The Female Survivalist

Driving in Baja Mexico

2017-01-30T07:56:00.000-08:00

I just returned from driving a week in Baja Mexico. After dire warnings not to do such a crazy thing, I bit the bullet, joined a caravan of three other vehicles and did the deed.

The adventure began in Quartzsite, flowed into Yuma, where we purchased Mexican Car Insurance. Eight days of full coverage and road side assistance (our cell phones wouldn't work-you use the phones on the side of the road) cost me $118. Then, a $25 fee for spending 7 or more days in Mexico came with a traveler's permit at the customs office, in Algondones. We recrossed the border and slept in the Q. Casino Parking Lot.

Next morning, passports at the ready, we drove in. Easy enough. Never would have dreamed coming back through U.S. customs would require three hours, due to the incredibly long line on a Sunday Afternoon.
Should have figured it would be that way.

Okay, back to the adventure. We spent the first night at this cute little place right on the ocean in San Felipe. Not Mexican Cheap. American cheap, yes. $15 bucks after a bunch of haggling in Spanish.The place two doors down wanted $25-no deals.
We went to dinner at Rosita's, a fantastic restaurant in walking distance. We piled in on van, just to save gas, etc.
The next day, we drove to Puerticitos, paid $20 each car to camp, enjoyed a really sweet hot springs on the ocean and corralled enough food for a pot luck. I made grilled cheeses, one guy made a massive pot of chili, one cooked up some gotta-go hamburger for us non-vegans.
Nice.
The next day, three cars drove to Gonzonles, and pulled into a spot in Camp Sacrificio. We had drove all over the sand lots nearby, looking for the 'free beach camp' some kids on winter break had told us about.
Almost lost my muffler, gas tank and tires on that two hour adventure.
Whew. For $5 each, we camped and walked the along the Sea of Cortez. Amazing.
That night we had a bonfire with drift wood.
Then the wind picked up. Sand pitting faces, rigs and bare toes, we piled in the cars and made a bee-line back to civilization.
After two more nights in Las Palapas, photo above, we headed home.
San Felipe deserved more than the two days walking tour we managed from our camp. I found sea glass, watched shrimp boats, avoided pit bulls frolicking along the sea shore.

Twice, I was tailgated on the way home. Had I been alone, I do believe the first pick up would have hit me. Thanks to my alert companions who watched the thing unfolding from their rear view mirror, I was spared enduring a wreck. My friends pulled into a rest area, I followed, my tailgater came inches from hitting me and sped away. I had given him many opportunities to pass, but unlike other, rare vehicles, he seemed to have no desire to do that.

Did my Idaho Plates smack of Money?
anyways, home sweet home never seemed so lovely
Back in business, here in Quartzsite.

At Long Last

2017-01-19T08:40:00.002-08:00

Here in Quartzsite, I've finally finished one of my most pressing goals: writing The Proving Grounds -the Cost of Hiking the Appalachian Trail. As the snow-bird season ramps up in Arizona, time is precious. So much to do, so many people to meet.

Sorry for such a long delay in posting.

I've been dancing, learning how to take care of my motor home and meeting great folks. I sang karaoke a couple times, then decided I didn't really like singing in public so much anymore.

I'd rather dance!

Anyways, I hope everyone is staying safe. Looks like the rest of the country is going through some bad weather. Amazingly, its that time of year again when thru hikers are heading north.

Best wishes on your journey.

RV Rubber Roof Info

2016-11-28T10:29:00.000-08:00

I came to Quartzsite to learn how to take care of my RV. As my new friends agree, the more we can do for ourselves, the better off we are. Mostly its an economical thing, but also it involves our deepest independence. Should we find ourselves out in the boonies, alone, we'll have some skills, enabling us to inprovise until we reach help.

In the last two weeks, I've been redoing my roof. The following three photos show the before pictures. Now, I know it was totally white when I first bought it, two years ago.

What happened?
By using my cell phone and taking photos to various local dealers, I learned my roof was in a state of swift decline.
While the owner's manual says I only need to wash it periodically, it doesn't warn about vast areas of inky black showing up.

