The Endless Road...

With both of us feeling kind of lazy, I unloaded Sonja before we climbed in the Ol' Dodge yesterday to scout around a bit.

*U.S. Hwy 395 near Mammoth Lakes, California*

You know... you'll hear some folks say they tire of the road. I'm one who just can't gather that idea in. Oh I might get weary in a particular day, but wake up the next morning, knowing that there's more sights unseen like this'un... and I'm ready to roll.

The hunger for chasing the horizon weakens occasionally... I start toying with the idea of some sort of a longer, base camp sort of place... but... after a lil' while of quiet cogitation with a cup of coffee, staring off at the horizon with Bob Seeger or John Denver in the background...

... I say; "Nah! let's roll!" :)

Listening to the wind in the trees in a camp I've never slept in before... seeing the road disappearing in front of me, lost over the blue horizon... The lightness of spirit I feel on the road, whether I'm in the rig or straddling my Yamaha... is something I can't endure the thought of letting go.

~~~~

Mammoth Lakes, I can't remember every having been here before. Been east of it and west, north and south... but I can't remember having ever stopped right here in it.

*I like their welcome at Mammoth Lakes!*

... and to tell the truth, we didn't actually stop this time either! ;) outside of a few minutes at the visitor center on the edge of town to collect some maps and a lil' intel on the area, we rolled right through.

We thought it'd be better to save that for today. We'll be goin' back this afternoon to have Heidi's 29th birthday meal...

*A walk in the trees ala Ansel Adams*

Since a lot of this country was an area that Ansel Adams prowled around in, I thought I'd try one of those black and white photos he was partial to... hmmm... I'm goin' to have to study them up a bit more. I did a lil' of it near 40 years ago... and then just got distracted by the color that grabs ever'body else.

Just a simple snapshot, but at least to me, there is something different about the feel of a photograph without all the color... I took the same shot in color, and this one above had a stronger pull... Somehow it seems like there's a spirit in the scene that gets covered over by the distraction of colors... Maybe the man was right! ;)

Herself just couldn't help herself from gathering up an armful of the humongous pine cones strewn about under the trees... claims I'm gonna have to abandon the only closet that's left to me now... so she has a place to store up a supply.

For what? I asked; "I don't know? I can't help it! I can't just LEAVE Themmmmm!" .......

We found a fine if austere FREE Forest Service camp up at Glass creek a bit north of Mammoth lakes... a likely spot if we bump up just twenty miles or so in a week or two... and several areas that promise some sweet boondock camps... this eastern sierra's country is just littered with fine places to be.

Here in our new camp at Crowley Lake there's a low bush scattered all around...

Don't know what it is, but the branches are festooned with the buds and flowers.

The wildflower's this spring so far, at least down in the desert have been pretty weak. They had a real dry winter. Even a lot of the winter closed roads are opening earlier than normal.

We're hoping that Tioga Pass will open and let us into the east entrance of Yosemite before my restless urges push us out of reach.

Watching a faint storm across the valley I burned our burgers for supper. The breeze coming across Lake Crowley was pretty cool so I set up our Grill Guard for this camp.

It's a pricey bit of camp furniture, but it's amazing how well the dang thing works!

*Our weber grill in its camp cooking Grill Guard*

Ever try to cook your supper in a stiff wind? and the breeze racing through your camp stole the heat out of the grill before it could cook your steaks?

This lil' Weber Grill of our is the very best we've had... but even it had trouble a time or two from the breeze. I put it in this aluminum guard and you have to keep a close eye on it 'cause if you walk away and come back in the usual amount of time, your supper will be well done!

*1-800-866-4165*

I don't "endorse" too many things, and nothing I've not used or looked at pretty closely myself. But this lil' gizmo... pricey as it is! is a camp cooking gizmo that actually performs as advertised.

Just to say it, I've got no connection or affiliate association with the outfit... I'm just passin' on something that's worked well for me!

So... if you need something for your grill or coleman stove... either pay the price for this fella's design... or go through the hassle of fabricating one for yourself. The things work!

The day's a wastin' so I'd better get out and go to collecting some of it!

In pursuit of the Art of Ansel Adams!
Brian

After Most of a Month in Town Finally Returned...

...To the Far Country where I belong. We landed, out of that force of habit that threatens to become a rut ;) ... in our favored spot along the edge of the RV boondocking area on the south side of Plomosa road.

What can I say? It makes a real convenient spot for a couple of weeks for herself to use the rock shop... and the signal's good for me to get quite a bit of work done on this new laptop... more on THAT in a bit.

