream of a Chinese made alarm clock. Climb on the bike at oh dark thirty and hit the road in a 15 degree sunrise.

Just a few feet up the road there was a sign "55mph"... on the side road just past it was another sign; "STOP".

In the center of the road are paint stripes... No passing... the other side can pass... my side can pass...

In the town I have to stop at the command of a light... I go with the permission of a light... I pass a man... several men... in cars with lights, and words painted on them who give commands in bullying posture and tone...

I walk down the street past signs, into stores... everywhere... No dogs, No running, No skateboards, No fishing, No Cell Phones, No Weapons, No Smoking, No Turns, No Parking, No No No No No...

I step into the place I work; "Have this done by 9:30. When you're finished come find me. I'll give you MORE work."

At the end of the day... Drained of the energy of life I drag myself back out to the bike... climb on... cinch down the helmet... Twist the throttle and roar away from that... but toward another town... People pushing, honking, cutting me off... running me off the road... Stealing the property from my home, stealing the very vehicle on which I sit... Trying to use weapons thinking they'll steal from me directly!

I turn on a radio or a boob tube... or pick up a newspaper or a magazine... or read the propaganda signs littering every intersection, and half the roadside between... and I have bureaucrats promising an easy life... if I surrender a bit more of that one thing that is the ONLY thing On This Earth... that is of ANY Value...

Everywhere... in this supposedly "Evolved" soh-sigh-uh-Tee... at EVERY turn... is someone with a Plan... someone with an Agenda... someone grabbing on to what ain't his with the intent of turning it to His/Her benefit... with... or... without... the co-operation of the true Owner of "That what ain't his". More often than not in this civilized soh-sigh-uh-tee... any co-operation that is gained is only the result of coercion, deceit and the fatigue of the beaten down... too tired to resist the unending abuse any more...

Now... from that dark, choking, reeking, cess pool of misdirected human endeavor... My wheels, 10 on the rig or the Two on the Scooter! roll me out into the bright sunshine... and put me on a road that leads to...

*Freedom Road*

 Wanders in... By God it Revels in...

FREEEEEEEDOMMMMMMM!

It's talked about how some folks roll for a few months... or a few years... and then stand there one day, hands in their pockets... looking up and down the beach...

Looking North they say; "Been that way." Looking south they say; "Been that way... I'm bored. Is THIS all there is? I thought there'd be More."

Huh? Not Really?!!!

What that is... is the vestiges... the yet unhealed scars of a grasping, commanding, demanding, cannibalistic, parasitizing human so-sigh-uh-tee.

From the time folks discard their diapers, they stand on their own two feet and begin taking the orders and commands of ALL those around them... to sacrifice their lives for the GREATER ??? good...to be beaten down if they stray from the commanded, expected route.

They grow up learning that until you are told what to do... you Don't Know... you aren't smart enough, talented enough, wealthy enough... and besides that... you don't have the RIGHT to live your own life. Your life belongs to US! It is for the Greater??? good! and to say otherwise means you are a sociopath best locked up and discarded if we can not rehabilitate you!

The end result? When, by some great and joyous combination of events they achieve that True Glory of FREEDOM!... they are fully un-equipped to do anything with it. Because... they've been Inculcated with the BullS&%T... for their entire lives that they must have "Guidance" to do ANYTHING!

ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Just what have you seen the Guiders do that has ever amounted to anything worth while?

The only Guidance you will EVER need is right between your ears... and equal amounts reside in your Heart and in your SOUL.

*NEVER... Fear to Climb the Mountain... Fear the Valley that Never Strives*

ALL you need to do... is open up those receptacles and dip into the precious treasure you've been carrying around, Unknown... Your Entire Life! When you hear the whispers of that little demon that's been covertly planted in your head by so-sigh-uh-tee, telling you; See? They lied! It's all for nothing...

... take a hammer... and bludgeon that carnivorous little maggot! It has NEVER been for Nothing... You Now, for the First Time in Your LIFE... Have FREEDOM! What you do with it... For the FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE... is tee totally up to you. The only thing you have left to conquer... is FEAR.

OK... The nut of this windy sermon is this...

If you find yourself on a beach... and think you've only got left or right, and you've been there before... Close your eyes... take a deep slow breath... and look inside your own soul.

What... if you could snap your fingers and make it be... Would you be doing?

Think not of the cost in dollars... nor the cost in sweat... nor the risk... nor any other obstructing tool so-sigh-uh-tee has conditioned you to chain your self to IT with...

Think ONLY of your Joy. What would YOU BE DOING... if all the interferences of de-volving so-sigh-uh-tee were removed.

Now... THAT... is your Objective. The ONLY thing that makes any sense to pursue. Finding the way to get from where you are... to WHAT YOU WOULD BE DOING... is what should occupy your day and consume your energies. (In fact it's a strange defiance of physics; that consuming that energy in the pursuit of your passion actually compounds your energy!)

*A Beach worth Walking Again :) *

If... you find yourself "Traveling" with others... fine... but... that is only socializing... and carries the heavy danger of rapidly falling back into so-sigh-uh-tee... Socializing is good... I don't promote hermitages... But... allowing ANYONE to have power, or exercise "influence" over the choices and options of your life is like saying that Some Cancer is Good.

As always... my Opinions are Free... So you get what you pay for! ;)
Brian

Just When You Think You've Got It Nailed...

You find out that though you'd rather be the hammer... you are in deed the nail!

I woke up Saturday Morning, put the coffee pot to doin' it's thing on that nice quiet solar power we've got stocked up in the batteries... sat down at the table and started whittlin' on the book...

