A few years ago I was at a Navajo Indian powwow in Tucson Arizona, at the San Xavier Mission. It was interesting to watch, And to see how the Navajo dressed a couple of hundred years ago.

It was another beautiful Fall day today. With a high of about 80° and humidity in the teens, it couldn't have been more perfect.

Today, I finished rerouting the propane line for the Lance, so now everything's not only working properly but also looking good. Now I have everything I need to comfortably spend a few days boondocking in South Park.

I'm looking forward to getting my new blog online. It's just been lying here unused even though I finished it a long time ago, but I really wanted to have some new pictures to put on the blog so everything would be new. I'm hoping I can get enough images to last me until I hit the road near the end of this month.That's probably not going to happen, because Antero reservoir: where I'm going, is not all that scenic. But at least it's fairly close by.

 Despite the fact that I'm very familiar with places like Storrie Lake State Park and Bosque Del Apache, both In New Mexico, I can't help but feel a bit of sadness because this winter might be the last time I spend much time in New Mexico due to their planned State Park fee increases.

And speaking of New Mexico State park fee increases, I have not found any new information except a short blurb about the possibility of a $600 annual nonresident camping pass which will price me out of the New Mexico state parks. They say they're going to have this all figured out by January 2025, which means to me that I've got one more year of camping at New Mexico state parks before I'm no longer willing to pay, and I move on to other boondocking areas.

                  Warning!! Typical old geezer rant ahead!

This potential fee change is painful but seems to be what's happening throughout the country to our public lands. As soon as the various government agencies recognizes our public lands as yet another "cash cow" for their inflated, extravagant, and wasteful spending, the land  the citizens of America owns, whether it's managed by the federal government, or the state governments, will become land that only people In the right income bracket will be allowed to use.
 
Theboondork

Okay, okay, this isn't exactly how the Navajo looked a couple of hundred years ago, in fact This guy looks like a  Mardi Gras parade float, but I'm sure buried under all those flamboyant neon feathers there must be some hint of how the Navajo actually dressed.

Today was yet another beautiful Fall day, with a high of about 80°, humidity in the teens, and nighttime temperatures in the 50s. It was a day that seemed tailor-made for me, and I couldn't be more  satisfied with the Fall weather that is upon us.

One of the things I had complained about that I needed to fix was a cigarette lighter plug that I plugged into my rearview camera in the truck. I messed around with that this afternoon and learned it wasn't the cigarette lighter plug in the car causing the problem because every plug I plugged the backup camera into had the same results. The problem is the male end of the 12 V plug; I couldn't find a spare male end, so I'll have to buy one the next chance I get and wire it to the backup camera... It's always something, but that's how I justify all the heavy tool bags I carry, which are essential for anyone who doesn't have enough money to pay someone to fix everything that breaks on an RV.

I need to stop at the bank one of these days and get some money to feed the Iron Ranger when I'm at a campground that has one. I always try to have some singles, fives, and tens whenever I come face-to-face with the always-hungry Iron Ranger because he gets mighty peeved if you don't have the right kind of money to make him happy.

I'm really looking forward to taking a few days to head for the hills early next week. I'm picking the cloudiest days to go since that's the best picture-taking time, the chance of rain is minuscule, and the temperatures are predicted to be in the mid-60s, and mid-40s at night. And without a doubt, that's great sleeping weather. That will allow me to try out my new foam mattress in chilly weather to see if I can stay warm. This new mattress has been a game-changer for my back, as it's reduced my pain compared to last week.

You've gotta get up pretty early in the morning to find the streets of Tombstone this deserted.

Incredible sunrise while boondocking on Arizona trust lands. But there's no shortage of incredible sunrises and sunsets in the desert.

Desert flower.

For what it's worth, here's what I learned about a COVID-19 booster shot at Walmart yesterday. As I was getting my flu shot, the pharmacist, who was giving me the shot, offered me a COVID booster shot. I expressed my reservations, having not heard much positive about these boosters. He then shared that he had advised his own father, who was around my age, against taking a COVID booster shot, a personal touch that made me feel like he was offering me the best advice he had available to him.

Moving on from that bit of information. Using my own telescoping ladder instead of the ladder built into the Lance camper, I gracefully made my way to the roof. However, due to the limited space on the roof, and the need to carefully maneuver my way to the partially installed vent fan, I found it more practical to crawl on my hands and knees to the front of the camper.

With the five solar panels on the Lance's rather small roof, I consider the entire area a potential tripping hazard, so to ensure my safety, I prefer crawling to walking upright. It may be slower and less dignified, but on a camper the size of the Lance, I feel it's a necessary precaution. Even though the Lance is not as tall as the Arctic Fox, it still presents a risk. It's not high enough to give a parachute time to open, but it's plenty high enough to severely test my tuck and roll skills.

So, obeying one of the primary laws of physics, which says, "What goes up must come down," I did what I needed to do on the camper roof and came down as slowly and gracefully as I had ascended.

Theboondork

Completing my vent fan installation on the Lance this morning, I can finally scratch ''vent fan'' off of my list of things to do. This project has been on my list of things to do so long it was written on parchment.

You may notice there's not a single glob of self disintegrating caulk anywhere near this project,  EternaBond tape seals it up perfectly, quickly, and easily. And at my age I believe I can safely say that based on previous experience with EternaBond tape It's sealing properties will last for the rest of my life.

There was a lot of leaves on the roof I had to deal with, but I'm parked under a tree, and its Fall, so what can you do?

Streetlights powered by a tiny wind generator. The problem of course is when the wind stops blowing, the lights go out. And depending on the situation that could be a real problem.