Well, paradise is taking its effect on me slowly and Ive noticed that my mind is starting to go wild. Too much of a good thing can turn into a bad thing and that is exactly what is happening.
Boredom is starting to rear its ugly head and Im getting an itch to get on the move. The only problem is, the van is still in pieces. I had them check and work on all the basic maintinence which God only knows the last time it was done. They changed the breaks, repacked wheel bearings and checked the rear end and whammo we ran into problems. Upon checking the passenger side axle, they noticed it was leaking differential fluid through a faulty bearing. After a closer inspection the axle was also damaged and had been scored significantly from this faulty bearing so they went to Guadalajara for parts. Well the axle that came back was slightly different, maybe for a 1ton van/truck. It will work but they are determined to return my van to close to original as possible, so they are heading back to Guadalajara tomorrow to exchange the axle.
Yesterday I had a cool adventure all day though. I was super bored so I headed over to a friends restaraunt for a beer and chit chat. He has a big yard in the back and was mowing the whole thing with a weed-eater, so I helped with that process and I learned that it is very difficult to mow with a weedeater and make it all level, basically impossible.
The next adventure was a little later in the afternoon. Isidro, the husband of the family Im living with (also my main mechanic, along with his brother Pedro... all brothers of Medardo who I know from Texas) is building a house on the outside of town. The Mexican process at times to is build a little by little, until you can get all the money. Sometimes you will see 3/4 completed houses, missing furnishings and windows... waiting on money to come. Anyways, the project was to pour some concrete for the cistern. His cistern sits down in the ground and we had to pour concrete along the sides to keep it from shifting later.. eventually the sides will be higher than the tank and a lid will be put on to seal everything. So I learned how to mix concrete the hard way, or the Mexican way if you will. We cleared some ground and starting loading sand into the wheelbarrow. 3.5 loads... then we mixed the bag of cement into the sand, constantly shoveling to get the proper mix.. moving the pile from side to side. Added a ton of water and mixed more... and we had concrete. We made 2 bags worth, so 7 loads of sand... tons of shoveling and moving buckets. It was quite an adventure and I actually liked it. I imaged that I was pouring the concrete for my own little casa here in Mexico, a nice day dream but I quickly put an end to that as it is dangerous for the roaming tribe in which I belong.
Today Im finding that Im getting angry.. angry at stupid things. This is a small town and sometimes I cannot get to the internet cafes because they are closed for random siestas. There is only 1 cafe in town which has the machines and the proper versions of internet explorer to chat and work efficiently on facebook to get messages out and he is closed all the time! Im also getting angry at spanish, I dont want to speak it or understand it. Its a phase I go through when Im down here on long trips and it will pass. I believe it has something to do with my mind just being overloaded with all of this stuff, new culture, false deadlines, spanish, new foods... crap where is the closest bathroom I have 30 seconds. Its been fun... but its starting to feel like a Tom Petty song, Im getting tired of this town. Ready to move on....
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Vanny, Florencia and all that is Mexico
I got some new about my transmission yesterday afternoon when Pedro returned from neigboring Tlaltenango (sp?) and told me they decided it repair my transmission instead of swapping for a different one. They talked extensively about my trip and what my needs will be so they are putting some extra effort and parts into this one. The cost should be around $700 to $800 for the rebuild and right now they are quoting $150 for labor because I am a friend of the family. I will pay more for labor than this because indeed I am a friend but I want to help them as well. The transmission "might" be done today, but in Mexico that usually means tomorrow. They have a saying in spanish, mañana mañana, or tomorrows tomorrow.
Yesterday I was talking with the owner of the restaraunt and we were talking about my problem of paying for all of the work to the van at once. See I can only withdraw $300usd each day, so I need like 4 days to get all the damn money without going through some complicated scheme of someone sending me money in western union or something. He offered to front me the cash to pay but I declined. Later on he picked me up and drove me 20 minutes to the neighboring town that has a bank/ATM so I could begin the process. There are no banks or ATMs here in Florencia, just a cash society. After we got the money and a package he was waiting for we headed back into Florencia. I met up with Isidro (Medardo´s brother, who Im staying with) and we took a long walk out into the outskirts of town and he showed me his lot and his house that he is bulding for his family. Its a beautiful lot with a great view of the cerro (mountain, like a mesa) in the distance and surrounded by corn fields on all sides.... hidden. They are laying foundations right now and the cistern is already in the ground but the work is only being done as he has the cash, little by little. Thats how Mexico works, pay what you can right now, and we will put it on hold until you have a little more. The USA should take a lesson from this when it comes to homes that apparently no one can afford anymore.
Last night I went back to the restaraunt for some tacos and beers. Normally I eat on the street but here food is so affordable that sitting down and talking with friends is nice and Im choosing that option lately. So I had 4 steak tacos with 2 beers, total price? 50 pesos, or about $4.25usd. On the street, we will call it 30pesos. Joe and I discussed something about Mexico when he was here, you may be poor but you will almost never go hungry. Here food is extreamly important, and lots of it. It is the main focus of the day it seems and Im still trying to get used to that!!!
Well, I better get on back to the van. It was interesting sleeping in it last night with the front up on jackstands! I had a bed in a private room but sometimes when I return home kind of late (10:30 - 11) everyone is asleep and I dont want to wake them walking through the house with my dog etc. Well thats all for now, I will try to do something interesting today to starve off some boredom. Ive been noticing a heavy fact, without a project or work of some type in a man´s life... there is no need to wake up. I gotta find something to do....
Yesterday I was talking with the owner of the restaraunt and we were talking about my problem of paying for all of the work to the van at once. See I can only withdraw $300usd each day, so I need like 4 days to get all the damn money without going through some complicated scheme of someone sending me money in western union or something. He offered to front me the cash to pay but I declined. Later on he picked me up and drove me 20 minutes to the neighboring town that has a bank/ATM so I could begin the process. There are no banks or ATMs here in Florencia, just a cash society. After we got the money and a package he was waiting for we headed back into Florencia. I met up with Isidro (Medardo´s brother, who Im staying with) and we took a long walk out into the outskirts of town and he showed me his lot and his house that he is bulding for his family. Its a beautiful lot with a great view of the cerro (mountain, like a mesa) in the distance and surrounded by corn fields on all sides.... hidden. They are laying foundations right now and the cistern is already in the ground but the work is only being done as he has the cash, little by little. Thats how Mexico works, pay what you can right now, and we will put it on hold until you have a little more. The USA should take a lesson from this when it comes to homes that apparently no one can afford anymore.
Last night I went back to the restaraunt for some tacos and beers. Normally I eat on the street but here food is so affordable that sitting down and talking with friends is nice and Im choosing that option lately. So I had 4 steak tacos with 2 beers, total price? 50 pesos, or about $4.25usd. On the street, we will call it 30pesos. Joe and I discussed something about Mexico when he was here, you may be poor but you will almost never go hungry. Here food is extreamly important, and lots of it. It is the main focus of the day it seems and Im still trying to get used to that!!!
Well, I better get on back to the van. It was interesting sleeping in it last night with the front up on jackstands! I had a bed in a private room but sometimes when I return home kind of late (10:30 - 11) everyone is asleep and I dont want to wake them walking through the house with my dog etc. Well thats all for now, I will try to do something interesting today to starve off some boredom. Ive been noticing a heavy fact, without a project or work of some type in a man´s life... there is no need to wake up. I gotta find something to do....
Monday, September 20, 2010
Florencia...stuck
Well we came up here for a vacation from a vacation. Joe (the guy that came with me back in 2007) introduced me to another guy at work awhile back and he has been telling us about this little town in the mountains of Zacatecas that he is from. So they decided to take a trip and I decided to meet them here. Ok, now the fun stuff...
We pulled in at around 9:30pm and basically the town was buzzing with people getting ready for the celebrations of Mexico´s bicentennial of the revolution. I witnessed the coolest(dangerous) Mexican fireworks display ever! Then a guy with a mock bull costume that shot freaking rockets and crap chased people around the town square.... I love Mexico. We went back to a bar and had drinks with the whole family and the bar owner. Someone a couple of streets over decided to express his joy with 4 or 5 shots from what sounded like an automatic so that was kind of cool.
The next day we went all around town meeting people with Medardo (the guy who works with Joe). His family is well known around here and so is he and we met all kinds of cool people. That night we had a big party at his uncles ranch and he cooked shrimp and mexican squash and all kinds of good things.We had mariachis playing all night and whole shebang, it was nuts.
The next morning, we headed over to another rancho nearby and had a favorite tradicion of this town. Fresh warm milk from a cow poured into a glass with a type of Nestle Quick or something and then mezcal is added. Rancho Escondido... a decent mezcal. After that we packed up and headed back to his parents house where we were preparing to go on a waterfall hike through the mountains. After 1 hour of beating down a rough road (I rode on the back of a motorcycle!!!) we got to the walking point. Medardo showed us how to get the fruit from the cactus, water from some plants in the trees and other things we could eat if need be. After some walking we came to a big mountain where there was some debate about where the falls actually where and how to get to them. Thats when we started climbing.... and boy did we climb. My dog couldnt make some of the climbs so in the toughest parts I had to carry her and let me tell you, that was some scary crap climbing with no hands and holding a dog. On the other side of the mountain we ran into some cowboys and they told us about the road that ran right around the side lol. Onward!!
We passed some extreamly old ranching houses, all made with brick and trees, still standing. At the waterfalls (2 hours later) we jumped in and enjoyed the fresh cold water. Its a little dry here right now so it wasnt at full potential but there was about 1/4 flowing with a 30ft-40ft drop.... basically a great massage!!!!! We swam for a bit and enjoyed the canyon walls all around us, chica even took a dip before a serious nap. We hiked back to the cars (another 2 hours) and came on home, all of us seriously tired and in desperate need of a nap.