Everyone agreed, the first step was to wash the rood with mild detergent and rinse like a mad woman. Buckets and buckets of water had to be hauled up via ladder. I worked on this alone, not wanting to claim any one's free time.
As I rinsed, black streaks striped my fiberglass exterior like a zebra
Whoa, more scrubbing and rubbing.
A neighbor lent me his folding ladder, enabling me to rip off the deteriorating caulk.
This job turned out to be harder than I thought!

Once all was cleaned, rinced and allowed to dry for days, I applied the first coat of liquid rubber with a brush.

Several videos are now posted on My You Tube Channel, including product and tools used.

After four days of curing, I summitted my roof again, in socks, and rolled out a second coat. Now the streaks from my brushed work did not show.

Thankfully, the weather held until last night, thus allowing my second coat to cure for five days.

I'm told to use Dicor caulking along the horizontal, rolled roof seams Once the rain dries and the sun returns, I'll get on that project.

Warning. If you do have to deal with this, wear gloves. It seemed the black would never leave my hands. After tons of scrubbing, removing perhaps every once of wax from the fiberglass in an attempt to remove every last visage of zebra stripes, I used Mop and Glo with a damp rag to restore some shine. Hopefully the brutal sun will do its magic and bleach out the rest.

Stay tuned!

Hike to the Mine

2016-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:00

This abandoned mine is visible for miles around. Of course, I had to go see it for myself. If you wish to see the film I made, please visit my youtube channel:
www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

Upon bushwhacking past various motor homes and campsites, I found a jeep road and climbed through the dust and sand. The water bottles came in handy. Even though its November, its hot in them thar hills!

A close up shows plenty of graffiti on the various rusting installments. Once on the hill, you can see how close Quartzsite really is.

On a nearby hill was a flag waving. I climbed that hill as well and saw one could be at the Pilot Truck Stop within half an hour.

So far, no snakes. The town is getting busier by the day. Cops are quite visible. Last night, blue lights shown bright beneath a full moon. Caught somebody, doing something.

They tell me to keep everything locked and chained with serious heavy duty stuff. None of these whimpy locker padlocks. Especially, if you have a Honda Generator, by god. Reportedly, 30 were stolen by a bold pair of guys. The treasures weigh but 47 pounds. Even I could walk off with one of them.
And, they're like gold. Everyone wants one.

So, I'm told, if someone is selling one, and has no papers or owner's manuals, beware. It might just belong to my neighbor!

The Quest for Power Continues

2016-11-10T09:11:00.001-08:00

First, a swift over view of the current situation.

I've never run out of power, but hoard it like a penny pinching miser. My lights are LED bulbs, I power up the laptop when I'm focused on writing, and recharge the phone while scouting Quartzsite, when ever possible.
I use my water pump to access the 60 gallons in my holding tanks when ever necessary, but usually keep it off. The propane frig uses a trickle. So really, I'm good with one 100 watt solar panel.
But what about box fans? The over head fans and stove top fan work great, but I seldom use them.

Two days ago, I called a highly recommended electrician. He came by my rig to figure out why my 7,000 watt generator would not provide any power to the outlets. He and his buddy both figured it would be a simple matter of hunting down some flipped switch, some malfunctioning breaker box.
After turning the entire camper in side out, we found there indeed was no transfer switch, no wiring at all, no junction box, to direct current from this high powered machine into the right places. Sure, it could run the air conditioners. But, while testing, as happened before, the beast coughed to a halt after running ten minutes.

So. Wow. Embarrassed, I said, the thing used to run. He checked the fuel pump and said, once I got that fixed, he'd return to install the proper access junction box. A very outstanding man, he charged me nothing for all this troubleshooting. He left and I restored my rig to order.

I called the recommended generator guy. So far no response. I shopped for additional solar panels. The quote was the price of an expensive Honda Generator, 2100 watts, and get this. Only included on solar panel-160 watts-mounted on the roof and wired into my existing house batteries. A regulator completed the package. I would keep my current pure sign inverter.
I told the solar guy no and left.

Here in Quartzsite you have a cash and carry economy. Bring cash, or plan on using a debit card at the bank or ATM machine.
I debate my options while I look forward to my new summer job in Idaho. Apparently its so early in the season, events are just cancelled willy-nilly.
You go with the flow, or go not at all.
Interesting.

Things I Learned-So far- In Quartzsite

2016-11-02T11:43:00.002-07:00

In spite of all appearances, this boon-docking thing is harder than I thought it would be. I've hiked some and so far, have not encountered any snakes.
While putting normal systems in place, I've learned a bunch of things.

