Polebridge Mercantile... The Montana Bakery

We used the truck to make the requisite pilgrimage to the Polebridge Mercantile Bakery.

It's getting easier every year. There seems to be less and less gravel road to access the tasty goodies on the edge of the Montana Wilderness. Another year or two and a big Ol' road bike will make the two up ride without complaint!

There are a few risks you have to take to access such fine fare though... Like Yogi...

He was walking down the road far ahead of us and ducked into the regrowth in an old burn as we approached. By the time I'd climbed up on the bed of the truck trying to get an eyeball on him he'd vanished.

I could hear branches popping and snapping as he pushed his way through, but could only see the tops of the four or five foot sapplings wiggle and bounce as he shoved through.

Luckily I had the camera pointed in the right direction when he popped up to take a peek at the two legged pest blocking his road. ;)

But... I had a different sort of Bear Claw in mind...

A Huckleberry Bear Claw to be precise... Which we enjoyed along with a sort of a pita pocket kind of a turkey sandwich... mmmmm goooood.

... that we savored sitting in front of the Northern Lights Saloon.

With famine averted we turned back south and made our way with our 2" too wide Ol' Truck about half way or so up the Going to the Sun Road...

You know... they say no rigs over 21 feet long or 8 feet wide... I think they should also say "Bicycles must be kept on the rack"...

Pedaling two wheels at less than ten miles an hour on a twisting, narrow, steep mountain road... blocking the down hill... refusing to clear the road at the small widespots a bike would fit in... so the brake burning traffic stacking up behind you can safely pass... is a shining example of high IQ.

Sorry... but respect has to go both ways... so... I had two choices... follow along behind for a mile and more... or... pass unsafely...

Kind of funny the glares I got...from the genius blocking the road... for NOT passing unsafely... cute.

Then there was the fella who parked with the wheels of his truck IN the road... flapping his arms at me like a windmill and glaring with indigent soo-peer-ee-ority... 'cause I had the gall to actually... drive past on the roadway! :)

It's a wonder world population can continue to grow... when it seems a heavy majority are so devoid of common sense that they couldn't find their butts if they searched with both hands and a flashlight... while a coroner reads 'em the directions!

Closer to home, after we fought loose from the cagers and pedalers, intensely in need of driving and riding Lessons... and operating well outside of their safe zones of limited ability... annnnnnd the next day... we found a short walk around Lion Lake to contemplate the devolution of the ability to chew gum and walk at the same time...

 This post is coming from an asphalt boondock in Great Falls... We pulled out of Hungry Horse yesterday to continue our journey, bound for Sydney and the joys of generating a living. ;)

Across the Wide Missouri
Brian

The Start of Our Death Valley Journey

I've been trying hard to get on line to start getting caught up on our travels of the past ten days or so... and find myself Running Against the Wind...

We finally moved out of the valley... Thinking we'd have signal to work with... and I do... NOT.

As fabulous as our new RV Boondocking camp is, I don't have a workable internet signal in that new camp either! but... there's a Mickey D's with free WiFi just down the road a short way, so I figured to be catching up with our journey over the next couple of days there... and I need to do that 'cause our new boondock camp is pretty danged awesome!

The only trouble with THAT scenario is the less than poor performance of their WiFi... so... I hooked up my air card down there, where there IS signal... at least it shows there to be... 4G and plenty of bars... that do... Nothing... grrrrrrr.... so... I sit here suckin' up their coffee waiting on the declining Verizon performance to get the job done...

It looks like a summer of internet struggles as I hunt for a workable alternative to Verizon Wireless...

and now on to the beginning of catching up! ...

When we pulled out of Cottonwood We used the Walmart in Kingman for our first night on the road. Let's just say that it's right up there with the Wally World resort over in Winslow for ambience ;) Remember that line in Crocodile Dundee? "You can eat it... but it tastes like shit!" Well, that same sentiment works in regards to some Wallydocking too! ;) But, what can I say? Kingman, Arizona isn't exactly known as a tourist mecca. ;)

We hauled west after some goooood Mickey D's coffee the next morning and headed for Beatty Nevada up Hwy 95. That's the spot I'd picked to access Death Valley National Park.

If you come this way... top off your tanks OUTSIDE THE PARK... Beatty, Pahrump where ever you can find it. Diesel in Beatty was $3.99. But less than 50 miles away... $5.98 at Panamint and $5.44 at Furnace Creek. Uh Huh... they figure they've got a captive audience so they're gonna squeeze ya for all your worth, so top off early and fill your larder too... there's no groceries to speak of in there, and what there is... well... you won't be able to gain weight at those prices...

$14.50 for a hamburger at Furnace Creek... damn thing must be good huh? ;)

anyhoo... Hwy 374 runs south and a touch west from there and drops over 4316' Daylight pass into Death Valley. Now that don't sound like much in the way of a high pass does it? But remember... you're droppin' into a hole.

Whoooooeeee! That's a brake BBQ'n ride! I'd guess you got 15 miles or so of steady, endless brake testing grade to descend into the lowest place in the country.

I vow... as quick as you get off your five second brake application to pull the RPM and road speed down... that 19 or 20 thousand pounds under and behind you shoves the needle on the tach right back to 2600 rpm. Considerin' that 2700 is just about the come apart speed for a Cummins in compression braking... it makes for a genuine butt wiggler of a decent! ;)

I could pick up the sweet smell of roasted asbestos on the desert breeze when we bottomed out.

We were aiming for the Campground at Stovepipe wells. I thought it might make the best place to ride out from for at least the first few days... and it worked well.