In a lil' bit... sittin' there sippin joe and stringin' words I looked up and didn't really care for what I was seein' along the creek...

If you've been 'round this rig for any length of time ya'll know that modified, solidified, and de-heatified water... fallin' out of the sky, quit bein' anything I found attractive some lil' while ago!

So... when, in just a lil' bit that stuff started acting like a genuine spring storm... I started gettin' a bit antsy...

*Unexpected Weather Modifications*

Camped up at 10,000 feet stimulated memories of last year. I think it was about ten days later, and nigh on to 2000 feet lower that we woke up on Memorial Day with near to a foot of snow on the roof!

Not having any commo to know what the storm was or what we might could expect...

And, What with having to be a couple of hundred miles east in a few days... I opted to use that greater part of valor that I'm also pretty shy of... Discretion! ... we packed up early and DiDi'd for the lowlands! :)

We figured to roll east, part way to the front range and set a lower camp for the few days we had left before we had to descend into the populated urban dungeon.

Turns out... other things were workin'. The good gal that helps keep us on the road by takin' good care of our lil' store back in Fort Collins, called while we were rolling after lunch and notified us that she had a Family Emergency and needed to Fly out ASAP... If we'd just stayed put to weather the storm... she'd not have been able to let us know and she'd have been in a bit of a tight.

It really was a no brainer. Without her, we'd not be able to do what we do. So... she takes care of us... and we'll darn sure do what we can for her!

Any hoo... We made to head east the rest of the way to Fort Collins... a few days early. I knew I wasn't gonna run the whole way in one day... I just don't run that far at one time any more... Unless maybe I'm on two wheels! :)

Passed a few NF roads... but with the weather wet and those roads not well known to me, and not feeling like karma was smiling I juuuuust didn't feel like testing my mettle and ability to back a rig a mile or three in the mud if the road proved a poor choice... so... we kept lookin' for a night camp.

Long about 4:30 in the p.m. we'd just crossed Wilkerson Pass, we were in pretty country at 'bout 9,500 feet... and along came a Forest Service Visitor Center.

Of course, it wasn't open yet... but the gate was! :) and guess where I found a spot to hang my hat for the night? Sat there till near dark, waitin' for the sheriff or maybe a Forest Ranger to come tell us it wasn't safe for a rig to spend the night in an empty parking lot ;) and it would be better for everyone concerned and soh-sigh-uh-tee in general if we took off pushin' 20,000 lbs down the road Sleepy Driving... but neither Deputy or Ranger showed ;)

Darn! Danged Ol' Bureaurats! I had a whole speech practiced out 'bout How I'd a PAID at one of the self service pay stations... to spend the night in a Forest Service Campground... IF... they didn't have 'em all LOCKED UP! ;)  and I never got to use it! :(

So... I put on my cowboy jammies... and went to bed!

I'm not sure how many nights in a row that is now that our camp rent has been Zero... but... we've not paid a penny since we left Zion... and that don't hurt the budget at all... especially considerin' it had run at something like zero for a long time prior to Zion!

*Sunrise with I think Pikes Peak in the Distance*

It doesn't hurt to have nice soft sunrises, peekin' through the storm clouds, to start your day off with either... when you wake up after a good nights sleep in your... found just at the right time Night Camp.

We're in Fort Collins for a bit... to take care of veh. registrations, store business, family stuff... miscellaneous other stuff and nonsense... and then... I'm pretty sure I'll be ready to head back into some Colorado High Country... somewhere... and cleanse the Urban Dust out of my lungs!

Back in Over Populated Civilization for a Bit
Brian

It's the 21st Century... But a Man Can Still Dream of Freedom

Long about 9 miles above the Spring Creek Campground on the Gunnison National Forest, we found a little bit of heaven.

*High Above Gunnison*

 Our camp sits on a bench above Spring Creek as it winds past, headed I believe for the Taylor River. Near as I can tell that meets with the East River somewhere below us to form the Gunnison. If you keep following them down stream... you'll eventually cross the border at Yuma and be eating tacos in Mexico.

*Spring Creek on Gunnison National Forest*

 But for now, here in these mountains, the only thing I can hear is the gurgle of the stream as it twists and bends below our camp accompanied by the High Country Wind. The only thing I can see is the land God put under my feet for me to live on... and the Peace in my soul when I step outside, close my eyes and just suck in a full, deep, breath.

Our only neighbors are a family of Beavers.

It's a fault in my character, I guess, that brought me here now. It seems that just as the weather clears up and gets warm where I am, some unseen force moves me north and higher.

From the 4500 feet or so back on Ash Creek, by way of Zion to the 8200 feet or so camped on the San Juan. From there we moved north and east another hundred miles or so... and almost 2,000 feet higher.

What can I say? My flaws keep me moving and living in open and far country so how can I complain?

*Our Spring Creek Camp*

From camp, if you drop into the bottom and cross the creek on a small lil' log bridge you'll find there, you can follow up one of the lil' feeder streams that feeds the main creek.

Just about every stream and creek in this area has been corked up with Beaver Dams. Which I'm sure the fishermen are awful fond of, since they make sweet hidy holes to catch the big, heavy bellied trout that you have to fold in half to fit in a pan!

They pose a problem for such as me though. The first thing I think, whenever I see a Beaver Lodge is how lucky they are. And then, that thought tends to twist up uncomfortable knots in my shorts.

Ya See... I don't like bein' considered "Second Class" and just the thought of "Tyranny" makes my liver quiver... My eyes cross, my face contorts... the pressure in my head swells... and eventually smoke and sparks start spewin' out my ears.

