theboondork's RV blog

a relaxing day.

1/20/2019

This was the first boondocking spot that I picked. It wasn't too bad but shortly after I got there despite all the empty space that gray class C pulled in beside me. And even though they weren't all that close I could still hear them talking when they were sitting outside. Oh well, wheels are made for rolling, and that's what I did the next morning

I just sat around and relaxed today. I figure tomorrow I'll go into Yuma and do a little shopping and maybe treat myself to a Chinese buffet. I'm not really sure but I think the last time I ate out was a Chinese buffet in Laughlin Nevada, and that seems like a long time ago.

I'm liking my new boondocking spot beside the Yuma VFW not just because of my increased distance from the road but I have a few bushes beside me that will help prevent people from parking to close and they also filter out a little bit of the noise coming from the highway so I don't have the urge to pack up and leave like I did yesterday.

I talked to the host when I signed in yesterday and he said that even though the government is partially shut down the Ranger told him to continue signing people in. And even though the Ranger is technically not working he will occasionally come driving through in his own personal vehicle just to see how things are going.

Thank goodness the weather has now returned to a semblance of normalcy. The last two days have been warm and sunny just like you would expect the desert to be in the wintertime. And the 10 day forecast is loaded with days in the low 70s. I sure hope the last few weeks was our winter and now it will continue to be spring until it's time for me to head North.

theboondork

This is my latest boondocking spot at the Yuma VFW, farther from the road, and hidden in the bushes. I feel more at home here. I just hope there's not a million mice hiding in those bushes waiting for a new home to come along.

8 Comments

Tim link

1/21/2019 07:29:51 am

Hey Tom - Glad it's finally warming up for you in Arizona. Here in the northeast, it was down into negative numbers last night. I had a flight scheduled for yesterday, but it was cancelled and I'm scheduled to leave in a few minutes to catch another one.

I finally got around to posting about my trip to Minnesota to pick up the RV and I've decided to continue on with the blog I have (which I'll probably discuss why in a blog post). I broke the trip up into three posts and the others will publish on Wednesday and Friday. If you're interested, you can check it out here: www.naturephotojournal.com.

Hope the good weather continues for you! I'll (hopefully) be in warmer weather for the rest of the week as well.

Tom

1/21/2019 02:38:20 pm

I went over to your blog and read the latest posts and their really good, I think you going to have lots of readers.

I didn't realize that you have more education than any five boondocker's put together, I'm going to have to pay more attention to my spelling. I left an inane comment on your blog, I hope it doesn't get you kicked off of WordPress.

Your writing is very descriptive and concise and I think you will be able to describe the transition from working to retirement in a way that will be interesting to us all.

I see where you mentioned in your blog about buying more shoes. Here's a rule of thumb. Only three kinds of shoes are allowed in an RV Park, sneakers, sandals, and flip-flops, that's it. You are allowed to mix those three kinds of shoes to achieve a different look but the look you achieve will probably be that you've been drinking.

Full timers usually only have one pair of shoes and that would be sneakers. If you wear the other two kinds you will end up with toes full of cactus spines. Only having one pair of shoes has to do with comfort and weight savings. Minimalist full timers like Barney the old fat man will only have one shoe.

Looking forward to your next post, can't wait to see if you got the Arctic Fox back home safely.

Tom

Barney Ward

1/21/2019 04:25:36 pm

And that shoe has big holes in it for ventilation and to let the water out from not watching where I step when fishing.

1/21/2019 04:48:55 pm

I figured you had stumbled onto a Goodwill $0.25 per shoe sale and didn't want to waste a quarter when you can just hop around on one foot.

So I guess San Pedro in del Rio is closed because of the government shut down. I imagine since they collect money at that site they were forced to do that. I reckon that will make some changes in your plans, but I don't think this will go on to much longer.

Tom

1/21/2019 04:58:46 pm

Don't let the education fool you, it doesn't mean that I have a lick of sense. In fact, I'm envious of you and Barney (and others that have posted) miltary experience. I'm sure that was quite the learning experience in itself.

Thanks for the compliments! I do enjoy writing and this should be an interesting time since I will be transitioning to another big phase of my life. I think wiring about it actually will help with the transition. I'm actually looking forward to having more time to work on the blog.

Whew, I dodged a bullet on the shoes, then. I bought a pair of hiking shoes and a pair of sneakers. I just keep polishing my old work shoes hoping they'll last me until I retire. I guess the day they give out will be a sign that it's time to go. I really hate flip flops (I just walk right out of them when I try to wear them) - I hope that doesn't disqualify me as a boondocker.