To keep it simple, let me innumerate them here.

1-Getting the best possible campsite is a toss up. Do I want to kill the car by driving over rugged roads to the best off grid view ever?
Or do I want to locate someplace convenient to town so I can utilize the library, stores and host of fun activities.
Yesterday, I chose the later. Its working much better.

2-Its all about water. Wash dishes in a small bucket in the sink, then wash the car with that water Wash the hair and be shocked by how much dust it collected in three days. Wash the counters daily, and be shocked by the film of dirt. Hummm. Forgo soap, as much as possible. And, use jugs to transport water rather than unhooking the home (RV) very often.

3-Sunset comes fast. Always bring a flash light and water.

4-Adjust the solar panels and keep them free of dirt. No house power also means all the water in the holding tank is unavailable. It means the propane frig won't run, either.

5-Use the silver insulating panels on the outside of the windshield, not inside. This prevents heat from entering in the first place.

6-Sit with feet in a bucket of water to cool off, then use that bucket of water to wash the layers of dust off the fender of the car.

Below, you'll see some activities that were performed way back in the last campsite possible in the South La Posa Campground. The batteries turned out to be fine. They just needed overnight power-charging, which was done at a local mechanic's shop.
After they were reinstalled, the generator started from the outside switch. The switch on the dash, however, refused to start the generator. The air now works, as before, but the outlets still do not.

7- Locate every town resource and ask questions. I found the post office, community center, QIA (a public building used for all sorts of fun activities) two dollar stores, and library. Everyone here seems quite friendly and helpful.

And lastly, as most women know, beware of new friends. They can seem nice until you disagree with them. True colors come out when you least expect it.
But all is well. I'm not called the female-survivalist for nothing.

Warning! Political Rant to Follow

2016-10-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

I've really had it. All the drama in this National Election needs to end. We're two weeks to E-Day and the foolishness needs to end.
Please! Would the real candidates please step forward so we can choose who to vote for??

Don't even tell me we're really expected to chose between Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton. Even die hard, flag-waving patriots can't claim we've got a reasonable chance of not being the laughingstock of the entire world.

The debates were entertaining. Thanks for all the Foot-in-Mouth and Criminal coverage, Fox News and CNN.
Now, how about unveiling the real candidates for President?
We live in troublesome times. The health care thing is going haywire, threatening to bankrupt America. With premiums going up by 25% this year, I wonder how families are supposed to survive.
Only if you're stone broke and receive major tax credits from our government, are you able to view insurance premiums as a reasonable expense.
Then, as our Senior Citizen base expands, we find social security lagging way behind the cost of living. Not for one moment do I believe the Cost of Living hasn't gone up. Did any of our elected official received a raise? I say, cancel those raises and split the money among struggling Seniors.
Or better yet, get rid of some congressmen and their staff I don't see them doing much anyways.
Its getting down right disturbing.
The chasm between the rich and poor deepens like the Colorado River carving out the Grand Canyon.

Sometimes I wonder why more isn't said about the crazy economy, but then I realize folks are tired. Its exhausting filtering through lies and half truths. Maybe its time to jump off the gerbil wheel and flee to Mexico. I mean, a little music, a few tacos and some siesta might be what the doctor ordered.

But who trusts doctors, anyways? Mine seems to like prescribing pills, so I ditched him. He can take a hike. I need a physician that looks past pharmaceutical relief.
It's all a scam, this American dream.
I for one plan to live as simply as possible. Let the politicians earn their keep.
Vote?
Sure, as soon as the real candidates step up and introduce themselves.

The Big Short-A Movie Review

2016-10-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Hastings Book Store was going out of business, so I took advantage of their 70% off sale and bought this highly acclaimed movie.

It was fascinating, true, but funny? Yikes, maybe I've lost my sense of humor.
Utilizing, at times, a documentary format, Hollywood proceeds to unfold the great housing bubble crisis which led to the unforgettable bail out of several Banks in 2008.
Some of us remember that crisis all too well. The NINJA housing loans to incredibly unqualified home buyers. No income, no jobs, no assets. A credit score below 550? Wow.
At one point, we have the famous Chef Anthony Bourdain explaining how faulty bonds were combined, or bundled, to look like a good investment.