That's pretty much the view out my window in the morning here in Freedom Camp ;) Kinda cool huh? 'course, I took it just as sunset was starting from the roof where I was tilting the solar panels up for the morning sunrise! ... hmmmm... I wonder what nut job coulda spent so much time pilin' rocks? ;)

Got here a day later than expected. A few lil' fumbles as we were preparing to haul out set us back a day... one of which was trying to track down some bolts for the bike... it somehow lost one out of a fairly critical spot... and the Biggest Dealership I've Ever been in... didn't have the bolt! ... so... They is ordered! ... "for lack of a bolt the truck was lost... for lack of the truck a battle was lost... for loss of the battle the war was lost...".... DA DA DA DUM!    :) HA HA!

Soooo, about the new Laptop... I've been sortin' my way through this New Toshiba laptop for the past couple of days. As far as the computer is concerned, with it I am plenty happy. It does what it is supposed to and newegg.com did what they promised to, getting it to me...

... Microsoft on the other hand... continues its apparently deliberate effort to be unseated from its position as the supplier of the dominant and premier operating system.What a bunch of bozos.

Windows 8 is a discombobulated, mish mash of two different worlds all shoved together in a dis-harmonious, awkward setup of pretty tiles and confusion.

Here's the deal; Microsoft, apparently, has a psychotic obsession with getting a grip on the tablet/smartphone market that has avoided it... and continues to. Sooooo Micro crap sent out this Thing into the world. I expect, if you've got it on a tablet or phone, using your fingers and flippin' tiles around... for those minimal lil' things that you do on a tablet or phone... it works just fine.

Buuuuuuut... embedded in it is... for all intents and purposes, the old Windows 7. Only, they've taken out quite a bit of the Navigation... and made what's left kind of awkward to access... For those of us actually trying to work... and NOT playing games and fiddling with fooferaw... it's a troublesome, NON inutuitive flub.

Yeah... the guys that told me to steer clear of Windows 8 were right... I took a chance and KERWHAP! :) learnt my lesson one more time.

I'm sortin' things out and can/will over time, make Windows 8 functional/usable for what I do... but a puss gut, biker cowboy fella who just bought the New and Improved Windows 8... shouldn't have to FIX WHAT THE ENGINEERS DESIGNED one more time... should he?

I wonder, do they ever have regular people do a test run on their junk before they shove it off on folks? They might save themselves some lil' bit of difficulty, embarrassment and wraps on their knuckles for playin' the fool if they did! ;)

Soooo... IF... you get a new computer do one of two things. Order it with Windows 7... or ... seek out one of the up and coming Alternative Operating Systems that are Finally, from what I hear, threatening to give Microsoft a run for their money and a lil' competition. Microsoft fired another Dud with Windows 8.

It's cool here on the desert by Quartzsite. The crowds, if they're comin' have not yet arrived. The country layin' about our camp might not be empty, but it sure ain't filled up!

On to my chores... and a good bit of hikin' and walkin'... a month of lethargy, cooped up in town has my busted parts achin' and hollerin'. Time to beat 'em back into some sort of reasonable shape.

Puttin' One foot in front of the other... I'm RV Boondocking for LIFE!
Brian

Fiddlin' With the Old and Fitting in Some New and Waiting in Chilly Phoenix

Been gettin'  back into the swing of things in the chilly Arizona desert while I wait on the arrival of my new Toshiba work laptop.

Uh huh. I said chilly! Been a LOT cooler this year than the last few. It ain't the -10 we saw coming across I-40 comin' home... but in the desert, when you're used to 70+... fifties and low 60's is cool! ;)

Anyhoo. Gettin' chores done. Finally got all the bits and pieces to complete the belly re-installation that I tore out in Zion to repair the cracked tank. Also, the water heater I put in last June or so... started having ignition "difficulties" just before I left for Denver. Somehow, that miraculously healed itself while we were gone... Works for me! ;)

Repacked a couple of compartments that have gotten discombobulated in our travels; discarding a few more bits in the process.

Tightening up a few things here and there as we wait on the delivery of goin' RV Boondocking's new super computer! Then, we'll load up and head back out to the Quartzsite area for a couple of weeks.

Come the first week of February we've got to be in Tucson for the annual gem and mineral show to try and find some shiny goods for our little store, that's managing to survive, back in Colorado... then it's only two weeks till we have to be back up to PIR in Avondale to work the Spring NASCAR race.

In amongst all that I've got to get that new computer set up; set to work on the reconstruction of something over 400 website pages, keep on punching buttons on my fourth Novel... and all the other lil' projects I got rattlin' around my brain pan that keep the dust stirred up.