*Beaver Lodge and Dam Built Without Permits or Inspections*

 Make no mistake... in the Kings "Federal Plutocracy"... "Second Class" is what we are... and "Tyranny" is how it is. We are, in their eyes, "Federal Property". You can spend your time hangin' fancy names on things and labeling the demanded behavior; "Good Citizenship", but that don't change reality none. We are the good lil' drones of the bullyin' Federal massuh.

I for one, weary of it. I look at the Beaver's around their Dens... or think of Wolves and I want the Freedom and Rights they enjoy.

 I mean look at it. That Beaver builds his house, wherever he chooses. There's no requirement from the King, sittin' at his desk in a fancy oval office two thousand miles away, for that Beaver to pay for a "permit" from his officers. (Let me drain a wet spot on my own land and they send in the SWAT!) There's no Inspection required... and that Beaver need not pay an annual tribute, to those who claim to be his masters... to LIVE in his own house.

We on the other hand... have to pay tribute just to sit on a rock and have a freakin' pic nic!

Let me go out in the woods and put up a cabin on Gods Earth, where ever and HOW ever I choose... can you just imagine the storm I'd stir up doin' that?

Mess with that Beaver's lodge and you get arrested, cited and fined. Resist them tearin' down the lodge YOU build... on the Bank of that same beavers pond... and... yup... YOU are gonna get arrested, cited and fined.

Seriously... Think about it for a moment... They "TELL" you that you're Free... but are you? Can you build your own home? Can you hunt for your supper? Freely?

That Beaver is Free on the Earth; Dependant only on his own courage and skill for Survival.  He has no need for the permission of other Beavers just to LIVE. I admire his Freedom. I am green eyed jealous.

Even the Wolf can hunt as he chooses. No permission must be secured, no licenses required. No season declared. Hell, he's got humans serving as his protective guards. Truthfully, even if the sheep and cattle that parasite is taking belong to me; it is I who will find trouble, if I should interfere with his Freedom to hunt as he pleases.

The Beaver and the Wolf have greater Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness than a Man does. The values of this world have gotten twisted. They've been perverted.

"It's Not the Same! The Wolf gets hunted!" the parasite lovers cry. Run on down to the center of Albuquerque, Denver or Phoenix...and walk around for a few hours with a wallet in your pocket. Ya'll will be knowin' a lot greater danger from "Hunters" than modern wolves do! And let's face it... if you choose to defend yourself against THOSE hunters... you're likely to wind up in jail just as fast!

What in the hell is goin' on in human soh-si-uh-tee?

The powers and force of Government, seized by such as the wolf lovers has perverted basic right and wrong. It's Orwell's double speak in the flesh!

I don't want to take from other folks... I only want to be like the Beaver and the Wolf, Free on the Earth. Dependent on my Own Abilities and no one else's.

Yeah... I know... Don't get my Hopes up. Hold my hands out, you say... Hope in one and ... "Ahem!"... in the Other... and see which one fills first; Right? ;)

OK... Back to the Gunnison.

It's cold yet... this high. Our camp is sitting maybe a tall midget below 10,000 feet. Looking at the map I'm speculatin' we sit at 9,900 size 10's above the Pacific. What can I say. I told you the other day that I hunger for the High Up and Lonesome. It's a necessity for the survival of my soul :) Even if Goin' Down the Road is a competing lust.

The air here is crisp and clear. It's scented with the sweet smell of pine and that indefinable flavor of... Pure.

Spring Creek Reservoir is above us, and Taylor Reservoir sits at the top of Taylor Canyon just over the ridge to the East.

I spoke some time ago that I wasn't gon' let Cell Signal rule my life as strong as it has. Well, this camp is an example. If I'd let signal dictate where I put the trailer jacks down... I'd not be soaking in the Joyful Freedom of this camp. When I look at the signal meter it says X _ _ _ _  :) Nope! None! Nada! NO CONNECTION! You is in the 1880's world my friend!

Well... Ok... They didn't have my coffee maker or Ipod in 1880... but if I look out the window... and imagine I'm looking through a hole in a cabin wall... I can FEEL like 1880! :) and when the chill of 10,000 feet in the Rockies sinks a lil' to deep into my bones... I can step back inside and enjoy that 20th century propane furnace! :)

*Spring Creek Reservoir on the Gunnison National Forest*

I've found another benefit too. Since I tend to go off in several directions at once... trying hard to multi task and ending up with the confusion leaving me "No-Tasking", having this quiet around me allows my spirit to focus on my "art"... that being the whittling of stories.

The newest book I'm working on got set to simmer for a bit, 'cause my inspiration ran a little stale... I guess.

But now, in this camp, the next and second installment in my "Jeb Taylor" series has caught fire with the inspiration of this gorgeous country. "With the Heart of a Man" is building fast now. With modest luck in finding continuing inspiration in the camps I find, I could have this tale finished up by mid summer... a bit later than my imagined timeline... but then... that's what I get for "planning'!

While I thought my first novel; "A matter of Honor" was a good one... and the start of a second series "A pair of Second Chances" was a far better story, I'm coming to believe this one just might be the best of the three.

Kinda fun to think I've not hit my peak yet! :) I had strung 4,000 words together this morning before we left for our hike! I expect to add a few more thousand as soon as I'm done carving this post! The High Up and Lonesome seems to grease my word whittler.

Ash Fork in Arizona and the mountainside above Sula in Montana had that same affect.

Guess I should hang in "out of touch" country a lil' more huh? 

Ah... but it ain't to be. Commitments have us needing to be on the front range by the 24th, so this jewel of a camp shall remain... but we'll be moving along in a few days.

 Swelling My Soul in the High Up and Lonesome

Brian

Gettin' Up into the High Country... Goin' Down the Road

So. there's two ways over the mountain from our camp, if you want to get from our camp near Mancos...  and up to Montrose. One east... one west.