I think I learned something. If nothing else, don't get in over your head by believing a slick salesman.
I'm actually hunting property, someplace to homestead without any regulations. I've found, realtors will tell you anything you want to hear. Recently, one told me no one enforces the CCR's . Don't worry about it.
Yeah, I think. He just wants to unload a piece of junk,slope-scape no one else will touch.
So, if you want some schooling on fraud, Wall Street bankers, market crashes and reckless behavior, watch this film.
I'll watch it again, and pick up a lot more information. Once could only begin to open my eyes to the banking world that runs the world.
Buyer, beware.

LED Light Review

2016-10-11T15:49:00.001-07:00

Thursday past, my amazon LED lights arrived. A package of ten cost 17.99.

I proceeded in switching out my camper lights. Going solar, I'm curtaining my power draw off the house batteries where ever possible.

I had already installed two LED lights from Walmart. Rated at 50,000 hours, I had no doubt they'd last a long time. Although they cost a great deal more than amazon's- ( 2 for $14.99 plus tax, almost $16 bucks)- I decided to keep them to compare output.

Today, I finally took those two back to Walmart. The ends were flickering, an annoying situation at best.
You might ask, are you sure it was the lights and not the outlets.
Yes. I switched them into other outlets. Same story. I installed amazon's LEDs in the outlet quit by Walmart's brand. No flickering.
Problem solved. Get the 10 pack for $17.99, no tax.

Free Book this Weekend

2016-10-04T18:04:00.002-07:00

On Saturday and Sunday, October 8th and 9th, you'll be able to get your free copy of
The Cookbook Project-Sharing Our Best. The history of this huge project is described on page 11. Who knew, that over the course of twenty years, the church cookbook would serve as the basis for large batch cooking in a dozen places, including national parks and a winter man camp.

For those of you who remember my first project, be assured this updated version has page numbers and additional stories, photos and tips. The index has been numbered, and the recipes fine tuned after thorough testing by novices at Mount Rainier employee kitchen.
Its free, this weekend, so don't forget to download yours Saturday or Sunday at Amazon.com.

Lovin' The Panels

2016-09-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

After bringing my house batteries down to "fair" according to the display panel above the stove, the solar panels have already restored them to "good." Now, I don't have a meter to tell me exactly what those words mean in terms of amps or watts, but I can see all systems are go.

I used two fans for an hour (one exhaust and one a circulating box style) recharged my laptop twice and kept my smart phone at full battery. I also used the water pump and electric steps frequently.
Having researched my flat screen T-V's power requirements, I believe I'll fire up a movie. The dvd player connected to it requires 7 watts, while the TV requires 60. I think I'll be fine.

One thing I've realized is that now, before the sun goes down, is the time to use power. The charge controller on the solar panels prevents the batteries from overcharging. Once they are fully charged, it holds them back. So, by using power now, I keep the panels producing.
Maybe that explanation isn't scientific enough, but it works for me.

Several women have expressed great interest in my desire to get off the grid. When they hear I am chucking my generator as well, they grin, both amazed and thrilled. No doubt they've seen electric bills skyrocket.
Then I tell them I'm reassessing my needs and simplifying my life style. If a place is so hot I need constant air-conditioning, well then its time to move.

Solar Panels Deployed

2016-09-27T18:22:00.001-07:00

I unplugged from the grid today to test out my boondocking systems. With the frig, stove and furnace running on propane, my main electrical needs are laptop, phone, water pump, fans, t-v and sewing machine.

I'll stay unplugged until morning, and see what the house batteries reveal. Will 100 watt panels with full sunlight be able to manage my limited requirements? I'm hopeful.

I am at an advantage. I just finished my second thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. Two years ago, I was a paid Ridgerunner in Maine. Living off grid for months at a time made me appreciate electricity.
My goal is affordable sustainability.
Please join in the discussion by posting comments below.

Opinions Wanted, Skill Set Needed

2016-09-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

Today's RV project involved testing my 200 watt crock pot with the 300/700 peak inverter. Now, I do have a great propane stove and oven, which answers the cooking need when boondocking. However, please follow my female reasoning,
I thought, what if I could simmer a soup and simultaneously warm the living area during those chilly spells?

