salida in ’14, winter parks, outdoorsy,
coffee with a tang, mother earth,
blog to com, and bounding



I had a very nice surprise last week. I was inside trying to make sense of some pages that I had downloaded while in town. Voices called from outside and it was the couple from Salida, CO, I wrote about back in April of 2010. Jack and Linda were just passing through and saw my trailer. It was great talking with them again. The last time through they were in an old ‘canned ham’ trailer. Jack is actually in the process of building a new one.
Linda and Jack made Salida sound like a stellar place. I played with the idea of spending some time there last summer but never got over there. So not this summer either, but maybe in 2014. After all the driving I will be doing this summer, going only as far north as Salida next summer will look pretty good. We’ll see.

I had another good stay over in the Burro Mtns. last month, right along the Continental Divide trail. Had some outstanding early morning runs up to Jack’s Peak. There were a couple overnight campers in the area but they were out of sight (and hearing). Back to using the solar shower bag. Whoopy. Took M&M for evening walks. All three of us prefer when there are a number of options for our loops. The winter state parks are somewhat restrictive for our walks.

I have to cut my time in the state parks way back. I’m in a winter rut. I take different routes north and spend summers in different areas so those months are fine. And I still enjoy southern Utah for October and November. While in the Canyon Rims area, the closest I’ve camped to another rig was a mile. The other times there was no one in sight—hard to pass this up. The parks, like any campground, are restrictive and only certain sites work for M&M. BUT, just about all of the most interesting people I’ve come across since getting into this lifestyle, I’ve met in the parks. So in a way, I don’t want to give this up. Then again, I’ve met most of the people in one specific park and generally during two particular months.
Thankfully, I’ve also become acquainted with others through my web site, exchanging emails and sometimes phone calls. Don’t think I could do without these people. And occasionally I meet one of them. That’s pretty cool. So here’s a thanks to those of you who email me about various aspects of this lifestyle or whatever.

Next winter I hope to cut our time in the parks down to one month. But there are six or so locales that I pass through which enhance my lifestyle; so I’m kinda spoiled. And I won’t be in my favorite park when the weather is most favorable for running, mountain biking and meeting people. Guano. But I really need to get out of this winter rut. The sand keeps running through the glass.

I’ll be looking into wintering on AZ BLM. I just have to find places farther in, away from all the RVs out there. That would be as bad as the state parks. Getting down to 1,000-2,000’ elevation for the winter months will be a nice change. I’m generally up around 3,500-5,000’. Oh well, we’ll see. Maybe I’ll like the new trailer so much that I’ll turn into an RVer. Have you seen Sebastian? Nope, he went into the Nash and never came out.
Any suggestions for places to dry camp in Arizona will be appreciated. NO WAY am I going near Quartzite or Yuma. Good grief!

What a treat having the night temps back up in the 40s. I can keep the window to M&M’s cage open for them. They do enjoy spending time out there at night.

I wish I ran across more outdoor enthusiasts in this lifestyle. Even the pseudo ‘bookdockers’ don’t lean that way. When I first started this lifestyle, I thought I would be coming across people with some sense of adventure. Not the first time I’ve been clueless. Adventure and asphalt/graded roads kinda negate each other. Those individuals that come across as ‘outdoorsy,’ tend to have a well-used day pack and hiking boots (maybe that’s a litmus test). Some have a mountain bike that they actually use for mountain biking. These individuals want to get off the beaten track. They cook many of their meals outside on a Coleman stove just because they like to be outside. They will have a variety of outdoor activities that they like to participate in (and I don’t think horseshoes is high on the list) and they don’t have ATVs. When they get to a place like City of Rocks NMSP and see the mesa, you know where they will be going. It’s a mindset, an active way of looking at life. They can be found miles from their camp having gotten there by leg power. I guess not being able to experience this during most of my 50s has made it more important to me than to most. I had lost it—but I missed it too much to just let it go. I put a lot of time and effort into getting back to a decent level of health. Couldn’t quite grasp that, ‘can’t do, give up’ mindset. Most bring the loss on themselves and write it off as ‘part of growing old.’ Nonsense.

I wish I knew a number of active, health-conscious ‘perpetual campers.’ It might be fun to organize a meet sometime next winter out on AZ BLM for a couple weeks for hikes, biking and whatnot. If any of you are interested or know of others who might be, please let me know. Thanks.

