Simple Living and Simple Travel

A weld broke on one of the rear stabilizers (what a surprise) as I was heading out of the Burros. I really need to get a more practical trailer for this lifestyle, maybe a 18 footer with aluminum framing, insulation(what a treat that would be!) and decent ground clearance (not just another 2”). When I got to the first spot up rt180 where I wanted to camp, there was no one around. Yes! But. The next morning I hiked ten minutes up the road to the trailhead where I was going to start my run. That’s where I saw this sign. Guano. I hiked down another road on the way back to my camping spot and it took me down to a water holding tank. I was making a lot of noise coming down a loose rocky section and spooked a bear. It looked as if she might have been taking a bath in the small tank. The water in the tank was still in motion and the ground next to the tank in one spot was soaked. Along the path the bear took, there was less and less water until there was practically none after 50 ya...

One afternoon I was sitting in a lowrider working on my Mac. I heard what was getting to be an all too familiar sound and looked up. There was Meadow ‘on point’ in front of some brush at the base of a boulder. I couldn’t get Meadow to back off until I got pretty close even using some expansive arm movements. I did not want to set the rattler off and with all the noise he was making, he seemed all set to let loose. This was way too close to home. He was hard to see and after a short while he moved off to a break in the rocks, rattling the whole time. That was something new I learned about rattlers. A couple days later I saw my fifth and last rattler since being back to CoR. This one was smaller but still on the edge of my campsite. Not good. No way am I ever going to be here again in May. The idea of a solar eclipse never did anything for me, not the least bit interested. A volunteer at CoR told me about the eclipse last month and gave me an info sheet along with a pair ...

M&M have been giving me a hard time about coming in at night the last month or so. From time to time one or the other has spent the night out and a few times both. Not good. They had been doing fine with nightly access to their window cage now that it’s warm enough to keep the window open all night. Have no idea why this has started all of a sudden. It’s not like this lifestyle is new to them. If it continues, whenever I’m around camp at noon, I’ll boot them out (with their water bowl). It might then be easier to snag them just before twilight. The bicycle pump was working well with the casita and Cherokee tires but the larger tires on the Dodge proved a bit too much for me. I wimped out and purchased a 12V Slime tire inflator. Sometimes being a wuss doesn’t feel all that bad. The pump works well and it’s much faster than I had anticipated for being so small and compact. There have been times when an email finally gets through to me or someone mentions that my email addre...

Well, it was back to Bisbee for three weeks. Not nearly as much fun as it generally is. Lynn moved to Tucson so I did not see her much. She came down for our annual dinner out at Café Rocka. And I went up to Tucson to see her new place (NICE) and we spent the day out at the Desert Museum west of town. Sure do like watching otters. The Bisbee house is still on the market so I parked in the driveway. Spent the time clearing out my storage locker, selling stuff on craigslist, distributing items to friends, and took a whole truckload of stuff over to Penny Lane. I picked up a 5’x8’ cargo trailer so now all I own is on wheels. I need to find a more central location to park the cargo trailer, at least a couple hundred miles north, maybe around four corners. Wish I had a friend with some acreage who would let me store it there. I only need to get into it once a year. Finally sold the A/C that came on the casita. I enjoyed stopping in at Jewelry Designs by Owen to see David a number...

I’ve had the good fortune to get to know a couple from Canada over the last few winters. Unfortunately it looks like they will probably not be spending any more winters down in southern New Mexico. One state park will just not be the same without them around. This winter Heather and Donald lent me the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy on DVDs. That was a treat. I found the behind-the-scenes features just about as entertaining as the movie. The week before they headed north, we were talking about helping the road miles go by by listening to podcasts. I told them about my favorite, ‘Wait, Wait….’ I was pleased that they were not familiar with it so I know they will be getting some laughs as they work their way up to Toronto. I also mentioned ‘Car Talk’ which they have heard of but never listened to. That show has sure expanded over the years. ‘The Moth’ was another one I thought they might find interesting. Donald and Heather told me about the ...

Well, I received my first social security check. Now I am officially an old man. Guess I’ll have to stop trail running, mountain biking, and doing pushups, dips, burpees, and tabatas. Society says that it is important to blend in and follow the norm. Our rate of aging is all laid out for us and it’s easy to see just about everyone follows along without any questions—got the ring right in their nose. Oh—wait, that’s not me! I don’t do status quo. Guess I’ll just go on doin’ my own thing by not thinking and acting like others my age. Maybe that’s why I joke around more and have more energy. I see what is typical for people in my age group and I want no part of it. I believe in alternatives to the norm. Often we’re stuck in a rut of doing things a certain way, because that’s the way everyone else does things, because that’s how it’s always done. Because it’s safe. Ellen Glasgow said, “The only difference between a rut and a grave is in their dimensions.” But the normal way ...

Well, no bordeaux or Pink for the solstice. Guano. But—I did find a nice bottle of DaVinci Chianti from the town of Vinci in Italy. It’s probably been close to thirty years since I had a glass of Chianti. Tasty. I even picked up some pasta sauce and parmesan to go with the spaghetti rather than prepare it in one of my usual ways. In the morning, I went out and gave thanks for a couple of hours, mid-day I worked with silver at my bench, and late afternoon went for a brisk walk. A little before twilight I poured a glass of Chianti and took M&M for a walk. Afterwards I sat down to a bowl of brown rice pasta and Vivaldi’s Le Quattro Stagioni. I wrapped up the day with a second glass of Chianti, a book, a feline on my lap, Vivaldi’s Complete Works for the Italian Lute, and Orff’s Carmina Burana. So, once again, the 21st was made special—simply. Happy New Year, Earth, from one who cares. M&M didn’t want to go out for three days. That never happened before. They always want out, if e...