I mean, this thing does throw off some serious heat when its cooking.
In retrospect, that should have clued me in. The longer the cord on a device, I'm told, the more power you lose due to friction. Or something like that.
Bottom line, I gave up on the inverter ever working my crock pot. In order to get a soup for supper, I cheated and plugged it into shore power.
So, is my math wrong or my reasoning? Why can't you run a 200 watt crock pot with a 300/700 watt inverter?

Now, the pure sine inverter was desperately needed to protect my laptop, phone and T-V, so I guess the $38 bucks at amazon.com was worth it. Tonight, I'm watching a movie to see how that goes.
Stay tuned. There is a 30 day guarantee with this purchase.

Baby Steps

2016-09-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Every day I try to learn something new about my rig. As you can see, last winter I dealt with snow. My water came through a hose, which I kept under an insulated box kept warm with a light bulb.
After I built that, I never suffered frozen pipes again.

Now, as I plan to head south, I'm trying to figure out the fresh water holding tank. According to the owner's manual, these guys need to be sanitized on a regular basis. Hummm, well. I've owned it nearly two years and have not sanitized anything yet.

Wow. So, after opening the side door to the holding tank, I prepared a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to one gallon of water. Got out the funnel and poured it in. As expected, it leaked out beneath the motorhome. You see, I figured there must be a drain at the bottom of the tank, but where?
Turns out, the drain is positioned directly over the spare tire. Stupid, I know.
I crawled under. How do you plug this drain? Now, quit laughing, you experts. My fingers got wet as I felt for a plug.Water sprayed out, no plugs. I considered shoving gum up in said drains.
But, I didn't. Instead I asked my son-in-law, who owns a slide in truck camper what to do. He showed me how his system was rigged then asked me, "Wasn't there some kind of outdoor water faucet thing under the bed?"
"Under the bed?" I replied, skeptically. "I don't remember. How do you remember that? We looked at 33 campers, 2 years ago."
"Try looking."
I did. It was there, sure enough. So, I crawled inside the box that supports the bed, turned the knob until it quit turning and crawled back out. Then, I added another gallon of water to the holding tank.
Voila! It didn't leak.
Holy guacamole. I did learn something today.
Now, tomorrow, I will follow up and flush this system.
Stand back, you might get wet.

Nearly Off Grid

2016-09-08T18:52:00.001-07:00

Today has been highly productive.
I turned on my propane for the first time since returning home. Up till now, I've been just enjoying shore power, that is, running my huge electric cord to public utilities. So after turning on the propane, just to keep things real, I unplugged and got to work.

As expected, every appliance was a tad slow to respond, as if waiting for the fuel lines to burp out whatever propane bubbles they formed while vegetating 5 months. At last, the back burner of the stove lit, then the front, then the oven. In spite of a bright sunny day, I turned on the furnace. Perfect ignition, just as I remembered it.
But, for some reason, the fridge kept stalling and I decided maybe it wasn't going to work. I couldn't test the water heater yet, because I'm not hooked up to water. Dry cabin, folks.

I kept flipping the switch. Within forty-five, the Check button popped on. I frowned. It was obvious the fridge wanted its 120 volt AC back. Just as I was about to put fix fridge on my repair list, I tried her again. Held my breath. You can't hear the thing ignite, but it must have taken hold.
I left the GAS mode on, just to give the fridge the right idea. Its still working, even as I write this post and the ice cubes are solid.

Perseverance pays off when I least expect it,

Next, as long as we were testing off grid systems, I plugged in my 12 volt charger and proceeded to charge the phone at the back port.
While it was making great headways, I plugged my 12 volt /175 watt inverter into the front port. Charged the laptop, sewed on my sewing machine, a as a final test, fired up the flat screen t-v along with the DVD player. All good to go.

Wow! I checked other small appliances and decided not to press my luck. According to their tags, they required way more watts. Things like coffee makers and dust busters generate some heat, so that didn't surprise me.

Guess I'm ready now to order some solar panels.

Reply to Mobiltec, What's the Generator Doing?

2016-09-07T18:21:00.002-07:00

Well Larry. November should be perfect weather down there.