A lot more has happened, like tequila and coke with the vice president of this town in his house, not being able to pay for one single beer or thing if someone is watching. This is the most hospitable place I have ever been to and the Salas family has accepted us like their own sons. For this, I will forever be greatful and have Florencia in my heart. I have already been scoping land and places to rent, and I have a handful of offers of places to park my van and live for free or next to free. There are also several standing offers of horses to the waterfalls next time.
Yesterday when we hit the road to head back, me to monterrey and Joe and Merdardo to USA I noticed the van driving a little funny in the mountains. Three hours later in a small town called MalPaso (bad pass) outside Zacatecas city, I noticed I had no reverse. Neutral is grinding and whining like hell and drive is slipping badddd! So I decided not to risk the 7 hour drive through the desert back to Monterrey. Its a semi arid desert but there is NOTHING. Just ranches. The bill to get towed to Monterrey should there be a problem would have been astronomical. So I returned to Florencia where almost the entire Salas family are mechanics, and good ones (ASE certified and all that jazz). Right now they are removing the transmission and checking out the damage and my options. Hopefully, I can be on the road in a week. I have been offered around 4 places to stay long term for the work and even offered money to help, like I said these are great people. Thats all for now, pictures soon when I get back to my laptop in Monterrey.
We pulled in at around 9:30pm and basically the town was buzzing with people getting ready for the celebrations of Mexico´s bicentennial of the revolution. I witnessed the coolest(dangerous) Mexican fireworks display ever! Then a guy with a mock bull costume that shot freaking rockets and crap chased people around the town square.... I love Mexico. We went back to a bar and had drinks with the whole family and the bar owner. Someone a couple of streets over decided to express his joy with 4 or 5 shots from what sounded like an automatic so that was kind of cool.
The next day we went all around town meeting people with Medardo (the guy who works with Joe). His family is well known around here and so is he and we met all kinds of cool people. That night we had a big party at his uncles ranch and he cooked shrimp and mexican squash and all kinds of good things.We had mariachis playing all night and whole shebang, it was nuts.
The next morning, we headed over to another rancho nearby and had a favorite tradicion of this town. Fresh warm milk from a cow poured into a glass with a type of Nestle Quick or something and then mezcal is added. Rancho Escondido... a decent mezcal. After that we packed up and headed back to his parents house where we were preparing to go on a waterfall hike through the mountains. After 1 hour of beating down a rough road (I rode on the back of a motorcycle!!!) we got to the walking point. Medardo showed us how to get the fruit from the cactus, water from some plants in the trees and other things we could eat if need be. After some walking we came to a big mountain where there was some debate about where the falls actually where and how to get to them. Thats when we started climbing.... and boy did we climb. My dog couldnt make some of the climbs so in the toughest parts I had to carry her and let me tell you, that was some scary crap climbing with no hands and holding a dog. On the other side of the mountain we ran into some cowboys and they told us about the road that ran right around the side lol. Onward!!
We passed some extreamly old ranching houses, all made with brick and trees, still standing. At the waterfalls (2 hours later) we jumped in and enjoyed the fresh cold water. Its a little dry here right now so it wasnt at full potential but there was about 1/4 flowing with a 30ft-40ft drop.... basically a great massage!!!!! We swam for a bit and enjoyed the canyon walls all around us, chica even took a dip before a serious nap. We hiked back to the cars (another 2 hours) and came on home, all of us seriously tired and in desperate need of a nap.
A lot more has happened, like tequila and coke with the vice president of this town in his house, not being able to pay for one single beer or thing if someone is watching. This is the most hospitable place I have ever been to and the Salas family has accepted us like their own sons. For this, I will forever be greatful and have Florencia in my heart. I have already been scoping land and places to rent, and I have a handful of offers of places to park my van and live for free or next to free. There are also several standing offers of horses to the waterfalls next time.
Yesterday when we hit the road to head back, me to monterrey and Joe and Merdardo to USA I noticed the van driving a little funny in the mountains. Three hours later in a small town called MalPaso (bad pass) outside Zacatecas city, I noticed I had no reverse. Neutral is grinding and whining like hell and drive is slipping badddd! So I decided not to risk the 7 hour drive through the desert back to Monterrey. Its a semi arid desert but there is NOTHING. Just ranches. The bill to get towed to Monterrey should there be a problem would have been astronomical. So I returned to Florencia where almost the entire Salas family are mechanics, and good ones (ASE certified and all that jazz). Right now they are removing the transmission and checking out the damage and my options. Hopefully, I can be on the road in a week. I have been offered around 4 places to stay long term for the work and even offered money to help, like I said these are great people. Thats all for now, pictures soon when I get back to my laptop in Monterrey.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Im Here... Monterrey Mexico
The past couple of days have been a total adventure and its great to be back in Mexico.
I left Saturday for Laredo where I was going to meet my friend Adriana. She rode a bus across to meet me so she could help me get back to Monterrey where she lives. Its a huge city, about 2 million people and finding her house was going to be next to impossible so Im very glad she met me.
We crossed the border on sunday morning, at around 10am. I was filled with horrible thoughts of being murdered or shot and the anxiety was just filling in my brain and body. It was heavily taking effect on me and starting to affect my dog as well. We got a little turned around looking for the car permit building (Aduana) and I made an illegal u-turn, which promptly had me pulled over by the police. I was a little nervous about the police because here in this city, a battleground, you do not know who is a friend or foe. He talked with Adriana for a minute about how dangerous the illegal U-turn was but then said "well, we are both Mexicans so I will not write you a ticket. How about some money for some cokes for my friend and I?". I was about to hand him $10usd when I remembered my lesson about being a cheap ass in the wrong moments, so I handed him $200 pesos (about $17usd) and he was happy. He then led me the proper way to the Aduana where we got our permits and got back on the road to Monterrey.
Once here, Adriana had to leave for work as soon as we parked so I just hung out with her mom all day. She is a sweet lady and I quickly had to start remembering all of my spanish becuase she speaks no english. We took a walk to the park in their neighborhood and Chica (my dog) played and pee'd on everything. Back in the house I watched spiderman in english, had some chicken tacos and then went to sleep. I felt great!
Today Adriana woke me up and convinced me to go on an adventure with her. She had to do a favor for her professor she works for so we had to goto the other university across town and get some copies of some newspapers. We took a great city bus that got us there in about 40 minutes and I got to see all of downtown again. The university was nice and the library was very cool. The architecture was all concrete like most buildings in Mexico but the lighting was perfect and it made for a very "cafe" type of feeling.
After leaving the library we took the subway back to downtown! I have never been on a subway before and this was very cool, not to mention cheaaaap! It goes pretty fast and we were in downtown in no time! From there we jumped in a taxi back to her house and now here I am! Im sitting here enjoying the sounds of Xavier Rudd and the cool climate that Monterrey is having today. It is probably 88F today which is a nice break from the high 90's Houston has been having. Im about to take my dog for a walk to the park and I will take some pictures of this nice little neighborhood.
Ahh... I love Mexico. Im glad my fear and anxiety is finally dissapearing and I can enjoy myself.
I left Saturday for Laredo where I was going to meet my friend Adriana. She rode a bus across to meet me so she could help me get back to Monterrey where she lives. Its a huge city, about 2 million people and finding her house was going to be next to impossible so Im very glad she met me.
We crossed the border on sunday morning, at around 10am. I was filled with horrible thoughts of being murdered or shot and the anxiety was just filling in my brain and body. It was heavily taking effect on me and starting to affect my dog as well. We got a little turned around looking for the car permit building (Aduana) and I made an illegal u-turn, which promptly had me pulled over by the police. I was a little nervous about the police because here in this city, a battleground, you do not know who is a friend or foe. He talked with Adriana for a minute about how dangerous the illegal U-turn was but then said "well, we are both Mexicans so I will not write you a ticket. How about some money for some cokes for my friend and I?". I was about to hand him $10usd when I remembered my lesson about being a cheap ass in the wrong moments, so I handed him $200 pesos (about $17usd) and he was happy. He then led me the proper way to the Aduana where we got our permits and got back on the road to Monterrey.
Once here, Adriana had to leave for work as soon as we parked so I just hung out with her mom all day. She is a sweet lady and I quickly had to start remembering all of my spanish becuase she speaks no english. We took a walk to the park in their neighborhood and Chica (my dog) played and pee'd on everything. Back in the house I watched spiderman in english, had some chicken tacos and then went to sleep. I felt great!
Today Adriana woke me up and convinced me to go on an adventure with her. She had to do a favor for her professor she works for so we had to goto the other university across town and get some copies of some newspapers. We took a great city bus that got us there in about 40 minutes and I got to see all of downtown again. The university was nice and the library was very cool. The architecture was all concrete like most buildings in Mexico but the lighting was perfect and it made for a very "cafe" type of feeling.
After leaving the library we took the subway back to downtown! I have never been on a subway before and this was very cool, not to mention cheaaaap! It goes pretty fast and we were in downtown in no time! From there we jumped in a taxi back to her house and now here I am! Im sitting here enjoying the sounds of Xavier Rudd and the cool climate that Monterrey is having today. It is probably 88F today which is a nice break from the high 90's Houston has been having. Im about to take my dog for a walk to the park and I will take some pictures of this nice little neighborhood.
Ahh... I love Mexico. Im glad my fear and anxiety is finally dissapearing and I can enjoy myself.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Van almost finished...
le Van is almost finished! Well, the basics anyways. I started thinking about all the things I would like to have in the van and then I realized that I will not really know how to use my space effectively until Im living in her. So Ive decided this will be a learning experience and I will stop stressing!