Kopi Luwak is being served in more and more fine-dining establishments. I saw it going for $400 a pound on Amazon. Good grief. But wait—it gets even more ludicrous. The beans are hand-harvested (well okay, that can be costly). BUT, they are harvested AFTER passing whole through the digestive system of a small catlike animal called the Asian palm civet. I don’t know; I could very well be wrong—but isn’t this generally referred to as excrement?

There’s a video clip on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q7IYpLYQ7Q

One could easily make a joke about this that would fit right in with these two:

Who opened that first OYSTER and said "My, my, my. Now doesn't THIS look yummy"???

And who was the first person, seeing an egg come from a chicken's butt, thought—"I'll bet THAT would be pretty good to eat"?


There should be more of these signs out there in appropriate places.

I heard a guy comment on the term ‘Mother Earth,’ that a friend of his had just used. He said something like, What do you mean mother earth—it’s a freakin’ rock. What a cretin. I rarely use the term but I can surely understand how some cultures refer to our planet as such. The term can sound strange unless one stops to think. We evolved from salt water in the ocean. The Earth did, in fact, give us life. Our planet also provides us with air to breath, water to drink, and soil to grow food, to nourish us. We owe her—big time. If I am thankful for something I have, I show it by taking care of it (ex. my body). How do we show our thanks for what our planet has given us? We pollute the air, water and soil, and overbreed, using up the limited natural resources. Not smart. Seems selfish and shortsighted. It appears most couldn’t care less about future generations.

Remember the term, ‘Don’t mess with Mother Nature?’ She has hurricanes, tornadoes, monsoons, sand and dust storms, lightning, mega fires, blizzards, ice storms, floods, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, mud slides and whatnot. Good grief—and we’re messin’ with her! These occurrences have been getting more severe and anyone can pick up on the worldwide climatic changes. Well, duh. I wonder if a planet can work itself into something like a self-preservation mode when it would then rid itself of the parasites that are killing it. I wonder if humankind will ever realize how destructive we are being with our island in space. Not really something we should be trashin’. It’s not, as if, we have the option to move. Gotta work towards, ‘man in the mirror.’


When I get farther north, I’ll put this sign on the Casita. Last month I placed an order for a Northwood Nash 17K. This month Northwood is doing a run of Nash trailers. I’ll pick the 17K up in Oregon around the second week of May.
What a change all this will be for M&M.

You might have noticed that I got a domain name and changed the blog over to:
www.simplelivingandsimpletravel.com
I want to change a few things but so far I can’t get into the administrator control panel. Guano.

I moved my 5x8’ cargo trailer from Bisbee to NM. Still keeping my ears open for a place to store it in the Four Corners area. While weeding through it, I picked up some stuff for the coming year. One item was my ski-skating poles, which I then cut down 6” inches. So now I’m out Nordic walking and bounding two mornings a week.

Okay, if you are not the least bit interested in another form of physical activity, skip the rest and check back next month. I’ll tell you a bit about the Nash and throw in the usual mishmash. take care and stay amused

Here are three cardio movements you might want to try (or at least the first two). They stem from Nordic skiing—ways to maintain skiing muscles throughout the summer months. But as you’ll see, they are great for anyone. All three use poles but they are NOTHING like the tapping you see hikers do with their trekking poles. There are video clips on youtube and here’s the URL for an informative web page:
http://www.nordicwalkingguru.com/nordic-walking-beginner/

Marko Kantaneva’s ‘Sauvakävely’ (Finnish for pole walking) has a good feel to it and you can see how it is pretty much a total body workout. It also uses the Nordic grip with the fingers opening—hence the straps and curved handle of a Nordic ski pole.

I also like Tom Rutlin’s ‘Exerstride’ method of Nordic walking. One holds a more upright posture with a shorter, quicker stride than Marko’s. The arms are kept straight and the hands don’t drop back past the body. I get visions of a marching tin soldier. As with just about all forms of exercise, one needs to put some umph into it. Tighten your core and apply downward force on the poles. You’ll almost feel your arms are propelling you forward just as much as your legs are. It won’t take long to feel it in your core (always a good thing).