Okay, the bottom line on the Generator.
You previously asked me, "What does the generator do when you try to start it?" and I said, nothing. So yesterday, I went to verify the nothing, by pressing the in house generator button. It clicked a couple times, then turned over and started. I stood back, shocked out of my socks...listening. Came to my senses, ran to the shore power and unplugged then returned to the motorhome to assess what the revived thing could do.
The house lights all work...but they did on house batteries anyways. That's no proof a load is being carried by the generator, I thought. So, I checked the outlets and found they didn't work, nor the frig or microwave. But both air conditioners did, as well as the galley fan and stove top fan!
So, I figured we do have something going on.

Today I checked and replaced two burnt out 12 volt fuses, and now have 12 volt adapter (cigarette lighter type thing). My 175 watt inverter now works, which is very tiny but will recharge a phone or laptop. Sadly, I have learned those small inverters deliver 'unclean' electricity and could damage sensitive equipment.

My goal is to write this winter, so being able to charge my laptop daily is essential to my mental well-being.

I got the name of a generator guy today. New tires installed. My Les Schwabb guy said brakes both front and back are great, and the wheel bearing are fine as well. Ready to roll.

I posted this here so my readers can learn as well. I've quit saying I'm no good with mechanical things.I guess you've proved even I can get comfortable under the hood.

Free Today-Living the Dream

2016-09-06T10:21:00.001-07:00

Today you can get a Free Download of Living the Dream. Just click on the buy now and you'll see the invoice of zero cents. Read it on your PC, mobile device or Kindle.

I'm offering this book free today so you can take a look at the seasonal lifestyle. Included is a fun quiz to get you going, stories and tips. Hope you like it.

Successful Electrical Problem Solving

2016-09-04T17:17:00.001-07:00

Today, I fixed my motorhome. For some reason, the main battery would not crank the engine so I couldn't get it started. The place we bought the new battery checked the battery and proved it was charged. They suggested it was my starter getting sticky, and that's why the AAA guy could give me a jump and it start. Battery experts at Interstate Battery told me my rig needed that extra umph to start my rig. Bottom line, a serious mechanic was in order.

I groaned. I need new tires before I can even get a jump start to move the thing.
I met Larry in 2012 while camping up in Colorado. Seeing what a nice guy he was, I subscribed to his youtube channel.. Mobiltec does amazing restorations of RVs. He lives in the southwest, so I emailed him I'd be heading town to Quartzite. He recommended I hang out here another month because the weather is stinking hot down there in the desert now.

One email thing led to another and I eventually lamented my RV blues. He said, send me a photo of the battery terminals. Below is one of a dozen I sent. He said, clean those until they shine.

"I'm all thumbs around and engine.":
"Don't worry, I'll walk you through it."
"Larry, I'm sorta scared?"
"What? You? Naw you can do it. Besides, you got me. Just keep me posted."
"Okay, I'll do my best." I worried. "I'll get out the tool box."
"One thing. Wear eye protection."
"I'm not going to blow up my engine, am I?"
"Nope. Disconnect the negative first, then the positive."
"Okay."

Over the next two hours I kept Larry posted via phone photos. He encouraged me and told me, no, I did not have to unwrap the positive cables clear down to the wire.

The final photo I sent Larry showed clean cable connections, but one rusty nut I couldn't remove. However, I'd scrubbed the fire out of it, so it was no doubt greaseless.
"Now hook it up the way you took it apart."
"Okay."
A dozen minutes passed while I tightened every thing down. The phone rang. It was Larry. "How are you doing?"
"Good, I think. How do I know if I got it right?"
"You hooked it up the same way, right? No sparks?"
"Right. No sparks."
"Go crank that baby."
I felt trepidation as I inserted the key. What if I totally wrecked my engine by instigating a wide ranging explosion? I turned the key. Volia! We have lift off!

Oh my god. I was so happy. "Larry, you're a genius. I'm so happy. Listen to that." I held the phone to the engine. It purred.
"Good job," he said. Not one bit of bravado or told you so.

Thanks Larry. What a pal.

Back On Track

2016-09-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

I left Boise for Atlanta on March 23, 2016, determined to do another thru hike of the Appalachian Trail. On August 3, I summitted Katahdin. It was my second successful thru hike. Why a second hike? To figure some things out. Sometimes you need to get off the grid to get your life back in focus.

A bit overkill, you might say. And you're right. There are a ton of adages that should help a gal figure things out without having to resort to living in the mountains, hiking alone doing twenty mile days, then sleeping on ground after a supper of ramen and gorp.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Stick with what you know. Live the life you've imagined. Jump and the net will appear.

