Quartzsite Gatherings, Winter 2018-19

Just a quick overview of the major vandweller gatherings this winter.  What, where, when and how.  Not all inclusive by any means, just links to where you can find more information.  (bits and pieces borrowed from Bob and Suanne.)

Women’s Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (WRTR):  Jan 4-8, 2019 

What: WRTR is part of Bob Well's CheapRVLiving organization.  An extension of the WRTR, this Facebook group of women collectively share wisdom, skills and practical knowledge about the nomadic lifestyle. It is a safe and inclusive space for women of all backgrounds and circumstances to participate in mentoring, networking, sharing information and developing skills. The goal of the group is to create a virtual classroom and networking avenue in which all are encouraged to be both teacher and student, mentor and mentee. This group is open to women who have attended a Women's RTR, or plan to attend in the future -- http://www.cheaprvliving.com/womensrtr/

Where:  Bouse AZ
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10217858649037847&set=gm.303689560259475&type=3&theater

Description of each area:

1) Limited Mobility: If you are handicapped, disabled, or have a limited mobility, go here. If a man is a woman-participant's caregiver, then camp here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/295188741109557/

2) Allies: Where women who share their rig with a male will hang out and camp. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/295326797762418/

Camps 3-13 are intended to be for women only.

3) Smoke- and Fragrance-Free: For women who are chemically sensitive. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/295992521029179/

4) Healthy Living Activities: For the woman making healthy lifestyle choices, regardless of were she is in her journey. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/296507987644299/

5) Art: For any type of artistic activities, except audio art. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/296919827603115/

6) Rainbow: For LGBTQ and friends, a supportive place. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/297301050898326/

7) Tenders: For women who sleep in their tents, especially geared for newbies to support one another. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/297669084194856/

8) Quiet: The most popular camp selection in the poll. Women may camp at more of a distance from one another. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/298109444150820/

9) Pet Owners: Join this camp for camaraderie with other animal lovers. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/298524470775984/

10) Little Noise: For shorter-duration quieter sounds, less than an hour, less than 60db, including music a very quiet generators. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/298893624072402/

11) Generators: For women who want to run their loud (more than 60db) or long-running (more than 1 hour) generators or engines. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/299524434009321/

12) Music: This camp will be for folks who play and listen to music for longer lengths of time. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/299742170654214/

13) Nature: For women who enjoy the company of others who also love exploring and learning about nature. https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/permalink/300060407289057/

When:  January 4-8, 2019

How:  For details go to Facebook WRTR – currently 1,498 members.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/womensrtr/?ref=bookmarks

=====================================================

Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (RTR):  Jan 9-20, 2019
https://www.cheaprvliving.com/rtr/  (almost anything you need to learn about this lifestyle can be found on his site.)

What:  Bob Wells started the Rubber Tramp Rendezvous (commonly called the RTR) in January 2010. There were 45 of us that first year and we all had a great time. It was so great that we’ve been holding it annually ever since and it has grown larger every year. 

There will be many very experienced vandwellers at the RTR and an even larger number of newcomers. That creates a perfect opportunity for learning, so we put on seminars most days covering basic subjects of interest to vandwellers.

Schedule is a work in progress… not finalized.

Where:  Quartzsite, AZ

33.649045, -114.145593

Video on location:  Bob’s Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osAVB9svWl0

RVTV Video (with internet upload and download speeds:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaK0Gm5Q4Wc&t=6s

When:  Jan 9-20, 2019

How:  Getting a Special Use Permit makes that person responsible for what goes during the event–at the RTR, that someone is Bob Wells! If you do something wrong, first BLM will talk to you, but then they will come talk to Bob and issue him a warning. If he can’t control the group, BLM won’t allow us to gather! IT IS BOB’s CAMP, AND HE DOES  EXPECT YOU FOLLOW THE RULES. If you insist on breaking the rules, the Ranger will be glad to enforce BLM rules.

Main  CheapRVLiving.com web site:  https://www.cheaprvliving.com/  (tons of resources and how to do info.)

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tiny Care Living Resources:

Suanne Carlson’s Prius:  https://suanneonline.blogspot.com/p/why-prius-rv.html

David Swanson:  Luxury Living in a Prius:  https://priusdwelling.wordpress.com/

================================================

Swankie Wheels Blog:  http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/

Swankie Wheels Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/swankiewhls/

Grateful for Help Received (3/24/2018)

March 1, I found myself pretty far away from everyone I knew.  I had budgeted just enough money for gas to reach the next location where I hoped to stay put and work on the van.  Suddenly, I realized… I was BROKE.  How can one not know that is about to happen???  Well, for me, it was stupidity.  I had failed to make note of the re-occurring Amazon Prime annual fee of about $100…. and had not cancelled it.  Now, taking into consideration the automatic Electronic Fund Transfers already set up for the rest of the month, I was left with only $40… and had no way of getting to the next destination.