Im actually excited right now about heading down there. I have been dealing with a ton of anxiety and other crap but it is finally making way to apprehension about just getting on the road. Im ready to be there!
Joe, from my previous trip, will be heading down there with a mutual friend Madardo to his family ranch in a little town in the state of Zacatecas. We will be camping for a few days on the ranch and celebrating Mexico independance day (from Spain) and hanging out. The town sits at 7000ft up in the mountains! Im ready for the cool weather!!!! Its been a scorcher this summer in Texas.
Im actually excited right now about heading down there. I have been dealing with a ton of anxiety and other crap but it is finally making way to apprehension about just getting on the road. Im ready to be there!
Joe, from my previous trip, will be heading down there with a mutual friend Madardo to his family ranch in a little town in the state of Zacatecas. We will be camping for a few days on the ranch and celebrating Mexico independance day (from Spain) and hanging out. The town sits at 7000ft up in the mountains! Im ready for the cool weather!!!! Its been a scorcher this summer in Texas.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Been Awhile...
Well.. what can I say? I took a little break from the blog to deal with the craziness of leaving for a 3 year trip into nowhere.
I officially quit my job on August 5th and that was quite a roller coaster. I thought I would have second thoughts and all that mess but it turns out I really was just sad about leaving a great job, great co-workers and new/old friends. I left my job behind to start a new life, a life of open doors and unexplored trails.
Ive been busting some serious ass on my van and just trying to get everything ready for the trip. I set a deadline for myself, which ended up being a horrible idea, because I was trying to make it to a friends going away party in Monterrey Mexico. I was highly stressed as I had merely days to say my goodbyes, get the van ready, get papers for the dog and take off. I finally had to say screw it Im not gonna make it because the stress levels went through the roof! I was freaking out, literally thinking about cancelling the trip due to all the anxiety and fear.
Im writing this knowing I should be hitting the road next Tuesday, 5 days from now. Fear has been a huge factor this time around and its starting to annoy me. Ive been letting all this damn news and people around me get to me and it has me frrrrreeaked out about going into Mexico. Thank the Lord I have received some very good news from friends down there and my insurance guy who basically told me everyone is full of crap and its a media blitz to hype it as much as they can. A tourist from Georgia was found shot to death in southern Mexico the other day on the very same stretch of highway I will be driving looking for surf. I freaked out about this for a few days and finally decided to email a guy I know who LIVES there literally right where this guy was shot. Turns out the dude fired on a military checkpoint!!!!! That is rule number one in Mexico, you do not do shady things with the military because they have the same policy as ours does, shoot and ask questions later.
Fear...
What is it really good for? Rami and I talked about this the other night. Fear is such a useless emotion to the human. I must try and fight my fear. I know I have deep beliefs about life and living and now it is time to commit to them.
"Its not an adventure until something goes wrong." - Yvon Chouinard
I officially quit my job on August 5th and that was quite a roller coaster. I thought I would have second thoughts and all that mess but it turns out I really was just sad about leaving a great job, great co-workers and new/old friends. I left my job behind to start a new life, a life of open doors and unexplored trails.
Ive been busting some serious ass on my van and just trying to get everything ready for the trip. I set a deadline for myself, which ended up being a horrible idea, because I was trying to make it to a friends going away party in Monterrey Mexico. I was highly stressed as I had merely days to say my goodbyes, get the van ready, get papers for the dog and take off. I finally had to say screw it Im not gonna make it because the stress levels went through the roof! I was freaking out, literally thinking about cancelling the trip due to all the anxiety and fear.
Im writing this knowing I should be hitting the road next Tuesday, 5 days from now. Fear has been a huge factor this time around and its starting to annoy me. Ive been letting all this damn news and people around me get to me and it has me frrrrreeaked out about going into Mexico. Thank the Lord I have received some very good news from friends down there and my insurance guy who basically told me everyone is full of crap and its a media blitz to hype it as much as they can. A tourist from Georgia was found shot to death in southern Mexico the other day on the very same stretch of highway I will be driving looking for surf. I freaked out about this for a few days and finally decided to email a guy I know who LIVES there literally right where this guy was shot. Turns out the dude fired on a military checkpoint!!!!! That is rule number one in Mexico, you do not do shady things with the military because they have the same policy as ours does, shoot and ask questions later.
Fear...
What is it really good for? Rami and I talked about this the other night. Fear is such a useless emotion to the human. I must try and fight my fear. I know I have deep beliefs about life and living and now it is time to commit to them.
"Its not an adventure until something goes wrong." - Yvon Chouinard
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Update... Never Gonna Finish!
Thats how Ive been feeling lately! Im not gonna finish the van in time!
Ive been rushing with projects but truthfully Im getting a little burned out. Right now is not the time to get this feeling but Im getting it nonetheless. I have a few major things to complete and then, well whatever. I need to finish up the electrical which is being worked on nightly. I just purchased my deep cycle and built a box for it and now I am choosing a location of said box and my fuse panel. I need to vent the box from the outside because my lead-acid battery puts off explosive hydrogen gas as it is charging (discharging?). Ugh! So much work to do!
The van still looks stripped inside, whatever... Im just gonna keep it basic. screw it. It feels a tad more comfortable with the carpet though...
this post is just an update. Ill write longer/better later.
Ive been rushing with projects but truthfully Im getting a little burned out. Right now is not the time to get this feeling but Im getting it nonetheless. I have a few major things to complete and then, well whatever. I need to finish up the electrical which is being worked on nightly. I just purchased my deep cycle and built a box for it and now I am choosing a location of said box and my fuse panel. I need to vent the box from the outside because my lead-acid battery puts off explosive hydrogen gas as it is charging (discharging?). Ugh! So much work to do!
The van still looks stripped inside, whatever... Im just gonna keep it basic. screw it. It feels a tad more comfortable with the carpet though...
this post is just an update. Ill write longer/better later.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Solar Mounted and Roof Vent Installed! Road test!
The roof vent has an exhaust fan that runs at around 200CFM @ 1.10 amps. Thats not too bad, a little more than I wanted but hey it is what it is. I tried emailing the company before I bought it to get an idea of power draw but they never responded and I ended up just measuring with my multimeter. So anyone out there looking at the Ventline Ventadome, it uses around 1.10amps @ 12vdc. I purchased mine from here Eastern Marine. I havent had much of a chance to test its effectiveness at expelling heat but Ill have plenty of time for that in the future.
The solar panels are the upgraded panels I snagged off of craigslist. I sold my old harborfrieght kit that produced 45watts and picked up these two 80watt panels producing a total of 160watts! Power shouldnt be an issue anymore especially coupled with the battery isolator I will be installing soon. The panel mounting was a little tricky with my roof because it is not flat but curved on the outer edges. So we decided to mount the L brackets to the outside which allowed them to conform with the roof curve but still held the panel flat. Ill try and post a close up soon!
Still a decent amount of work that needs to be done but most of this can now be accomplished in after work hours where solid daylight isnt that important. I also installed my shelving in the rear (pic coming soon) which will double as storage and a solid mount for my longboard to ride inside the van!
On a side note, I drove to Kemah saturday night to hang out with friends and sell my Hobie Cat sunday morning. I filled up the tank to try and get a mpg test with all the newly mounted roof equipment and round trip I did 137 miles by time I filled up again last night. Guess what?!?!?! I averaged 19.5MPG on the highway with a bit of stop and go city driving by keeping my speed around 55mph and not racing from stop light to stop light. Ive been working on my method of "hyper-miling" for awhile but this is the best I have been able to achieve. This gives me high hopes for the trip and I might save a bit on gas! I really hope so because when I was in Costa Rica back in 2005, we were paying $5usd a gallon for diesel, and we paid $4 a gallon for gasoline in Guatemala in 2007. Gas prices have since dropped globally and Im hoping they will continue to stay low!!! Gas prices will have a huge effect on my trip and Im constantly re working my figures and trying my best to guestimate just how much I will spend. Some rough numbers I did today come out as follows.
35,000 Miles
/ 15mpg
----------
2333 gallons of gas X $4.50/gallon = $10,498 just in gas!!!!!!! Sailboats dont look so bad after all!!!!
Im working to revamp this blog with some form of Google advertising and some donate buttons. We shall see how this pans out.
Stuff that needs to be done...
1) run all electrical, install lights
2) paint and pad shelves, rattle like hell
3) build mount for my breaker panel, run wiring
4) install isolator charging system and wiring
5) install switch to change electricity source for stereo
6) install car alarm
7) install multiple kill switches
8) install security cage over window where my head is when I sleep!
9) stove/kitchen work
10) build solid base for Wonderwash (portable washing machine, hand crank)
bleh... this list could go on :) what happened to simplicity David????? ugh!
Thursday, June 24, 2010
The Apprehension of Accomplishing Your Dreams
The time is getting close to departure. Im nervous. Am I ready for this? Is the van ready for this? What will I do for money when I return? Will I be able to stay on my budget?
The apprehension has been building steadily over the past few months and I often find myself completely unexcited about my upcoming trip. Ive been trying to conjure the memories of my trips past, the people, the food and the good waves but so far nothing has really been working. Ive even started re-reading "In Search of Captain Zero" by Allan Weisbecker to try and rekindle my fire of adventure.
In truth, I think everyone must go through this phase before taking the final step of your dreams. Accomplishing dreams can be a scary thing especially when they have uncertain futures in store for you. Maybe this is all the last bit of negativity and the world trying to pull me back, to keep me from doing what I want to do with my life. Either way, its weighing heavily on my mind.
