Home is where you park it's topics - tribe.net

Converting to an Eco RV?

2008-07-10T03:39:24Z

Hello everyone! My hubby and I are getting ready to move into a travel trailer or 5th wheel permanently. We are looking for about a 27-30 ft used unit. Here's my thing: I would like to make it as eco friendly as possible. I already know some about using solar and am exploring that more. My main question is how do I repair/remodel it to be green? Can I use a tankless on demand water system in an rv? What are your ideas and suggestions for going green in an rv? Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

internet and the RV

2007-12-26T21:53:22Z

I just picked up my first RV :-)

it's a 1986 Ford and I'm wondering how one set's up internet on the move..

I would love to hear what folks here are using.

First question is can I run the laptop off the plug in the rig (talk to me like I'm 5 this is all new to me)
Do I have to have the generator running to do that?

I'm assuming If I'm docked to house electric it's the right power supply.. ordo I need some kind of filter or transformer??

Is there a better way to do this??
some kind of larger computer battery pack as the battery in the laptop only works for about 3-4 hours before needing recharging...

Second is the actual WiFi ....any recommendations for reception on the road? Services that may reach out in forest camps etc..maybe a booster antenna??

Thanks for your knowledge,
J

posted in Home is where you park it - 7 replies

blm, pilot knob, short term camping area

2007-11-28T04:49:54Z

yuckkkkkkkkkkkk. i am parked next to a pile of 50 year old oil cans. this must have been someones 'private dump' many years ago. three feet high, 50 feet wide and 100 feet long.

at 47. i do not remember , steel, oil cans. yes they were still 'can's' but were of paper with tin tops . the smaller cans i see in the dump , i am thinking are brake fluid. lots of old coke and dr. pepper bottles. but all picked over. none are whole.

still, after i pick up a few bag fulls of 'modern' garbage. plastic bottles, bags etc. i will attempt to pick out some of the glass bottles for recycling.

if........ the city ever returns my emails about the recycling in yuma.

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

dam blm host

2007-11-22T14:47:12Z

i spent last year at pilot knob long term area in winterhaven ca. i got hassled every other day by the host. i was '' too messy' , i was selling solar panels. on and on.

i went back yesterday to see if the spot i had occupied was open. it was not. then talked to the host. the message i got, was that i was not welcomed back.

so, i went to the blm office . there i got a copy of
'supplemental rules' . para 4. .... may revoke, without reimbursement , your ltva permit if you violate any blm rule or regulation

para 33. .. campsite maintenance...you must keep the ltv and specifically your campsite in A NEAT, ORDERLY AND SANITARY CONDITION.

wow, does that give them free rein or what.

the host keep saying i was too messy....... 'the man' gets to decide that i am not 'neat and orderly'??????

what with my solar panels , light ropes, solar lights, attempts at a garden, clothes line, solar oven, solar shower, jugs painted black, for water. etc. yes , i admit to being spread out. but to me, it is in perfect order.

living off the sun.

may the sun always shine on your solar panels
solarcharlie

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

rv 'net access

2007-11-19T15:07:16Z

anyone else use verizon air card? is there a better way?

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

please view and vote for my bumper sticker campaign at Brickfish :)

2007-11-09T21:26:50Z

Hey all, it's Liz here. Well I'm trying to win this scholarship competition, where you have to design a bumper sticker. Here is the url for you to check it out:

http://www.brickfish.com/Pages/PhotosAlbums/PhotoView.aspx?picid=125398_80647803&=PPIMEMAIL&isep=1&pbapi=161745&pbvi=6301779

The more votes I get, the better I do. Please take some time quickly to review and vote for my bumper sticker, maybe I can win with your help!

Peace
Liz

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Selling one of my diesel buses / raising money to get aid to Haiti

2007-09-29T18:32:07Z

Howdy folks

My name is Patrick. I buy and sell buses and bus parts to fund my non profit work. You can check it out at http://www.fresnoalliance.com/wheelchairproject

I have sold many buses to tribe folks, and others doing creative things with the machinery.

It is one of my nicest buses, a 1974 Gillig that is almost flawless. It has a healthy 3208 CAT diesel with a 5 speed, good rubber, and EVERYTHING works like all buses I sell.

If you wanna see it or pass the info onto a friend, it's on Craig's List, here is the link

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/435500436.html

Ok that's it. Anybody got any questions, just give me a call. My number is at the end of the ad.

Patrick

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Stealth Parking and Other Advenutures in the Nomad Trade.

2007-09-25T12:11:43Z

Namaste-

For the past six months, I've been traveling around the world. New Zealand, Australia. Spain. Hawai'i. And coming back to America to a settled life just leaves me feeling... unsettled.

I've been reading some of the posts, but have a few more unanswered questions. Hope you all can help a hookah out.

1. STEALTH PARKING- I'm not into the idea of RV lots with a bunch of older and (stereotype, I know) boring ex-buisness man now crusing with the little wifey. I'm more into the Burning Man ideals.

Is there a way to find a list/zine/underground website with listings of free streets/parks/beaches all around the US where you can park without fearing for your life, windows or license? It seems like the RV lifestyle is aiming for Freedom of all sorts, especially from the constraints of "settling down" in one locale. The RV park seems antithema to that. Also, what do you do about hookups with this "stealthy" style?

2. THE VEGGIE VAN- Gasoline and I are not friends. This was mos def be a biodiesel conversion case. Anyone have any experience converting an RV for that reason, utilizing solar panels, etc?

Your help is greatly appreciated. I'm doing a little jig just thinking about your responses.

posted in Home is where you park it - 23 replies

Solar water heater for a Westy

2007-09-08T04:00:11Z

Has anyone converted the rooftop luggage area into a solar water heater. I am considering a low profile plexi-glass dome over a black tank. Other thoughts are a having an additional small tank with styrofoam beads that would be transfered into the compartment at night for insulation and sucked back into the tank by vacuum during the day.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Stepvan/Chiptruck conversion to RV

2007-08-12T07:53:20Z

so, the story goes like this...My Dad & Brother own a distribution route for a local Potato Chip company, Tim's Cascade. for years, they ran the route out of a Gruman stepvan...it died, so they replaced it with another Gruman, a Diesel Dually retired Frito Lay truck. last year, after the rear end differential going out for like the 3rd or 4th time in 2 months, my brother, who was running the operation solo by now due to my Dad being forced to retire from diabetes-related disabilities, decided to retire the chiptruck in favor of a new utility trailer to tow behind his brand new Dodge Ram 1500 Hemi V8. so, the Gruman sat a few months ignored, when one day my brother comes up with the idea of eventually, over the course of a year or so, converting it. he bought a cab-over camper to use in the meantime, & I got one that was damaged but usable to eventually gut for the conversion...the project pretty much went totally cold...& then, this May, after deciding to go back to college for Environmental Sciences & Sustainable Living Systems, my roommate & brother's girlfriend, Paula, came to an impass while trying to find an affordable housing situation near her new school...after a few weeks of nothing stacked on nothing, the idea sparked & went inferno in the course of an hour...she would convert & live in the chiptruck, thereby resolving her housing issue & also providing her with her Thesis for her degree, as she is planning in stages to convert it to Biodiesel & then eventually straight veggie oil. you can view her journal & photos of the conversion here:

http://www.chiptruck.blogspot.com

she is progressing rapidly & will be living in it full time by September 24th. it's pretty amazing to see.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

New live chat room for our non profit to be

2007-06-30T02:13:09Z

Hey there, just wanted to drop another note about our tribe at http://tribes.tribe.net/alchemicalnurserycommune

This is a discussion forum we set up a couple months ago for a long term goal and vision we have for a wholly sustainable urban style eco commune and healing arts center/ nature conservancy. There's a whole lot to the vision, and a whole lot more to the process of planning, networking, and finding just the right people to hop on board and help make it happen...