You could run east a few miles turn north and roll straight up 550 out of Durango... climbing over Coal Bank, Molas and Red Mountain passes. 

Well... since we ran that way twice, up and back, just last week... I chose the less direct, western route. It's not a new road to us, been on it many times before. Sometimes, I like it even more.

The scenery changes with each season... in the fall... you damn near need welding glasses, the colors are so deep and full and bright in the sun.

From our old camp east of Mancos we turned off 160 making a left hook up 184, swinging right on 145 at Dolores then just past Placerville we swung right again, completing the hook to Ridgway.

*The High Rockies near Ridgway*

 That's where we linked back up with 550 and turned back  North West and rolled to our Night Camp at the La Posado de Walmart resort in Montrose! ;)

Along the way is another high pass... This one known as Lizard Head.

Somewhere along in there I spotted a wide spot in a likely place and spur of the moment... decided I was hungry. I smoked the binders and pulled the rig off for a High Mountain Lunch.

I'll tell you... if it wasn't for commitments and chores stackin' up on the front range... I'm kinda doubtful the rig would have made it all the way to Montrose this evening! :)

My gutline might have been better off for it too! I never thought the High Lonesome could be the cause of a Puss Gut! That run over the mountain had me feeling pretty shiny, which had me volunteering a budget busting supper at the Chilis across the street from the Wally World Resort!

Grilled Salmon and Shrimp, and a Good beer! :)... finished up with a shared plate of a Molten Chocolate Heart attack on a plate... sweet enough to tighten your belt enough to choke off your breath... if I'd not been smart enough to leave it off!

Tomorrow when we continue our roll a lil' farther east... We're hunting a camp for our Daughter and Grandkids to join us for a few days... and Hopefully their Dad if he can cut himself loose from the job for a bit.

High Lonesome, Family... and a Big Red Motorcycle... Shining Times... and who the hell cares if the budget looks a lot like that fraying cable holding the Hero suspended above the raging waters of the river far below! :)

Why worry? I can't swim worth a damn anyhoo!

I'm Feelin' and Urge for Wild and Wooly
Brian

Itches, Curiosities, Ramblings and Whines...

Well... there's been 'nuff loafin' 'round this camp... Though I didn't get a majority part of the work I had planned... completed ;) ...

Time is here to get this Ol' raggedy rig rollin' an' rattlin' again.

The sewer's full... the fresh tank is dry... the trash can's full...

The guy in the forest service  pickup is startin' to peer at us with a jaundiced eye... and my hitch is itchin'.

Not to mention...

That the weather of the past few days...

Is showin' signs of relaxin' just a mite... which would allow us to pull on out 'thout stirrin' up a mess.

There's business and family waitin' east a ways... so we'll start movin' again probably late in the morning, or early in the afternoon... we're in a turrible hurry!... and see where we end up...

*The Ranch Gate that ain't a Gate on a Ranch that ain't a Ranch*

Been finding a few "Curiosities the past several days... A few days back we took a run up LaPlata Canyon, and I saw this gate.

It's a sure 'nuff sign of a townie that built hisself a "ranch"... when the Gate he puts up... would barely stop a man in a wheel chair... 'cept for the top and bottom rails, and the lil' bit of stuff in the center... this gate got no GATE at all! A Horse, a Cow, a sheep or a short Pig could walk right up... and step right through that sucker! A short man could walk through 'thout duckin'!

... and I'll bet He'll be wonderin' why his "critters" don't stay home! :)

Then... down in town... I discovered just how "Poor" we are ;) I just find it curious... If you described to someone... what I been doin' for two years an' more; Do you think you could convince 'em that I'm livin' in poverty? Nope? I would hope not...

So... when you look at these numbers of a "welfare" program the Feds got workin' that I found in Mancos... according to this... I've got to pile up something like an 18 or 20% improvement to my income... to NOT qualify for this particular Welfare...

Hmmm... Could it be that somebody needs to take a lil' closer look at things? and Maybe...just Maybe (look real close) ... whoever is drawing this particular bit of welfare (it's a food distribution thing) should cancel their CABLE first! ...before they go lookin' for hand outs?

I mean... food or TV... what's your priority and responsibility... huh?

and remember... I'm at least 15%, likely more... Under their "guideline"... and I sure as HELL ain't poor! ;) seems to me, "Somebody" just likes havin' folks thinkin' that they're "Dependent" and "need help"... Just Sayin'...

Now, this poor picture is an example of what happens when you go off on a back roadin' expedition... and see what should make a good photograph... even if it is a rainy, overcast day...

... and reach for your camera...

... Only to discover, that you left it sittin' on the table top in the rig.

This is all you get when the only camera you have with you is your telephone! :)

Guess I need to make a checklist... for loafers... of what to take on day trips and tape it to the steering wheel!...

Picked up a fresh six pack of beer on the way back to camp from that lil' circle... and I don't get it. There's some folks out there that call themselves Beer Snobs. Only drink the BEST... they say.

So... wantin' only the BEST for myself... which is why I ride a Yamaha Raider! :) ... I picked up, for the second time, that SORT of Brew that THEY (the Beer Snobs) claim is the BEST...

I picked out a different Brand than my last effort at educating my Beer Palate... figuring maybe THAT would change something... 

For the second time... I took a pull on that cold amber brew... and my instant, unadulterated, un-subtle, clear and knowing reaction when the stuff hit my taste buds was... PPFFFFTTT! YUCK... PAHTOOY! YECH!!

