out of my apartment!!!!

FINALLY got out of  my apartment!

It only took 2 more days than I estimated!

Got to my friend Weldon's house last night.  Have  been staying in his 5th wheel trailer.  It was in the single digits and snowing this morning.  Was glad to have a trailer with heat!  :)  Hence my plan to haul booty for Southern Arizona.  I may stay here as late as Sunday... it IS supposed to warm up some tomorrow and thru the weekend.

So, I didn't actually rough it last night, but I am now a nomad.   It still feels like an adventure.  I hope I never lose that feeling!

Another YouTube video.. this one explicitly about the RTR

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS5Zxedcnrw

This keeps me motivated to keep moving out of my apartment!  :)

RTR event Jan 10

I am a follower and member of the CHEAPRVLIVING.COM website and forum.  It was started and maintained by a gentleman named Bob Wells.    He also has a YouTube channel devoted to folks like me.    Here's a link to one of his video's.  Please consider subscribing to his channel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHo3MzO7xMA

There is an event in Quartzite, Arizona starting Jan 10, 2017 called the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR) which I hope to be able to attend and participate in.  I already have most of what I will need in my trailer to live in it.  It is just not "setup" yet.  In other words, I have done no customization to create a bed frame and shelves , or setup my Solar Energy System.  I do have a borrowed Honda Generator that I can use for cooking and heat until I get my Solar panels, batteries , controller and wiring set up.

That is something I believe I can do at the RTR.  And possibly have some assistance.

I am really looking forward to it.

Picked up my trailer from friend's house

yesterday I drove down to my friend Weldon's house.  We just spent a few hours hanging out.  That's how we celebrated Christmas.  We had my 2 dogs and his 3 dogs and 1 cat.  It was kind of like a party.   I certainly enjoyed it.

I drove back home in some of the highest winds I've experienced since I lived on the coast of N. Carolina!  Walking the dogs, the wind almost blew me over a few times.  And I am NOT a small guy!
I was very proud that I was able to back it into a parking spot!  I've been really challenged on that.  I AM getting better... I've spent time just backing up around my storage facility and the odd empty parking lot.   Still got a ways to go, but I'm making progress.

The Trip from Hell!

This is what I posted on Cheaprvliving.com about my trip to pick up my trailer in Waco, TX.
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The Trip from hell (and yes, I know it could have been much worse! )  
As far as my journey went... the agent for Haulmark discovered an issue about the delivery the day I was going to pick it up. 
I ended up meeting a delivery guy that he hired in a WalMart parking lot.   It took all day to make this happen.  
I was in Waco, TX , which is on the Freeway corridor from Dallas to San Antone... heavy traffic, fast nutty drivers, lots of tight lanes and lane changes .  First time ever driving anything bigger than say a 4x8 Uhaul... lots of stress. 

My dog, Taz , was freaking out... he jumped up in the front seat twice while my son and I were driving back to Austin.  More on that later.   

Again, since I am new at driving a trailer, I got stuck twice and had to have someone help me to back it up.  Again, never driven a trailer this long.  

Then the weather hit when I was just south of Lubbock.  Got down to about 3 degrees in a few hours.  I ended up spending two nights in a motel... Colorado was socked in and roads shut down.   Spent a lot of time watching YouTube video's about backing up a trailer... I have a much better idea how to do it now.  I had forgotten what little I did know from a long time ago.  

Left Sunday morning, heading back to Colorado.  About 20 miles north of Lubbock, while walking my dogs away from the Interstate, my dog Taz got off of the leash.  Next thing I see him hightailing down a 1 lane dirt country road.  Away from me. 
the "ignoring therapy" didn't quite work. Took me an hour to find him, driving around, stopping at farmhouses, asking if they'd seen him.  Was on the phone with my sister , asking for moral and prayer support , when I saw him running toward me about a mile away.    Wow!  I ignored the vet's instructions and gave him *2* of the tranq's she had given and told me to give IN ADVANCE. He calmed down in about 15 minutes, and was calm the rest of the trip.  Clearly, in advance was not the solution. We'll see if this is. 


I had to drive through a little bit of snow... again , a first for me with a trailer.   That was no problem, I just drove slow and steady and made NO sudden changes. 

So, yep, it COULD have been worse.  And I rolled with most of the punches , trying to learn as much as I could from them.  So, all-in-all, a success.

PHASE 1 of My Driveabout adventure is coming to a close ... that would be the preparation phase... I am heading out this morning to pick up my cargo trailer. I'll be stopping to see Mary and the Kid.
Plan to pick it up on Friday. Next step , start to convert it to a livable space ... adding a bed, a primitive "kitchen", solar panels, etc...

YAHOOO!!!!

Cargo Trailer ready for PICKUP!

I just got notication that my trailer is ready to be picked up. I plan on leaving Wednesday after my Doctor's appt, and picking it up in Waco on Friday.

YAHOO!