Maybe you are one of those people!

Come check us out! We have just set up a chat room which we will be using for our board of directors meetings online, and the non profit website can be found at: www.luminist.org/alchemicalnursery

Love and light
Liz

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Park it in Ventura, CA?

2007-06-27T02:22:02Z

Are any of you in Ventura County?

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

Tipi?

2007-05-13T01:02:57Z

Hello people

Are there any Tribes for people living in Tipi's If so could you post a link to them? Im still living in my skoolie/home wile building my big bus/home but I just ordered a 20 foot Tipi and would like some tips.

Peace along the way
Dennis the bus/Tipi dweller N.Y.

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

12 Volt Solar Led System Questions? Help!

2007-04-25T02:49:17Z

Looking for someone with info expertise on 12 volt/solar and led systems. Want to run my auxilay power supply on solar powered 12 volt system and run my lighting using leds. Any help or info would be great!
Thanks,
Josh

posted in Home is where you park it - 8 replies

Rig for sale in Alaska

2007-04-23T21:35:12Z

A classic rig for sale. This is a 32’ 1983 Travco built by Foretravel on a Dodge chassis. It has a completely solid fiberglass body so there are no seams and no worries about leaks. She has a rebuilt powerful high performance Dodge 440 with newer adjustable fuel injection system [nice for high altitudes].

This motor home has a pretty cool history. The first owner was a mechanic for Travco/Foretravel and drove around the country doing service and maintenance demonstrations using this motorhome. That is why there are a decent amount of highway miles on the chassis. Also, two out of the three owners were named “Vern,” that doesn’t happen often. The previous owners cared for her meticulously, and it shows. We bought this last October and unfortunately a move out of Alaska forces this sale. [I lost the vote to keep her].

The furnace worked great through a cold Alaska winter, except for once, when there was carbon/soot on the electronic pilot. We gave it a maintenance service and it worked great for the rest of the winter. The previous owners only took a few summer trips so the furnace was hardly used until we got it, thus the soot build-up.

We only took this on a few trips and it drives great with a lot of power, and good steering with easy handling. She is “overbuilt” with extra anti-sway bars, extra large propane and water tanks. It has generators, ac, and I hooked up an “extend-a-stay” so I could use an external propane tank [included], this way I could take the propane tank in to get filled, rather than having to drive the rv into town…especially nice during bad weather, poor road conditions or while boondocking. We got it when the temps were already below freezing, so we did not use the water/septic system in order to ensure there would be no freezing, cracks, or leaks. Other highlights:

• Full awnings all around - in great shape
• Hydraulic Auto levelers, with controls at pilot seat.
• REAL solid-wood cabinets, all in beautiful shape.
• Front couch/bed combo, captains chairs, rear queen.
• Skirting
• Sure Power electrical system and Onan generator.
• External propane tank hookup
• Cool original upholstery, screens, curtains & window shades
• Interior is in awesome shape. VERY clean.
• Full on-dash tank level indicators; flip a switch for H2o heater & generator.
• External spotlight, PA system.
• Kharmically sound.
• Full bathroom, [toilet, shower/bath, vanity].
• Central vacuum system.
• Lots of storage: double closets, a ton of overhead & low cabinets.
• Storage in kitchen, Living room, and bedroom area.
• An extra roof-top container, basement storage.
• Some not so obvious storage places.
• A lifetime of maintenance records and service/schematic manuals.
• Built-in blender and icemaker [that cranks it out].
• Full kitchen: range, oven, convection; fridge & freezer run on AC or propane
• Roof-top ac and ventilation units, forced air furnace
• Rubber and brakes in very good shape
• Front and rear speakers, new cd player, classic 8-track, CB’s,
• Lots of spare parts, belts, hoses, brakes, books, etc.

There is a huge following for these motor homes, and she definitely has style and personality. It is located in Alaska, and is ready for the Alcan Highway [or BRC] if you are not from here. Take the ferry up and drive her down. We have put money, maintenance and improvements into it, but few miles and the interior is cleaner than when we bought it. This girl is ready for the road. Price = $9500.

Here is a pic link link and I can email more pics if you are seriously into it. Thanks for checking it out!

http://people.tribe.net/mcw/photos/9148801d-c759-43a4-ae9b-1b5370b0ba40

~Mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

reconstructing

2007-04-08T19:28:29Z

has anyone ever reconstructed or added to the body/structure of their RV?

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

Where is the best place you have camped with your van?

2007-04-07T04:44:12Z

We are planning a 3 month roadtrip with our 82 Westy around the US & Canada. As we are just starting to put our itinerary together, I would love to hear from fellow campervanners your favorite spots. So far, I would have to say Black Rock City is our favorite.
Take care, Katie

posted in Home is where you park it - 4 replies

i just got my first bus.......

2007-02-16T09:24:29Z

We bought a bus check it out i posted the first of many pics of it....its a 1957 GMC PD4104 Entertainer, its huge and it USED TO BE OWNED BY THE ONE AND ONLY WILLIE NELSON, NOW ITS OURS......its great its diesel so we are going to convert it to alternitive fuel, its our project for the next year...

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

Veggie bus on Ebay

2007-01-23T23:48:40Z

Hey road family,

We've been hit with financial trouble like crazy and are selling our school bus to get out of debt again. Although we poured over $20,000 into the interior, upgrades, and SVO system, we listed on Ebay for $5,000 item #220074616955 . It's a steal for a converted school bus with great SVO system. Even to buy an older bus and convert it youself would cost more and the nice thing about Ebay is that you can make payments.

We've moved into a little trailer and are camping out on property near Ocala FL right now.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Van living?

2007-01-23T14:56:18Z

So I've moved from a bus to a van.

I can drive and park everywhere now!

But it's small and I have too much stuff. A lot of it is food (five gallon buckets of rice, oats, beans, TVP) that I'll be giving to a friend soon, which will open up some space. But still...

If you live in a van, what do you have in it? How do you arrange things?

Thanks,
Tara

posted in Home is where you park it - 3 replies

ISO Driveway to Rent

2007-01-03T21:14:06Z

Hi. Looking for a driveway/part of a long driveway/yard/garage to park my home in. I live in a camper on a truck with my cat. We are compassionate, respectful and quiet. I would be there for an hour or so every day and sleeping every other/third night or so.
I would prefer SE as most of my life is there right now.
I'd be willing to pay and wouldn't need use of any of the house facilities including shower/bathroom as I have other resources for that.
Message me to talk about where you are/price.
I am pretty laid back and negotiable, I just need to get off the street or I'm gonna get towed some day! Right now it means moving every once in a while and it would be nice to have somewhere more (semi) permanent! Thanks for listening and maybe I'll hear from you!...any leads even if you can't accommodate me would be great!

X posted in SE PDX, PDX and PDX SCA

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

1988 biodiesel step van for sale!

2006-12-19T02:46:31Z

$3000 obo-- a great home on wheels-- her name is mothership mary. best offer takes it-- new rubber , runs great
see photos on my album--- happy trails

posted in Home is where you park it - 4 replies

I need to park in West LA, and I need electricity! Ummm, on Monday.

2006-11-27T09:57:41Z

I can get hold of a very long extension cord. Is it hard to find places to plug in?

Need help ASAP.

Thanks,

Infinite Blessings,
Andrea

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Where to park in Portland

2006-11-27T02:42:55Z

Anyone have any tips for Porland ? I have been just parking infront of houses but somewhere special would be nice.

