Monday, March 2, 2015

I'm home!

After driving a lovely 8h today, I finally made it home.  I took the longer route (time-wise), but it was much more scenic and healthier for the Jeep.  My friend, Mr. Tony Stark, gave the Jeep a name- Buehlla.  I consider the Jeep an "it", so we decided to shorten it to Buehl, which is more gender neutral.

I took the scenic route to my friends' place as well.  The Jeep/Buehl does not like interstate driving.  Apparently, 35" tires, manual transmission and low gearing are the trifecta of suck when trying to drive fast.  Add in going up and down in mountains and the suck increases exponentially.  On the way I stopped at the Perry Arch Bridge.  Pretty cool stuff.

On the way back I took Hwy 95-Hwy 55, so all the scenic parts of Idaho.  I had not been to the Lewiston-North of Grangeville area for years.  It was quite nice to see it all again through a different mindset than previously.  I stopped at the White Bird Battle overlook (and to give Buehl and my legs a break).  Breathtaking scenery.  Heartbreaking Nez Perce history.


I found this photo on my Facebook feed and just had to share it with the following statement:
"Oh oh, thats me! Hear that, gentlemen? Im a goddamned fucking Queen. This bitch aint need no saving!"

My friends bought some land and are building their dream homestead on it.  They are accomplishing a lifelong dream of theirs to live as sustainably as possible and eliminate their carbon footprint.  I applaud them and am admittedly jealous of this plan of theirs.  They are learning about forestry management in order to be the best forestry stewards they can be for the land that they live on and share with this planet.

I helped them haul fallen trees and branches to be burned.  I also helped (minimally, in the grand scheme of things) build some of their cabin.  I forced myself to address some discomforts I have with heights by climbing the 14' ladder and walk across support beams without floors, and walk on the porch suspended (in my opinion) high above the ground since they built the cabin into/on a hillside overlooking the creek on their property, on boards that are not yet secured to the support beams.  I had so much fun!  I was the errand-runner for my friends as they installed the porch roof.  I simply could not overcome my fear of losing my balance and plummeting to the ground in a heap of pain or death to go up on the roof.
We hiked around the property.  I must say, there is something so soothing and "completing" to hear golden eagles cawing/screaming while soaring over head.  And then hear the sound of the wind moving the trees so that they rub against each other.  And the gurgle of water in a stream cutting through and over rocks.  Serene.  My friends have chosen well.  They will have a good life there.  They are working so hard to reach their dreams.  I am so proud of them for it.  So proud, that I feel compelled to help them complete it and live it as well.  Maybe?


I am glad to have friends such as the thoughtful Tony Stark and his badass wife, Pepper Potts.  I only get to see them every few years, but they are the sort of friends that make an 8h drive more than worth it!  I was so sad to leave them today.  They are a part of my "Tribe" and with a tribe of so few members (due to VERY restrictive membership access), I cherish the ones I do get to see.  My Tribe understands when I post something like this:


One of the things I love best about my Tribe is that everyone is different.  And they all respect that of one another.  They are communicative enough to share their points of view.  They are awesome enough to know when to shrug their shoulders and take life by the horns.  They are all very independent-minded intelligent individuals who have goals in life and strive so hard to reach them.

Mr. Stark taught me how to operate a tractor with a backhoe on it and blade up front.  He also showed me how to drive/operate the Mitubishi bulldozer (tehehehe), as well as, "Olga" a 1955 military xm215 (i.e. giant old dump truck).  Olga was pretty challenging since it is a manual transmission, yet no syncros.  This means that the gears do not slow down to match each other for you to be able to shift up or down when you depress the clutch.  I managed to shift up fairly well, but going down, I simply kept grinding the gears.  I had to put it in neutral and stop it before shifting again.  It is also a full time 6x6 and no power steering.  If I drove that thing regularly, I'd have AWESOME guns, bwhahaha!


It is always so hard to come back to real life after a vacation.  Come back to the responsibilities of life.  The hum drum rig 'um an' roll of it all.  Not that my life is drole by any means.  It is not.  My life is pretty damn awesome.  But spending so much time being happy and full of fun times is what I strive to achieve.  Yes, I went on vacation and ended up helping roof a home, cut and collect/drag trees, driving and operating a variety of useful machinery and hiking are all things I consider time well spent.  Especially when done to help others.  I will bend over backward to help those I deem worthy.  That is what being a friend is.  That is what being a member of my Tribe does.  We help one other.  We help make sure we have the most fulfilled live possible.  I am so happy for Mr Stark and Ms Potts.  They are such a wonderful couple.  I smile when I watch them interact with one another.  I only hope I can find someone to make me giggle like that when I see them.

My Tribe fits wonderfully into this example of a Venn diagram.  Tehehehe:

I am slowly getting closer to accomplishing some of my life long goals.  I bought a house in 2014.  Due to a series of events, of which I am not sad about, nor is the process a negative situation, I will no longer have the house.  Instead, I plan to downsize my life.  I have mentioned the difficultly in procuring a loan for a tiny home.  So, in the mean time, I will live in a travel trailer.  I am very excited about this.  I already have a place to park it, hook it up and live.  Now to just find the as close to perfect trailer as possible.  In order for me to keep them all straight, I am listing my potentials I have found on craigslist here:


My criteria thus far:

  • Minimum 25' long
  • Prefer at least 1 slide
  • Bumper pull preferred, but can perhaps work with 5th wheel
  • Prefer double pane windows since living in year round
  • 1 bed (no need for bunks since it is just for me)
  • armchair/lay-z-boy in addition to the standard pull out couch
  • High R value in walls, ceiling and floor
  • No water damage
Benefits/Pluses:
  • Solar panels
  • Outdoor shower
Any feedback is much appreciated.  Thanks!

Questions I am using in my email to potential sellers for me:

Does it have a clean title and are you the only owner it's ever had?
Was it ever lived in full time?
When was the last time the whole sewer system was flushed?
Does it have central air and heat?  What are the BTUs?
Does it have double pane windows and is there insulation in the subfloor/ceiling?
Have pets ever been in it?
Has it ever been smoked in?
How new are the tires? Tread?
What is the towing/max weight of the trailer?
Has it ever had/has leaks?
Does it have a "polar/northwest" package (i.e. 4-season ready-ish)?
Are the the jacks manual and independent of each other?
Is the refrigerator a gas/electric combo?
What kind of batteries does it have?
Does it come with a generator? Solar panels?
What kind of sound system does it have?
What kind of entertainment system does it have?
What sort of inverter does it have?



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