It's only drawback is the same as the rest of the place. For those of us that have to make a living ;) there is pretty much zero internet access in the valley. You'll have to go off line cold turkey! They have put in a tower at Furnace Creek that provides cell service... but for whatever reason I was still unable to hook up the air card when we moved there the fourth day.

We put the Raider on the ground that first afternoon and rode down past Furnace Creek through the 96+ degrees hoping to catch some good views of Artists Palette in the evening sun... Check out the video I put together of that ride and see if you think I did.

In the morning, expecting another sizzler that we sure aren't acclimated for yet... we struck out into the Mesquite Dunes that sit a mile or so east of the Stovepipe Wells Campground...

Something to remember about Death Valley; Mid day sun is difficult to photograph under anywhere... In this valley... it's dang near impossible... You'll do best to plan your day to start early in the a.m... hide out in the shade somewhere through the middle part of the day... and then go back out to do your viewing of sights and such, in the late afternoon and early evening...

You'll get better pictures and might could be avoid heat stroke too! ;) It did cool back into the low 80's and 70's later in the week so broiled brains was less of a danger.

So... since I took so many pictures... I thought maybe building them into a nice slide show would be the best way to present 'em...

Let me know what you think...

I'll be getting the rest of our sojourn in the Valley of Death caught up as soon as I can assemble all the pics... and find the place to get 'em uploaded to you!

Camped Now Under the Snowy Shoulders of Mt Whitney

Brian

GPS... The Good Idea That Has Not Yet Arrived...

Are you thinking of buying a smartphone, and thinking you'll get that navigation system in the bargain?

Yeah? You are? Well... think again... You'll get a system... but largely it's a system that enriches apple and Verizon... costs you... and is the sort of material best applied to the dirt in a garden...

Any conversation about the damned things is filled with the unending stories about people being led by their electronics getting into places they never should have gone... past Caution Signs warning them not to proceed... but proceed they did, and all parroting the refrain; "But MY GPS SAYS...!!!"

Apple, Verizon and most all the others, Garmin included! are going to try to sell you on the superior technology of THEIR GPS navigation systems...

There is a truth hidden in there... ALL OF THEM... will only, if you place reliance on them, mislead you to a different place. Be that a mile... or 75 from where you were trying to get.

The Simple and Plain truth is...  GPS Navigation systems will only work Long enough to lull you into complacency and let your guard down... so that it can lead you and your 63', 29,000 lb, 8 1/2 foot wide rig onto a sidewalk with no turnaround, four miles past the sign that says No Travel past the point you passed 12 miles ago!

Keep your paper maps and learn how to read them... GPS is a convenient accessory to old fashioned Map Navigation... but it is an accessory ONLY. Reliance on it will cost you. Rely heavily enough on it... and it will cost you dearly.

I am one that knows the weakness and poor reliability of the things... yet I still on occassion, attempt to utilize the things. I foolishly keep trying to give 'em a second chance. I might even get successful directions three or four times in a row...

Just a fool that keeps digging after he finds himself in a hole!

Trying to get from Ak Chin to Phoenix International Raceway yesterday...across unfamiliar roads... I failed to double and triple check the "Technology"... and it likely cost me 75 miles or so of fuel... arrrrrgghhh!

(and if they are intended to simplify navigation... why is it necessary to double check, triple check, and then check again... all ending with having to out of necessity... go back to the reliability of paper map navigation???)

I had even CHECKED the navigation details the night before to see if they took me in the direction I wanted and needed to go. I pulled up the text details and yup... that's where I want to go. Great.

Well, just after lunch we climbed in the rig, I pulled those directions back up, stuck the phone to the dash and off we go... "Turn left and follow blah blah blah for 16 miles..."

EXCEPT! ... this time... punching the same link I'd checked the night before... the damned thing gave me different directions... BUT... I missed that! By the time I caught on, we'd gone too far on the new "Circuitous" route to turn back... The shortest way was to complete the BAD DIRECTIONS... arrrrrrggggghhhhh.

Hell, sitting at a red light along the way... Not Moving... the damned thing swapped three times... Go straight... Turn here! ... NO! Go straight... ???!!! 

Those GPS navigation systems might be useful for finding a restaurant in town... a hardware store in a strange town... or some other place relatively close by. Then, when it leads you wrong you've not gone very far... but to rely on it for critical, cross country navigation into unfamiliar country, far from services and communication is an action that WILL lead you to a bad day.

GPS Navigation systems, smartphone based or dedicated are NOT to be trusted as your primary Navigation system. They can ONLY be relied on as supplemental to proper maps. Sorry, but it's the hard lesson of experience and reality.

Hopefully you'll catch on before you've passed the ability of your fuel tank to get you back... hopefully, the "Bad" Place it's led you to is not TOO BAD to get out of...

I keep, every few months, trying to give it another chance ... or I used to.

I am now fully educated. It is an unreliable, untrustworthy and expensive toy that can be used as a contributing accessory... when it can be Double Checked for integrity... Otherwise... PAPER MAPS and map reading skills will be used for cross country Navigation in my Rig.

If you want a smartphone get one. Don't get it thinking you're getting a life saving, simplifying navigation system. That navigation system, whether Verizon, Apple, Garmin, Magellan, Tom Tom and all the other whizbang builders want to admit it or not STILL resides right between your ears.

Learn to Read a Map and you'll get where you're going.

Placing Value on Many of the Old Ways...
Brian

Driving RV Big Rigs and Not so Big on The Highway... A Few Words...