Thanks

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

insurance in Canada

2006-11-17T00:11:21Z

Namaste all. my partner and eye live in canada and are gearing up to hit the road and live in our V W starting in april. we were just wondering how people handle getting insurance for their moving homes? Or do most not have insurance? as eye have understood for canada, we have to have a perminent residence and have our inspections done from that same province.....
any help?

thanks

posted in Home is where you park it - 6 replies

bus for sale

2006-11-16T04:02:16Z

We are in Albuquerque and selling our skoolie. It's an 89 Ford Thomas, 141k miles, 6.6L inline engine, new tires. It has a 40 gallon water tank with self priming hand pump, 85watt solar panel with 2000/4000 w inverter and is also set up to charge from the alternator when the bus is running. A platform bed with lots of storage underneath, dresser, wardrobe, little bathroom with composting toilet, kitchen counter, van seat couch that pulls out into a bed, rocking chair, bookshelves, etc. She's painted a rosy tan and covered in handprints. We're asking twelve hundred for her.

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

Help! Stranded in Berkeley

2006-11-15T02:42:12Z

Hey everyone, sorry I just joined tribe today so my profile is lacking, but I also have a profile at www.myspace.com/starrdst81. Anyways, I sold everything and went to Burning Man determined to start a new way of life that was in tune with my beliefs and values. I travelled to San Francisco after the burn and realized that it was not a city where you could just "crash" by finding cool people. Anyways, that's all good. So I got an RV which seemed like a good deal, but it had been sitting for awhile and there have been several problems since then and now I'm stranded on King St. and Ashby in Berkeley and any day the city is going to tow me away. So my post is two fold. Does anyone know a good mechanic that could come to my RV? Also, does anyone own or know of someone who owns a patch of land - a parking space or piece of yard that's not being used, etc. . . where I could park my RV for a rental cost? I don't need any connections. I'm really desperate at this point and am hoping there are people in this area as helpful as they were at Burning Man. I'm trying to get involved in the wonderful things going on here but have a hard time doing that without a steady living situation. So if you also know of anyone with a room for rent or something like that, please let me know. And if you just want to hang out, that would be cool too!
Thanks!

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Hi can I be your tribe 2 ?

2006-11-14T23:00:53Z

I love to hear I am not the only one that loves the life of living in a van, and not like in the process of "looking for a Place" and just
wishing you didn't live in a van. I need to live in a van or else I can't take off with my home and that pisses me off.

New to tribe, click add me to friends, you will be glad you did cause if you don't, when I get more firends then you, you might be jeulous of my spelling.

Wanna be my friend, your either with me or agianst me and if your against me your are and assface of evil !1

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

new to rving

2006-11-03T15:27:12Z

Hi all,

My husband, daughter and I are considering packing it all in and going full time. Our timeline is 18 months. I know we have alot to consider and wonder if anyone can help us . We have a few questions. We are looking at recently used class c's...in the 30,000 range, less would be better. We live in oregon. What is the average insurance cost we are looking at? What are the best / worst class c's or manufacturers?
Which are the good parks/clubs to join? I have been doing some research, I would just like real people's opinions. That's it for now.
Thanks Kari-Jo

posted in Home is where you park it - 4 replies

broke down in phoenix :-(

2006-10-21T00:24:42Z

Our bus has had some mechanical issues lately and we were headed to NM where we thought we might find a sort of permanent-ish place to park it and let it retire a bit. But now the brakes got stuck on and started smoking a bunch and a wedge is stuck between some shoes and a cylinder broke and it's gonna be super expensive to fix it. So super expensive I think maybe we should just get a new bus, or a van, or something, except that our bus is home and we have solar panels and water tanks and stuff and we're stuck in a truckstop parking lot in Pheonix.

Any ideas? Help?

posted in Home is where you park it - 3 replies

got airstream ???

2006-10-06T16:30:03Z

looking for word-of-mouth leads on airstreams . . .
reward if you help me purcha$e one . . .
peace
dk

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

A Good Place to Park it

2006-09-11T22:25:38Z

NorthWest Homestead

I live here on the North Coast. But I have some land up in Washington that needs a good home.

This place is way out of sight up on a hilltop that is situated way up in Ferry County in North East Washington State and is near water and National Forest lands.

It is a very private and sunny 10 acre piece of land with a view that would make a great Self Sustainable Solar Powered Homestead for someone who wanted to start putting some roots down in one place and to build their own natural home in a place that has few building restrictions.

The land is nicely situated way up high on a grassy hilltop with a great view overlooking the beautiful Kettle River valley and then across to the mountains on the other side.

It is about 5 miles north of the historic little town of Curlew on highway 21 up in the northern end of the county and it is near tribal lands and other good folks in the local community.

Good building sites, almost flat in many places, Trees out behind and not too far from the year around creek below and within a short walk out back to a National Forest that extends way up the mountain behind you and with grassy fields to the south and below and at a relatively Low Elevation of only 2500 feet you may be able to grow almost anything there and it is a nice sunny spot that is perfect for Solar Power. You will need to put in a well, eventually. There is power and there should be phone lines nearby. It is not that far out but I would stay off the grid and out of sight.

I just want to find a good home for this place since I am committed elsewhere and can't get away. But I live off the grid myself on all Solar power and have been doing so for over twenty years on raw undeveloped land as far as the cocunty is concerned and that means very low taxes stay in place long term. They don't see a house, they don't tax a house.

Consider this to be a safe haven that you can actually retreat to and live when you retire or on in any time of need or as a place to bring together around to create a sustainabvle way of life in community. - T

http://sustcomm.com/curlew10.htm

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

new road of life tripper

2006-08-14T05:28:17Z

So I just got back into Utah from a two month trip through Calli and Oregon. I spent a great deal of time living in my small Suzuki convertable. A VW bus might need to be in my future. Especialy since I already have 90% of everything needed to convert it to Subaru power.
I got kinda familier with the feeling of wakeing to the sound of my licens plate and car description being radiod before the nice officer comes to say good morning. Funny they weren't waking up those people in the expensive RV across the parking lot. But this IS my RV. On this first great quest I found out about Tribe and am only now getting the time to explore it more thoroghly. "Things I've learned after it was too late." C. Schults hmm, sounds like a great topic for the next post.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Hi Fellow Adventurers!

2006-07-05T15:54:23Z

Can't wait to "restore" my Bus and take another road trip!

I did the Cali coast, much like you Mike...and also some of the southwest...Arizona, Utah and New Mexico.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Just got a new to me camper!

2006-07-03T23:37:07Z

Hi everyone! I am new to this tribe and just put the picture of my new rig on. It's a 1971 Tortoise. Does anyone know anything about Tortoise or even heard of it? When I mention it to RV places they look at me as though I have 6 heads. I just the the lights hooked up and can't wait to take it out.

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

Fully Converted '69 Gillig Needs New Home

2006-05-24T16:08:04Z

This 38 ft beastie can't live in the backyard anymore as of the end of June, so we're looking for all decent options for its fate. Ideally we would donate it to a non-profit or find a peice of land that could use a ready-made home on it. It runs off WVO, but does not currently enjoy running due to electrical problems. The inside is the sweet part--it's got a double burner stove, an oven, huge bedroom and living room area, and lots of personality. The closer to Oakland this creative solution comes from, the better, but any ideas are welcome.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

SFspace to park a 16' trailer

2006-05-11T19:37:34Z

Hi y'all; my lovely vintage trailer needs a home while I get it ready for the road. Anyone have a safe, enclosed space (backyard, warehouse lot, etc) that I could come do some work in? I need to stay in SF, and I'm open to either a temporary situation (a six-week sorta thing) or something longer term where I could live in it too. Any ideas? Personal messaging is probably best.
Thanks ever so much!

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Fellow RV Enthusiasts;

2006-03-10T19:43:30Z

I need your help.

I'm currently working on a product which based on my feeling would help at least 90% of the subscribers to this list.

I need you to go to my site http://www.clickaudit.com/goto/?22346 and answer a couple of quick questions.

The survey won't take more than 2 minutes of your time and will help me determine if the product I'm thinking of is for you.