What? Seems contradictory.

Bottom line, all I knew for sure was that I was a burnt out seasonal cook/adventure writer who wasn't ready to retire and had no idea where to call home. So, after a two stop flight and subsequent shuttle to the trail head, I totted my pack (a base weight of 12.5 pounds plus 6 pounds of food) up to Springer Mountain. I signed in and headed north.

Now, I'm back and feel the urge to write again. Over the last five months, I met a host of great people, gained a vast array of insights and decided this rolling stone indeed gathers no moss.

Next adventure? Arizona winter. A snowbirder's paradise of eccentrics, crazy trails and desert living. Check out my friend's video of the great expansive Mojave at:

Mojave Road by Mobiltec

That's going to be my seasonal back yard.

Google Quartzite, Arizona and you'll see my target zone.

Of Moose and Men

2015-12-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

My new book is now available at Barnes and Noble.

Of Moose and Men-Ridgerunning in Maine's Hundred Mile Wilderness is a non-fictional account of the summer I worked for the Maine Appalachian Trail Club. I taught Leave No Trace, monitored trail usage and assisted people from all walks of life enjoying the great outdoors.

Published in March 2015, I used Amazon.com exclusively for nine months. Now, I'm making it available for NOOK readers as well.

Some of the comments I've received in the reviews posted there I will now address.

Embedded in this book is a fictional story I wrote in my head as the months wore on. I spent a lot of time alone and the Appalachian Trail culture birthed a What-If scenario.
People have disappeared from the trail. What If I did, as well? The fictional account is short, but also gives insight into the amazing lifestyle long distance hikers adopt. Plus it shows how I coped with living off grid, alone, for five months.

Then, someone said it was 'creepy' that I was assessing every guy I met. I also assessed the women. Part of my job was to help people be prepared for what lay ahead and keep folks from getting over their heads. Most of that precautionary task dealt with day hikers, section hikers and south bounders. Some north bounders, just 83 miles from Katahdin, needed to retrace their steps to a hospital.

In a brutally honest fashion, I gave an inside look to my private musings, hopes and dreams. Not always pretty. I loved Maine and its people. They were friendly, fun and rugged. If you ever get a chance to hike the Appalachian Trail, or perhaps just do the Hundred Mile Wilderness, be prepared to spend some time nursing aching knees, and give my best to the folks in Millinocket at the AT Lodge.

Warning! Rant to Follow

2015-09-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a month.
I'm fairly pissed with the whole survivalist idea.
Somehow we've come full circle until what was a normal human endeavor, to survive any crisis, and prepare for danger, has become a spectator sport where so called normal humans watch reality t-v shows on survival.

Not like you're going to learn anything by watching the same old fights and struggles for food and water.
Contrived. Damn contrived.

A bit of history. After four years of being begged to try out for Naked and Afraid, I finally agreed to do a couple short films for Alone...in an effort to shut them up. I told them over and over I'm too old, too calm, and besides, what's the challenge of being alone in the wilderness with what you have on your back? Long distance hikers do that all the time.

Of course, I wasn't picked. Didn't expect to be. My footage was me calmly making shelter and fire with flint, gathering edibles, talking about survivalism. Boring. No yelling, no crying, no running, no screaming.
Stinks. You viewers would vote me off the waves.

Okay. No sour grapes here. Recently, I've been invited to find a sibling to survive with. Or baring that, (my siblings think survival means going with out pizza or beer) show how we live off grid for long periods of time.

What? There are real people doing that all the time. Millions of youtube videos chronicling skills on that very subject.
Come on, New York, or Hollywood, or whoever puts out these lame ideas, get real.

So on my magnificent, soul busting, Wonderland Trail, I promised myself to stop striving.

Striving: pushing crap through life for no apparent reason. Here on the mountain, chefs have quit so many times, we quit believing them. Others milk the clock and claim they're worked to the bone, can't even take a day off. Get real. No one's that indispensable. If they listed their day's work, it wouldn't even fill two lines.

But winter's coming, and I'm heading south. Not even saying where. Don't want anyone trying to meet me there.

Rant's done.
I'm leaving this blog up because I've been honest and open and hope someone can glean good stuff.
There's photos and stories and reviews.