Also, my shoulder pain was increasing to the point it was causing my Blood Pressure to be elevated and I needed to buy a blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on it.  In addition, I had infections in both ears which began from allergies… and I had co-pays for meds to cure that problem, I did not feel I had the money for all that, so decided to sit in that drug store parking lot and try to figure it out.  The itching was about to drive me mad.

I felt stuck, desperate.  Was I going to have to sit in this parking lot and wait three weeks for my March 21 payday???  I felt like a trapped wild animal.  I decided to ask for help, not an easy thing for me to do, as stubbornly independent as I am.  So, I sent out a plea, asking only for $5 or $10, to the contacts in my Google email, trying carefully to eliminate people I didn’t know, or who I knew were not in a position to help, or businesses, etc.  I didn’t do a perfect job of that I guess.  LOL

The response was immediate and gratifying.  Also a bit scary.  Two people whose email addresses sounded familiar, came back at me with a lot of hate, calling me names and telling me to grow up.  One said, it was the second time in seven years I had begged him for money.  I forgot what the other said, but he was also hateful.  All the others renewed my faith in humanity and gave me hope.  One wrote me yesterday, saying she finally managed to get the service dog I helped her with financially.  Friends help friends.  That’s what we do.

First my regular budget update for the month.

Budget Update

Month / Pay Period	Fast Food	Meals Out	Gasoline	Groceries
Sep 20- Oct 17	51.87	34.92	432.27	164.72
Oct 18 Nov 14	76.04	53.89	144.70	175.81
Nov 15 – Dec 19	48.25	47.04	325.47	351.26
Dec 20 – Jan 17	28.02	36.35	182.40	262.24
Jan 18 - Feb 20	35.51	36.32	260.00	153.37
Feb 21 – Mar 20	48.89	14.23	233.10	131.06

These are not by any means my only budget items. My monthly Electronic Fund Transfers for bills come to: $295.00 monthly.  I can’t change much of those right now.  I tried to cancel my gym membership, but Planet Fitness said I could not, unless I paid for the remainder of the contract.  This is not what they told me when I joined and I am planning to try and fight this as there are no gyms near where I boondock.

So, here is an accounting of my expenses since 3/1 when my plea went out.

Supplies - $100.00
Groceries/meals out – $105.00
Solar supplies – $13.75
Gasoline – $141.21
P.O. Box/postage – $43.00
Kayak Chute Supplies – $100.00

None of that would have been possible without the help I received. Thank you again.

Major changes to my rig:

Kayak Chute:  For nine years I have loaded my kayak on top of my van.  It was difficult at best.  With pending shoulder surgery and a very long recovery, I had to find a better way to manage the 53-pound bulky boat.  Building a box on the floor of my trailer in order to slide the kayak into the trailer without any overhead lifting is the only solution I could come up with.  Lifting the kayak overhead may not be possible after the surgery, so I want to prepare for that possibility so I can continue to be independent and keep kayaking.  This week I accomplished that due to financial assistance I received.

Once it was all helter-skelter in there, and whatever I needed was always under something else.  Now things are compartmentalized, and the kayak slides easily in and out with only a couple inches of lifting, which I can do with one arm.

No more of this:

Still to do – Peeling van paint:  Finish fixing peeling paint on the van.  Hard to do with shoulder situation so I bought an oscillating sander to assist.  My last major adaptation.  I like to keep the van looking neat and clean.  These Chevy vans were really bad about paint peeling off.  I keep postponing this as it hurts a lot to do it.

New thought: I now carry 3 six gallon jugs of water… when I make camp.  That is 48 pounds per jug.  Most the places I buy water sell five gallons for $1.00, so I began just getting the five gallons instead of six. But even the 40 pounds is getting too hard to lift.  I need to find a way to have a water supply on hand that does not involve me lifting those jugs.  I just might not be able to do it after surgery.  I am looking for affordable solutions now.  A friend is going to share plans for her system.