I don't understand Abstract Art... I don't understand folks that like big cities... I don't understand boxer shorts... and I DON'T UNDERSTAND... how Anyone can think IPA is any sort of good tasting Beer!

It tastes 'bout like what I would expect the water I wrung out of my boots, after riding all day in the rain on the Alaskan Highway to taste like... if I ran it through a garbage disposal first!

I've got five of 'em sitting all iced up and chilly... in the fridge for anybody who stops by and likes the muck! :)

Guess it's time to finish off the last of this mornings coffee... and get to packin' up... if we're to make our likely "night camp" at the Montrose Walmart! :) ... I wonder if that good lil' coffee hut is still there... just across the parking lot?

Hitchin' Up and Goin' Down the Road
Brian

The Tonto National Forest in Arizona Has Led the Way... The Rest of the National Forests Need to Heed the Lesson

 I suspect that RV Boondocking is getting a Boost as an Unintended Consequence of National Forest Service Performance... or... is that Non-Performance?

We've been snooping around the area the last few days... backroading and scouting camps to file away in our "next time" file, just to keep on top of things, and because... I just like backroad snoopin'!

I have to say... the tendency of National Forests to "not have a clue" is kind of amazing. Especially considering there are examples, Big Ones, within the outfit to show them the way.

There are several Forest Service campgrounds within just a few miles of our RV Boondocking camp. One, just a mile and a half or so...

I realize that things have to be paid for... but why pay $14-17 a night... for dry camping... where there isn't even water or a trash dumpster provided in the campground... when I have the SAME amenities (or lack of)... parked out in Dispersed Camping areas for a total fee (beyond my already paid taxes of course) of ZERO?

As Doctor Gray would say; "Seriously?"

San Juan National Forest is definitely a part of Government. Kind of like California Government. If you're policies are heavily damaging the ability of people to perform and work... just raise their Taxes while you cut services and increase the burden they have to carry. THAT will fix things and grease the wheels of commerce! ;) Geeze! Talk about learning disabled!

The PROOF that a tiny lil' spark of hope still exists; That a few SOMEBODies yet remain who "Get It"... and actually perform... can be found down in Arizona. On the Tonto National Forest to be exact.

Compare the services/facilities provided by San Juan National Forest within their Concessionaire Contracted operation to that on the Tonto National Forest...

The Tonto Charges a $6 a day fee. That's not a discounted rate for folks like me with Golden/Access cards... that's SIX Dollars; as in $6.00 bucks a day. (That's just $3 for us Army Crips!)

... and they've been keeping that citizen cost down For Years!

What do you get for your money? A clean easy to get around campground on Roosevelt Lake. For us it was Cholla Campground. You get potable water in several points within the campground. You get Solar Heated SHOWERS in Multiple Full Bathrooms. You get playground equipment for the Kids/Grand Kids.

There are also RV Dumpstations! Two, right there at Cholla Campground!  How many have I found available for the use of the folks utilizing the HIGH DOLLAR San Juan National Forest Campgrounds from Mancos to Lake Vallecito? Well... Let's see... Oh yeah... There are ZERO. As in not one. Boo Koo Campgrounds... minimal service... heavy use... Pay a lot... get; Not Much.

$17 bucks on the San Juan National Forest... most of which goes to a Private Corporation that landed one of the Management Contracts that Make No Sense and truly only subsidize the Corporation... or $6 bucks on the Tonto National Forest... and get Full and Proper Services...

 ... for those who don't want to park out in the bush like me! :)

One is prospering... the other is decaying...  go figure.

There's a lesson here for the National Forests of the country, and it's a clear and easy one, with a shining example... at least in my experience. Stop dumping off your responsibilities to private corporations. Terminate the sweetheart contracts. Restore the Nations Campgrounds to the condition they should be maintained in.

The director, chief stud duck, head honcho... or whatever they call the top bureaucrat in the National Forest Service needs to step up and direct his minions; 

Take a Lesson from the Tonto National Forest on how to get it done, and be at least one Federal Agency that does a good job for the American People.

If the Tonto can do it... ALL of the National Forests can.

Yeah well... a fella can dream can't he?


Harrumph!
Brian

Racing BBQ's and a Reality Check

Had the Chicken on the grill the other night... Seems we're already into the Summer routine of Beautiful Mornings and stormy afternoons...

*Storm Approaching over the San Juan*

It was a shiny blue sky when the chicken went on... The storm won the race! Finished the bird up on the stove inside! :) ... and twenty minutes later? Yup. Blue Sky. :)

Got tricked into a lil' introspection the other day... Now THAT can be a lil' eye opening... if you let it be.

We were talking with Mark and Bobbie up in Ouray Sunday afternoon. Mark commented that "You guys really Move!" and Bobbie chimed in with; "We look and you're in Zion... the next time we look you're in Goosenecks and Mesa Verde!" :)

Geeze... and WE thought we'd slowed down! I guess my gypsy rodeo drifter parts are showing. :)

And THAT was the key to the Eye Opener for me. Ever'body... myself included has a way of passing judgement on what ever'body else is doin'.  I don't mean that as any sort of criticizin'... it's just how it is.

I suppose that makin' a judgement is pretty much required... if you expect to be makin' any choices... and, it herded me around to makin' a Judgement 'bout myself.

Mostly, it's been a revelation of sorts to me. That as much as Mark and I absolutely treasure many of the same things... we are still as different as anyone can be.

As much as I treasure and NEED the High up and Lonesome... Goin' Down the Road... is, and always has been, my Chocolate... and the greater Need.

For Mark and Bobbie I'd guess their Need is found Above Timberline. For Boonie... it's apparently Bad Weather and rusty buckets. ;)

Where this thinkin' led me though is back to a lot of what I've been thinking about... and writing about. And how frugal living and minimalism fits into it all.