Other parts of me think that Ive just started to become too "normalized", if there is such a thing. Ive become semi comfortable with the 8-6pm schedule, working mon-fri, health insurance and the money. Ive slowly let down my guard and bam I got blindsided by what I refer to as American Mediocrity, on the onrush of living a life unexamined and unadventurous. I must fight these urges at all costs for they are the very thing that will destroy who I am. I am unwilling to roll over and die the death I watch so many go through, struggling to find a purpose in their lives and some sense of being. Life is what you make it and Im trying to regain control over mine after being apparently asleep at the wheel for a tad too long. That was my safety mechanism at first, just be barely functional and hardly conscious in my day to day goings and time will fly by. That was true and worked for the most part but what I didnt see coming was the slow but steady degradation of my beliefs, confidence and dreams. Now is the time to get this train back on the tracks.
I refuse to let myself be frightened anymore by American media, political scare mongering and frankly everyone around me including my family. "They'll kill you down there!" my Mom said. "I dont know why you want to throw away your life for some silly adventure" - people at work say. "They dont even have functional police down there!" - says the uninformed masses. "Do they have hospitals? How will you stay healthy??" - says the other group of uninformed masses. American media has done a fantastic job of making everyone in this country afraid of their own damn shadows and frankly its just sad. Couple that with a blind patriotism and belief system that teaches us from birth that we are indeed "BETTER" than everyone in the world and you get a soupy mix of misguided advice from people who dont know anything about anywhere Im headed, much less a major city a couple of states over in our own country. I find it hilarious that people continue to riddle me with advice and horror stories about places Im headed that they themselves cannot even find on a map! All of this has taken a heavy toll on me as one can only ignore so much, especially when I throw my life on autopilot for a few years to bide time. Id like to thank those that read this that have contributed to the behaviour I outlined above, you have done nothing but scare me and attempt to ruin my dreams. Ill remember to piss all over your desires and dreams, when and if you ever have the balls to form any.
Im still searching for that feeling I used to have when I would set out on adventures. Hell, Im searching for the feeling I should be having about finally accomplishing my dream, a dream some 5 years in the making! It has been a long and hard road filled with bad direction and shitty side streets. But here we are, 49 days from departure. Im sure my anxiety and apprehension will give way to the ultimate high that is living your dream, I just have to get rid of this mental block and constant negativity around me. As my best friend Rami told me the other day, this close to leaving and possibly never returning again.... You're either with me, or You're not. In the latter case, get out of my way.
The apprehension has been building steadily over the past few months and I often find myself completely unexcited about my upcoming trip. Ive been trying to conjure the memories of my trips past, the people, the food and the good waves but so far nothing has really been working. Ive even started re-reading "In Search of Captain Zero" by Allan Weisbecker to try and rekindle my fire of adventure.
In truth, I think everyone must go through this phase before taking the final step of your dreams. Accomplishing dreams can be a scary thing especially when they have uncertain futures in store for you. Maybe this is all the last bit of negativity and the world trying to pull me back, to keep me from doing what I want to do with my life. Either way, its weighing heavily on my mind.
Other parts of me think that Ive just started to become too "normalized", if there is such a thing. Ive become semi comfortable with the 8-6pm schedule, working mon-fri, health insurance and the money. Ive slowly let down my guard and bam I got blindsided by what I refer to as American Mediocrity, on the onrush of living a life unexamined and unadventurous. I must fight these urges at all costs for they are the very thing that will destroy who I am. I am unwilling to roll over and die the death I watch so many go through, struggling to find a purpose in their lives and some sense of being. Life is what you make it and Im trying to regain control over mine after being apparently asleep at the wheel for a tad too long. That was my safety mechanism at first, just be barely functional and hardly conscious in my day to day goings and time will fly by. That was true and worked for the most part but what I didnt see coming was the slow but steady degradation of my beliefs, confidence and dreams. Now is the time to get this train back on the tracks.
I refuse to let myself be frightened anymore by American media, political scare mongering and frankly everyone around me including my family. "They'll kill you down there!" my Mom said. "I dont know why you want to throw away your life for some silly adventure" - people at work say. "They dont even have functional police down there!" - says the uninformed masses. "Do they have hospitals? How will you stay healthy??" - says the other group of uninformed masses. American media has done a fantastic job of making everyone in this country afraid of their own damn shadows and frankly its just sad. Couple that with a blind patriotism and belief system that teaches us from birth that we are indeed "BETTER" than everyone in the world and you get a soupy mix of misguided advice from people who dont know anything about anywhere Im headed, much less a major city a couple of states over in our own country. I find it hilarious that people continue to riddle me with advice and horror stories about places Im headed that they themselves cannot even find on a map! All of this has taken a heavy toll on me as one can only ignore so much, especially when I throw my life on autopilot for a few years to bide time. Id like to thank those that read this that have contributed to the behaviour I outlined above, you have done nothing but scare me and attempt to ruin my dreams. Ill remember to piss all over your desires and dreams, when and if you ever have the balls to form any.
Im still searching for that feeling I used to have when I would set out on adventures. Hell, Im searching for the feeling I should be having about finally accomplishing my dream, a dream some 5 years in the making! It has been a long and hard road filled with bad direction and shitty side streets. But here we are, 49 days from departure. Im sure my anxiety and apprehension will give way to the ultimate high that is living your dream, I just have to get rid of this mental block and constant negativity around me. As my best friend Rami told me the other day, this close to leaving and possibly never returning again.... You're either with me, or You're not. In the latter case, get out of my way.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Van Update... Bed Finished
Solar panels for the van
Frame sizing
Fiberglassing even more holes!
Frame installed
Bed in place! Look at the mess underneath!
My new dog Chica, enjoying her spot. Notice the walls???Phew! Its been a while since I have last posted! I was reminded recently that I needed to update my blog and when I checked I saw the date of April 6th!!!!! That is just totally unacceptable! So much has happened since then that it is literally impossible to recount.
I picked up the solar panels on sale at Harbor Freight for $160. They provide 45 watts of power which is not very much but I figure like this.
Stereo @ 50 watts / 12volts = 4.16amps per hour x 5 hours = 20amps
Laptop @ 50 watts / 12volts = 4.16amps per hour x 3 hours = 12amps
Lights @ 80 watts / 12 volts = 6.66amps per hour x 2 hours = 13.3amps
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
= 45.3 amps/day
IF I run everything listed and for as long as I have estimated. Trust me there will be DAYS at a time I will not power on that laptop! Anyays, the panels will pump out 3.5amps X 8hours = 28amps if the conditions are right. I have metering setup on my battery to watch it closely as drawing it below 50% greatly reduces the number of cycles (times) it can be discharged and recharged. I know my panels are a little undersized and I have been considering selling them to pick up something larger (130watts = 7~8amps per hour roughly) but its very $$$. The average 130watt panel will cost you around $600 new but I have been able to source some used bulk panels for about $350. The problem is, you have to buy 2 most of the time and I DO NOT NEED 260watts of power and the roof space it will consume. ugh... decisions. The good news is I am installing a battery isolator which basically allows my "house" battery to be charged by the altinator as the engine is running WITHOUT affecting or drawing power from the main starting battery. If I run my house battery dead, I will still be able to start the engine with the main starting battery.
Enough battery/solar talk! The bed install went pretty smooth other than the bed being too close to the frame rails that run up the walls (check the pics closely). Basically, every drill we owned was too big to fit in this gap so I had to do a lot of hand screwing of 2.5" wood screws through 2x6s and that my friends was NOT fun. Ive been monitoring the temps inside the van with a little gadget I picked up and they are pretty close to ambient when I have the windows open during the day. I have seen her hit 117F inside with all the windows closed!!!!!!! I will be installing reflectix insulation on the ceiling and windows soon. Then I will install some new carpet over the reflectix in the ceiling and paint it black as it is not quite the color I want. Floor carpet is also coming in soon.
I also recently purchased a roof vent with a built in 12v exhaust van, RV shower head with a start/stop button on it to conserve water while soaping up and washing hair, and a DPDT switch. The switch will allow me to run power to my stereo in a special way. I can run power from the main starting battery (woops, I said no more battery talk didnt I?) and from the rear house battery to this switch. As Im driving I can tell the car stereo to run off of the starter battery but when Im parked/camped, I can switch the power source to the rear house battery so I wont draw from the main. The switch even has an OFF position to totally kill the radi o from any type of power draw!
Well thats been about it that I feel like typing. Ill keep you guys posted on my progress... just 70 more days to go! Wooo Hooo!!!
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Air Bags Installed... Took her beach camping
Exhaust rerouted out the side to clear the bag
Bags installedWell I got the airsprings installed! These have greatly improved the ride and the support in the rear. My leaf springs are old and worn and instead of replacing the springs, I got these adjustable bags for the same cost as a new set of leaf springs. They can support up to 5000lbs of weight at 100psi. I run them at 15psi under normal driving and I love they way they ride! They have also raised the rear ride height by about 1.5 - 2inches as well! I ran my air valves out the rear right next to the license plate so I can air up both bags in the same spot, however they are NOT tied together. So far I have been airing them up with a small handpump commonly used for footballs and the like and it works great!
I took the van down south to Kemah/Galveston this weekend for a surf and just to put some miles on her and see how she would drive. I have to admit, I was very nervous taking her back to the location she last broke down and subsequently stuck for 2.5 months but she performed flawlessly.