A rambling, windy, disjointed, RVing Cowboy Soapbox Sermon on RV Driving Safety; Or... My opinion of how to get your rig from here to there with out breaking the fiberglass while achieving a more harmonious outcome...

... as well as a bit of a verbal spanking for a few RVers and other motorized transportation operators seen along the way.

Have any of you ever followed the Wagon Teamster? He's a guy that does his yondering by way of a team of horses and a wagon.

He ended his first trip a few years back in critical condition, in the hospital, in the deep south, after leaving from New Hampshire I believe. Two of his horses were killed instantly in the wreck that nearly killed him when a semi blew into his outfit; In spite of it being festooned with lights and signs...

His fourth trip ended in the late fall after what he terms a "Minor Fender Bender" in Lake Havasu. This time, damage to his wagon was minimal and his horses apparently escaped unscathed... but still, due to the ... uh... how can I say this nicely... un-attention of another Driver...  a little old lady in a car.

He got himself, his horses and his rig hauled to the place of a friend up in Oregon to lay up for a bit and gauge the future I expect.

Now... you say; Why should I be concerned 'bout some eccentric old guy wandering around the highways with horses and a wagon? What's he got to do with Motorized wandering?

Cuz boys and girls... What's happened to him kinda shines a lite on the rest of us... a light that lots of times gets overlooked by ignorance and... uh huh... ego!

The rigs most of us drive are bigger, wider and heavier than what Bob Skelding is drivin'. Though we move a lil' closer to traffic speed we're still usually significantly slower and especially so when the road gets twisty and steep.

... and then some of us :-/ go whistlin' across the asphalt waaaaaaaayyyyyy too fast for our either our abilities or the capabilities of our rigs! I know you THINK you're as good as you ever were... but sorry son... at 60, 65 or 73? You might still could be spry and healthy... but your eyes, your hearing and your reaction time ain't a sliver of what they were when you were 22.

Drive within your ability... (and be honest about THAT) Don't even try to sell me the baloney that at 68 you can still shove that RV Whale down the road at 78 mph. Park your ego and accept aging with a lil' more humility.

It makes me cringe when a rig goes whistlin' past me on the road... only to see the guy drivin' it come hobblin' out of the gas station rest room ten miles up the road... bent over and almost unable to walk back to the rig, even if he could see it through the wire rimmed coke bottle lenses he's peering through.

... and if you try to strike up a conversation? "Hey, how ya doin' old timer?"

"It's the green one!... I need to burp... where's my waffles?" he replies... ??? Grrrrreat... Sharp as a tack... and he's drivin' a 45 foot wide bodied boat. Suh-wheet. Gives me a wonderful sense of confidence.

Slow the hell down! Have some respect for the other people out there; and remember, no matter how quickly we THINK we're moving, most of the time, compared to corollas and yamahas, we're still operating rolling RV road blocks on the highway. Slow down and that tunnel vision will open up and the trip will be a lot more memorable.

There's a few other things we can do to mitigate the inconvenience we impose on the other folks by our size. They have an equal right to be out there on the road. A few things we should do to behave with a lil' proper respect.

There are also a few harsh realities we simply have no choice but to accept.

To mitigate our obstruction;

1. Pay attention! Don't pull out of that roadside gift shop in front of a long string of cars... when it can be Clearly Seen that the road is wide open behind them... Why do you do that??? only to putter along at 30mph less than they're moving, growling that; "I'm 65 years old by God and It's my right to be on the road!"

Is it your right to stick your foot out and trip the kid walking past your booth in the Denny's? No? Well, that's effectively what you're doing when you fling your 25,000 pound rig out in front of those cars.

Let the traffic pass and THEN pull out in that wide open hole between slugs of traffic. They'll be happier... you'll be happier and the stress level 'tween you and the navigators chair will be a lot more pleasant.

2. Keep an eye on your mirrors. Don't get lazy. Stay aware of what's around you. Keep your eyes scanning. When you're on the two lane there's a couple of things you can do to make the run a lot easier on everyone.

First, as soon as you stack up a couple of cars behind you, get on the lookout for a wide spot where you can not only pull over to let traffic clear... but that will also allow you to safely pull back onto the highway. You need to be able to see back down the road so you aren't cutting anyone off.

Second, think about easing OFF the throttle, and moving to the right side of your lane when you come around a bend and hit a long passing straight. Make it EASIER for the other travelers on the road to pass. Don't be the jerk I've seen MULTIPLE times that accelerates hard every time he hits a passing zone so the cars he's stacked up don't have enough time to pass!

Those fools are the ones that give us ALL a black eye and create the brush of the Idiot RVer we all are painted with.

3. Worst of all... and this I see all the time... not just with RV's but cars just as often... so think about this when you're in your Toad as well...

You're in unfamiliar country (your license plates give you away people!!!) searching for a road sign to make a turn to get to the restaurant you've heard of for lunch. At the last instant you see it... Only that right turn is way over there in the right lane and you're three lanes away in the left lane...

You know what's coming don't you? The dang fool peels hard right across the other two lanes because; "This is my turn! I have to turn here!"

Uh... No - You - Don't.

Now first... if you're looking for a RIGHT turn... what in the Devil's Playground were you doing in the LEFT lane??? knock! knock! knock! Helllllooooo? anybody home???

Second; I doubt you'll starve if lunch comes a few minutes later. DO NOT make last second panic driven emergency tire squealing bootlegger turns... to get to lunch! Just roll on through the intersection calm and serene... and when you can, turn into a parking lot or side street and get turned around.