Van work needed:  I still need to replace the power steering fluid pump on the van and have the name of a trusted mechanic I will check with this week.  I have the pump donated by a supporter.  Big O tires also said I need a lot of front end work to keep my van from eating my front tires.  I had to buy two cheap new ones a couple months ago to feel safe and get by.  The estimate from Big O tires was over $2,000, for things like Pitman arm, etc. Same Big O gave a friend of mine the same estimate on his van… he said his van was not even worth that.  I am going to see what this local mechanic thinks, as I think my van is worth that to me… it is my home, the only one I really ever want to have.  If you wish to help with van work, you can use the donation button on the right.

I have thoughts of setting up a Patreon account to raise funds for the van work needed.  In the nine years I have had the van (and 100,000 + miles), I have only replaced the water pump, and tires.  I have driven places and gotten into situations I should probably not have gotten into… but I need to keep this machine working… and make it last me the rest of my life???  I would be selling notecards, reprints of my art work, maybe some original art and possibly some vandwelling mentoring sessions… where newbies could come camp with me for a week.  Any thoughts?

Another new thought?  Most likely the first few months after shoulder surgery, I will have to sleep in a recliner.  I really don’t want to spend that time inside a nursing home or someone’s sticks and bricks house any longer than necessary, so I have begun thinking about getting a recliner inside my van.  My bed is easily removed… and if a recliner will fit (it will have to be a power recliner or one with a left handed leaver)… I will find/get one… some way.

I CAN and I WILL do this.  (And I have not given up my Arizona Trail hike dream… but all the rest of this has kind of put it on the back burner.)

Thanks go out to all the generous supporters and I pray the trolls get a life and find some happiness out there.  (Don’t worry, Trolls, you have been removed from my Google Contacts.)  I am humbled by the support I have received and will pay it forward.

Maybe I should buy land here… southeast Arizona????
(and call it home)
========================

HipStar™: The World's Best Hands-Free Travel Cart

Posted first by Igor Koshutin (Creator); re-posted by Swankie.

HipStar™ - Hands-Free Travel Cart 
(watch video - https://youtu.be/VmQe0wY_U5g)

Hey Backers, 

Today we have another great supporter - Charlene Swankie (AKA "SwankieWheels"). Charlene is living on Social Security, but she is living life to the fullest, camping full-time in a home built camper van.  Here is a bit of her back story: 

In 2005, Charlene could not walk and was shopping for a wheelchair. She then had bilateral knee replacements and two years of physical therapy. She has had to learn how to walk all over again. Soon, she began biking and running. In 2008, she was feeling so fit, got bored, bought a kayak, learned to kayak and set off to Kayak America. Charlene's goal was to kayak all 50 states, and she completed her 50th state, Hawaii, on her 70th birthday! She is now 74 and recently began looking for a new goal and decided on a solo hike of the 800-mile long Arizona National Scenic Trail (or Arizona Trail). She is working hard to prepare for that challenge. Charlene has wilderness and outdoor experience, having studied and hiked with Paul Petzoldt (founder of the National Outdoor Leadership School - NOLS) in the 1970s, but that was 40 years ago. A lot of retraining is required.

Here is what Charlene wrote: 
“I struggle to get ready for the hike due to limited finances, and also a bad shoulder. That is why HipStar™would be so important to me. I am seeking a second opinion this month on the shoulder to determine what I need to do about it and how much recovery time will be required. My goal to hike the AZ Trail felt aimless... and I kept searching for a purpose for doing it. I wanted a goal that was bigger than life itself, like kayaking all 50 states was, but I couldn't find one until I connected with HipStar™. Needless to say, I am extremely excited about this new challenge... of working with HipStar™ to make the wilderness more accessible to seniors and those mildly physically challenged!

One problem I see is, the Arizona Trail Association  doesn’t allow carts!!! Why??? They allow bikes, and horses, and unicycles? I know I could not use it on the ground through the Grand Canyon Angel Trail, but that's what is so great about your HipStar™ design, I can roll it where possible and backpack in other places. I intend to fight this with the AZ Trail Association and get permission to use HipStar™! I am going to contact the Americans With Disabilities group and get them behind me in fighting the park and trail systems, to allow these carts. ACCESSIBILITY is supposed to be provided for all and not allowing seniors to use the cart is discrimination! I might even fight them to the point of getting arrested and jailed for refusing to be forced off the trail for using the cart. And I certainly would bring in the press if that happened.”

Then we discussed this subject. I told her that I was also going to apply for special permission to use HipStar™ on restricted trails as soon as HipStar™'s design is completed, tested and first product rolls out production line. But, of course, I had no idea what stages I have to undertake. So, we agreed to join efforts and outline the plan. I am sure many of you would support us! 