Once I have the product ready, I will give you 50% off my main price, just to thank you for your feedback.

I'm also offering a free gift for you right now for helping me with my decision.

Thanks in advance;

Leo Hanes
Founder & Publisher
Full-Time RVing News
http://fulltimervingnews.com

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

1992 Fleetwood Bounder for Sale ,,,,,FullTimer must Sell ;-(

2006-03-07T10:15:46Z

Motorhome for Sale

Are you ready to hit the road,,,,Want to be a workamper,,,,,,,,Here
is an experienced rig for you or somebody you know.

This 34' 1992 Fleetwood Bounder Class A Motorhome offers an
economical entry into the world of recreational touring &/or
workamping.

It is a well maintained and highly presentable rig averaging 6000
miles per year of usage. The interior is in excellent condition with
fine cabinetry and well cared for upholstery. The engine is the
7.5L - 460 Ford gasoline powerplant. The transmission performs
smoothly and the ride is exceptional.

The current owner is a fulltime workamper and publisher of
www.fulltimervingnews.com.

Along with two roof mounted air conditioners the engine A/C
functions well. All mechanical systems are in order. The Onan
generator has 1300 hours, quite low for the model year.

Too many accessories to list such as,,,Air compressor, battery
charger, tools, aux propane tank for those long stays,
etc,,,,,everything a full-timer needs on board

The price has been set at a reasonable level for its value. The
complete package with accessories,,,,,,$17,900 Drives it away NOW,,,
currently located in Central Florida near Eustis, Leesburg

Additional information can be provided by contacting Ken Evans @ 352-
589-2300 or Email: hanleo46@att.net

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Free/Cheap RV living

2006-02-14T22:45:26Z

Anyone know how easy it is to live in an RV (especially in the Santa Cruz area) for cheap or free (roadside?). Any pointers would be great, dos an don'ts etc, specially concerning the law, an just general waste disposal issues etc. Feel free to message me.

Cheers Ben

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

BEWARE! Just VeeDubs Tempe,AZ

2006-02-13T04:08:48Z

I got a bad engine from these guys and they have been less than helpful about resolving the issue.
Contact me for details

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Is there anybody out there?

2006-01-28T04:12:49Z

We just purchased our first Class C....up-sizing from a Class B. I have questions. lol Lots of questions. :)

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Hello fellow Campafied van peoples!

2005-12-09T21:26:10Z

Hello everybody!
Im new to this tribe, as well as new to the whole camper-van thang.
My partner and I just bought a '81 dodge B-250 Royal, and we are absolutely in love with it...its big & blue!
We plan on making the the trek to mexico next year in it, among many other places.
AS this is a totally new concept to me, do any of you have any tips for winterizing the beast? Or links to RV sites?
any help would be mucho appreciato.
See ya round the bend!

One other thing...i now get to use the phrase "if this Van's a rockin, don't come a knockin" hahaha yeah!!!!

Jeff

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

Here's Our 'Theme Song' !!!

2005-11-29T03:53:54Z

'My House Has Wheels' by Southern Culture on the Skids

http://www.choicescruising.com/house.mp3

[home is where you park it]

;^ )

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

solar???

2005-09-26T02:35:14Z

Our trailer ... a 29' Alpha ... has an electric water pump, lights and electronic hitch. We are hoping to live lightly ... and with light being key ... solar seems appropriate to explore.

How many panels?

How many batteries?

I'll be talking to a friend of mine, but thought I'd through it out there to this group. no point in reinventing the wheel.

posted in Home is where you park it - 4 replies

87 ford van problems (stuck valve?)

2005-09-22T04:11:30Z

symptoms:
stalls sometimes
gutless sometimes
breaks are intermitent
shifting sometimes weird (doesnt shift at the correct times)

during my way home last weekend i hear this tap tap tap lightly coming from the top end of the engine about a mile from home and by the time i got home it was alot louder, i know a rod knock when i hear it and it sounds more like lifter slap so i talked to some van guys at work and they said due to the simptoms i described in more detail to them then on this post their thought was that i had a vacuum leak and that it caused one of my valve seals to gum up. i agreed that that sounds most likely, anyone know of a way to get a valve unstuck without taking off the head? suggestions i have heard so far are:
spray marvel mystery oil on the top of the stuck valve and check it the next day to see if it loosened.
run tranny fluid 50/50 with motor oil to help isolate the particulates just dont run it hard or the bearings will get messed up.

any other ideas? the engine has like 30-40 thousand miles on a fresh rebuild.

also my other buddy told me to spray carb cleaner on the vacuum lines until it starts to run better to find the vacuum leak. any other ideas? im looking for a cheap fix but i will do it right if i have to. thanks in advance, rick

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

Can a bus/cube truck tow a trailer?

2005-09-13T15:50:48Z

Greetings!
I'm in the research stages of making a dream come true. The short version of that dream - a mobile home so that I can promote sustainable living around the country.

I'm thinking that a modular home/work vehicle would be best. And so I'm exploring either a diesel truck with a cabover trailer/5th wheel, OR something along the lines of a short bus/cube truck towing a trailer. This way I can detach my living space and have a more practical vehicle for getting around on short trips where a bicycle isn't practical.

Anyone know whether a short bus or cube truck could be made to haul a trailer? What kinds of considerations are uber-important for towing? What do I need to look out for in terms of brakes, suspension, weight capacity, axles, etc.?

Thanks in advance,
Valerie

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

tips on buying a motor home (rv)?

2005-09-13T15:44:03Z

Hi all. Am brand new to this tribe. Does anyone have any good basic advice on buying a motor home? I have an idea of what I want but really, I don't know much at all. Maybe you can help me flesh it out a bit.

I don't really want anything over 25 feet. Have been looking at Winnebagos and Chinooks, mostly on EBay, although I'm pretty certain that I don't want to buy anything sight unseen. There seem to be older ones in reasonable shape for under $7,000, which is about all I want to spend (I've been trying to trade stuff for one but that's not worked out all that well).

I plan on living in it, with my cat, for awhile, maybe even up to a year. Any thoughts or advice, on must do's or things to avoid would be much appreciated.

cheers!

posted in Home is where you park it - 13 replies

a place to park in Eugene

2005-08-15T19:00:30Z

Our family is moving into a 29' trailer and will be living nomadically in and around the Eugene/Springfield area.

What we are looking for is a place, or several places to park. We want to be welcomed for a day or two or three at a time (once a week, once a month, or one time only) on some land and we want to give an equal energy exchange ... it could be money (particularly if we hook up to water/power), but preferably work trade.

We love the Eugene area and I have a stable job with Lunar Logic. We are a part of the Eugene Saturday Market Community (Bramble & Fern ... Magical Forest Friends, Hip Happy Hoops), the UnSchooling and Homeschooling comunity (including the Cabaret of Unschooled Actors - theater troupe), and the Unitarian Universalist community. We want to have a certain mobility in location and at the same time contribute to the rootedness of the broader community.

We've got 2 dogs ... they're nice and very people friendly, but they're still dogs ... a chocolate lab and a mutt (Aussie Shepherd/Blue Heeler). We've got cables for them and will keep them leashed as needed and in the trailer at night if needed

What we don't want is to be a burden on anybody. We don't want to be a charity case that causes resentment to grow. We don't want to invade somebody's space.

Instead. we want our visits to be seen as a positive gain for the land and the people who reside there. We are happy with who we are as a family and are looking for some opportunities to contribute to CSAs, Intentional Communities, Home Based Businesses, whatever, but were not necessarily looking to join anybody or anything. We wish to maintain a certain degreee of autonomy as a family and build alliances and networks.