This time as you approach the turn, get in the correct lane to make it, well ahead of time. THINK!

4. This one involves one of those Harsh Realities. Some of the people sharing the road are just plain old, Brain Dead Stupid. My way of dealing with them is a thing that takes a little thinking about to understand.

There's some folks out there that will run you down, or try to no matter what you do or what you're driving. I get it all the time on the Raider. There's a weird transformation that takes place when their butts hit the seat of a car. Their eyes glaze, their respect vanishes and they grow these big Ol' Vampire fangs...

There's not one damn thing you can ever do to change THEIR attitude or behavior... So all you can deal with is your own.

Around motorcycles is a pair of ideas that I just don't agree with. One, Be seen. Wear bright colors. Keep your lights on bright. Be seen! The second is Loud Pipes; Be Heard.

Right... and how many times have you seen people cut off Ambulances in an intersection? Bright Colors.. Flashing lights... Screaming sirens and STILL... some idiot chippie or worn out geezer T-Bones 'em on a bright, sunny, windless day.

Or They T-Bone a semi... or Tail end a 30,000 pound Motorhome on the interstate. We barely escaped that last one near Salt Lake a couple years back.

If they can't see or hear the wailing flashing ambulance or 80,000 pound semis... depending on color and noise seems an unlikely defense.

... and some times the reality is there's just not a dang thing you can do... almost. The One thing you CAN do to make a heavy impact on your RV Driving Safety is drive your rig like I ride my motorcycle... I Ride like I'm  INVISIBLE.

I mean it! Drive with an Assumption. ASSUME that they can't or Won't see you. Think about it.

If... you drive like they can't see you... you start doing things, and operating your motorcycle or rig with one idea in mind; Since they can't see me... I won't put my ride or rig in a place that they can run me over! Understand?

There's plenty more tips and ideas to make it better on the road for all of us. This windy sermon just really scratches the surface. I could write a book! ;) The biggest thing to remember is "The Golden Rule"... Do unto others as you'd have them do unto you. Show some courtesy. Have some respect. The more you do, the more will be reflected on all of us.

and the more harmonious your RV Driving outcome is gonna be.

Just Stirrin' the pot
Brian

I Think I've Got RV Boondockers Dislexia!

You're supposed to go SOUTH when it gets cold... Right? I think I'm doin' this back'ards!

Took longer than I figured to get rollin' come the dawn. Got up at Zero dark thirty, after another night of desert rain... squeezed the truck through the narrow gate (8' 6" truck... 8' 8" gate!) in the dark (W/O hitting anything!) and headed on down the road... about a half hour after I'd planned.

By a bit after dawn I was into the bad road approaching Flagstaff up there at 7.000+ feet. That last thirty miles of the first hundred and fifty turned out to be the worst road of the run... and provided the best chuckle... I'm sorry, guess it's a mean streak... but when I see a TOW truck... with a crunched car on it... and the TOW truck is slid waaaaay off the road stuck in a snow filled ditch... my dark side comes out! Muhahahahahaha! ;)

Made a fast stop at the Flagstaff Walmart for some fresh wiper blades ;) a jug of washer fluid and another cup of road coffee...then shake rattle and roll.

*after the storm somewhere in the Navajo Nation*

My Plan worked out pretty well... When I checked the weatherman's Prog- Naws- ti - KaShuns... it appeared that if I went the usual I- 40 to I-25 up through New Mexico... I was gonna be racing direct into the worst of the storm as it crossed those northern plains and Raton pass, North of Albuquerque... and probably all the way from Gallup...

So... I opted to take the north western route across the Navajo Nation past Kayenta and up through Utah to cut east just north of Moab... and run down I-70. If my cal-cu-lay-shuns worked out well... I'd slip around behind the weather...

Now... that don't mean you completely avoid those other folks who insist on driving clear outside of their talents... "But Officer! I've got FOUR WHEEL DRIVE! I can STILL go 75 mph! I have FOUR WHEEL DRIVE!"

Yeah... you bet sparky... luck with that!

The evidence was 'round about fairly often of the fallacy of four wheel drive. It gives you a lil' better steering control... but in the end... if ya'll is countin' on it... What it will do is; Get you STUCK... fifty feet farther in! :)

Once past Flag I had sunny skies most of the way. Lots of ice patches here and there... and in the darker canyons it'd get kinda slickery... but for the most part... a non issue. The roads were wet/thin ice at 14 degrees much of the way... but a lil' common sense will go along way...

I heard that!

I might be... uh... an eccentric, opinionated, cranky old puss gut biker cowboy... buuuuuuuut I still know enough to not put the radio on the side of the bath tub!!! or put my makeup on drivin' down the two lane!

So, with Sunny skies and clearing roads, in spite of the wind...

...I rolled the 800 miles give or take in 16 1/2 hours. Flagstaff, Kayenta, Mexican water, Blanding, Monticello, Moab, Grand Junction, Glenwood Springs, Vail... and down out of the mountains...

Not so bad. I have made the run in a car... when I was younger... in quite a bit less time... but uh... let's just say I was...um... moving a lil' quicker... in the dark of a dry summer night... than might be considered prudent! :)

Right there with Flagstaff was the last part of the I-70 roll... Glenwood canyon was iced up and COLD! ... below zero... it hit -8 here and there along the way... the climb up through Eisenhower tunnel was slick and packed... with a few hundred trucks pulled over to chain up...