The surf was a little better than I expected and with the sun we had on saturday I was actually able to trunk it in 67F water. It was a little chilly but I just decided my hatred of wetsuits would motivate me to get over it and paddle out. This is only the 3rd time Ive been in the water in 2 years! Ive decided I need to get back in the water before I leave, mostly because I was VERY rusty! My surfing was seriously lacking and my paddling strength was nil. Ugh... I just shudder at the thought of starting all over again.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Well.. the Interior is Coming Out!
All the carpet gone!
Walls and insulation coming out!
Ceiling piece/headliner out and finally all the wiring exposed. My sted dad Wesley helps in this step as I needed it and so did my soul. I hate hurting vehicles like this.
Wall and window frame gone, Insulation stripped.
The pile of debris :)This weekend I worked to get the van ready for her conversion. I had been going back and forth on this decision for a long time because I just couldnt bring myself to strip a perfectly good vehicle. I started with the carpet because it needed to come out anyways. It just was going to be way too smelly after years of living on the beach and with a dog at that!
I also started stripping the walls and the ceiling headliner as well and got most of it out. Im happy I went this route because I need to cut in a roof hatch for ventalation and I need to rewire everything and make it more accessible. As it was, wires were almost impossible to trace and repair.
Ill keep you guys posted as I move forward with this.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Another Long Weekend (Working on the Van)
Well it was yet another long weekend for me as I worked to get my van ready formy trip to the southern latitudes. As of this weekend, I have exactly 5 months until I hit the road, not much time for something that is going through a total overhaul.
We started saturday morning with getting the van off the jacks to get the rear wheels off to start mounting my airbag kit (thanks to those for the awesome recomendations). Well, we quickly found out the lug nuts were seized so I ran her over to a shop to have em busted loose. He had to bump the air gun to 1kft/lbs but we got em off without busting anything. Got her home and started dry fitting the airbag on the drivers side... no bueno. Exhaust pipe passed within 1/2 an inch of the bag and causing some concern from my stepdad and I... so bags delayed until exhaust is worked out. We removed all lug nuts and lubed them with axle greese to prevent future seizing.
We then turned out attention to the stuck window on passenger side as it would only go down half way before a horrible buzzing sound and same going back up. We quickly discovered the gears were stripped in the motor so I picked up are placement ($42 bux lifetime warrenty) and got her working great, especially after the silicon spray in the window tracks. The we fixed the power door lock too!
Sunday I tackled the heater control valve that was leaking a serious amount of coolant. I had suspicions that the heater core under the dash was out anyways from the strong antifreeze smells when heat was on, so I totally bypassed my heating system and just hooked the return line back up to the radiator (evenrear heat was bypassed)... problem solved for free! I took off down the road and thats when she started dying again... CRAP! I couldnt get her restarted and I assumed I was out of gas (after replacing the fuel pump, I only put 5 gallons or so back in and I had done some driving on that) so we dropped in 2 gallons.Problem is.. she started WAY too fast for a car out of gas, usually they take a few cranks. Nope she fired right up. So... I swung by the parts place and bought the last piece of a full tune up, the ignition coil, $20 bux... worth the piece of mind. Dropped it in, got to a gas station, 10 more gallons of premium with a fuel treatment and she is running fine.
This project is slowly moving forward but I feel like for every 3 steps forward I take 1 back (better than 2 and 1 right?? ahaha). I plan to take her out west before I hit the road so I can really test her limits, Im thinking Taos or something, good 2K miles round trip from me. I need to see what is going to break before I can trust her again.
We started saturday morning with getting the van off the jacks to get the rear wheels off to start mounting my airbag kit (thanks to those for the awesome recomendations). Well, we quickly found out the lug nuts were seized so I ran her over to a shop to have em busted loose. He had to bump the air gun to 1kft/lbs but we got em off without busting anything. Got her home and started dry fitting the airbag on the drivers side... no bueno. Exhaust pipe passed within 1/2 an inch of the bag and causing some concern from my stepdad and I... so bags delayed until exhaust is worked out. We removed all lug nuts and lubed them with axle greese to prevent future seizing.
We then turned out attention to the stuck window on passenger side as it would only go down half way before a horrible buzzing sound and same going back up. We quickly discovered the gears were stripped in the motor so I picked up are placement ($42 bux lifetime warrenty) and got her working great, especially after the silicon spray in the window tracks. The we fixed the power door lock too!
Sunday I tackled the heater control valve that was leaking a serious amount of coolant. I had suspicions that the heater core under the dash was out anyways from the strong antifreeze smells when heat was on, so I totally bypassed my heating system and just hooked the return line back up to the radiator (evenrear heat was bypassed)... problem solved for free! I took off down the road and thats when she started dying again... CRAP! I couldnt get her restarted and I assumed I was out of gas (after replacing the fuel pump, I only put 5 gallons or so back in and I had done some driving on that) so we dropped in 2 gallons.Problem is.. she started WAY too fast for a car out of gas, usually they take a few cranks. Nope she fired right up. So... I swung by the parts place and bought the last piece of a full tune up, the ignition coil, $20 bux... worth the piece of mind. Dropped it in, got to a gas station, 10 more gallons of premium with a fuel treatment and she is running fine.
This project is slowly moving forward but I feel like for every 3 steps forward I take 1 back (better than 2 and 1 right?? ahaha). I plan to take her out west before I hit the road so I can really test her limits, Im thinking Taos or something, good 2K miles round trip from me. I need to see what is going to break before I can trust her again.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Vanny Update
Carpeting going up to insulate and clean the look up a little
All of this came out! This is where the TV went. Good thing I HATE TV!
Tons of room in the back.. this board is 6'2"!
All... a semi blank canvas to work with. Now the fun starts
Look at all that room!So a lot of work has been done to the van. I started ripping out the TV and all of that mess above the drivers area. There is a good amount of space that I freed up so Im pretty excited about that. I tried to hunt down a fabric that was the same type/color as the interior of my van and I quickly gave up. Its just incredibly hard for some reason to match this stuff! I optioned for the greyish outdoor carpet and now I have been laying it up on the roof of said storage area.
Ive also removed all the passenger seats and rear bench/bed so that I can build out what I want in the van. I was thinking hard about keeping the back bench so I wouldnt have to build a bed but after some long thought I decided building something I wanted vs. accepting what I had was a better option for me. The bed was just not long enough for me and I think it wasted a good deal of space in the van, especially underneath it with all of the metal bracketing involved.
I took a look at the suspension of the van and realized my rear leaf springs were a little flat and causing the rear of the van to sag. After looking around, I finally found a place on the net that sells new ones but they were $300 for a pair. I talked with some guys on the Yahoo VanDwellers group Im a member of and they turned me on to a long forgotten option... airbags! So I purchased a set of Firestone Riderites for $300 and they will arrive tomorrow at my house to be installed. They can support loads of up to 5000lbs and takea great deal of the load and weight off of the springs and place it back onto the axle. They also have the advantage of raising the ride height of the van!
I went ahead and bought a cd player for the van too as this tape deck was just killing me. I didnt go overboard and I only spent $100 bux, a number Im willing to accept as a loss when this unit gets stolen. I picked it for its ability to allow USB sticks to play through it, which is much easier than connecting a laptop to the AUX port on the front. Speakers will be coming too as mine are just too damn old.
Much work is about to be performed on the engine and brakes as well. Im looking to go ahead and flush the radiator and all the coolent, replace hoses (buy spares), replace all belts (buy spares), pick up a spare heavy duty water pump, resurface rotors and install new pads and replace the lower brake lines after a suggestion from my grandfather. Apparently Chevy/GMC trucks/vans from this year range have a bad habbit of their lower lines disolving in the brake fluid and eventually this will lock the piston down, possibly causing a bad situation if driving.
Work still to be done....
1) front air bags to stiffen and support the worn springs. Keep her from hitting the bump stops on the suspension of this beast so much!
2) design and build interior layout!
3) cut hole in roof for air/ventalation
4) work on cabin lighting! This is a huge one.
5) get battery banks worked out and isolators ordered and installed
6) get different rims if possible, and new tires.
7) get good used tires for dual spares, paint rims to match.
8) sand rust spots and paint
there is more im sure :)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Van Update...
First mounting hole drilled... a little nervewracking
Outside view of the mount
All finished! This is just a spare carrier flipped upside down
Dual spares! Yeaaa!
Ladder relocated to the side where it will be more usefulLast weekend I was able to get some work done on the van. I had been dreaming about this epic expedition style dual tire mount on the back that I had seen on a youtube video somewhere. The video had some VW Syncros (4x4 VW vans) somewhere in the desert in Africa and they were carrying dual spares and I really liked the look.
I took a look at the current spare carrier on there now and realized all I had to do was get another and flip it upside down and it would be the exact same thing. I priced them online and I found some for about $75 new. I decided to be resourceful and check out the local junkyard and there I was able to score the mount AND a rim for $35 total! Yeeaaa!!!!!!!
The mounting was pretty straight forward but after drilling the holes I realized they came a little close to the inside of the door and the bolts would likely have a problem. Nothing a little hammering couldnt fix. I used the back mounting bracket to act like a flat punch and with the help of a rubber mallet I knocked the inside of the door in just enough to give the bolts room. This is a super easy mod and took me maybe all of 1.5 hours with some serious jacking around.
As I was sitting on my porch and pondering what to do with my ladder I removed from the back door, it hit me that I could hang it off the rain gutter on the van. I mentioned this to my friend Rami and he said why not mount it on the side door, even better! So thats where she will be mounted this weekend. It ends up getting me near the roof in a much better place when it comes to strapping surfboards down.
Last night I started the process of removing the TV and tearing out of the interior of the van. This proved to be a little harder than I thought. Im not exactly "tearing" it out... just removing pieces and remodeling them for my purpose without damaging them, therefore removal is difficult. I was able to find a ton of extra space being wasted in the forward part of the van so thats good news. Tonight I will try and take some pictures of the work.