Contact us ... We are beginning this adventure September 9th ... We welcome you to share it with us.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

new to this tribe; motivated to live differently

2005-08-12T22:39:05Z

we're considering a van to pull a trailer for living. looking for input. regarding the van ... Dodge, GM, Ford .... and what of the trailer ... 26ft, more or less. for 2 adults, 2 kids, 2 dogs, and 4 cats.... places to park it for free or cheap in Western Oregon, roughly the Eugene area (McKenzie River Valley perhaps because of the busline ... figure on working at the current job a bit longer till the bills are paid up and nest egg saved) ... That's all for now

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

recommendations on places to park

2005-08-12T22:30:16Z

We are soon to embark on a new way of living for us. Gone will be rentals and landlords ... and, no, they won't be missed. We will be living Nomadic. Excited and a bit nervious.

Where shall we park it? ... we live in Oregon and I need to be able to commute to my work in Eugene, five days a week. I've got a bus pass provided by my progressive employer (thank-you) and there are bus lines out to Veneta and out the McKenzie River Hwy to an hour or so out to Blue River and the McKenzie Bridge.

We are hoping to find people (families, group, businesses, farms ... CSAs preferrably) who would welcome a worktrade ... even for a couple of days a week or month. We hope to have a network of places and hope to build community. The biggest hitch we forsee is the fact that we've got dogs.

Your input would be welcome.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

Hello All

2004-12-11T22:15:32Z

Just joined this tribe today and saw that there hasn't been a post for over 5 months.
We've been living on wheels for about 3 years now and we're building our new home on wheels. This spring we will be moving in to our 40' GMC Bus.
Just writing to say Hi to everybody here.

Peace,

Steven

posted in Home is where you park it - 4 replies

Home is where you park it.

2004-05-04T17:13:41Z

So this weekend me an ivana had a great weekend on San Juan Island. It was the quintessential VW weekend and was everything that I missed about the last bus and hope I will have regularly in the new one. We put up camp just off the side of the road when we found a nice spot, we cooked in the bus, we drove to sites we wanted to see, and weren't tied down to a hotel room. We had our bikes mounted on the back, and while waiting for the ferry to come in, we biked around the town of Friday Harbor.

It was an idyllic weekend.

Anyway, I've been thinking about what to do with this tribe, and I've decided to turn it into a tribe for discussing the art and practice of living on the road---either permanently or on occasion.

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

Thanks, y'all

2004-03-23T17:08:55Z

Hey folks...

So I got back into Seattle Sunday evening.

The drive up from Astoria was uneventful and fairly quick once I actually got on the road. I didn't hit a bit of traffic on the way up, and only had to stop once, for gas. I was happy to be home, and pretty wobbly on my feet when I actually pulled in. Ivana was in front gathering up some garden clippings, and Rod came out a few minutes later when he saw I had pulled up. A neighbor was also out front and I gave a quick tour of the accomodations.

Then I went in and petted my cats and just kinda laid around.

After being gone for two weeks I've spent the last couple of days reconnecting. I went to Hosie's for a massage yesterday afternoon and then we drove around a bit. Ivana and I went out for dinner last night and then we sat around looking at trip pictures. I got so many more than I was able to post on tribe; hopefully in the next few days I'll put up a website for y'all to check out.

Being home is nice.

Thanks to everyone who kept up on this room and who sent me emails. It got lonely sometimes on the road, and it was really helpful to have the occasional lifeline to friends and family. I'd also like thank the people I hooked up with on the road; Brian, Matt, Patty & the rest of the folks at tribe, Jasmine, and even the occasional hitchhikers. Thanks to Brian and Paulette & Ronda for the occasional crash space.

Thanks to Katey for taking me to Bagby Hot Springs, they were yummy, as was dinner. Both nights.

Thanks of course to Ivana for indulging this venture.

And thanks to the people who, intentionally or not, provided me with on-the-road wireless internet access.

It was fun. I should do this again next year.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

HOME!

2004-03-22T01:38:50Z

I'm going to bed.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 18th to March 21st log

2004-03-21T20:28:37Z

hey folks.

I haven't been keeping up on my log much in the past couple days, because my internet connectivity has been at best spotty.

Anyway, I should be home today. Yea!

I've enjoyed being out on the road, but it will be nice to be back in Seattle. Right now I'm in Astoria, which is a town at the mouth of the columbia river just on the Oregon side of the border to Washington.

In the last couple days I left California into Oregon, and drove north along the Oregon coast. Friday I met up with my friend Katey in Tillamook, and we caravanned up to Seaside. From there we drove out into the dark for a few hours to Bagby Hotsprings to the south east of portland. We arrived at the trailhead late at night, cooked dinner and went to bed. Saturday morning, we hiked to the springs and soaked for a few hours, which was really beautiful. Then we made our way back to Seaside, kicked up Katey's car, and drove up to astoria for dinner at the Home Spirit Cafe, which is my favorite restaurant on the planet. Dinner was, as usual, incredible.

This morning Katey headed onward south to california to continue camping, and, I'm heading north to Seattle. I'll be crossing the Astoria bridge ina few minutes, then taking highway 4 to Kelso, then probably hopping on I5 north to Seattle. Hopefully I'll get there by nightfall.

To all y'all in Seattle, I will see you soon.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

more pics

2004-03-19T08:48:59Z

posted more pics from the last few days. I'm wiped out.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

in sonoma, heading over to Napa

2004-03-18T07:02:48Z

well, I'm falling a smidge behind schedule, but that's OK. :) I was planning to make it to Fort Bragg today, but the wine country is just beautiful. Today I spent in Sonoma, and went on the Benziger Winery tour. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge the camera battery and it was dead, so no photos. Oh well.

I'm in a cafe recharging myself with a ham and cheese croissant, a cookie and a hot chocolate, and then I'm going to head over to Napa. I'll do a bit of Napa this evening and tomorrow morning, and then I'll hit the highway again tomorrow evening. The medicino coast is the target for tomorrow, and wednesday the redwoods.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

March 17th log

2004-03-18T06:59:36Z

MacKerricher Park didn't look too promising when I got there. There were no campsites near the water, and I wanted to camp down near the ocean at least once during the trip, and as I get further north that's going to get less and less appealing. The one place to hang out right on the beach didn't allow for overnight parking, and seemed to be local place for teenagers to go and fuck. While I was there hanging out looking at the stars, some guy came by and was blasting some narration of the bible out his minivan, which I suspect was some attempt to encourage the local teenagers to stop fucking and return to the lord. What a dick.

So I drove back along highway 1 south to a beach I saw on the way up, 10 miles south of Fort Bragg. Beautiful camp space, right on the water. I put up tent and fell asleep to the sound of the waves crashing.

And woke up fucking freezing at about 6AM.

I picked up another blanket on my way back through Fort Bragg.

So, on to today.

After a quick ride up the coast, the road turned inland into redwood country. I finally went through Humbolt National Forest, and it was AMAZING. Trees 300 feet high and 6 feet thick. I ran into an older German couple who were on their way down coast. They were thrilled to see my camper; turns out they owned a very similar one for 25 years that they had only recently had to give up. They had driven it all over Europe; to Poland and Gibralta and Turkey. Makes my adventure seem like a day trip...

Eventually I made my way out of the redwoods and drove up the coastline to Eureka. After a bit of provisions-shopping I found a nice quiet parking space with wireless net access, and I pulled in for the night.

I'm tired, so there's not much else to the log tonight. Good night.

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 16th log

2004-03-18T06:44:18Z

So I woke up at 4AM really needing to pee. I was in the middle of residential nowhere, so I wound up walking for about 8 blocks until I got to the Napa river, where I took a piss. I like to think that I added my own special subtle note to next year's vintage.