I'm coming 'round to the realization that Frugality and minimalism isn't or shouldn't be the goal... they should only be possible tools to achieve a goal.

The goal, to my mind should be... Finding the sheer joy in stepping out of your door... whether that door be cut in a wall that hangs above a set of wheels ;) or opens onto the deck of a sweet lil' cabin perched on the slopes above a high mountain town ;)

... stepping out that door into the sunshine of another glorious day... or the booming echoes of a thundering summer storm!

The sheer giggling joy of rolling a motorcycle over the high passes, sun or rain!... walking down a beach and finding sand dollars and star fish in the pools... or sitting in a lil' port side cafe' along the Pacific Coast Highway...

... or getting your picture taken... Standing on a Corner in Winslow Arizona!

It's not about beating yourself up because you tried to live without... and found that the self flagellating austerity, and self imposed poverty of a monk living with one tattered robe, in a stone hut on warm water and tofu burgers is not a real joyful thing.

Do you get what I'm trying to say?

If you only have a few dollars, you bet, you have to be a lil' careful how you stretch 'em... but that's all. Stretching dollars is NOT the GOAL... LIVING!!! Is the goal. Living in all the reverberating, stereoscopic Colors you can squeeze into a day!

Sipping a hot cup of coffee under the awning, while you stand watching the lighting flash and the thunder roll...  good music on the stereo... the open road stretching out in front of you... Shining Times!

I've found myself feeling hypocritical and realized it's 'cause I was falling into that trap. That "conditioned" idea that you're less than a good person 'cause you like nice things. New shirts, New boots... flashy, hot rod motorcycles... or whatever. Those things that are the Hot Sauce in your life.

I'm not talking ostentation here... I'm saying what Ol' Gus once said; "It's not dyin' I'm talkin' about... It's LIVING!"

I've tried to frugalize and minimalize to fit into what I was thinking was a "proper" philosophy... and not really liking the limits I was imposing to fit my own "Stereotype" of the "ideal". Simply put... It doesn't fit me well.

In less delicate terms... what a truck load of  Bull Feces!  If I'm honest with myself... THAT ain't me. Fitting into what other folks have carved out to be "Proper" and "Acceptable" has NEVER been a strength of mine!

Truth be known... I was always known as the Cowboy with the Flashy shirts and the fine boots! :) What can I say? I was always a bit of a dandy and a show off... Not that I am NOW of course! ;) and that ain't 'zactly frugal or minimalist thinkin', now is it?

You know what? I LIKED me back then, and I like THAT me... Now!

Life is meant to have fun with it... not spend all our time worryin' 'bout what will people think if I do this or that... spend too much $$$ on one of "Those"... or spend our LIVES... doing what Excites us.

That is what we SHOULD be doing with every moment of life that we can... Finding those things that gets our Hearts pumpin', our faces smiling... and our adrenaline burning! LIVING! That is the ONLY thing that should take Primary Priority in any decision we make.

If something Costs too much LIFE... THAT is a waste. NOT... If LIFE costs too much we shouldn't LIVE it! Do you get what I'm saying?

Sure I'm broke, but I ain't poor! I may do things that are stupid, and make no sense to anyone... but they Make Sense to ME.

That's the key folks. In the end, the ONLY person you need to please... Is Yourself. You are a mirror. Any true and honest pleasure you give to anyone else is only that reflected from your own life.

So go out and LIVE it!

Reality Check completed!
Brian

Day Trippin' on a Yamaha from our Boondock Camp

When I looked at that smartphone I pay too much for... the weather man was threatening some wet weather in the coming week. Sunday looked to be the last he was mostly promising sunny skies, so we rolled the Raider up Hwy 550 from our camp outside of Mancos (6 miles or so).

Our goal was Ouray and our Good Friends Mark and Bobbie, who as always proved their superiority to yours truly as hosts... ;) I even got a portrait taken that could fool folks into seein' me as ok to take out in public!

The road bikers, the sort where you grunt and sweat and pump the pedals to move, were heavy all the way to Silverton.  Even raced one down the hill into town... I won! ;)

But whose the nutcase huh? The guy on the 113 cubic inch, two wheeled, asphalt pounder? orrrrrr the guy in his tight lil' shorts, and a plastic skull cap... pushin' his bicycle on its paper thin tires, about the width of a pencil eraser, and brakes that aren't nuthin' but a couple of rubber blocks squeezin' his rims... down that mountain at 40+ miles an hour?!!! :)

I can say... it's a lot easier to pass that horde of health nuts... if you're on two wheels yourself! Especially if you've got a Yamaha V-Twin mill shovin' your cute lil' senior butt up the mountain.

I did get quivers of feelin' a lil' puny though... up at the roadside on top of Coal Bank Pass...

Here's all those pedal pumpers in their tight lil' shorts and short sleeves standing around in the sunshine when I pulled up needful of some quality time in the outhouse...

I climb off the bike and start unzipping, un buttoning, un fastening, un doing... I think Eight Layers of fleece, insulated vest and long johns... to get down to ME... so I can ... uh ... take care of... uh ... biological necessities!

Makes a guy feel kinda wimpy! :)

Till you stop and realize... one guy there was braggin' that he'd made 7.1 miles per hour on his climb!

Well, let me tell ya gurls! The weather changes at 65 mph! :)

Which kinda reminds me... A fashion note... girls and good lookin' matronly gals can do fine in those spandex shorts... they actually decorate the scenery ;).... but... it's just my opinion now; Chicken legged, bony kneed, pot bellied pusgutts, of the male persuasion... with most their hair missin' and a long way from their masculine prime... should seriously consider... uh ... a lil' more in the way of biological Camouflage!