A couple of the gizmos we added to the rig this christmas I think should help here and there...

Ol' Lily has been having increasing difficulty hoppin' up into the truck. at 15 or so she's not as spry as she used to be... so we got this dog ramp to make that less of a problem...

This plastic dog ramp sits on the sill of the truck and she can walk right up or down it with no problem.

When you're done it's a tri-fold setup that can squeeze in behind the seat so it's convenient for its next use.

Didn't take long to figure out when we returned to the rig that it could be used here as well. Our rig with its flipped axles sits a lot higher than most.

When the rig is on uneven ground and that first step is really high, getting into the rig is a problem for her as well... Now? Not so much. She can walk up that pet ramp and not have to jump on her achy old hips.

So then, Heidi and Keriann had got Josh one of these work tables. They asked me; "did I think he'd like it?"

I said; "I expect so... That'd be a pretty nice folding work bench to have in camp!"

So... Guess what was under the tree? ;) uh huh. My copy of this plastic and aluminum fold up work bench...

The thing is pretty slick. I'll do a complete story on it from camp... as I'm doing one of the projects I've got planned.

I want to do some hand tool "construction" of some "Camp Furniture"... right there in camp.

This work bench drops down, the legs automatically fold up into the bottom and you've got a nice compact package to pack away.

Though the thing is light it is rock solid set up... and includes two squeeze clamps that mount into those two yellow tracks on the top to hold bits you're working on.

I figure it's solid enough I can even set my tooling slab on it to do some fresh leather carving.

Well... I better get to finishing up the mid winter  "Spring Cleaning" so we're ready to roll when my Toshiba Lap top shows up!

Cleaning up the old... Packing in the new
Brian

Old Folks Playin' in the Sand

Just an hour SE of Zion is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State park.

With Betty here we took advantage of her car ;) and made a quick run down there for to check it out. In our truck it gets a bit more expensive...

... Being a dually with the wide flatbed we have to pay to go through the Mt. Carmel Tunnel out of Zion... Her lil' Subaru rolls through without all the hassles...

Not sure why they call it Coral Pink... I looked real close at that sand... and where I come from they call it ~ Brown ~  :)

*Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park*

First thing we tried was the Sand Surfing... We'd been told they do it with cardboard... uh huh... I had some of the vinyl left over from repairing the shower floor so I whipped up a pair of sand sleds...

So... Throw it down... Jump on... Grab the ropes and away!...HI Yo slippery slopes...

and ... away we go???

NOT!

Hmmmm...

It's supposed to slide down the steep slope on the fine sand...

Hmmmm... What could be wrong???

I Know!!!

What we need is a push start to get 'er movin'!

Hmmmmm... all that seems to do is create a sand plow! I think the common term for the effort is; FAIL! :)

Ha Ha... well... I'm not so sure that Sand Sledding is a profitable enterprise to invest in.

Maybe... we'll just go walk around and take pictures! :)

We walked out and clumb (that's for all the Tennessee and Kentucky Mountain folks) the biggest dune... and captured some pics.

With that task completed... Heidi and Betty determined that running down the dune would be fun... So I positioned myself to capture a sandy face plant... ANOTHER FAIL! ;) ... Darn! THAT would have been an Epic pic! :)

*Heidi and Betty Jumping off on their Coral Pink State Park Run Off*

*Heidi may have won by a toe nail*

If you're a sand buggy fan, or ATV/Dirt Bike I expect you could have a few days of fun around here...

*Dirt Bike in Coral Pink State Park Utah*

Now... if you're young lovers... apparently this is some sort of romantic place to go to do your posin' for each other too... :)

Not a bad camera for a voyeur huh? I took those two pics from several hundred yards away with my new Nikon P510 and hand held too!... I'm coming to really like this new camera. No loose lenses to have to screw around with and with 1000mm  equivalent / 42X zoom... Hooya!

For my purposes, all that and being light and pretty compact, this Nikon P510 just might prove out to be the perfect Travel Camera. Won't work well if you're wanting to make posters (photo "Noise" at extreme enlargement)...(and neither will any other compact) but for my online work and filling electronic picture frames (where that noise is un-seeable)  it's tee total Ideal so far! Thank You NIKON! :)

... and Walmart for the swingin' deal I got!  :)

OK... now back to regular scheduled blogging...

There is a campground in the park... and for cheapskates like me.., just back to the west, as you approach the park is an area of BLM land where you can do your RV Boondocking in the high desert sage with a nice view of some high and rocky ridges farther west...

