theboondork's RV blog

I know exactly where I'm going.... And that's not a good thing.

4/13/2021

Please click the pics before I leave tomorrow, or they might get left behind in Tucson.

"Stonewalls do not a prison make, nor iron bars a cage."

I filled up one of my propane tanks here at the Fairgrounds this morning, and these full tanks certainly aren't getting any lighter. I started my full-timing life putting my newly refilled propane tank in the bed of the truck to transport back to the Arctic Fox. But it got too heavy to lift it into the bed of the truck so I started carrying it in the passenger seat floorboard, that way I didn't have to lift it as high. Well now even that's starting to feel heavy, I'm not sure where I go from here, maybe I'll just tie a rope to it and drag it behind the truck.

And if that wasn't enough work for one day, I also hitched up the Arctic Fox, dragged it over to the dumpsite, and emptied the black and gray water tanks, to get ready for my carefully planned and scripted move tomorrow morning. It sure takes a lot of the fun out of going somewhere when there are plans involved.

So now I'm all packed up, hitched up, and things are put away, with not much left to do but bring in my living room slide and be on my way. And just about this time is when I would normally say something like... I'm heading for New Mexico but I don't know exactly where yet. I might stop in Deming at Rockhound State Park, or maybe head up to Silver City and stay at the City of Rocks State Park. I guess we will all find out when I get there.... If those days are over it's too bad, they will be sorely missed.

Theboondork

The driver's compartment of a Dodge van.

Drivers compartment of a Mercedes van

I wasn't interested enough in seeing a bunch of Dinosaurs to actually pay to go there. So I walked over to the area while they were closed, and took two pictures from a couple of hundred yards away through a chain-link fence.

These dinosaurs are supposed to be life-size and this critter is really big. So for those of you that wish all of the extinct animals were still around, why stop with the Dodo Bird and the Woolly Mammoth, let's bring this one back too, 40 feet long and can swallow a human being without even chewing. Since I spend a lot of time in the Colorado mountains I have similar feelings about folks that want to reintroduce Grizzly Bears to Colorado.

6 Comments

OFM

4/13/2021 06:12:24 pm

Follow my lead. 20# bottles. I, basically, had no choice but to get lighter tanks. You might even carry spares in the bed of the truck.

Tom

4/13/2021 06:40:12 pm

If I do decide to try using my little Bronco slide in camper for my winter travels this fall, I will have no choice except to use the 20 pound tanks since their the only thing that will fit in their current location.

Maybe that experiment will help me justify switching to the lighter tanks on the Arctic Fox. And give me a better idea on how long those tanks will last while actually full timing with them. Speaking of which, I know my current radiant heater is waaay too big for the little Bronco and I will have to either use my propane wasting, power sucking, factory furnace. Or get some kind of a small "Little Buddy" type radiant heater that doesn't use any electricity.

I carry a spare 20 pound tank with me now when I'm taking mini-vacations in the little Bronco so I know I will at least have one spare in the little Bronco. And as for the Arctic Fox I can easily carry several spare 20 pound tanks, so I can empty two or three of them before I have to go in and refill them all.

At this point I'm not exactly sure what's stopping me from changing to the lighter tanks. I think partly it's because I can still do it even though it's more of a struggle than it used to be. Or maybe because there's a psychological aspect of me not wanting to admit that I've become an old geezer that can't even pick up a propane tank anymore.

Tom

4/13/2021 08:27:11 pm

Keep in mind that the reason I do not use Mr. Buddy or equivalent is I cannot get the required fire safety clearance from the heater to be safe in my small rig. I use the lowest flame available on my stove burner during the day and still have to turn it on and off to keep from getting too hot. If I cannot get by at night with just my sleeping bag, i go find an electric hookup. This year in the big freeze last winter I had to go get electric but it failed the first night and I went 6 nights without electric down in Zapata. Three night were 21F. CO and O2 sensors are cheap and my friends.

4/13/2021 09:27:32 pm

I used a medium-size little buddy heater in my tent when I tried tent camping a couple of years back and it worked just fine for me. And I would've continued using it if I were still interested in taking mini – vacations in a tent. But by the looks of the way its built I don't think it would last very long for full- timing, but their cheap so a new one could be bought every few years.

When I'm up in the mountains, where it gets really cold even during the summer I use my Wiggy sleeping bag and that's all I need to sleep comfortably with no heat on.

Two years ago my daughter gave me a down comforter. She said they tried to sleep under it but it was too hot no matter how cold it was, and remember this is Denver in the winter. This comforter is literally 4 inches thick and is a mix of goose and duck down, in other words its not a high-priced one. And I have found that comforter will keep me warm on the coldest nights including a snowstorm in Las Vegas New Mexico with no heat at all in the trailer.

I've had down sleeping bags before but they all have to be relatively thin so their packable, but there's no limit on how thick a down comforter can be and this thing is beyond warm.

Like I've said before, there's no way that I could boondock for months if I couldn't stay comfortable. Comfort is the main thing for me. I can tolerate temperatures in the low 90s because I slowly get used to it since I don't have an air conditioner that runs while boondocking. And I'm comfortable when it's below freezing because of the efficiency my radiant heater, and my ability to sleep comfortably with no heat on at night.

But I wish I could do a better job of moving from place to place to find better weather. They were times when you were in southern Texas and it was plenty warm, while I was in southern Arizona freezing. Maybe if I can figure a way that makes moving to different places easier and more enjoyable I'll be able to pick up and go on a whim, instead of making it a major production.

Tom

Judith

4/13/2021 08:00:11 pm

So, off you go! Deming or Silver City or wherever. I'd vote for Silver City. Not sure why.
Meanwhile, I bought a couple of 5 pound tanks for my WeberQ grill. I don't grill more than once a week, and toting those big babies is just too much for this old woman. I'd rather make a trip to the propane place. Only downside is the little ones cost almost as much as the big ones, but my back is much happier...This information is of course no useful for you in your situation. Not the first tie in my life I've offered information like that.

Don't those beautiful expensive Mercedes vans seem awfully close to the ground? I would worry about clearance all the time.
But I've never seen one in real life.

4/13/2021 08:21:34 pm

I did indeed notice the ground clearance on the Mercedes vans, particularly the 1 ton model with dual rear wheels. And it looked awfully low to me, especially when you consider the roads I'm on sometimes looking for boondocking spots.

I think I've narrowed my next stop down to somewhere in Deming New Mexico for one night and then I'll be off to Elephant Butte State Park for my reservation.

Yeah, lifting those 10 gallon tanks is becoming a problem. I can carry them okay its lifting them up into the Arctic Fox where they need to go that's the problem. I wonder if I can get rich and famous inventing an easier way to handle propane tanks, heck! I would just settle for rich.

Tom

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

I know exactly where I'm going.... And that's not a good thing.

Leave a Reply.

Archives

CONTACT THEBOONDORK