Yes, it's a real cliffhanger (I've been watching too many old western serials). Did I make it back with the RV? Was I abducted by aliens? (BTW, as I was typing this, I couldn't remember how to spell "abducted" and almost asked the young lady next to me. Luckily, I thought that probably wasn't such a good idea). Did I even live to write this response? Who knows, you'll just have to read the next blog post to find out!

1/21/2019 06:17:20 pm

Writing about my transition to a full timer did help me. I think having to write about it made me dig deeper into why and how, than I got just by thinking about it. I don't know if it works like that for everyone but for me I'm liable to say anything when I'm talking, but I usually give a lot of thought to what I'm writing.

I have found that a pair of semi-low-cut hiking sneakers is what I use 99% of the time mine are made by Marmot and will last me about three years. The other 1% of the time I wear house slippers that look like moccasins which are comfortable and have a sole on them so I can wear them outside. Hidden way back under my bed I have a pair of Lucchese Ostrich skin cowboy boots. I sold all of my other cowboy boots which is what I used to wear all the time, and kept these just in case I had to dress up for something, but something has never come along so I guess I'll buried in them. I don't want to be buried barefooted, I might burn my feet.

Now I do have a pair of flip-flops even though like you I can't stand the wear the things, they hurt my toes and won't stay on my feet for more than a few yards. But every now and again, for one reason or another, I have to use a public shower and I refuse to walk in there barefooted. The Air Force required everyone to never go barefoot in the barracks and that rule is burned into my psyche.

I'm guessing that you were probably abducted by aliens, not the kind that I'm around every day, but the little green ones. In the desert abductions happen a lot, not the little green ones, the ones I'm around every day, so I'm not sure which ones may have abducted you and your Arctic Fox, but which ever one it was please asked them if they will sell me your new truck real cheap.

Tom

1/23/2019 01:13:30 pm

I feel similar about photograph - it makes me slow down and actually see the world around me. That seems a little counter intuitive because you would think that if one is focused on the photo that they are missing so much more, but it forces me to actually look at a scene and I look at it in much more depth when taking a photo.

I believe the hiking shoes I have are made by Columbia. They are low top as well - I actually prefer low top, especially when I'm on steep slopes like around waterfalls and such. With high tops, it doesn't allow me to bend at the ankle so I feel that slopes are more dangerous.

When I do use a public shower at the gym, I have some shower shoes with straps that go over the tops of my feet - I find them much more comfortable than flip-flops. My feet just weren't made for flip-flops.

I was watching some outer space alien movie the other day and those aliens were gray (they even called them Grays - I think the name of the movie was "Occupation). I hope if I am abducted, it's not by the Grays, but by the race of aliens like E.T.; they seem much more friendly, plus they'll have a whole stockpile of Reese's Pieces. If I'm abducted, I'll have other things to worry about rather than sticking to my Keto diet. Heck, if I eat all their Reese's Pieces, maybe they'll throw me back.

1/23/2019 04:02:39 pm

Yeah photography does that to me to, and I tend to look at ordinary things and wonder whether or not it would make a good picture. I've come to depend on photography to take some the empty space in my life that used to be occupied by guns. And since that hobby is all but over photography has filled in nicely and fits the full-time lifestyle better than collecting guns ever would.

The reason I'm fond of the sneakers that are taller than the low ones and shorter than the tall ones is when I'm walking up and down a mountain.... Small mountain... Okay! It's a hill, they tend to keep debris out of my shoe better than the low ones.

I don't go to gym's. Gym's are full of sweaty people that drive 2 miles to the gym, Park right at the front door, and run 2 miles around an indoor track. And anyway I never looked good in leotards.

I had some shower shoes just like you describe, you slide your foot in them and the strap across the top holds them on. I didn't pay much attention to it when I bought them but the bottoms were covered with a thousand little circles and the first time I stepped on a wet floor I found out the thousands of little circles were little suction cups and I couldn't get the shoe off the floor. I left both of them stuck to the floor in the campground shower, they'll probably have to remove the tile to get rid of them.

Well if you were abducted they certainly didn't keep you very long, and of course you won't have to worry about your diet because you were weightless in space. But since traveling at light speed makes time slow down you could have been gone for years and we thought you were gone for a couple of weeks and now you've returned as one of them. Are you by any chance gray enough that I could use you to check my camera's white balance?

Tom

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

a relaxing day.

Leave a Reply.

Archives

CONTACT THEBOONDORK