The old Dodge was struggling to keep it's heater ahead of the chill... I almost stopped and put my vest on. The cab was getting a lil' cool when I looked up and saw -9 on the thermometer! But... if you're rollin'... best to just keep on!

Bottom line... winter drivin' ain't that difficult... cut your speed... keep coffeed up... soft hands and softer brakes... watch out for the uncoffeed bozos with Four Wheel Drive! ;) and Shake rattel and roll!

Coolin' Out in Denver
Brian

Smoky Skies Still, Grinding Steel and Riding With the Learning Disabled

I'm getting dizzy. Been chasing my tail so hard I think I'm running into my own backside. So, I took the day off on the 4th to roll the scooter up to the top of Rocky National Park...

... hmmm... run the bike up through the park on a busy holiday... Not exactly evidence of a higher IQ is it? ;)

I swear... I got over dosed on Moh-rons... What part of "Keep Right except to pass" is so difficult to understand when you come to a passing lane on a mountain road? Seems pretty simple to me. There's a sizable portion of the driving public ~ car/RV and Big Truck ~ that really can't grasp the concept.

So... when the bozos (more than one!) pull out on EVERY passing lane... run up beside the slow vehicle... and then sit there refusing to let anyone roll by, and then brake when the passing lane ends; to pull back in behind that same slow vehicle they failed to pass the last two opportunities ~ I can feel the knot in those discount Walmart Jockeys getting bigger and more uncomfortable.

The nice thing about riding the scooter I do is it's ability to separate its rider from the muck and mire of the learning disabled drivers behind him... with just a small lil' gesture of my right hand. ;)

Yep... 'cause as soon as I decide that's where they need to be, just twist that handle in my right hand and behind me is where the Raider puts 'em... fading into the blaring horns of the traffic their razor sharp intellect and impressive driving skills are stacking up behind them...

...While I climb up into that High Mountain air... climbing out of the front range smoke into the cold rain of a high altitude summer storm ;) ...it's all good.

I'd show some pics but now that the High Park fire and the fire at Boulder and the fire in Colorado Springs are pretty much controlled... Wyoming is dealing its Payback for the smoke it's been choking on... with a Fire of its own up in the Snowies where we were camped... and of course, THAT smoke is coming SOUTH... sheesh!

The end result being that once I got away from the learning disabled drivers and into the high country the rain and the smoke pretty much excluded any good pics. That's ok... sometimes it's better to just pack the camera and ride... or hike! Just seeing the country you're in and not struggling to capture another picture. Too often you do that and miss the whole reason you're there in the first place.

Back down on the plains I'm still wearing out wire wheels on the bed of the truck trying to finish getting it cleaned up for a few more miles of hauling. It's a job I've been putting off since I bought the old toter. The guys that had it 'afore me had a mixer mounted on it I believe... and were mixing, it appears, mostly stucco.

I knocked down the spots where we cut off that overweight headache rack before I started in on the stucco removal.

I've also got to bump that chock over a few inches and then bolt down some new tie downs to improve and simplify how I lock the bike down for transport.

 You can see some of that dang synthetic stucco... yet to be removed... beside the tie down loop... It's like trying to grind gooey gum...


I think a 12,000 lb rated tie down should be sufficient for an 800 lb bike... don't you? :)

The guy the rig went through to get to me thought he'd just put a coat of black paint over the spilt stucco to make it "Look" better. :-/ So, getting the stucco out of all the lil' crevices and depressions of a diamond plate bed is a project better NOT done under a blazing Colorado sun!

It makes it easier to tolerate if I keep mumbling to myself; "I'm not in Phoenix! I'm NOT in Phoenix!" :) while I pour bottle after bottle of water down my throat only to watch it leak out of my hide faster than I can pour it in!

Hoping to button up the clean up today and get some paint on this afternoon...

Got to finish up these chores 'cause I'm planning on hauling up somehwere... come early next week. I've had all the Front Range Refresher course I need to remind me why I left! and I'm Ready to roll!

Finishing up my RV "Housekeeping" and preparing for another Leaving
Brian

Electric Biker Cowboy Finding Camps in the Arizona Bush

Bob Seeger coming through my Ipod ear buds is helping my Trader Joes ultra dark roast get my head going this morning. Bob runnin' against the wind somehow makes the wind I lean against seem softer somehow.

Sitting at the table sippin' the coffee searching Google Maps for our next camp.

It's kind of a paradox. I'm a leather and canvas sort of guy. My first choice is almost always the "old ways". So, It's a good thing I'm blessed with a herd of personalities... Being "Anti-Technology"... when your living is dependent on it... and trying to hunt up camps in unfamiliar... (or at least for the past twenty five years or so) country can cause difficulties for an old rambling, yondering buster! :)

Yeah... so My old fashioned self gets himself chastised and locked outside, while the electronical cowboy side punches buttons and toggles zooms... to find hints of trails and roads into the trees that look like likely spots.

To make it all work I combine that computer search with a selection of National Forest Maps to reveal the land ownership.

Finding a nice spot, only to have some grumpy rancher bangin' on your door at oh-dang-it's-early is less than prime. The NF maps show National Forest, BLM and State lands. Makes for a fairly easy way to locate good "Prospects" and avoid most entanglements with authority types.

I'd still recommend you take it cautious... Sometimes... what looks like a fine wide road from straight up a few thousand miles :) can turn into an axle busting damn-I-wish-I-hadn't-turned-in-here adventure ! So, unless you're certain sure there's a turn around in there... Don't... Go... In... There!

And one last thing kids...

