Saturday, November 23, 2024 It's still T-shirt weather in this part of the desert Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest 2 comments: Barney, The Old Fat ManNovember 23, 2024 at 7:15 PM Definitely shorts and tee shirt weather here in Rockport Tx.ReplyDele … | Continue reading
GM vans and trucks, as well as pre-Mercedes and pre-Fiat Dodge vans and trucks, are notorious for peeling and flaking white paint. The Rolling Steel Tent has been plagued with it the past few years. It got especially bad when I was in wet weather. Water seeps into tiny dings and … | Continue reading
Whenever I’m in a period of frequently moving from place to place I sometimes wake up slightly disoriented. “Wait, where am I?” I look out the window. “Oh, right. Okay.” This is particularly the case when I’ve camped at several similar looking spots. Like the desert. The past few … | Continue reading
My mail forwarder is in Quartzsite. So when I’m in the general area I place any needed online orders and have them delivered there. A shipment is supposed to arrive tomorrow so I drove up from Yuma this afternoon. (I could have waited until Monday or Tuesday, but I was ready for … | Continue reading
My sleep pattern has been totally messed up the past couple of weeks — more than I can attribute to shortening daylight hours, switching to Standard Time or straddling time zones. My typical routine is to turn in at about 10:30, wake up about four hours later to pee, then sleep a … | Continue reading
Wednesday, November 13, 2024 It’s just me Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest No comments: Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Help keep the Steel Tent rolling Search This Blog Blog Archive ▼ 2024 (186) ▼ Novem … | Continue reading
For several years I’ve been spending the colder months just inside the southeast corner of California in a BLM area where I have never seen the 14-day camping limit enforced. Meanwhile, I get my supplies and various services a few miles away in Yuma, with low-cost dental/vision/p … | Continue reading
I store my spare key in a magnetic holder under the van. I needed to use that key a few days ago when I somehow got out of my usual parking rhythm and locked my regular key in the Rolling Steel Tent. I was in a dirty spot at the time and didn’t want to get even dirtier returning … | Continue reading
Friday, November 8, 2024 I’m a shadow of my current self Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest 2 comments: MFHNovember 9, 2024 at 12:07 AM Are those the Big Maria Mtns?ReplyDelete Replies Al ChristensenNovember 9, 2024 at 3:36 AM No, the Cargo Muchacho … | Continue reading
I want to spend several months (at least) on the Baja peninsula. Cell service is spotty and net access is iffy and of unreliable quality. Some campgrounds have wifi, but for a fee and for limited hours of operation. The same for net cafes where they exist. Starlink would be a sol … | Continue reading
My friend Deni had been struggling for a few years with getting an ailment properly diagnosed and treated. She had been in Washington with a daughter, Missouri with other family, and Colorado to finally get things taken care of. She’s feeling much better but is still weak. When a … | Continue reading
The sandhill cranes congregated at the water in the evening and roosted there for the night. The Internet explains this is for safety from predators, social connections, and conservation of energy. So there were hundreds of cranes hanging out at the lake this morning. When the su … | Continue reading
I’m camped by a lake on the outskirts of Willcox AZ and wanted to get closer to the sandhill cranes to get a better photo. But they didn’t want me any closer. Okay, so this is the best I could do. | Continue reading
What if happiness isn’t something we need to work for, chase after, earn, buy? What if happiness is always there but hidden by the other crap of life — some of which is dumped upon us, and some of which is self-inflicted? What if we walk past happiness every day as we go searchin … | Continue reading
Southern Arizona is hot, right? Or at least hotter than most places. That’s why snowbirds and other cold weather avoiders go there. So when I volunteered to help a friend move into Sierra Vista, which is one of the farthest south cities in Arizona (about 16 miles from the border) … | Continue reading
After voting in Silver City I went to visit Pat and Margene — Lou’s friends who became my friends. They live across the highway from Lou’s former place (hereafter referred to as LFP). Although junipers and yuccas block part of the view of LFP, I could see the new owner had added … | Continue reading