To all things there is an end. Not saying I won't write some more, but right now I'm have it with so called survival promotions. Its all been said. Its all been done. Enough.

Wonderland MINI Report

2015-08-13T16:43:00.000-07:00

This buck was up near Sunrise. I saw him on my second morning. I get up at daybreak. Seems he was wondering where the does were. I could have told him. Just opposite the meandering trail.

Lots of berries are out. I saw two big poop piles, smack in the trail. Bears are loving it too.

After 3.5 days (got in at noon) I'm one beat puppy. Had lots of time to think on these 93 miles. Designated camps ensured someone would be there each night. How strange, though, we were supposed to hang our food bags, yet we could cook right by our tents. Of course, I didn't cook, only took gorp, so I could get this done light and fast.

A very gorgeous trail. I didn't see a lick of rain the entire time. The water was sketchy in spots, though, which made me think, maybe a little precipitation was in order.

Wonderland Trail

2015-08-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow morning I head out to do the Wonderland Trail. This falls into the category: be careful what you wish for, you might just get to do it.

I have four days off.

It should be enough.

Its been hard keeping my blogs updated because of very limited internet here at Mount Rainier and the long drive from Longmire, where I live in my motorhome, to Paradise where I cook for the employees. But, I love where I live, and love the views, so, that's my excuse for lazy writing.

When I finish this trail, there should be photos and ultralight tips. I did get permits.

Light and fast, that's the ticket.

93 miles and a ton of mountains.

Loving it.

Surviving the Seasonal Job

2015-07-21T09:30:00.001-07:00

Waterfalls and rock scrambles make living on the mountain worth it. The job is challenging because of staffing issues. Namely, unskilled, non English speaking workers who aren't motivated. They've got a couple weeks until they return to their country. I don't blame them Viva America.

Oh well. Wild blueberries are in season, so I'm eating them, and other wild plants, as I enjoy the great views. There are a lot of people on the trails, in spite of the road construction making driving through the park tedious. I laughed yesterday when an older guy asked if Snow Lake was just half a mile further. I said yes. His wife then asked, Uphill? I replied, everything in this park is uphill.

This view is from the top of Pinnacle Peak. Fantastic. Its a 1.3 mile hike to the saddle. The last tenth is a rock scramble, not unlike Chairback Mountain in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. Doable, but take your time. I found descending to be more treacherous. I hike alone, and if I fall, it might be awhile before I can crawl out.

With eleven weeks to go until the end of season, I'm still hoping on doing the Wonderland Trail, a 93 jaunt that circumvents the mountain whose profile resembles tines on a fork. Permits required.

News From the Mountain

2015-07-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

A few gear reviews are in order. I bought this electric heater one month ago and absolutely love it. It was on sale for $11 bucks at Walmart. At first, I hesitated. The original price was $38.99, so how could I go wrong?

It seemed like it would take up a lot of space and the description on the box said it took a while to warm up. Based on circulating hot oil through the coils, it looked sketchy. With 34 x 8 feet of living space, I consider each item carefully before I add it to my collection.
This piece, however is a total winner.

Within ten minutes, you can feel the heat building. There's no open flame or noise. Imagine that. Silence! Its heaven.
There are three settings on the main knob, plus a range of heat options on a second knob. The brand name is Pelonis. Not sure if other brands would be as lovely. I use it quite often here at Mount Rainier because the evening cool off wonderfully. This item is a definite keeper and belongs on an R-Ver's wish list.

Next, for only $12, also at Walmart, I bought this "electric" kettle that heats 1.7 liters of water within minutes to boiling. Now, you might ask yourself why you'd want that. Well, if your water heater runs only on propane, but you are hooked to shore power, you can heat enough water to wash dishes, take a sponge bath or make oatmeal and coffee. If you do tea and instant coffee, you use this instead of a coffee pot. It has an on/off switch and coils inside the pot. Two selling points.
I use it daily.

Next on the wish list: a car dolly. In three months, I'll be pulling away from here, towing new car. Any recommendations? I will be choosing between a trailer and dolly.

This little wooden set is part of my interior decorations. They make me smile.

Good news. All my leaks have been adequately sealed by yours truly.
The learning curve is flattening. I'm getting the hang of this and love it. Buying this motor home has proven to be a great decision.