One word of caution... this is a sandy area. Get out and walk the area you intend to drive BEFORE you drive on it... Getting stuck is easy. There was a good sized Motorhome buried in the ATV camping area as we passed!

Soft on the throttle people... all that power won't get you through sand... it's a soft touch on the throttle to do that. Get "Sudden" and you get "Buried"!

That, and, if it rains? Just stay put until  the ground firms back up. Try to pull out in the mud and you'll not only tear things to hell, you'll bury yourself up to where the tow bill will discourage your adventurin' in the future!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State park wouldn't be a bad "stopping off" camp for a day or two on your way to Zion or on your way back after leaving.

*Atop the highest Coral Pink State Park Dune*

What an excellent week we've had here in this Zion Country! I could do with a few more of these in a row!

Gonna go out now and put a mile or three on the Raider
Brian

Hiking Poles Ain't Just for Granola Eating Yuppies!

Gimped up old biker cowboy vets can put 'em to good use too!

Have you ever noticed that a three legged stool is a lot more stable on rough ground than a bicycle? The same idea works pretty good for bi PEDS too.

Was a time I "Don't need no stinkin' Hiking Pole". Buuuuut the advent of busted bones, wobbly balance and the infirmity that goes with a slow learner sort of mentality in the rough and tumble world of a biker cowboy redneck has provided the motivation for a slight shortening of the list of things I Don't Need.

We've talked about and looked at the fancy, store bought hiking poles at REI and all the other sporting goods outlets. Truth be known... I just couldn't never bring myself to drop $75 or even $100+ on a pair of spindly, recycled beer can, telescoping sticks; let alone that much for one!

Me? I'm more of a make do with what I got and complain 'cause it ain't as good as I coulda done sort of guy. It comes from the old adage that if a soldier ain't complaining... send him to sick call... 'cause SOMETHING is obviously wrong! ;)

So... in amongst all our travels and stumbling through the woods we've kept our eyes peeled and here and there picked up a few chunks of tree that momma nature discarded.

 The one on the left got found up near Red Feather Lakes and the one on the right we discovered laying along side a beaver pond above Gunnison. It stll bears the tooth marks of the beaver that cut it.

They had lumps and snags comin' out off  'em that I cut and ground off with a rasp. With a bit of sandpaper and a quarter sheet sander I smoothed 'em all down to be comfortable in our hands.

I still need to do a little artistic tinkering to make 'em fashionable I guess, and should seal 'em with something... but for now... they get the job done.

From scrambling around in the above timberline high rocks...

To just helpin' an Army gimp stay mobile over lil' obstacles along the trail... having a Hiking Pole is a fairly convenient accessory on your hikes.

They even help a lame old geezer climb a gettin'-higher-in-the-Rockies,  make-you-grunt-a-bit slope a lot easier.

It's kind of amazing how much load it takes off your legs if you're pushin' off with that pole on each step. And just think... If you're doin' that you can dump that gym membership and move that money to your BEER budget! ;)

I like the found and whittled on variety most. They carry their own memories of where you found 'em and the places you've been.

But... if you're more attuned to the high technology of aircraft aluminum and high tensile fiberglass... REI, Sports authority and probably even Bass Pro will take care of you...

and you know... when the old man is teasin' you about how dainty you're bein'... crossin' that next creek... You'll have something to whack him with!

Now before I close for this post, a few purty pictures from recent days...

*Along the trail*

*Life and Death*

Now... as always... it's back to work for me! I'm well into the carving of the 4th book... This time... Mr. Ben Jensen has got himself into what I believe is a genuine murder mystery modern western difficulty! ;) Not to mention that #5 with Jeb and Ben finding fresh challenges is bumping along...

Duckin' the Whacks
Brian

Some Days I'm Startin' to Feel Like Ricochet Rabbit!

I don't know how other folks maintain when they're multi-tasking... it starts makin' me feel like a circus ride... one of those deals where you're spinnin' and swingin' and can't get your bearings for which way is up!

I've been repairing and re-repairing water heaters, cleaning up, modifying and repainting truck beds, changing motorcycle exhaust pipes, carving baby albums... swapping motorcycle saddle bags, replacing door knobs at the store, finishing and editing novels... starting two more books! :) chasing coons and zapping rattle snakes...

... baby sitting grandkids... I'm betting Heidi will claim the heavy lifting there! :) ... and giving some "Leather work lessons" to a very good friend... and I'm sure I've missed a thing or three...