Then Charlene wrote:
“I am very excited about the idea of doing battle with the Park Service and other trail associations on behalf of all Seniors who wish to continue to enjoy the outdoors. I think this could be a wonderful partnership between HipStar™ and the senior community. Let’s continue to explore the possibilities!” 

Charlene has written about her kayaking adventures and pre-visits to Arizona Trail trailheads, and also about life on the road for the past decade as a full-time vandweller. 

Charlene Swankie : http://swankiewheels.blogspot.com/
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/swankie.wheels

Please visit the HipStar™ website for more details.

Also support them on HipStar™.  HipStar is a collapsible cart that makes it easy to move heavy items over any type of terrain and can be used as a backpack if needed.   The HipStar™ is a project of our passion in striving to help people achieve full mobility with only the power of two legs and accomplish physical feats they never thought possible – no matter if they’re young or old. It will be an affordable way to make travels more enjoyable. 

The Awakening of Swankie (being all I can be… to me)

If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of yourself.  If you want to eliminate the suffering of the world, then eliminate all that is dark and negative in yourself.  Truly, the greatest gift you have to give is that of your own self-transformation. Lao-tzu

Left Monterey, CA yesterday morning arriving in Paso Robles, CA where I may stay a few days.  Away from anyone I know, away from doctors, just away. Last night I parked in a large parking lot not far from Walmart.  Used to be a Kohl’s store there but it is closed now.  One other camper in lot.  It was quiet and I rested and caught up on stuff.  Got the ladder out and cleaned off my solar panel, and took the plastic off the roof vent, as I doubt I will get any rain here and I need the air flow. I will fix the leak soon, when I get out to open spaces.

So, I woke this morning thinking, I’m nobody to no one – no one’s mother, daughter, sister, wife, lover, friend.  No one.  OK, then so I need to be all that to and for myself. 

The people I have loved the most, have hurt me the deepest.  In some cases so deep that I can not to bear to think of them or be with them anymore.  I could not be to them what I wanted to be to them or what they wanted me to be.  I CAN be all that to me and if I work hard and fast I will be able to leave the second-best legacy behind for them – the genealogy I have spent 1/2 a century working to collect.  Statistics say I have 15 years left, well, probably more as I’m a lot healthier than most living 73-year olds.

Feels good, fresh, starting over at will.  No obligations to others, just me!  Take the best care of me that I can.  Be the best I can be.  That felt hopeless before, but with the recent involuntary weight loss (caused by the removal of a hormone-secreting benign tumor in my right airway, blocking air flow to my right lung) I have hope that I can be all that – to me, for me.  Yes, it is time to be selfish and it is o.k. to be selfish.

So, I better get busy.  Today, I am working on genealogy notes laying around on my desk.  Be gone, notes, be gone.

On the road again... heading to southern Califonia (Sept. 25, 2017)

 

Have visited with family and friends in Washington State, Oregon and northern California. (Me with Lois Middleton)

 My granddaughter and a Gypsy Vanner.

Now heading south to take care of health issues (follow-up with lung doctor and another bronchoscopy) for myself and get back to my plans for hiking the Arizona Trail.

More blog posts will follow soon.  I hope you have not been too lonely in my absence.

Valley Repair, Inc.–Meeker, Colorado

Worst of Times & Best of Times.

If you are ever in the Meeker, Colorado area and need help, I can not say enough good things about Valley Repair, Inc.  24 hr. towing and mechanic service.  431 East Market St., PO Box 292, Meeker, CO 81641.  Phone (970) 878-3316, email: vrepairmeeker@yahoo.com.

August 2016 found me working as a Camp Host at Nortfork Campground 35 miles east of Meeker CO.  I spent most of that month coughing uncontrollable, each day off I was back to doctor, E.R. or Urgent Care.  None of my normal cures for COPD were working.  Later I learned it was most likely an allergy to blooming sagebrush, but that is beside the subject of this post. I knew my job would be coming to an end early in September and I was concerned about the way my van was running. It seemed to have no power and I seldom was able drive over 40 mph.  I got to Meeker pulling a heavy cargo trailer and going mostly uphill (or I should say up-mountain), generally unable to go over 25 mph and having to stop often to let the engine cool down.  I knew I could not hit to road again, pulling that same load without fixing my van.  But what was wrong and what would it cost? (I was working to save money for my AZ Trail hike… but would it take my last penny just to fix the van???)