Guys! Listen up! Sweatin' up the mountain in that Spandex is NOT a benefit to your Image! ;) Just sayin'.

I dont' think the train is running yet... leastways not all the way to Silverton... takes 'em some time to get the snow cleared out... and I don't want to even think 'bout riding that narrow gauge rattler over that section that hangs on the face of a sheer cliff!... with SNOW still covering the tracks!

You look out the window and can't see ANYTHING under that Steamer... just lots and lots of DOWN!

Way... Way... DOWN! :)

We'll be hanging here for a while yet I believe. Just saw a comment by a gal that lives in the area (if you make the "area" a 100 mile radius from her porch) we're sorta planning on hanging 'round this summer...

While it might be raining in Denver... it's a couple inches of snow on her car...

So... we'll let Ol' Sol get caught up with his labors for a bit 'fore we move much farther north.

Got home from Day trippin' on the Yamaha to one of those nice soft sunsets...

A good day... though... that's kind of an Oxymoron... ANY day on two wheels is a Great Day! :)

Makin' do the best I can
Brian

Backroading and Prospecting for RV Boondocking Camps

Now... I'm supposed to be workin' in this Long Camp we've set... Yeah, well... The past two days we've been backroading the Ol' flatbed. :) Not much work gettin' done! I got the part time part of the Work Part Time... Live Full time Philosophy shined up real good! I vow!

And as for the RV Camp prospecting... this country is pure gold!

Started down in Mancos yesterday with a lil' snoopin' in their art galleries and checkin' out the town. I like the place. Mancos is a nice lil' burg. Started as mostly a lumber town, supplying the mines up Silverton way back in the 1880's.

*Mancos Methodist Church*

That and raisin' beef to feed 'em.

As always... the folks feeding and supplyin' the miners probably made more than the miners ever rooted out of the hills! :)

Today... the only "lumber" cuttin' goin' on is to supply an excelsior plant that builds aspen swamp cooler pads and those long, snaky, 6" diameter or so... burlap and stuffing, erosion control gizmos you see staked to the ground where they've done road work and such.

Poked a short way up one forest road on the way back to camp... but it was late so we thought we'd go back in the morning with 'nuff time to make a full circle.

*Near Mancos, Colorado*

Decided to just go ahead and use the photo of this old barn from Heidi's phone... Too bad the dang things don't make phone calls as good as they make pictures! ;)

So we pulled back in there today, intending to make a circle 'round the mountain...

*San Juan National Forest North of Mancos*

At something over 9000 feet it's still a lil' cool. The Aspen has just started leafin' out. You all that grey is dormant Aspen... This place must be dang near blinding come the fall when it all turns back to gold.

The road was dry and we climbed higher and higher. Even put the ol' truck into four by... cuz it's easier over the washboard...

When we got about as high as I thought the road would climb we started running into winter dropped Aspen that had fell 'cross the road. Somebody'd already come along and chainsawed the logs back to make a big 'nuff hole to roll through it that turned out to be futile...

... Unless you got more ambition than I did! I walked up and took a look... That snow was wet, heavy and more'n a foot deep. Likely the same somebody that'd fired up their chainsaw, tried to push his lil' jeep on through. The tracks were clear where they got 'bout halfway across that first big patch... and got stuck...

Trying to back out, they darn near slid off the bank into the trees on the left... They engaged a significant amount of pucker factor to get the rig back out without goin' over! ;)

I admired their ambition for a bit... and the purty surroundings for a bit more... 

And then... Not wanting to gain the bruises and scars I'd get if I put the truck, with Heidi in it... Over the edge in that same place, I opted to exercise what lil' discretion I keep around and wiggled that truck around and went on back a ways to take a peek up another road.

I got to tell you... this country round about Mancos is some Pristine Boondocking Real Estate!

 Whud-a-ya think? Could you stand to set a camp in this spot? I know... it's pretty awful what with all the empty space an' all... but you could likely get used to the quiet... and having to use an alarm clock to get up in the morning rather than your neighbors hot water heater! :)

*In the San Juan National Forest*

... and to be forced to endure a view such as this, every time you stepped out of the rig in this RV Boondocking spot... a 1/4 mile below that last one, why... it'd be the cruelest sort of torture for a fella wouldn't it?

Compound that with such sites bein' free... and why... Somebody should pass a law! :)

Now... over on the road we're currently camped on, several camps moved in for the weekend. This here road... a couple miles west... not a single camp! If I'd realized this was here... Here is where I'd be camped!
Another prime place goes in the "notebook"!

Just be aware if you Boondock around such country as this in April or May... THIS country don't call it summer until after Memorial day! You'd best be prepared to ride out a few days of snow! It can blow in fast and keep you from movin'. If your propane, water and groceries are good... and your Kindle has a few of my books on it! ;) you're set to weather the storm!

Sunday is for a ride up the Million Dollar Highway, clean to Ouray.

Then it's back here... and somebody has to get some discipline... and whether he likes it or not... he's got to quit playin' 'round and get some work done!

Gettin' High Again in Colorado
Brian

The Anti-Retirement Do It When You're Young - Lifestyle

There is an alternative to the old ways. Those old ways were Failed Ways for me. Took me a long time to really understand that.

*Colorado High Country Horny Toad*

 ... and it's small little things that keep me seeing it.
Like finding one of those Rocky Mountain High county... Magical Dragons! on a hike.

It's living those small little moments that you don't get, sweating away in your cubicle... that remind me; "In spite of the troubles I might have... I'm here! I'm Free! I could be an Employee!"