Now, if you need more of a challenge (you’re as nuts as I am)—try bounding. If you are not familiar with bounding, check for a video clip on youtube. What a stellar overall body workout. It’s tough though, so I have to ease into the workout. I’ve been starting with 5 minutes or so of one of the walking methods, then I’ll bound until I get tired, after that I’ll do the other form of walking, then back to more bounding and so on for about 45 minutes. I checked my notes after the first time I tried bounding and realized I was doing it wrong. I was using more of a running/loping stride with poles—not bounding. The next time I slowed down, making sure I was pre-loading the leg, and actually bounding up. It was even tougher than the first time but I was feeling the ‘bound.’ Hopefully, I’ll come across someone familiar with the technique so I can get some coaching. Anyway, it’s my latest senior challenge.

March sixty minutes sixty years—1975 minutes
March Triple 18—pecs/delts: 1845; core: 1915; legs: 2770

What is a path, except for a way where somebody else
thinks that you should go.
from ‘Starpilot’s Grave’


RVwest article ‘Following a Free Spirit’
FOR INDEX OF POSTINGS GO TO JULY 2006

Comments

Tom said…
Hello Sabastian... Thanks for another great blog post and congrats on ordering your Nash. Would love to hear a complete review with lots of pictures and the mods you plan to do to better suit your lifestyle. Even though I enjoy a daily cup or two of Joe I think I'll pass on the Kopi Luwak. I will try to erase the source of the coffee from my memory. I am also hoping that once you have your Nash you'll have plenty to write about for a weekly or bi weekly blog? Take care bud... Tom
"I wish I ran across more outdoor enthusiasts in this lifestyle. Even the pseudo ‘bookdockers’ don’t lean that way. When I first started this lifestyle, I thought I would be coming across people with some sense of adventure."

Wow, am I ever familiar with this type of disillusionment. But consider the demographics. Consider how the RV industry promotes itself as being able to provide comfort, security, and status to the average suburbanite.

You might be able to overlap with the Bike, Boots, and Paddle BOF in the Escapee organization. I was the vice-president many years ago, and got people to start coming to gatherings on dispersed camping sites. There WAS a small turnout the first year. Perhaps I should have stuck with it.

The bicycle club in Cottonwood/Sedona AZ does both mountain biking and road biking. It might be a good group to overlap with.

But you're right about Boondockers in general. They are sedentary. Their loyalty is to satellite television.
diana said…
Totally agree about folks traveling in their RVs but never venturing past the outdoor rug under their awning. It's a strange paradox! Congrats on the new rig!
Unknown said…
Like Boonie said, the RV industry makes condos on wheels to duplicate the life style before full time RV travel. Habits don't change. They were not active before. Life sure wasn't going to change living in an RV.

Although my current "camping spot" is not boon docking, the hiking (my passion) of the Rincons is only a couple of minutes away. When I arrived at this RV resort, I met up with the hiking group for a hike. Turns out there are two groups. One races to complete the hike in a short a time as possible. The other group is more like a stroll around the neighborhood for a hike less than three miles. So it is off on solo hikes. Would be nice to have a hiking partner once in a while. Life is what it is.

Many years ago, I had a short membership with the WINs. When I joined them, they assured me that they did lots of hiking. In the three years, I was with the WINs, the only hike I ever did with the WINs was the one I led. Back to life as a solo hiker. And non-WIN.
Wow, thanks for the comments. I had to stop posting on the forums because I had to bite my tongue from time to time. With this medium, I rarely do. It feels free.

Tom, sorry, but I’ll probably still only be writing a page a month. I really need to get back into metalwork so hopefully, I’ll be spending quite a bit of time at the bench.

Hey Diana, notice I’m still doing your sixty minutes sixty years? It’s been a lifesaver. Thanks. “…but never venturing past the outdoor rug under their awning” is a great way of putting it. I just can’t relate to those people. Generally I don’t even like talking to them.

Boonie, I’ve heard of you. When you started off quoting my lines, I initially thought, oh no, I’m gonna get some grief here. Yes, isn’t it strange how people who live on wheels can be so sedentary? Unreal. It just does not seem to fit.

Nice to hear from you Wandrin Loyd. I’m going to have to check out the Rincon Mountains; maybe next spring. I had not heard of them. Yes, like you, I’d fit somewhere between the two hiking groups you mentioned.

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