After I got back to the bus, I was too awake to get back to sleep. After trying for a while, I played on the net for a bit and then got myself together for the day. Napa is actually kind of a boring town so I blew out of there pretty quickly and went straight to the Silverado Trail, which is a road that bypasses most of the towns and highlights the vineyards. That was an excellent choice...every time I came somewhere where it just couldn't get anymore fucking pastoral than this, I would come around a curve and find a view that made the previous look like nothing. Eventually I got to calistoga, which had a sign pointing to a petified forest...down Patrified Forest Road, of all things. What the hell, why not. it wound up being a beautiful side road, and I took some cute pictures of the bus as reflected in the back of a well-polished tanker truck in front of me. Self Portraits!

The petrified forests themselves were kinda cheesy, but that's OK.

After getting to highway 101, I headed up to the town of Hopland, on recommendation from Gil, to check out the Real Goods store and the center for sustainable living. Cool stuff on solar energy and other elements of sustainable living, and they were only a little bit sanctimoneous. The rest of Hopland was pretty much a wash, but I took an amazing route called the Mountain House Road to take me to 128. Mountain House Road was a twisty, windy path over pocket ravines and streams that was simply amazing.

Getting onto 128 was the route back to the coast. For a while the road straighened out, the wind died, and traffic was clear, and I finally had a chance to see what the bus could do. The answer seems to be 75, before it started to get a squirrily in the wind, but the accellerator wasn't even floored. If I had the nerve I probably could have gotten her at least up to 80. Busses are so light that when you get them up to that speed, they begin to take on aerodynamic properties not entirely unlike wings, and I was not in the mood to loose contact with the ground today.

Eventually I got more into windy roads around yorkville and I resumed my normal 50MPH driving. The scenery was mainly rolling grassy hills and meadows with the occasional vineyard, when suddenly...I was surrounded by redwoods.

Seriously, it happened that suddenly. I go around a curve and the scenery has entirely changed, and it's actually *dark*. Turns out I had enterred Navarro National Forest. Wow. the tallest trees I've ever seen, all around me, and a tiny stream to my left.

I followed the road a while occasionally stopping for the particularly amazing view. Eventually, I exitted the redward forests and within a mile I was looking at the headwaters of the creek, which had widened considerably, draining into the pacific. I stopped to take some pictures from what had grown to be cliffs above, that I had somehow climbed without realizing it.

Once again on the coast. More stunning views of cliffsides, from the cliffside. I drove on through the town of mendocino and to fort bragg, which was my targetted destination for the night. I'm sitting now at one of the local restaurants, and after dinner I'm going to head up to MacKerricher State Park to camp, hopefully on the beach.

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 15th log

2004-03-18T06:43:34Z

Did Sonoma today, and then overnighted in Napa.

Woke up in Petaluma and after breakfast, got on the road to Sonoma. Sonoma is a cute little resorty town hopelessly dedicated to marketting the local wineries. Regardless, it does have charm, and is certainly in a beautiful setting.

After driving around the town a bit and visitting the visitor's center, I headed first to Sugarloaf state park and then to Benziger Wineries. Surarloaf is a nice little statepark, where I did my daily bathing ritual and some sightseeing. On to the point of the whole town...the winery.

Benziger is one of the larger local wineries, and they put on a good show. It's all set up as a bio-somethingorother farm and uses no fertilizers, chemicals or insecticides, and is set up to be as biologically diverse as possible. The tour took us past the insectory where they have set up a plant environment attractive to the beneficial bugs, and then to the grape fields, and then onto the caves where the wine is aged in artificial caves the winery dug out about 10 years ago, and almost finally onto the crushpad, where the grapes are crushed and fermented. Finally, on to the tasting. I tried four wines, and eventually bought a bottle each of two of them---a syrah and the estate red blend. The bottles are (hopefully) safely stashed in the cabinets in the bus, wrapped in towels. Hopefully they will survive the trip home...

Unfortunately, the batteries in the camera died so I have no pictures of the winery.

After the winery, I drove back into town and recouped. As the sun set, I headed over to the town of Napa via a very scenic road. I cruised the downtown a bit, but it didn't really interest me and I was getting tired. So eventually I wandered over to the residential area and cooked a spaghetti dinner in Fuller Park, and then netstumbled the area until I found a net connection. I read for a bit, checked my email, and then went to bed.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

heading out of Monterey

2004-03-15T08:05:09Z

so, I'm off to SF in a little bit. I met up with Gill from the Westy tribe this morning and had breakfast. we showed off our respective westys. His is a 1986 vanagon. Nice looking vehicle, and I got a few ideas for improvements to mine. :)

I'm just here grabbing a few addresses and mapping out my day, and I'll shove off in just a few minutes. I should get to SF early this afternoon.

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

March 14th log

2004-03-15T08:04:17Z

Been on the road alone for most of a week now and I'm starting to get lonely.

And the weather forecasts indicate increasing cold and rain as I get further north on the coast and later in the week. I'm having a fabulous time but I'm beginning to crave being home and warm. I think if I pick up the pace just a little bit I'll be in Seattle by thursday or friday or thereabouts.

Today was nice. I went over the golden gate bridge this morning, and headed north to point reyes national park. As I have come to expect, the scenery was gorgeous, becoming much more rolling and pastoral. I stopped at the Muir Beach overlook for lunch and scenery gazing, and then headed up 101 until I got to Stinson Beach. Again I stopped to hang out on the very crowded beach. the water was cold, but the beach itself was warm and sandy.

Eventually I wandered up to point reyes and turned towards Sonoma. I wound up in a town called petaloma where I'm staying for the night.

Tomorrow I'm going to wander Sonoma/Napa, and then head once again back towards the coast, hopefully getting to Fort Bragg or so.

Right now I'm finishing dinner, a cajunesque chicken salad, and then I'm going to head back to the bus and head to bed.

night night.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

In petaluma

2004-03-15T03:11:33Z

So I just pulled into a town called Petaluma for the night. It's a smidge over from Sonoma. I netstumbled around for a bit and finally found an open network. Thanks to whomever!

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 13th log

2004-03-14T18:01:51Z

I slept HARD last night, probably at least 10 hours. I arranged to meet up with a friend of mine, jasmine, that morning, and around 11 we got tacos at her favorite taco place. Pretty good stuff. Jasmine had to get back to studying for her finals, so we only hung out for an hour or so.

I wandered around SF for a few hours, then I decided to endulge my inner nerd and I drove down thru Silicon Valley. Ultimately it's a boring place; sort of like a spread-out bellevue. I did check out Weird Stuff, a giant used computer surplus store in Sunnyvale, for a little while, which was fun in a pathetically nerdy sort of way.

Then I headed back north. I plans originally were to head to point reyes, but it was already getting dark and I wanted to head over the golden gate during the day. So instead I decided to camp in SF.

OK, San Francisco is a city of 1 million cars and half a million places to park them. After wandering around for over an hour, I finally came across a tight little space near Panhandle park in Haight Ashbury. After cooking dinner in the bus, I wandered around a bit. It's a beautiful part of town.

Finally I wandered back to my wheeled home and read a little bit before going to sleep. Tomorrow I shall do laundry, and then head to the north bay area.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 12th log

2004-03-14T18:00:55Z

I did not get a good night's sleep last night. Monterey is nothing if not well-lit, and it was hard to find an adequate place to park. I tried parking near the coffee shop with wireless access, but it was way too loud. I finally wandered over to a residential district near the north end of town at around 2AM, and crashed there for about 4 hours.

Met up with Gil this morning for a quick breakfast. We showed off our westys, and then ate at a nice little coffee shop near cannery row. Seems that Gil will be visitting his brother in Seattle this weekend, about 10 blocks from my house...

Drove to San Francisco. I first stopped at a row of big-box stores north of monterey and finished the task of outfitting the bus.