In the Spring 2016, before leaving my desert winter home, I took it to a Chevy dealer to have “Check Engine” light diagnosed.  They found Bank 2  O2 Sensor 1 had failed causing van to run very rich on right side. This was creating a rough running and engine and mis-firing.  Recommended replacing Bank 2, 02 sensor to correct.  They noted Truck Operates Normally.  This knowledge cost me $300.54.  And that was only for diagnostics and replacing the 02 sensor, not the catalytic converter.

At that time I decided to go ahead with a tune up in hopes that would help improve how the van was running.  Spark plugs, spark plug wires so they checked compression, replaced spark plugs, and adjusted ignition timing and idle speed. That cost another $650.00 (get this $118.72 for spark plugs, $121.48 for plug wires and $307 for labor, plus other shop supplies and hazardous materials fees.)  Geez, this van is getting expensive.

I left Quartzsite and headed out to begin inspecting sections of the Arizona trail, but the van was still running rough.  Visiting with friends in the Tucson area, I got a recommendation to go to Exhaust Works.  They confirmed that the front Catalytic Converter on Bank 2 was bad and so it was replaced with an after market converter.  Cost $290.80 (parts and labor).  He said ALL he does anymore is exhaust systems, no other mechanical work… he just specialized in exhaust systems.  I felt good about him and his work, until a little later.  That was April 2016.

I drove on to Meeker Colorado the next month…. as stated above, having a very rough time gaining that altitude, but I didn’t have the funds to get any more work done on the van.  During the summer, I used it only when I had to and saved my money.  Check engine light kept coming on, sometimes flashing, sometimes staying on solid, sometimes staying off all together.  Finally, Aug. 29, I took it in to Northwest Auto in Meeker, a GMC dealer for diagnosis… they found Bank 2 rear catalytic converter was plugged and charged me $46.77 for that knowledge.  Throwing codes of P0101, P0300, and P0171.  I asked for an estimate.  Lee told me it would be $628.44… to replace the Bank 2 rear catalytic converter.  He insisted that my van had 3 cat converters, when the man in Tucson had taken me under the van while it was on the rack and showed my the four converters on my van.  Lee insisted that ONLY federal vehicles had four converters, and he even sketched out the 3 he insisted I had on the back of the estimate.  See below sketch by Lee at GMC, Meeker, CO.

Wow… $628.44… is a big chunk of what I had been saving all summer to buy my AZ Trail hiking gear.  I felt crushed.  I even asked Lee how accurate his estimate was and he assured me of how careful he is in pricing things out and he would be surprised it is was more than $40 off.  Well, I had to think about that and crunch some numbers.

Two days later Lee called me back saying they sent him the wrong part (which he had said would take him five days to get as it had to come from Virginia, but he had it in two days????) and that the price was actually $1,080.00.  My boss actually took this message and turned out there was a misunderstanding in the way he said things and what he meant was it was an additional $1,080.00 on top of the $628.44.  I did not learn this until I stopped by GMC to pick up a copy of the estimate… and the grand Total was $1,780.64.  WHAT????  Well, Lee, that is a bit off on his $40 guess.  Things came to a screeching haul for me.  I had coughed the entire month of August and was exhausted.  Then I fell and cracked 3 ribs that week and was in a great deal of pain.  This was just too much. I was devastated and ready to give up.  I thought I might be stranded in a wintery cold snowy Meeker.  Now GMC was insisted that my van has four catalytic converters (like I told them in the beginning), but the estimate is for more than just the rear cat converter, it is the front and rear converters and the entire manifold pipe on the passenger side.  The front converter was only five months old????

I questioned them why I needed to replace the front catalytic converter when I had just done that in April… and they gave me some line about the van being registered in CA and CA emissions requires that factory parts be used.  I explained it was no longer registered in CA but in SD which had no such requirements.  They argued with me that it didn’t matter, I still had to met CA requirements and use factory parts, not after market parts.  I said it already had an after market converter on it… so what did it matter?  They held their ground.  They were also now arguing with me that they never said it had 3 converters (who made the sketch?).  I was really sickened by all the lies and the fact the were trying to take advantage of a woman.  I walked away and didn’t even cancel the work they had schedule.  I left them hanging and I didn’t feel bad about it either.