Don't Worship the Earth.

But for all our sakes... Respect it and take care of it. Exercise the old tradition of pack it in... pack it out. If the ground is wet and soft... Don't Drive on it!... When you pick a camp... go where folks have already gone, there's plenty of those places. Please, Don't blaze new trails.

When you're in camp, if you spot a gum wrapper or such... from some careless previous traveler... pick it up. Make the camp cleaner when you leave... than when you pulled in.

Do Not leave your trash blowin' in the wind... unless you wanna run afoul of whacked out, multiple personality, puss gut cowboy bikers! :)

The Dentist called last Monday. They'd had a cancellation and if I could get in the next morning they could get to work. So I did... but they couldn't do it all so I still have to wait 'till Next Thursday/Friday for them to finish up...

We were gonna try and wait it out here in Phoenix till those next and last oral mechanic appointments...

That, is not gonna work. It's already gettin' hot... and 'tween that and the noise of town... I'm bound for the Arizona Bush. Likely tomorrow morning.

I try... but I fail. I simply cannot adjust any part of me to subsisting in a town... it's like sitting on a nail...

No matter how I wiggle and dance... There's just no gettin' comfortable.

So... We'll haul out and hide in country on up past Bumble Bee a bit... and come time for the Dentist to drill more holes in my head (which I sorely need... right?) ... I'll climb on that big Red Raider... and split the wind...

... Giggling like an idiot... that a poor boy like me can LIVE... Blessed with the Absolute Joy of the Open Road... Free as the Wind...

"They can take my Life... But they can NEVER take my Freedom!" HooYa! :)
Brian

The Sale of Chewing Gum Should Be Prohibited During Periods of Bad Weather...

These road trippin' wannabes have enough to keep their tiny lil' brain pans busy...

So... the roads are still closed going North... though the Highway cameras I've found show... Pavement! Truth be known... it's not 'cause the roads are that bad... but ... the people on 'em are the sort that could screw up a concrete slab with the proverbial Rubber Hammer.

I still find it curious, that a puss gut, fuzzy eyed, bald headed, broken spined twister, with a bad attitude... can run an empty dually down the road... without slipping a tire... while Other... uh ... Motor VeeHickle Operators? Can't move a front wheel drive car with studded tires across a parking lot... without getting sideways...

I do believe that there should be more "Classes" of drivers licenses... assigned by proper testing to reveal the severity of their many disabilities... due apparently to the total absence of any perception or understanding of the laws of physics.

Class I - Limited to speeds below 20 mph only on Sunny Sunday afternoons on alternating weekends. Vehicle to be Operated ONLY during day light hours. Interstate Highways Specifically prohibited. Any operation of the vehicle must be terminated if a cloud enters a zone within a 12 mile radius of any motor vehicle operated by the licensed driver.

Operation of a vehicle for a period of seven years without a reportable incident would allow an upgrade to;

Class II - Driving permitted if precipitation does not exceed 1/8" and temperatures do not retreat below 50 degrees. Interstate Highways ALSO Specifically prohibited.

Pass the four year probationary period of this license and you would graduate to;

Class III - Permission to be a PASSENGER in a vehicle during inclement weather more severe than permitted under class II regulations.

Class IV - Granted only to those drivers who have provided proof, co-signed by three physicians, of the absence of disability due to Cranial Rectal Inversion; which allows for full and complete peripheral visibility and the inhalation of fresh air when required to maintain consciousness. The holder of this class license are specifically authorized to operate motor vehicles under all road conditions.

Yeah... Today is gonna be 300 miles of slip and slide fun Dodging the Living Proof of the Theory of Reverse Evolution! ;)

Ducking and Running on Western Trails
Brian

Odds and Ends...

Spent most of yesterday afternoon, grinding that piece of Angle iron my Yellowstone wannabe welder hung on there a week or so ago, and, smoothing off some of the remaining welds.

Then, I'm re-skinning that floor of the fiver, around the hitch area, to make it quicker and easier to access for fairly frequent inspections of the hitch sub-structure in the future... as it was, it's kind of a pain pulling things out of the way, sufficient to see. It really wasn't made to be taken apart and put back together on a routine basis

... and now I'm gonna be kinda curious to take a look in there once in a while :)

James, the welder who IS a welder, should be getting to this project, some time this week... 

There's been a lot of comment on this, and I've gotten emails from folks with similar problems with their own RV's.

Thought I'd touch on a couple of 'em... might be somebody is gonna see something that might be of help to 'em.

One thing is the continuing discussion 'bout gooseneck or fifth wheel. The reason I chose and went with the gooseneck style hitch is my preference for boondocking, off the Beaten Path. Two of the big benefits of it are first the Main benefit from my perspective; and that is Movement. Fifth wheel hitches are very limited in the amount of side to side 'Tilt' available. Generally only 5 to 7 degrees.

This is important when you're on some narrow back road, or trying to pull into a really sweet camp... but the swing of your trailer means your truck has to go into a bit of a ditch, leaning to the left... while the trailer is still on the other side leaning right...

Now, with a fifth wheel, you hit that 5 or 7 degrees, the hitch locks up... but you tilt hard another few degrees... and... uh ... Ouch! all that twisting torque is now going straight to your truck frame and trailer pin box/frame... NOT a good thing...

With the gooseneck, if you run out of tilt... you probably already laid the trailer on its side. :) ... so, that was my main reason. The second being that you gain a whole lot of space in the bed for camp gear.