I am still going back and forth with the interior design. For the most part, I could stack and bungee some large plastic bins for my stuff and just leave it at that but what is the fun in that? My boredom and desire for a project is taking over and Im doing more work than is probably necessary.... is that insanity? Im also laying out some groundwork ideas for an awning system on the side... that should be fun. I dont feel like buying one for $300! Yikes!
Monday, February 22, 2010
A conversation between Ravs
This morning I pulled up to a stop light and noticed that the car next to me was the exact same model, a first gen Toyota RAV4. I had an amusing (psychotic?) moment imagining their conversation if they indeed had one.
My Rav: "Hey whats up? Your the same gen and model as me!"
Other Rav: "Yup, How cool! So Have you gone anywhere fun or just a car? Notice my mud???
My owner took me to the beach this weekend!"
My Rav: "Awesome! I love the beach. My owner used to take me all the time when he was surfing a lot. We still go traveling quite a bit but mostly on-road now."
Other Rav: "Ohh thats cool. Ive been to a bunch of states too. Have you been out of Texas?"
My Rav: "oooo yea. only a few other states but about 3 years ago my owner took me 7000 miles through Mexico and Guatemala... camping everywhere and going on some serious backroads to beach and forgotten places. We were gone 2.5 months and I still have my badge of honor, my Guatemalan Vehicle Import sticker!"
Other Rav: "Wow... I am impressed. Ive never been out of the country! In fact most of the other ravs Ive met haven't either."
Hahaha.. I know Im retarded but I wonder if my car is ever "proud" of her accomplishments... hell she should be. I took her through what most people wouldnt even ever consider doing AND she had 145K on the clock when we did it! Ravvy... Im gonna miss the hell out of you.
My Rav: "Hey whats up? Your the same gen and model as me!"
Other Rav: "Yup, How cool! So Have you gone anywhere fun or just a car? Notice my mud???
My owner took me to the beach this weekend!"
My Rav: "Awesome! I love the beach. My owner used to take me all the time when he was surfing a lot. We still go traveling quite a bit but mostly on-road now."
Other Rav: "Ohh thats cool. Ive been to a bunch of states too. Have you been out of Texas?"
My Rav: "oooo yea. only a few other states but about 3 years ago my owner took me 7000 miles through Mexico and Guatemala... camping everywhere and going on some serious backroads to beach and forgotten places. We were gone 2.5 months and I still have my badge of honor, my Guatemalan Vehicle Import sticker!"
Other Rav: "Wow... I am impressed. Ive never been out of the country! In fact most of the other ravs Ive met haven't either."
Hahaha.. I know Im retarded but I wonder if my car is ever "proud" of her accomplishments... hell she should be. I took her through what most people wouldnt even ever consider doing AND she had 145K on the clock when we did it! Ravvy... Im gonna miss the hell out of you.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Pics of the Van
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Look at the gas that came out!.JPG)
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Notice I took off the running boards? Looks MUCH better this way!
Got the Van Running!
Well we got the van running! I had to drain some 21 gallons of gas from the tank to make it happen but that was pretty easy, just time consuming. After we finally emptied the tank my step dad and I dropped it from the back of the van. This was pretty straight forward and overall was not that complicated or hard. The inside of the tank wasn't too dirty so we just flushed it several times with fresh gas and decided to just replace the fuel pump. There was a hole in the pickup screen/strainer and the small piece of hose that connected the fuel pump to the line was totally corroded and even had a small hole in it!
After purchasing a new OEM Delphi pump and strainer for 90 bux and a few other misc items we returned home to reinstall the whole tank. We picked up 5 gallons of premium (93 octane here) and some fuel system cleaner to throw in there once we got it all hooked up. My step dad and I assaulted that tank and got everything reinstalled and hooked up within an hour! We put the 5 gallons in and the fuel system cleaner, lowered the van and started it.... VROOOOM! She started right up and purred the whole time... no sputtering and dying.
We took her around the block and to the store and she ran fantastic or VANtastic as I have been saying lately. I'm super excited to have my vanny back. For those that didn't know she had been broken down for over 2 months while I was trying to find a way to get her back to my house to work on and waiting on warmer weather. We've been having a pretty cold and wet winter this year in Texas and its pretty prohibitive to working on vehicles if your working outside.
Now.. as I am awaiting yet more warm weather, I'm trying to find projects for me to work on the van. I finally have her home in my driveway so I have time after work... Problem is.. I didn't know what to tackle next. Electrics? Stereo? Lights? Camping layout?? ugh...
After purchasing a new OEM Delphi pump and strainer for 90 bux and a few other misc items we returned home to reinstall the whole tank. We picked up 5 gallons of premium (93 octane here) and some fuel system cleaner to throw in there once we got it all hooked up. My step dad and I assaulted that tank and got everything reinstalled and hooked up within an hour! We put the 5 gallons in and the fuel system cleaner, lowered the van and started it.... VROOOOM! She started right up and purred the whole time... no sputtering and dying.
We took her around the block and to the store and she ran fantastic or VANtastic as I have been saying lately. I'm super excited to have my vanny back. For those that didn't know she had been broken down for over 2 months while I was trying to find a way to get her back to my house to work on and waiting on warmer weather. We've been having a pretty cold and wet winter this year in Texas and its pretty prohibitive to working on vehicles if your working outside.
Now.. as I am awaiting yet more warm weather, I'm trying to find projects for me to work on the van. I finally have her home in my driveway so I have time after work... Problem is.. I didn't know what to tackle next. Electrics? Stereo? Lights? Camping layout?? ugh...
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Why I Plan to Quit Everything to Travel...
This seems to be a recurring question in my life lately from friends and family and its becoming quite an annoyance. So many people just refuse to believe that there is any other way than our pattern...
1) finish highschool
2) goto college or learn a trade
3) get married
4) buy a house
5) have kids
6) work 30 years paying for said house (usually falling down by now) and children
7) retire and hopefully you aren't too old to do the things you used to when you were young.
I however argue that there are many many more paths of life than the one that 98% of the population choose. Those paths can be opened by doing some basic reading and just learning to open your mind to something other than the normal or what is accepted as normal. When you really let go of everything... you see that there is no normal or "right" way. I even have an argument for the criminal up in my mind somewhere...
The path I have chosen for my life extends from several things I believe in. The entire cookie cutter existence just literally makes me want to puke when I think of the massive amount of mediocrity that it is. I believe people choose the above path because its easy. Life is easy when you just work and slave away, paying the man and buying into every single trend out there; a revolving door of payments if you will. Most people's argument for working 30 years to retirement is based upon the fact that most secretly hate it and regret how successfully they have brainwashed themselves into believing working is the key to happiness. Just remember kids, the things you own will end up owning you.
Another scary thought for me is marriage. I come from a family so huge because of divorces and remarriage that I would need a king size bed sheet to draw you a tree and that's working in a size 10pt font! Every Christmas I have to meet and relearn the names of some shithead new additions to my family when I really want to pull them to the side and politely inform them to enjoy it while they can, they probably wont be around next year. I plan on doing the world and my family a favor and never marrying. Another scary marriage thought for me is all the work that is now suddenly necessary to keep the wife happy. That is all I see from my friends... "I have to install this"; "I have to fix this"; "I have to go shopping for...". They have traded their personal time and freedom for a relationship which is supposed to be fair and balance... and all I usually see is work work work work work. Here is a note to the female readers... we don't want to spend our entire weekend fixing shit for you. I enjoy my freedom to the max and relish every single second of it... I don't plan on giving it up any time soon.
Children are another thing I'm avoiding like the plague. Much of this stems from my previous argument of time (if you haven't noticed a trend Ill point it out, I'm EXTREMELY selfish with time) and a huge belief that the world is horribly overpopulated. Every time I use Google Earth searching for waves and I just see massive amounts of deforestation, even in our own great country, for cash; crops and room to expand I just want to run away. There isn't much left out there people... and I challenge you to explore Google Earth and just see for yourself. Check the Azuero peninsula of Panama, look at Indonesia and you will see whole islands stripped.
A home is something I consider to be the biggest waste of time out of all of these things. When I see the construction methods we use in this country I cannot help but think that these homes are thrown together as fast as possible and they will last just long enough to be paid for... then its time to spend another 150K (Texas has wonderfully realistic and UNinflated home values for my California readers, 150K will get you 2500-3000sq/ft in the right area around here) and do it all over again. REVOLVING PAYMENT/DEBT CYCLES ARE WHAT THIS NATION IS BUILT ON! Buying useless shit. The "must have this" disease is rampant in this nation and we all could live such simpler lives if we didn't believe or invest in such stupid ideas. Doesn't it preach this in the Bible for all you do gooder Christians out there??? I could live the rest of my life in a camper and be happy with that. Is there something wrong with me? Maybe. I look at "living", the actual acts of sleeping, showering, eating, and breathing as just things we have to do. When you realize you can sleep in anything that is 6ft long and reasonably comfortable, a 3000sq/ft home suddenly isn't necessary.
Ok.. so you don't buy into any of the arguments I have just posted right? Fine.. here is a simple list for those of you looking for a simple answer because...
a) thinking and learning this much just makes your head hurt
b) your favorite TV sitcom they have you addicted to (instead of living life and educating yourself) is on and you need to finish this quickly
1) I'm getting old.. I know I know, I'm only 25 but its just a feeling ok? I KNOW I cannot do some of the things I used to when I was 16...