I was in too much pain to want to deal with it all, but my job would be ending the next week, and I would have to leave the campground soon after that… and snow was in the air.  Someone had given me the business card for Valley Repair, Inc. and at the insistence of a friend, I called them for a second estimate.  I gave them none of the history, other than that the front converter had been replaced in April.  I asked them to check the check engine lite.  They charged $20 for that, which my friend paid.  They understood that my funds were limited but that I urgently needed my HOME fixed so I could leave soon. 

They thought that a tune up could fix the problem… at that time I had forgotten that I got a tune-up in the spring … so they did that Sep. 15… ($206.31… compared to the $650 I paid for the same job in AZ six months earlier).  They charged me $32 for spark plugs, and $42 for wires, compared to  $118.72 for spark plugs, $121.48 for wires charged by Bradley Chevy in Parker AZ.  Wow.  I could have skipped this work had I remembered the spring tune-up. I just didn’t remember that tune-up until later… thinking I had never had a tune-up in the seven years I had the van,  and I thought it still had original spark plugs.  I think it was the pain meds affecting my brain!  LOL  But anyway, I had a comfort level with these guys at Valley Repair in Meeker… and trusted them.

But, the tune up did not help… and on the way back to camp, the check engine light came right back on.  Sept. 19, I took it back in… and they begin checking everything over and found exhaust leaks all round the front catalytic converter that Tucson put on in April.  The gasket was leaking too.  The previous converter was not welded without leaks and it did not look like Tucson had replaced the gasket.  I actually was allowed under the van and helped the mechanic by holding a flashlight.  I felt the leaks all around the old weld.  Felt like a very hot very strong hair dryer blowing on my hand.  They plugged up the tailpipe and ran the engine, and you would feel all the air coming out all around the Tucson welds. 

So they welded all that (left photo), replaced a gasket ($6.50) went in the joint (right photo). One of the nuts got cross-threaded and had to be cut off and the bolt re-threaded.  I helped with all that. Total came to $176.92.   And off I went down the road…  15 whole miles.  I was loosing pressure and power mile after mile.  By mile 17, I was stopped on the shoulder with zero power and the van would not move.  I called them to tow me back to the shop ($150.00 for the tow, 100% refundable by my auto insurance).

By this time, my motley crew at Valley Repair had adopted me and were invested in getting me back on the road at the least additional cost possible.  I slept in the van all night in their lot – my ribs killing me.  Next morning they came out and got the van, with me still in bed, and drove it into the garage and up on the lift we went… me still in bed.  They were still puzzled, but thought they would have to cut the rear catalytic converter off and replace it.  They already had the new one ($129 for after market… when GMC wanted to charge me $1,450 for parts).  I was in a great deal of pain from the ribs… so even turning over hurt.  I could not think.  The guys were right under my bed talking about what might be wrong when I suddenly I hear the buzz of a saw cutting through the pipe.  I thought, “guess we are cutting the old one out.”   I hurt too bad to move.  A few minutes later they call me to driver window and hold up the old one… full of gung that that blow out of the front converter that Tucson replaced… and had slowly been clogging up the rear converter and once the welds were fixed, it blew the rest of the gunk in the pipe into the rear converter, TOTALLY clogging it.

Within 1/2 hour, they had the new part in place and I was on my way back to camp.  Cost $222.39.  So all total, for all the work they did, I spent $605.62 at Valley Repair in Meeker, CO.  I drove from there to camp, got my trailer and hauled it back to Valley Repair dropped the trailer (where they stored it for free for 10 days), drove to Dakotas and back… picked up trailer, drove around Colorado some more, up and down mountains, and then on to Arizona.  Check engine light has not come back on once, not once… and van is running better than it has in a couple years.  I can’t be more pleased with Luke Pelloni, owner, and his mechanic Joe.  Great guys, great new family… I love these guys.  I trust them.  If you are ever in the Meeker, Colorado area and need help, I can not say enough good things about Valley Repair, Inc.  24 hr. towing and mechanic service.  431 East Market St., PO Box 292, Meeker, CO 81641.  Phone (970) 878-3316, email: vrepairmeeker@yahoo.com.

Owner Luke Pelloni on right, Joe in middle, and young Justin on left.  My new family.

=============

Coming soon:  Have you ever been stalked?  Do you know what to do about it? 

Beautiful Colorado–enroute to Colorado Springs

After a very rough season of Camp hosting, I am having some much deserved down time, all to myself.  Time to enjoy nature, and find my wits again.  The last month on the job, I suffered a severe case of RAD (never even heard it before – Reactive Airway Disease).  I knew I had COPD, but none of the normal cures were helping me. I could not stop coughing. The last six days on the job, I finally found a cure.  Fell and cracked 3 ribs… let me tell you, you WILL stop coughing.  And Lordy, I think it hurts worse than having a baby… sure takes longer for the pain to stop.  LOL

So, it’s off to enjoy some wide open spaces, and I am loving every mile.