Spell that W-A-G-E  S-L-A-V-E

I escaped. I found Freedom. You should join us.

But You Say You're Going to Wait? Why?

Don't do that! Work out your path now. Do it Now. Don't Wait.

If a Way of Living is calling to you... Speaking to your heart... A way that is Outside the Box and just the thought of it makes you smile... Why wait? Don't let the Naysayers talk you out of YOUR life because they're too scared to chase their own dreams and ambitions... (they also don't want to lose one more donkey off the treadmill that supports them)

 This is the view near our camp... it kind of reminded me that the trail can be hidden from you. You have to push through the confusion, mis-direction and false trails to find the sunny slopes beyond.

Only you can make you do that. And let me tell you... those sunny slopes and grassy meadows of a life of Freedom are fine people. They are Shining Times!

Stop being their meal ticket... and START supporting YOU!

I get emails and comments from people we talk to all the time; "We hope to do what you're doing... One Day." Really? Then, Why aren't you?... I mean right now, today! What is it you're waiting on?

Till you retire? Why? So you can be just another of the ones who say; "The only mistake I made was waiting too long to do this!" ?  That is of course... if you live that long.

I've lost count of the people I've talked with who pursued a "Career" only to end up with a drained spirit and an empty purse. Remember the Jack Nicholson Movie; As Good As it Gets ? (I think that's the title)

Way too many people, after years of career struggle end up asking that question; "Is THIS as good as it gets?"

My answer; In THAT life, yes it is. BUT... that is NOT as good as LIFE gets. You just have to pony up the guts to grab on to it and ride it!

This life I have now is NOT, a lifestyle of retirement. I am not retired and I never will be. The ONLY true mistake I made in the whole deal was finding excuses NOT TO and Waiting!

I know all the excuses, made a lot of 'em myself for a while; Money, Job, Family, Cost of Fuel... yadda yadda yadda. in the end just that... EXCUSES... Not legitimate reasons. If you truly want a Gypsy life of Freedom and Yondering, Do It! ... The only thing stopping you... IS you.

It stopped me for a long time... Then one day I got weary of the lame excuses, tied my packs and rode out.

I/We closed our eyes to all the excuses... changed the perspective of our cogitating from; "We can't. It won't work. The obstacles are too big." to; "How CAN I. Where's the road 'round. What's the solution. I'll just do without... and any other way of climbing over, around or crawling through the rough spots.

The biggest Fears I hear folks ask about are the cost of fuel, the cost of RV Parks and how do you support yourselves?

These are all bright folks. But I suppose they've been so conditioned for so long that they "Can't"... until the system tells them when and how... they simply don't saddle up their own mule and ride! Somehow they don't realize... It's their choice.

Those top questions;

The cost of fuel and RV Parks? How much do you pay for rent Now? How much do you spend on fuel to get to and from your "Work"? for your utilities? for your water? We pay less than a $100 bucks for heating propane in the winter... in the summer propane goes to maybe $35... our water is mostly free at the RV Dumps we use... which are most all free. Our Parking fees have never risen above $180 bucks (and that's for National Forest Camps... NOT... High Dollar Commercial RV parks... packed in belly to butt.

Most months, our Rent ... or Camp fees is Zero... just like this, our current camp. Can you afford a yard like this? with zero cash outlay? as for fuel... Currently at $4.15 for diesel down in town. We'll spend maybe $400 bucks at the most in the months we move more.

Months like this one coming, when we make a couple long camps... the diesel bill plummets...

Can you afford "Rent" of less than $400? (camp fees + diesel) and utilities of $35?

 The big "Nut" to crack is; "How do you support yourselves"; I work my websites, write my books, We still own that lil' store from the "Old Life" that kicks in half or a lil' better... We work the NASCAR races in Phoenix in the winter... We're almost the modern version of Hunter/Gatherers.

Just yesterday a woman made a comment about us being retired. When I said we weren't she looked at me kind of funny... like; "I thought you were full timing?"... That's when I told her; "I'm a professional Traveler!"

It just struck me at the moment... but it hit me as being the real truth. Bein' a wandering, yondering, Gypsy Cowboy Biker, IS my Career! ;) Like in any Job you've ever had, you find the solutions required to get the job done.

Don't ever use the word can't. Every time that starts to slip past your lips... STOP! and replace it with How Can I?

Point is... there's no shortage of ways to support yourselves. You can all read... or you wouldn't be HERE. You all have talents and passions. Focus on them. Find a way to turn your talents and passions into a cash flow. If I can do it... ANYONE can.

First though... you MUST... quit surrendering to fear.

Quit making excuses and start building your life. If a broken down old soldier, biker cowboy with a bad attitude and empty pockets can do it... You can. I'm not telling you to do anything I've not already done. So I KNOW it can work. I KNOW you can do it. The worst that can happen is you fail and have to start over... so what? Great glory only comes to those who try... if you don't try... you've got No Chance at all.

I've said it before and I say it again now to all those who say they don't have "Enough" saved up. We left, September 2010... with a pocket full of money.

Yup... Plenty of money. Enough to make it to maybe the 20th of that month... IF... we lived really frugally.

Then... we destroyed a high dollar tire on Day ONE!

Guess what... it's been some little while... we've run low on cash (or never got ahead of low on cash!), busted more pieces and parts... and we're still out here... Livin' High and gettin' fat.

If you're serious about wanting a different life, a better life... a LIFE that is the realization of your Dreams and Ambitions, quit making excuses and Start building. Do it now. Do it today...

When you succeed...

*Magic Freedom Dragon*

... and find your Magic Dragon...

We'll see you on the road somewhere.
Brian