My figuring was that the reduction of "off road" frame stress was a greater gain than the increased stress Some think a goose type hitch applies to the pin box, on the road. I still haven't been convinced of that. But, it was/is a weighing of pros and cons, each person is gonna have to make on their own I guess. One thing... it did take ten years, and more miles than most fivers get drug, not overloaded, but with a maximum load, for mine to fail.

There are those that claim my recent excitement was caused by the hitch. I'm of more of the opinion that the Camels Back Breaking Straw was the Modification I had done to the suspension, that was Poorly done, back when the rig was maybe two years old. (it's now 10)

I sure seem to be finding the Poor Quality RV Workmanship don't I? I guess that Murphy fella must have thought I needed more to write about when it comes to RV wish-it-hadn't-happened-that-way sorts of events!

It was, in my opinion, the suspension being locked up for so long, because the shocks were remounted, totally compressed ( a fact hidden by the shrouds on the shocks) that caused accelerated metal fatigue and increased concussion that lead to the eventual hitch failure.That the bad position wasn't found for so long is My Fault. I should have more closely inspected the work, to ensure it was done properly.

That's the danger of taking a shops "Certification" at face value... You still have to check their work! A lot of places get lazy and careless. Check out the work you have done. Make sure it was done correctly. Use me as your Lesson! :)

If I'd not had the axles "flipped" ... I probably wouldn't have had any of this to write about :) or... IF they'd been flipped correctly.

So finally, Ted asked "What is a flipped axle?"

Well, normally, the suspension is arranged with the axle tube on top of the leaf springs.* O * When you "Flip" the axles (an incorrect name, You can't turn the axles over... that would screw up the alignment built into the axles), new spring pads are welded on TOP of the axles. That allows the springs to be moved from under the axle to a new position on top of the axle tube.

The result is that the trailer sits maybe as much as 6 inches higher.

The Reasons for doing it, in my case were two fold.
1. The space between the bottom of the fiver and the top of the truck bed was so close, the top of the truck bed was hitting the trailer, just going down the driveway apron pulling out of a gas station.

and #2, going where we like to go, sometimes, pulling through a low spot, or again, even in parking lot driveways, I'd come close to, or drag the tail of the fiver...

So... lifting the trailer with an "axle flip" gave me the clearance to avoid those issues. Of course, a year or two after flipping, I went to a flat bed and eliminated the truck bed interference anyway :) ... I still, on occasion get the tail awful close to the ground, even sitting as high as she does!

Well, today I've got a lil' fatigue of my own goin' on. Been up in the evenings editing my next Novel; A Pair of Second Chances". Finished that edit last night... or at least I think so. A few more odds and ends to button up on it and then hit the Send button! :)

So, to combat my mental fatigue :) How's that for a witty play on words? :) I'm Gonna go put two wheels on some familiar asphalt today. Kinda blow out the tangles in my brain from the last week or two.

We'll be rolling south, as soon as the repairs are completed... and the tax man is satisfied that he's drawn enough blood :) ... so you folks down on the desert, crank up your air conditioners and open your doors and windows... get that country cooled off for me... I'm a commin'! :)

Puttin' it in the Wind
Brian

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Wally Docking... Instant Replay... but only after Bumper Cars on the Interstate!

Pulled out late, after playin' with the dogs in the grass at WalMart Ogden... headed NW, continuing up... ugh!... Interstate 84... and, within the hour, got my second, and then, 'bout a half hour later, my Third gentle reminder, of why I reeeeallly don't like movin' very far on an Interstate...

Are there ANY drivers of Cages (motorcycle speak for a car) left on the road... who know HOW to Merge into traffic, from an On Ramp, correctly? ... or Hell, even Drive the dang thing at all?

Yesterday afternoon, as we got close to Wally Ogden, came reminder #1. A lil' white car came down the on ramp... that I was passing at a sizzling 60 mph... They timed their Merge so that they would hit the highway... right about the middle of the fifth wheel...

Hmmmm.... 11,500+- Lb fifth wheel hitched up to a truck tipping 9,000+ vs. 2500 lb. car... who ya guess is gonna win that argument?

Geeeze! Does Anyone know that the responsibility of the Driver, already ON the highway is to maintain a steady and consistent speed, so the ON RAMP driver can correctly pace their Merge to blend into traffic... In front of... or behind... the Drivers already out on the Highway? WITHOUT forcing them to accelerate or stomp on the binders? ... not a good thing to be doin' in heavy vehicles anyhoo!

So... the buggers had the punk arrogance... to wear out their horn, 'cause I didn't push that 18 wheeler beside me out of the way, run up and push the car in front of me out of the way... or see how much rubber I could squeal off the tires locking up the binders... so they wouldn't have to bother learning how to drive!

So, that was #1... this morning... maybe an hour into todays roll... a movement caught my eye in the left mirror as I rolled down the right hand, north bound lane pushing the blinding speed of 60 mph... #2, Another lil' white car, popped out from behind us somewhere... moving toward the median side of the left lane...

Just as I looked back, and that car got 'bout halfway up the trailer... the left rear fender of that lil' car started goin' west... while the front end started coming east... "Uh Oh" I thought... "there ain't room out here for runnin' slaloms... and I'm sittin' right where she's headed...

As I took my foot off the throttle, that lil' car come slidin', 'bout 3/4 sideways, and cut across the pavement in front of us... missing my left front fender by 12... maybe 18"...

Now... here's where I went into my; "My, ain't this pretty up here", Wolf Creek pass sort of meditation...