I have friends and family in Colorado Springs… so I am SLOWLY heading that way.  Brother, and sister-in-law, nephew, great niece and great nephew, good friend from “vandwellers” tribe, and who else???? 

And on the way, this….

Swankie’s wits… where are you?????

Back Home Again in Colorado????

Colorado was never really my home, except for one year, 1974-75, when I attended Western State College in Gunnison, CO.  After my divorce, I decided my boys and I needed a real change of pace and environment.  As a child, I always dreamed of the West, and horses, cowboys, prairies, mountains and valleys. So, with hardly a penny to our names, we headed for Colorado.   We lived in a trailer court.  I think the boys had mixed emotions. I can not find the photos I am looking for and think they have not yet been digitized.

I had been studying Parks and Recreation at a junior college in Maryland at the time of my divorce.  I had heard Western State had a good Recreation degree program and I thought such training as a single mother of two boys would be a good career choice.  (I was wrong, as I was wrong about many things back then.)  After a year, I was disappointed in the program in Colorado and in discussing this with my Fencing instructor, she commented that Indiana University in Bloomington, IN had the best Recreation program in the country.  What?  45 min from my beloved Grandmother and the boys could grow up with cousins and other relatives.  Was it a sign? It didn’t take long for me to decide we were going to Indiana.  And so we did that, had relatives around, I got my B.S. degree… and life went on and on… for decades, and I still didn’t have a penny to my name.  Now the boys are grown and have pennies, my youngest just listed his house for sale at 1.5 million.  (pinch me)

In 2011, I returned to Colorado to kayak Jackson Lake, near Orchard, CO, the 39th state I had kayaked to date.  I paddled there on my granddaughter’s 20th birthday.  Hard to believe my kids are all grown and that she turned 20 that day.  Best surprise of that paddle was a flock of white pelicans coming in over my head very low, and landing on the lake.  Read all about it… very exciting.  Leaving that location I saw Pheasants and Wild turkeys.  It was a very special day for me.

At some point after I decided to vandwell fulltime, about 2008, I began to visit and camp near Quartzsite, AZ in the winter.  There Bob Wells (of CheapRVLiving.com) talked a lot about his camp hosting jobs.  We have a vandweller gathering there each winter, timed with the Big Tent event in Quartzsite. Quartzsite is a haven for Snowbirds who flock there by the thousands. Vendors who manage all kinds of campgrounds and recreation facilities come to the Big Tent to recruit camp hosts and other workers.  Bob took me and introduced me to his CLM contacts and I was hired for the summer of 2012 to camp host in the remote Meadow Lake Complex, White River National Forest.

Independence Day Week, 2012.  Overall, the 2012 experience was very good.  I wrote about it in my blog post of July 24, 2012 titled Another Break from the Wild.

So, thirty-seven years after I first came to live in Colorado, I found myself back in Colorado working for California Land Management (CLM) in the White River Forest near Rifle, CO.  Read about the first month there (Colorado-First Month).

My children were grown up and gone, and I needed to do something. I blogged about that experience.  It was mostly a good experience, especially working with my supervisor, Judith Cottrell.  There were some management issues with the company and the Forest Service that I was not happy about, but overall, the experience of being high in the mountains in a remote area made for some very good memories. 

Meadow Lake… it took me 11 min to kayak from one end to the other, not a huge lake.

There was National Feed Charlene Day.  There were the flocks of thousands of sheep being tended my Columbian Shepherds and watched over by magnificent white Guardian dogs and sometimes just plain old sheepdogs, and then there was the day that “Smokey Ate Lamb Chop.”

A young Guardian dog in training.  He was tied near the horses at this point.

And cattle, herds of cattle coming through the campsites, pooping on everything and eating all our signs.

There was the black bear that came out of one campground, swam across the lake and when up the other side.  I didn’t get a photo of that.

Swankie Camp, 2012

And there were the campers, good, bad and indifferent.  Unfortunately, my time there was cut short by a forest fire (250 acres burned in 24 hrs.) which caused the Forest Service to close the campgrounds and evacuate everyone. 