The scenery along the coast gets a lot softer compared to the coastline of big sur. I picked up a hitchhiker about halfway between santa cruz and Sf; a Berkeley student by the name of Anton, who could have been the quintessential sufer dude if he actually surfed. :)

As we got onto the penninsula north of half-moon bay the road began to get really windy and twisty and very fun to drive. Eventually we wound up in San Francisco and on I-280 right around 5:30. After dropping Anton off near a BART station, I drove over to the destination for the evening---the tribe.net headquarters. I had been emailing Brian, the lead dev of tribe, and mentioned that I was going to be passing thru SF. Turns out they were having a cocktail party of sorts on the roof of their building, so I stopped by.

I hung out with Brian as well as another dev by the name of Matt and the test lead Patty. We wound up going out for dinner at a great Americana near the mission restaurant. Before dinner Brian lost a best-of-5 game of Rock/Scissors/Paper to Patty, and owed her dinner, and I lost $5 to Matt betting that Patty would win within 7 rounds...seems I forgot to take ties into account. Ahh well.

And I got hit on by some guy at a bar across the street, who seemed quite obsessed with "Ripped abs":

Guy:
So...do you have ripped abs?

Me:
Umm, no, can't say that I do

Guy:
Have you ever had ripped abs?

Me:
Um, no, not at all.

Barmaid:
So, what'll ya have?

Me:
I'll have a Porter.

Barmaid (blankly):
What's a Porter?

Me:
It's a kind of beer.

Guy:
So, have you ever wanted to have ripped abs?

Barmaid (looking at beers on tap)
I don't think so.

Me:
um, I'll have the amber ale, please.

Guy:
So, what do you think about ripped abs?

Me (getting visibly exasperated):
I don't think I've ever thought about ripped abs.

Barmaid:
Here's your beer.

Me:
thanks. Gotta go.

Guy:
Good luck.

Me:
Yeah, you too.

I get up from the bar to join Brian, Patty and Matt who have already gotten their drinks.

Eventually, we wound up getting into the restaurant and I had a nice portion of meatloaf. yum, tasty. We wound up back at the bar where Matt and Brian played pool and patty and I chatted and zoned out. Around midnight we headed out and I wound up crashing in Brian's spare bedroom for the night. Brian has a *beautiful* condo in the mission district, and after some late night geek-chatter, I headed to bed. Long day.

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

in SF (again)

2004-03-14T05:56:18Z

I don't have much time here at the moment, but it turns out I'm spending a second night here in SF. Wound up driving down thru silicon valley today, and by the time I got back to SF, dusk was falling. I've got myself camped out on ashbury street near panhandle park for the evening.

I was hoping to do laundry here, but after lugging all my laundry the 4 blocks to the laundrymat, it turns out they were closing in about half an hour.

So I just used the time to jump on one of five open networks that were available. Too bad there's no such networks by my parking space, just 4 blocks away. Oh well.

I'll upload the logs of my last couple of days sometime in the morning. I did put up a few pics of San Francisco.

ta.

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

new pics up!

2004-03-13T00:05:58Z

I posted a bunch of pics to the photo album just now. These are a mixture of pics from the last couple days of LA and my trip up the coast through Santa Barbara, Big Sur and Monterey.

I'll also be uploading my logs of the past couple of days in just a few minutes... :)

-m

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

March 11th log

2004-03-12T06:32:36Z

I woke up to a beautiful view of the Pacific from the cliffs on highway 1.

After a quick breakfast I headed about a half mile back to the town of Gorda, so I could fill my water bottles. As I was leaving, I picked up hitchhiker's 2 and 3. More accurately, they were hitchhikers 1 and 2; one of the riders was the guy I gave a lift to yesterday.

Big Sur continued to be an amazing view; if anything it was more stunning as we went northward. I couldn't help but stop every 20 minutes to at least take some pictures and take in the view; and a number of times we stopped to walk the scenery.

About 10 miles south of the town of Big Sur we came across a beautiful pocket beach a couple hundred feet below the highway, with a dirt road leading to it. The DO NOT ENTER signs and barbed wire gate were only mild impedences, and we were soon on the beach. This was truly a small slice of heaven. At the north end there was a small waterfall dropping off the cliffside right on the shoreline. I took that opportunity to strip down and take a quick "shower", augmented by getting hit full-frontal by an incoming wave as I entered the waterfall.

after airdrying and getting dressed, we headed back up to the bus and continued on to Monterey. We stopped for lunch in the town of Big Sur, at a charming little tourist trap restaurant.

Heading north finally got us to monterey, where I dropped off my two passengers and got myself settled. I grabbed a quick shower on the pier and wandered around the downtown of Monterey.

It's a nice little town here.

I'm parked outside a coffee shop that has free internet, so I've gotten all my assorted gadgets charged up and gotten myself all caught up with people and forums. Before I turn in for the night I'm going to do a bit of exploring of Monteray at night, maybe get a beer or two.

Tomorrow morning I'm meeting up with Gil from the Westy Hunters and Gatherers tribe, and then I'm off to the Bay Area hopefully to meet up with my friend Jasmine.

ta!

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 0 replies

March 10th log

2004-03-12T04:02:34Z

Santa Barbara to Monterrey County

So today I drive to the lower end of Big Sur.

*ahem*

WOW THE SCENERY IS FUCKING AMAZING.

*ahem*

I got out of Santa Barbara at around, oh, 10:30 this morning and hopped onto highway 1. I considered stopping in at Vandenberg Air Force Base/Space Command, but I wasn't sure if they have any sort of visitor's center, and I hadn't bathed yet anyway. There's also a NASA installation in the area. SOmething to see next time I make this trip, I suppose.

I pulled in at a town called Oceana for a sandwich and a shower. After lunch I wandered to the beach and walked around in the surf. I also called a former co-worker to let her know quite how much better a time I was having at the moment than she was.

Then it was back on the road.

About an hour or two north of Oceana I picked up my first hitchhiker; a 20-something hipster on his way up to Canada. It was nice to have someone to talk tol but oddly, I also wanted to be alone; there's a nice contentedness to driving up the coast with no one else; no need to make smalltalk.

Maybe around 4 or so we began to get to the northern end of San Simeon county. Hearst Castle was perched off on a mountain far to our east. But to the west was where all the scenery was.

*ahem*

WOW THE SCENERY IS FUCKING AMAZING.

*ahem*

Big Sur is utterly indescribable. The twisty road hugs the cliffs perched high over the ocean. Every phrase I come up with to descibe it comes across as cliche, but it's the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen.

I'm parked on an overlook on Big Sur right now, just about a half mile north of a "town" called Gorda. Gorda is pretty much a gass station and a couple of restaurants & inns for travellers. After watching the sunset, I put together a quick dinner and read the new York Times. It got very dark very quickly, and after dinner I sat on the cliffside and looked at the stars. I have rarely if ever seen this many stars! One star, which I suspect was actually Saturn, was so bright it cast a reflection in the Ocean below. After a while I just lay down on the ground using my shirt as a pillow and just let myself get lost in the stars while listening to the Sea Otters below.

It's bedtime, tho. 10:00pm and I'm exhausted. Tomorrow I have just the shortest of drives; I'm just going as far as Monterrey, less than 70 miles to the north. But most of that will be the Big Sur coastline, so I suspect I will be making many stops.

good night.

-m

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March 9th log

2004-03-12T04:01:55Z

Ivana went home today. :(

So Ivana, Paulette and I spent the morning wandering around the boardwalk of Venice Beach in LA. It's a beautiful beach; almost as good as those of my childhood on Long Island, and far schmaltzier.

Then we headed to LAX, where ivana got on her plane back to Seattle. After dropping Paulette back at her place, I hopped on the road to start the long trip home. My goal was to make it to Santa Barbara before sundown, and I just barely made it. I got myself settled in and wandered State Street for a few hours, eventually getting dinner at a reasonably suck-ass italian joint. Oh well. I should have known better, but I was hungry and I just wanted to get food and go.