I've been commuting back and forth twixt here and Denver the past few days cuz we've had to be in both places at once a time or two... and I've still got a chore or four to get done here before I can load my customized scooter and haul for Wyoming! :) but... I've got another circle or two to make to Denver!

Good thing I don't have any hair left... the wind drag would kill my fuel mileage runnin' around like a crazy townie!

*Duplicolor Bed Armor coated*

Not a very sexy pic... but you almost couldn't see most of those "Diamonds" before with all the spilt stucco...

Stripping that crud off there in 90 something weather with a wire wheel on an angle grinder was a fun deal...

Several times my belly looked like an imitation porcupine from all the wires pokin' out of it that broke off the wheel...

*getting cleaned*

*All Shined up and Painted*

When I'd gotten the bed all stripped I recoated it with some bed coating from an outfit called Duplicolor... They make a thing called "Bed Amour"... It's a rubberized coating material... So far it's working pretty good... seals up nice and leaves a pretty good traction surface so you're not slippin' and sliding when you walk around on it.

The thing is it's $11 bucks and change an aerosol can... I used three cans... to tell the truth I should have used six... My coating is a lil' thin I think. They make a whole kit that you roll on for about $85... in hindsight... the kit was probably the better deal... ;) I'll likely add another coat when I get paid again :)

*The RV Tow rig bed cleaned up*

I reworked the tie downs and how the chock is bolted on too... cleaning up all that. Looks pretty decent without that headache rack on their and freshly coated and rustless! :)

Now... it's back to Denver to continue the mods on the scooter so I can get gone from the Front Range... Productive or not!

*Raider work in progress*

A couple more days... I think... and then I can sit in a quiet camp and get my word whittling work done while completing the Baby Album...

Whew! I'm gettin' dizzy again...

Racin' the Sun
Brian

I Must Be Hard on Grills

This is I think the fourth or fifth BBQ in the last six or seven years... The last was the small Coleman stove configured unit. The one before that the "tailgater" version... then a couple of smaller portables that went for one reason or another...

Last winter, down on the desert in Quartzsite a bit of wind took the last grill off the table. Got back to camp and found it layin' on the ground a bit worse for wear.

The result of ricocheting off the ground was some bent and battered parts. It continued to function for a while, if poorly. A couple weeks back while we were camped up in the Snowies in Wyoming I lit it up... for the last time... Since it lit up where there really isn't supposed to be flames...

Yeah... for a few seconds I thought I was a lot closer to witnessing that Big Bang Theory... Up Close and Personal!

So... I was forced to dive into the reserve cash... yup... them seven nickles I keep in my pocket for emergency! ;)

When we were in Denver Saturday we made a stop at Bass Pro and picked up a new lil' Weber Q 100 Grill.

It fits into our Grill Guard like a glove... and made of good cast Aluminum... and a bit heavier than the last couple I'm hoping this one will endure a mite longer...

Considering that we do the majority of our cooking on the grill when we're in camp...

Such a piece as this ain't a luxury... it's our kitchen!

Fired it up last night for her maiden run...

With the lid and the grill guard it heats up a whole lot better than the Coleman did...

The burner control on the side is a lot more convenient than the awkward attachment the other had.

... and the propane line itself fits through the grill guard and attaches a lot cleaner and easier...

That's another thing I do as well... The propane.

I don't use the throw away bottles except rarely.

With a 20# BBQ sized bottle I don't buy propane for the barbie but maybe once a year! Which puts the cost of that at a fraction of what you pay for those throw away bottles.

... and I rarely run out twenty miles from town... in the middle of sizzlin' a steak.

I've got a T on the Bottle so it can power up both the grill and a regular Coleman stove at the same time...

I thought about plumbin' it all into a "Tree" so I could hang a propane lantern too... but decided I didn't need that for cooking...

I don't need a lantern cuz I got me one of those LED lights that clips on my cap brim... It was difficult to obtain it too... I Had to chase that yuppie a half mile to steal it!

The only time setting up the stoves is a problem at all is in the more Northern Climes where the Oh-thor-uh-Tees refuse to discipline Walts errant 'children'...

... and you have to lock up everything including the laundry you cooked in... so the Bears don't have anything to tempt their undisciplined ways...

Me? I'm more for makin' "Bear Burger" out of the mis-behavors... but then... That's why I ~ AM ~ a grumpy Ol' Puss gut Biker Cowboy!

Gotta go! Lots of lil' chores to button up if we're gonna be ready to roll next Monday or Tuesday...

Itch Itch Itch... Ten days in a camp is Long Enough! :)
Brian