As I was returning to Silver City to vote I passed many memory-evoking places. Places I had been with Lou. One of the spots was the Grant County airport. You can’t see it very well from the highway, but every time Lou and I passed it he would crane his neck and say something like … | Continue reading
A short video about making life choices showed up on my Instagram feed. When a decision is difficult, and you’ve weighed the usual pros and cons, perhaps there’s another question to be asked: What kind of person do I want to become? That reminded me of my decisions that led to me … | Continue reading
I went south, in part, to escape water falling from the sky. So here I am, camped by water that fell from the sky as far away as Colorado. This works better for me. | Continue reading
Well, well, well, look who’s here. I haven't seen you in many a year. If I knew you were comin’ I’d ’ve baked a cake, baked a cake, baked a cake. If I knew you were comin’ I’d ’ve baked a cake. How-ja do. How-ja do, How-ja do. My friend Michael (who frequently comments here, and … | Continue reading
Saturday, October 19, 2024 Where are you? Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest 1 comment: GBOctober 20, 2024 at 9:49 AM Maybe bothReplyDelete Replies Reply Add comment Load more... Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Hel … | Continue reading
Storm’s a-brewin’ There had been attempts at rain the past week, with some brief successes. The long range forecasts for the region promised rain, with snow possible in some spots. The West needs rain. That doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. It also meant it would be the wrong time … | Continue reading
The trail to Wild Horse Window — a pair of caves with a hole in one roof — starts with a clear, well used path down into a wash and out again. From there it crosses a large section of bare rock with gullies, drop-offs, and dead ends. This is the trickiest part of the trail. There … | Continue reading
Monday, October 14, 2024 Eerie beauty Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest No comments: Post a Comment Newer Post Older Post Home Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Help keep the Steel Tent rolling Search This Blog Blog Archive ▼ 2024 (169) ▼ Oct … | Continue reading
I know better than to try certain things. But the crucial part is to actually think about those things for at least a few seconds before heading off. Yesterday’s error was my lack of thought about it not only being a popular travel season in southeastern Utah’s National Parks, bu … | Continue reading
This is not an ancient ruin, but it will be in a few centuries. Should I leave something in it to facilitate dating? A coin, maybe? | Continue reading
I griped a little that my camping neighbors, though well behaved, were a little closer than I liked. So when I finished yesterday’s hike I looked for a new boondocking spot. I found it on a less used road, in sort of a bowl. Less view, more privacy. Had to switch from my Verizon … | Continue reading
Capitol Reef National Park has many popular and well-promoted trails. But this being one of the peak seasons I considered taking a less known trail. It might not be as spectacular as others, but it was more likely I’d have it all to myself. And I did. Well, except for one guy goi … | Continue reading
I just noticed I've published 3,720 blog posts. That's an average of 338 posts a year for the eleven years I've been doing this. Not quite one a day. That amazes me. I am not known as a talkative guy, but I guess writing is how I let it all out — whether anyone asked for it or no … | Continue reading
If you’re a fairly normal person (which I pretend to be) then spring and autumn are the best times to visit the desert. It’s neither too hot nor too cold. Goldilocks time. Which means it’s more crowded. I found a good campsite with a very nice view, but the neighbors are closer a … | Continue reading
It felt like time to move on from Bryce Canyon. No particular reason other than my impulse to keep moving. But first a shower at the park’s general store. Three bucks for a token that’s good for five minutes. The token might have no cash value, but a nice hot shower makes me feel … | Continue reading
Yesterday a friend posted about a smoothie he makes. One of the ingredients was maple syrup. Naturally, maple syrup made me think of pancakes — even though I don’t put maple syrup on my pancakes. The flavor just, eh, doesn’t appeal to me. Then this morning, as I was rearranging t … | Continue reading