Curiously scratching my chin... I thought... "Now, if I cut left, she'll slide that bugger back that-a-way and I'll send her butt to perdition... and if I go right... she'll keep goin' that way... and we'll get the same metal crunching, day ruining commotion... but if I go straight down the middle..." and that's when I recollected how those NASCAR boys always say; "If they get tangled up in front of you, aim for the tangle... by the time you get there... it'll be gone!"

So... I sat back down, put my feet back on the pedals, took a good solid grip on that steering gizmo in front of my seat... and aimed that 20,000 lbs of truck, trailer and motorcycles... straight for that fool bimbos drivers door... slidin' along in front of me... all that scratching, conjuring and calculatin' took maybe one part of a half second!

... and sure 'nuff... just like those NASCAR boys promised... when I got there... she was gone!

The tail of that lil' car, as it whipped across in front of us... went from pointin' west to snappin' to the east with the squeelin' of tormented tires... leaving the nose now headed toward the median... and just like that, passenger door headin' north, tail end comin' around, workin' on a 360... she slid off into the median, showerin' us with rocks and gravel... 'till she dissapeared in a cloud of dust...

I roared on by at my sizzling road speed of 60mph... and looking back in the mirror...

...To see her come spinning out of the dust, heading for the other side of the interstate!... she spun across that... across in front of the south bound traffic... without having rolled... without hitting anyone, or anyone hitting her... and the last I saw, she had the damn thing parked on the shoulder, headed south!

Damndest thing I've ever seen... but... it did slow me down even more... while I got used to that uncomfortable feeling in my shorts!...Though I don't want to consider what the inside of her car smelled like...

I rolled along... and started cussin' the now, chipped and cracked... what had been a brand new windshield... that wasn't chipped and cracked 6" when I got up this morning! aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

What the hell she was doin'... or why... I got no knowledge... likely fiddling with a text to her boyfriend when she looked up and saw the V Star sittin' on the tail of the fiver... comin' at her at an alarming rate of speed... What a fool...

But then... On to #3... maybe 20 miles later... an instant replay of #1... Down hill ramp... road wide open clear in front of me... wide open clear in back of me... and I watched the fool roll down the ramp... in what appeared to be a brand new car... pacing right beside me, down that long, long ramp... with an even longer run on lane... so that she could hit the highway... at my door... and then she wants to get mad at me? Huh?

Lookie here... you want help? ask for it... you fall down, I'll help you up... you're hungry? I'll likely share a burger with you... You come at me pushin' an' shovin'... all angry and arrogant? or, a willfully, incompetent driver? I'll grin, as I grab you by the collar... and play cowboy Polo with your butt! :o) don't matter to me if you're on foot or motivatin'...

So... with a kind of "Sour" feelin' growin' on the day... we rolled on as far as Boise... hoping to put us in range of a decent National Forest Spot to set up a few days, when we break into Oregon... maybe around Baker City on the Umatilla National Forest or some such... and get away from those that run the interstates... we just don't seem to see eye to eye.

That put as at Wal Mart Boise. our second Wally Docking night in a row... Not bad neither... I got pine trees right outside my window... If I don't look past 'em... I can almost hear the mountain stream gurglin'.

Maybe tomorrow... tonight... just chill and enjoy the Free parking... hell that's half of Free-dom ain't it?


Later folks. Tomorrow, on to Oregon...

Take Good Care
Brian

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Some Folks had a Lousy 4th Of July...

and some had good...

My guess is, these folks consider themselves to be one of the ones having a bad day...

A Motorhome, pulling a lil' jeep...  Single vehicle 'wreck'... on a straight road... no rain... moderate traffic... No idea what happened here... but the look of it said to me; "Somebody wasn't payin' attention..."

There's a time for gawkin' off at the scenery... and a time for drivin' your rig... and runnin' the narrow confines of Poudre Canyon... or any other, in the sizable stature of a Rollin' House, is Not a time for carelessness.

If you're tired, under the influence of anything other than water or otherwise incapacitated... you'd be well advised to park the RV... and wait till you're On The Job! ... Days like this'un here, are best avoided!

With that in mind... Heidi kept on drivin' west in Lil' Red. We took the car... 'cause it was predicted that the remains of that Hurricane were supposed to come boilin' through sometime...

Went out over Cameron Pass... passing a few Rafters on the river... on our way...

Turned south by Gould heading for Grand Lake...

Now... Grand Lake, Colorado... is a nice lil' town... we like it. But... it is NOT where you want to be on the Fourth of July... if ya'll are claustrophobic... at all! :o) ... can you spell People?

We grabbed a Dairy King blizzard sort of a deal... used their 'facilities' and pushed that lil red subaru on out of that place! :o)

... and up into Rocky Mountain National Park... one of our favorite places in the west... where a few of the locals were out an' about on a sunny day... at least on the west side...

I'm tryin' to get my picture takin' parts fired up better... and am doin' ok I guess... but still not up to speed really... too many other things clutterin' up an overcrowded, partly wore out, brainpan I think...

Up on top of Trail Ridge Road... a couple O' guys were chillin' as the storm clouds begun to gather...

Comin' down that east side of the park we run into a tee total Frog Strangler... hail and rain.

It wasn't your regular rain neither... it was windblown, fine, stinging and a hell of a lot of it. Down in the narrows of Thompson Canyon, the water was comin' off the rocks in 15 foot wide waterfalls ... where we'd never seen a waterfall before...

It was actually, since we didn't get washed away... pretty awesome! :o) and we made it home to the Eagle... to travel another day!

Take Good Care
Brian

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