2) Most people don't know this about me but when I was 21, after some intensive testing it was determined that I needed back surgery for some shit in my lower vertebrae. The doctor advised I wait as long as I can for this... and there isn't a day I have that it doesn't hurt. I'm in a loosing battle with time on this one. Sure, I could work and retire at 50, but will I still be surfing? Doubtful
3) Ready to live my life as I see fit. No one can tell you how to live, so why do we all follow an imaginary road with as far as I'm concerned, some pretty shitty road signs and paving.
4) Because a whole world of adventure is awaiting me out there... and I just KNOW I'm going to be horribly angry when I get killed commuting to work, never getting my first retirement check.
1) finish highschool
2) goto college or learn a trade
3) get married
4) buy a house
5) have kids
6) work 30 years paying for said house (usually falling down by now) and children
7) retire and hopefully you aren't too old to do the things you used to when you were young.
I however argue that there are many many more paths of life than the one that 98% of the population choose. Those paths can be opened by doing some basic reading and just learning to open your mind to something other than the normal or what is accepted as normal. When you really let go of everything... you see that there is no normal or "right" way. I even have an argument for the criminal up in my mind somewhere...
The path I have chosen for my life extends from several things I believe in. The entire cookie cutter existence just literally makes me want to puke when I think of the massive amount of mediocrity that it is. I believe people choose the above path because its easy. Life is easy when you just work and slave away, paying the man and buying into every single trend out there; a revolving door of payments if you will. Most people's argument for working 30 years to retirement is based upon the fact that most secretly hate it and regret how successfully they have brainwashed themselves into believing working is the key to happiness. Just remember kids, the things you own will end up owning you.
Another scary thought for me is marriage. I come from a family so huge because of divorces and remarriage that I would need a king size bed sheet to draw you a tree and that's working in a size 10pt font! Every Christmas I have to meet and relearn the names of some shithead new additions to my family when I really want to pull them to the side and politely inform them to enjoy it while they can, they probably wont be around next year. I plan on doing the world and my family a favor and never marrying. Another scary marriage thought for me is all the work that is now suddenly necessary to keep the wife happy. That is all I see from my friends... "I have to install this"; "I have to fix this"; "I have to go shopping for...". They have traded their personal time and freedom for a relationship which is supposed to be fair and balance... and all I usually see is work work work work work. Here is a note to the female readers... we don't want to spend our entire weekend fixing shit for you. I enjoy my freedom to the max and relish every single second of it... I don't plan on giving it up any time soon.
Children are another thing I'm avoiding like the plague. Much of this stems from my previous argument of time (if you haven't noticed a trend Ill point it out, I'm EXTREMELY selfish with time) and a huge belief that the world is horribly overpopulated. Every time I use Google Earth searching for waves and I just see massive amounts of deforestation, even in our own great country, for cash; crops and room to expand I just want to run away. There isn't much left out there people... and I challenge you to explore Google Earth and just see for yourself. Check the Azuero peninsula of Panama, look at Indonesia and you will see whole islands stripped.
A home is something I consider to be the biggest waste of time out of all of these things. When I see the construction methods we use in this country I cannot help but think that these homes are thrown together as fast as possible and they will last just long enough to be paid for... then its time to spend another 150K (Texas has wonderfully realistic and UNinflated home values for my California readers, 150K will get you 2500-3000sq/ft in the right area around here) and do it all over again. REVOLVING PAYMENT/DEBT CYCLES ARE WHAT THIS NATION IS BUILT ON! Buying useless shit. The "must have this" disease is rampant in this nation and we all could live such simpler lives if we didn't believe or invest in such stupid ideas. Doesn't it preach this in the Bible for all you do gooder Christians out there??? I could live the rest of my life in a camper and be happy with that. Is there something wrong with me? Maybe. I look at "living", the actual acts of sleeping, showering, eating, and breathing as just things we have to do. When you realize you can sleep in anything that is 6ft long and reasonably comfortable, a 3000sq/ft home suddenly isn't necessary.
Ok.. so you don't buy into any of the arguments I have just posted right? Fine.. here is a simple list for those of you looking for a simple answer because...
a) thinking and learning this much just makes your head hurt
b) your favorite TV sitcom they have you addicted to (instead of living life and educating yourself) is on and you need to finish this quickly
1) I'm getting old.. I know I know, I'm only 25 but its just a feeling ok? I KNOW I cannot do some of the things I used to when I was 16...
2) Most people don't know this about me but when I was 21, after some intensive testing it was determined that I needed back surgery for some shit in my lower vertebrae. The doctor advised I wait as long as I can for this... and there isn't a day I have that it doesn't hurt. I'm in a loosing battle with time on this one. Sure, I could work and retire at 50, but will I still be surfing? Doubtful
3) Ready to live my life as I see fit. No one can tell you how to live, so why do we all follow an imaginary road with as far as I'm concerned, some pretty shitty road signs and paving.
4) Because a whole world of adventure is awaiting me out there... and I just KNOW I'm going to be horribly angry when I get killed commuting to work, never getting my first retirement check.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Free Charlie Toups
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_14158633
"
GEORGETOWN — Charlie Toups is Colorado's ultimate ski bum and a relic of a fading era.
Since 1976, the 63-year-old has skied 120 days a season, shoveling snow and doing other odd jobs for a few bucks and skiing every day. What affirms his title as ski bum supreme is the fact that at night he retired to his car, parked close to the lifts.
But now Toups' brawny 6-foot frame is wedged in a jail cell in Georgetown, imprisoned for the past 57 days on misdemeanor federal charges of camping on public land, possessing marijuana and assaulting a Forest Service officer.
He could walk free with time served if he admitted his guilt. But Toups won't do that.
"I've lived this life for 33 years and now all the sudden I'm supposed to admit I'm guilty? I can't do that," he said from jail last week. "I don't know what changed after the Forest Service tolerated me for all these years. I thought we were just respecting each other. Let me ask you, is it snowing?"
Toups' tale is the embodiment of ski bumdom. Since the 1970s, he has bummed at Mammoth in California, Snowbird in Utah, Oregon's Mount Hood, Aspen Highlands and all the ski areas in Summit County. His home — for nearly a decade — was a Volks wagen Beetle, the passenger seat torn out so he could sleep.
"He had a little tunnel down to it like a snow cave," said Halsted Morris, a longtime Loveland skier.
"He was the real deal"
After a few years at Loveland, where Toups worked in the ski area's kitchen, he moved on to Aspen Highlands, where every morning he stomped steep snow as part of the ski patrol's avalanche mitigation. A few hours bootpacking earned him a day's lift ticket. He haunted the mid-mountain cafeteria, munching food from abandoned trays. He stocked shelves at the local grocery at night.
"He was the epitome of ski bums. He was the real deal," said Mike Tierney, a veteran ski patroller at Highlands. "He was just a totally eccentric individual who was here to ski. We don't see those kinds of ski bums anymore. And that's kind of sad."
Mac Smith, the longtime director of the Highlands patrol, spent a few seasons in the 1970s camping at the base of the ski hill. He remembers Toups with fondness, as a "gentle giant."
"He was a really intelligent person," Smith said. "He just had a different drum beat, and he followed it."
Toups first ran afoul of the Forest Service, which prohibits living on public land, in 2007 when he was back living in Loveland in the ski area parking lot.
So, he fired up his most recent home — a tired Ford, its hood and doors closed with ropes, its bed topped with a dilapidated camper. He rattled over Loveland Pass, towing a trailer full of old skis and a rusting Honda motorcycle. He landed in the Colorado Department of Transportation utility lot on Forest Service land next to Arapahoe Basin ski area.
On Nov. 14, five months after a Forest Service cop issued Toups a ticket for camping on public land in the CDOT lot, they came for him with a warrant for his arrest.
Toups had missed two mailed summonses, sent to an Aspen-area post office box he never visited.
Forest Service law enforcement officer Jill Wick and a Summit County sheriff's deputy found him, naturally, skiing. He grew irate when told he was under arrest.
At a Nov. 20 detention hearing in federal court in Grand Junction, Forest Service special agent Travis Lunders testified that Toups "became actively resistant in the sense that he tensed up."
"Officer Wick described Mr. Toups as shrugging his shoulders, bending his arms, flexing and putting his knuckles together near his stomach, at which time both officers took Mr. Toups to the ground, the snow covered ground, and placed him face-first down," Lunders testified, according to court transcripts.
Toups said he was trying to make a call on his cellphone before he was taken away. He said he was under the impression he had a "gentleman's agreement" to stay near the CDOT utility shed, based upon his camaraderie with CDOT employees.
When officers searched his pockets, according to Lunders' testimony, they found "misdemeanor level paraphernalia and marijuana."
The day after Toups' arrest, Lunders testified that Wick suffered a "post traumatic condition or disorder . . . that caused her heart to enlarge after the arrest." Doctors later told her, Lunders testified, "she did not suffer a heart attack and her arteries were in fact good."
Lunders wrote in his report detailing the arrest: "At no time was she (Wick) struck by Toups, nor did he attempt to kick, punch or strike either officer."
Still, Toups is facing charges that he "did forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere with an officer." Add the illegal camping and marijuana charge, and Toups is facing more than two years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines.
Toups is scheduled for a jury trial in Denver District Court this month.
Toups' attorney declined to comment, but Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the Colorado U.S. attorney, said the charges are appropriate, "given his conduct."
"Danger to this community"
U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer is prosecuting the case against Toups. At his November detention hearing, she argued successfully that Toups be held without bail on three misdemeanor counts.
"This defendant has shown he is dangerous, that he has no place to go," she said. "Being that he — all he wants to do is apparently ski and not work and live this alternative lifestyle, makes him a prime candidate for flight, not to mention he has exhibited himself now as a danger to this community, openly hostile to the government."