Friday, October 4, 2024 More Bryce Canyon Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest 5 comments: Barney, The Old Fat ManOctober 4, 2024 at 3:42 PM WOW!!!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete Replies Reply Maple Valley GalOctober 5, 2024 at 4:12 AM Thank you for this. And … | Continue reading
If you think, “Hey, let’s get up while it’s still dark so we can be at the rim of Bryce Canyon for sunrise,” know that you’re not the only one thinking the same thing. When something is named Sunrise Point folks tend to go there for the sunrise. You could find yourself in a conga … | Continue reading
I have to wonder what the situation was on the regular forest road that made the detour seem like a better choice. A large puddle? A dead cow? (There’s open range about a quarter mile away.) Whatever the reason, I can imagine how the driver felt. I’ve done a similar thing more th … | Continue reading
From Jacob Lake AZ the closest town of any useful size is Kanab UT. I needed to do laundry and there’s a laundromat in Kanab I had used once several years ago. The plan was to do laundry and then continue northward, out of Kanab’s heat, to Bryce Canyon which is at 8,000 feet. But … | Continue reading
In June of 2020 the human-caused “Magnum Fire” burned 71,450 cares of forest on the Kaibab Plateau at Jacob Lake. When you drive through the fire zone today you see the conifers have been decimated but aspens have taken over like gangbusters. And right now they’re glorious yellow … | Continue reading
I was eager this morning to set out on the Cape Final Trail at the North Rim of Grand Canyon. “Have some breakfast first,” I told myself. But I got caught up in other preparations and… I was about a quarter mile along the trail when I remembered I hadn’t eaten. And I hadn’t consu … | Continue reading
Loaded up on groceries. Got an oil change and full tank of gas. I was ready to go. This would be a familiar drive. Up US-89 out of Flagstaff, past the San Francisco Peaks and volcanic remnants, through grasslands into the Navajo Nation, increasingly harsh landscape, red rock coun … | Continue reading
My work at Tom’s place is done, and since I was out of some essential supplies that would mean leaving Tom’s place, it was a good time to get back on the road. The weather has been nice, and I certainly haven’t needed to worry about being chased away by law enforcement, but after … | Continue reading
My homesteading stroke victim friend, Tom, originally said he needed help installing a wood stove. I had never done such a thing but imagined I could figure it out. However, Tom found a guy with a stove installation business. I agreed that was the better course of action, so I ha … | Continue reading
After two weeks of staying a few miles down the road from Grand Canyon I figured it was time to take advantage of a break in the winterizing work and make my annual pilgrimage. Sunrise and sunset are the best times. I got to the canyon at about 6:15 AM. Fewer visitors but a stiff … | Continue reading
Maxfield Parrish was an early 20th century painter known for his rich colors and stylized neoclassical compositions, many of them set at “golden hour” with backgrounds of billowing cumulus clouds. I mention him because we had that type of sky yesterday evening. We tend to watch t … | Continue reading
1. I discovered the paw prints of a cat on my windshield. I’m guessing it was from a neighbor’s cat or a feral one. Either way, I hope it was on rodent patrol. 2. Sedans are a dying breed as pickups, SUVs and crossovers take over the automotive market. Furthermore, sedans are eve … | Continue reading
I realized something today worthy of a self-administered head smack. Like most red-blooded ‘Mericans, I was raised without the metric system. I think it was because they wanted us to suffer more. Anyway, now and then I take a stab at using metric. The other day I flipped the swit … | Continue reading
A few weeks ago I wrote how delighted (and somewhat concerned) I was to not be bothered by bugs in the Pacific Northwest. But now I’m back in the high desert and so are the bugs. Flies during the day, moths and other flying annoyances at night. The most annoying insects are the t … | Continue reading
My friend, Tom, is an on-and-off nomad who seems to be settling into an extended off period. Maybe a permanent one. He bought a small bit of property in the high desert of Arizona and installed a prefabricated tiny house a while back. Then a couple of days ago he had a tiny barn … | Continue reading
Conventional vehicle-dwelling wisdom holds that it’s a lot easier staying in the boondocks than in cities. Civilization is filled with laws and folks hostile to those living in unconventional ways. Sooner or later law enforcement or irate neighbors will come a-knockin’. Yet my fr … | Continue reading