The biggest downside of the remote location was the lack of communications with the outside world and with my supervisor.  I could not even tell her I was being evacuated, all I could do was drive to her location and give an update.  The lack of communications was the BIGGEST issue I had with the job as the promised “satellite phone” never happened.  If not for the fact that I had in my possession the SPOT device, I would not have stayed after the first week.  I knew I could get help for myself if I was hurt, but I was not sure if I could call for help if a camper was hurt. (SPOT fines you $250 an hour for up to 2 hrs. if you use the 911 feature erroneously.)  It worried me a lot especially when an older camper began having breathing problems.  But he was with friends, I helped them break camp, and they got him down to a lower elevation quickly.  He was o.k.  Two days later after the fire evacuation, the company terminated my employment and decided to close the two campgrounds I was taking care of early.  By the way, after the fact, I did check with SPOT and learned if anyone I am with is in a life-threatening situation, I can use my device to call 911.  Good to know.

So, there I was laid off and back on the road again.  One of the  main reasons I took the job was to be able to draw unemployment when they laid me off.  Turns out I could not do that as I had not worked enough quarters prior to this job.  Darn.

My Swankie Camp in 2016

Each year, since 2012, CLM has asked me to return.  I kept asking about the communications situation, and finding it the same, I declined.  10,000 ft. elevation and over an hour to drive down 20 miles of mountain road and then another 1/2 to a hospital, nope, not doing it.  I told them, if someone died up there on my watch, even through that is not our responsibility, it is something I would have to live with the rest of my life, and I just wasn’t willing to do it. 

This spring I was working on my newest adventure, that of planning to hike the 800 mile long Arizona Trail.  I was struggling to get funds for gear and equipment and posted that on my Facebook.  Next thing I knew, my ol’ supervisor from CLM was calling to offer me a job again, but this time, I would be camped at her camp and helping her.  I would have internet and access to a phone land line if need be. I would not be alone in the wilderness. And so, I came back home to Colorado.

When the suitcase solar comes out, you are home again.

Now, in 2016, I am located at North Fork campground.  I don’t like the location as well as the Meadows Lake Complex, but am enjoying the wildlife here.  Moose, deer, chipmunks (millions of them), a tiny little weasel, and a coyote (that might be having young soon). 

I have the use of a refrigerator and freezer.  And I have a brand new truck at my disposal.  (In 2012, I had two campgrounds over a mile apart to take care of and no vehicle at all.  We had to fight for CLM to get me a used golf cart so I could haul cleaning supplies and trash between the two locations, and service seven bathrooms, empty about 10 bear trash cans, clean out 30 fire pits, and pick up and rake 30 campsites, plus all the paper work that goes with registering all those campers.  At first I was expected to use my personal vehicle to do that…. camper trash in my living van???  Nope, not happening.)  But now I have that same golf cart, 28 campsites, and a brand new truck and I am not alone and only 30 minutes from a hospital on good mostly level roads.  It’s all good.

First day driving my new truck, it is the last one in line to gas up.  Ken’s first, then Judy’s, and lastly mine.  Tee hee.

Lake Avery, Meeker, CO

And best of all, I found a lake 10 miles from North Fork, that I am paddling today.  I am most at home on water and it will feel good to be home again today.

OK, time to launch my boat.  After:  I had a good paddle, saw some large birds (Crane or Great Blue Herons?  I could not get a close-up photo of them, saw Red-Winged Blackbirds, and a herd of sheep.  Also saw some horse-back riders, and I believe one of the horses was spooked by my big yellow boat and did not want to came any closer to the shore.  When I realized this, I began to back paddle away from the shore.  Not sure I was the problem, but he sure was spooky.

The Western End.  I tried to get upstream but it was impassible.

A happy kayaker.  A happy kayak.

A Red-wing Blackbird.   A lamb calling for mama.

A flock of sheep on the shore.  The Spillway of Lake Avery.

A critter lodge of some sort???

My time off ended with a trip to Meeker to wash the sap and pollen off the van, wash my clothes and uniforms, and hit the Rec Center for a nice long hot shower. It was very hot outside so I spent the rest of the afternoon in the Rec Center lounge, finishing this blog post. 

This week, we (the rest of the CLM crew here) return to the Meadows to open those two campgrounds for the season.  So glad it is the crew and not me alone.  I am eager to see my old home again.  I wonder what it will be like, what will be different?

I believe the summer of 2016 will surpass 2012 and I look forward to every minute of being “back home again in Colorado.”

If you follow me on Facebook, there are photo albums there too of my Summer of 2012.