While out and about I also stopped by the library, where I was able to use the internet just enough to locate "the holy grail"---a residence in Santa Barbara that has free wireless access. So I parked there and got on the net, catching up on email and tribes.

My laptop batteries are dying, because I forgot to charge them today on the road. It's bedtime anyway.

Tomorrow I drive to the lower end of Big Sur.

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March 8th log

2004-03-12T04:00:58Z

Joshaua Tree National Park, back to LA.

We did not wake up in time to see the sunrise at Keys View; we were asleep until almost 9:30. We both slept VERY well.

Today, we drove through the heard of the Joshua Tree National Park to the southern entrance. About halfway through this route is the boundry between the Majove Desert and the Colorado Desert. These two deserts are surprisingly different; the Majove desert is weird and playful with its piles of boulders and forests of Joshua Trees, and sort of feels like a Disney attraction; sort of a "FlintstoneLand" sort of place. The Colorado Desert is stark, barren and forbidding. Both are beautiful in their own very different ways. The route passed through a wide plain called the Pinto Basin, which was once a huge lake but is now just a field of scrub and cacti. We took a moment to walk through a cactus garden, and then left the basin and eventually, the park altogether.

After the park, we decided to forgo interstate 10, and opted for a state road that ran to a town called Indio. That was an excellent choice---the road ran through an amazing sandstone canyon that actually had some of the most stunning scenery we've seen so far. If you ever find yourself in this area, do yourself a favor and run this route; it's worth the slight detour.

When we arrived at Indio, we stopped at Shield's Date Farms, where Ivana got a Date milkshake, which was far better than I would have ever expected. Then we watched a little bit of a movie they have on continuous loop, called "The Romance and Sex Life of the Date". No, really.

Eventually, we headed onwards to LA. We arrived at about 9:45 at Paulette & Ronda's place, have an air mattress to sleep on...and showers in the morning!

-m

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Monterey on a Thursday

2004-03-12T01:46:21Z

I just got a call from Mike--he is loving life. He spent last night somewhere off the road along Big Sur, and was awestuck by the place. Two hitchhikers later, he is now at the wharf in Monterey. I guess tomorrow's goal is the SF bay area. He should be posting something later this evening.

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March 6th log

2004-03-11T01:29:35Z

Tranquility Base. The Eagle Has Landed. March 6th, 11:24pm

Well, actually, we're about a mile outside Joshua Tree National Park. We got here too late to get a campsite. so we pulled into a lot that's foresale and hid ourselves behind some dunes. We arrived at around 10:30pm and the whole scenery is dimly lit by a very full moon. We seem to be in some sort of outwash plain, so let's hope there's no rain tonight.

We landed this morning at LAX at about 10:15. By 10:45 we had gathered our luggage, and went out to look for Joel, the previous caretaker of the Bus. He was already out there, driving...Sandy. Since I'm generally not one to name inanimate objects we'll just inherit that name.

I was jumping up and down with excitement as we loaded the luggage, and as we drove off Joel commented that he had burned some CDs for me for the trip back. Some Greatful Dead, some Phish, some Beatles, and just a whole bunch of good road music.

The bus is in pretty good shape. A spot of rust here and there, but mechanically it's very smooth and responsive.

When we got back to Joel's place, we met up with Frita, Joel's wife. We sat around the table, chatted for a bit and transfer ownership of the bus.

We learned a bit of the bus's history, particularly that it had been featured on the cover of an album by some band called Sunday Everyday or something like that. Seems Jeil and Frita were off camping somewhere, and the band was doing a photoshoot. The photographer thought the bus would make a great prop, and Joel and Frita allowed them. Kinda cool. I;ve heard them a few times on the radio, and for being a christan band, they're not too bad.

And then we were off.

First few hours were spend provisioning the camper. A few days worth of food, some blankets, some cooking utensils, a few pots and pans, and it was time to get on the road. Our destination was Joshua Tree for a couple days of hiking and hanging out.

About halfway to the park we decided to fill the propane tank. Unfortunately, that was snag number one. Seems that there's something loose in the valve and we weren't able to use the interior stove. Joel had mentioned that he had some leaks off that, but they've gotten a bit worse. No matter. We stopped at Kmart and picked up a coleman stove and a few other provisions we had forgotten, and got back on the road.

After a couple more hours of driving in the dark, we got to the national park. All the campsites were already taken, so we've choosen to improvise one. Right now ivana's cooking burgers on the stove. Wash that down with a beer, and we shall sleep very soundly tonight. Upstairs.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply

At least...decent internet access!

2004-03-11T01:26:54Z

Hey folks. So I find decent net access. Some guy is running a public access point out of his house, it seems.

So I posted a few pics. I wish tribe had a bulk-upload feature; I have so many pics to show you!

God, I'm tired. I think I'm going to just crash out here tonight. I have logs written up for the first two days, I'll get them posted here in a moment.

-mike

posted in Home is where you park it - 2 replies

March 7th log

2004-03-10T05:57:36Z

OK, so maybe last night's impromptu camping spot we invented wasn't quite *perfect*. After breakfast, we discovered the vehicle was stuck in sand. Great. So after about a half hour of digging (by hand---I need to get a camping shovel) we finally freed the bus.

Yeah.

Off to the park.

We did a little more provisions-gathering and headed into the park. Again, the landscape was amazing and surreal. The road passed through a flat plain evenly covered with a forest of joshua trees. Because the trees are almost all the same height and very regularly spaced, there was a feeling to me like I was inside a vast interior space.

Over lunch I finally installed the cigarette lighter in the bus and plugged in the the inverter, so I could charge my cell, camera and laptop batteries. Afterwards we scrambled around the rocks and ate lunch while watching rockclimbers scale gigantic boulders.

We drove up to a place called Keys view, which overlooked the south western quarter of the park, and points beyond. The wind was almost strong enough to blow us off the cliffs. Standing in the wind and holding onto our hats, we could see the Salton Sea (an gigantic artificial lake that got created accidently around the turn of the last century), date and citrus groves, Signal Mountain in Mexico and the San Andreas Fault.

We settled on the Ryan campground at around 5:30 and set up camp. As the sun was setting we watched more rock climbers climb more rocks. For dinner we had pasta and beer in the dark. We should put a lantern on the list of things to get. At around 10 PM the full moon rose over Ryan peak, and it was like a beacon illuminating the whole park. We finished the evening off with more beer and by hanging out with a couple of other campers we met, and kibittzed about politics.

Tonight, we're sleeping downstairs...

-mike

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greetings from Santa Barbara

2004-03-10T03:38:02Z

hey folks. Me again.

So I´m in the santa barbara library on a computer with a very crappy keyboard (broken spacebar) that also has a spanish layout. So this will be short. I searched the web and found what perports to be a house with publicly available wireless, so I´m going to try to head there.

the drive up the coast was stunning, and amazingly windy. A few times I was sure I was going to get blown off the side of the road. I got some good pics, and I hope to upload them this evening if I can find net access that doesn´t suck.

My time here on the computer is up, and this keyboard blows, so I´ll get more stuff up later.

ta ta for now! and if I don´t get back on the net, my next destination is the southern end of Big Sur.

-mike

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Saying Bye to Mike & Ivana

2004-03-10T01:13:46Z

Mike & Ivana left this am for Venice beach, it was great meeting them last night, we had a blast talking & Getting a tour of this site (yes, I'm hooked) lol. Mike just left the house, it's now 1:31pm They had a blast at the beach, dropped Ivana off at the airport & came back to say Bye. Hope the rest of the trip goes as smoothly for him. I look forward to hearing about the rest of his trip & seeing the pics. Mike & Ivana did see the Hollywood sign from our livingroom window.

Ronda

posted in Home is where you park it - 1 reply