Calling Toups "hostile" and "dangerous" dismays Toups' friends.
"Charlie has been harassed most of his life, but even though he can be a bit of a curmudgeon, he's a really sweet guy," said Michael Cleveland, who has known Toups for 30 years and paid $1,700 to get his friend's truck out of impoundment. "He's just a ski bum who never grew up."
Toups proudly explains that in all his years of homelessness, he has never collected any public money. In the past three years, he's earned about $20,000, mostly from shoveling snow and moving furniture.
Still, he admits he has struggled to keep jobs.
"I guess I have a personality that conflicts with some tenets of management," he said.
Decades of negotiating (or violating, say the feds) federal, state, county and municipal boundaries and rules has taken its toll on Toups. When he parked near A Basin in 2007, he was at the end of his rope. He needed to be close to his work shoveling — where his boss, Bob Towne, said he never missed a day in two winters. He could no longer keep his truck running to move it daily. And he needed to be close to his beloved ski hill.
"I ski because it is a portal, a gateway to health," he said, noting that in all his years on skis he has never been injured. "But when I moved into that lot, I was desperate. Sure, I may live like a bum, but I do not behave like one."
My email to the US Attorney prosecuting him..
Mrs. Heldmyer,
After reading the article in the Denver Post, I thought I would email you and let you know just how dissapointed I am at you and Georgetown Police Department.
It is a sad sad day in this nation when being prosecuted for being an individual living outside the constraints of the system is a crime. This nation as you of all people should know, was founded on the basic liberties and the freedom to pursue happiness and self determination. Charlie was a man that was doing all of those things and yet here he is caught up in a legal battle with the system. The system that does not approve of his lifestyle and now seeks to incarcerate him for living "dfferently". In my eyes... you and the Georgetown police department represent one thing, the interests of big money. Charlie and other ski bums like him are an eyesore and you seek to rid the slopes and towns of them per the wishes of big money and whatever racist/judgemental ideas you have.
You can continue on your path as Im sure you will but eventually one day, you will have to answer for your poor judgement and frankly picking on people who cannot afford to defend themselves. There is a large and growing movement of people like Charlie... people interested in the roots of life and this great country. We will not stand by and let big money and misaapointed attorneys like yourself push the small people around. The revolution is coming.. maybe not in your lifetime or mine.. but it is. You can arrest him, but you cannot arrest us all.
"
GEORGETOWN — Charlie Toups is Colorado's ultimate ski bum and a relic of a fading era.
Since 1976, the 63-year-old has skied 120 days a season, shoveling snow and doing other odd jobs for a few bucks and skiing every day. What affirms his title as ski bum supreme is the fact that at night he retired to his car, parked close to the lifts.
But now Toups' brawny 6-foot frame is wedged in a jail cell in Georgetown, imprisoned for the past 57 days on misdemeanor federal charges of camping on public land, possessing marijuana and assaulting a Forest Service officer.
He could walk free with time served if he admitted his guilt. But Toups won't do that.
"I've lived this life for 33 years and now all the sudden I'm supposed to admit I'm guilty? I can't do that," he said from jail last week. "I don't know what changed after the Forest Service tolerated me for all these years. I thought we were just respecting each other. Let me ask you, is it snowing?"
Toups' tale is the embodiment of ski bumdom. Since the 1970s, he has bummed at Mammoth in California, Snowbird in Utah, Oregon's Mount Hood, Aspen Highlands and all the ski areas in Summit County. His home — for nearly a decade — was a Volks wagen Beetle, the passenger seat torn out so he could sleep.
"He had a little tunnel down to it like a snow cave," said Halsted Morris, a longtime Loveland skier.
"He was the real deal"
After a few years at Loveland, where Toups worked in the ski area's kitchen, he moved on to Aspen Highlands, where every morning he stomped steep snow as part of the ski patrol's avalanche mitigation. A few hours bootpacking earned him a day's lift ticket. He haunted the mid-mountain cafeteria, munching food from abandoned trays. He stocked shelves at the local grocery at night.
"He was the epitome of ski bums. He was the real deal," said Mike Tierney, a veteran ski patroller at Highlands. "He was just a totally eccentric individual who was here to ski. We don't see those kinds of ski bums anymore. And that's kind of sad."
Mac Smith, the longtime director of the Highlands patrol, spent a few seasons in the 1970s camping at the base of the ski hill. He remembers Toups with fondness, as a "gentle giant."
"He was a really intelligent person," Smith said. "He just had a different drum beat, and he followed it."
Toups first ran afoul of the Forest Service, which prohibits living on public land, in 2007 when he was back living in Loveland in the ski area parking lot.
So, he fired up his most recent home — a tired Ford, its hood and doors closed with ropes, its bed topped with a dilapidated camper. He rattled over Loveland Pass, towing a trailer full of old skis and a rusting Honda motorcycle. He landed in the Colorado Department of Transportation utility lot on Forest Service land next to Arapahoe Basin ski area.
On Nov. 14, five months after a Forest Service cop issued Toups a ticket for camping on public land in the CDOT lot, they came for him with a warrant for his arrest.
Toups had missed two mailed summonses, sent to an Aspen-area post office box he never visited.
Forest Service law enforcement officer Jill Wick and a Summit County sheriff's deputy found him, naturally, skiing. He grew irate when told he was under arrest.
At a Nov. 20 detention hearing in federal court in Grand Junction, Forest Service special agent Travis Lunders testified that Toups "became actively resistant in the sense that he tensed up."
"Officer Wick described Mr. Toups as shrugging his shoulders, bending his arms, flexing and putting his knuckles together near his stomach, at which time both officers took Mr. Toups to the ground, the snow covered ground, and placed him face-first down," Lunders testified, according to court transcripts.
Toups said he was trying to make a call on his cellphone before he was taken away. He said he was under the impression he had a "gentleman's agreement" to stay near the CDOT utility shed, based upon his camaraderie with CDOT employees.
When officers searched his pockets, according to Lunders' testimony, they found "misdemeanor level paraphernalia and marijuana."
The day after Toups' arrest, Lunders testified that Wick suffered a "post traumatic condition or disorder . . . that caused her heart to enlarge after the arrest." Doctors later told her, Lunders testified, "she did not suffer a heart attack and her arteries were in fact good."
Lunders wrote in his report detailing the arrest: "At no time was she (Wick) struck by Toups, nor did he attempt to kick, punch or strike either officer."
Still, Toups is facing charges that he "did forcibly assault, resist, oppose, impede, intimidate and interfere with an officer." Add the illegal camping and marijuana charge, and Toups is facing more than two years in federal prison and $250,000 in fines.
Toups is scheduled for a jury trial in Denver District Court this month.
Toups' attorney declined to comment, but Jeff Dorschner, spokesman for the Colorado U.S. attorney, said the charges are appropriate, "given his conduct."
"Danger to this community"
U.S. Attorney Michelle Heldmyer is prosecuting the case against Toups. At his November detention hearing, she argued successfully that Toups be held without bail on three misdemeanor counts.
"This defendant has shown he is dangerous, that he has no place to go," she said. "Being that he — all he wants to do is apparently ski and not work and live this alternative lifestyle, makes him a prime candidate for flight, not to mention he has exhibited himself now as a danger to this community, openly hostile to the government."
Calling Toups "hostile" and "dangerous" dismays Toups' friends.
"Charlie has been harassed most of his life, but even though he can be a bit of a curmudgeon, he's a really sweet guy," said Michael Cleveland, who has known Toups for 30 years and paid $1,700 to get his friend's truck out of impoundment. "He's just a ski bum who never grew up."
Toups proudly explains that in all his years of homelessness, he has never collected any public money. In the past three years, he's earned about $20,000, mostly from shoveling snow and moving furniture.
Still, he admits he has struggled to keep jobs.
"I guess I have a personality that conflicts with some tenets of management," he said.
Decades of negotiating (or violating, say the feds) federal, state, county and municipal boundaries and rules has taken its toll on Toups. When he parked near A Basin in 2007, he was at the end of his rope. He needed to be close to his work shoveling — where his boss, Bob Towne, said he never missed a day in two winters. He could no longer keep his truck running to move it daily. And he needed to be close to his beloved ski hill.
"I ski because it is a portal, a gateway to health," he said, noting that in all his years on skis he has never been injured. "But when I moved into that lot, I was desperate. Sure, I may live like a bum, but I do not behave like one."
My email to the US Attorney prosecuting him..
Mrs. Heldmyer,
After reading the article in the Denver Post, I thought I would email you and let you know just how dissapointed I am at you and Georgetown Police Department.
It is a sad sad day in this nation when being prosecuted for being an individual living outside the constraints of the system is a crime. This nation as you of all people should know, was founded on the basic liberties and the freedom to pursue happiness and self determination. Charlie was a man that was doing all of those things and yet here he is caught up in a legal battle with the system. The system that does not approve of his lifestyle and now seeks to incarcerate him for living "dfferently". In my eyes... you and the Georgetown police department represent one thing, the interests of big money. Charlie and other ski bums like him are an eyesore and you seek to rid the slopes and towns of them per the wishes of big money and whatever racist/judgemental ideas you have.
You can continue on your path as Im sure you will but eventually one day, you will have to answer for your poor judgement and frankly picking on people who cannot afford to defend themselves. There is a large and growing movement of people like Charlie... people interested in the roots of life and this great country. We will not stand by and let big money and misaapointed attorneys like yourself push the small people around. The revolution is coming.. maybe not in your lifetime or mine.. but it is. You can arrest him, but you cannot arrest us all.
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