The weather had been so nice the last few days I have finally been able to get outside and do some things that needed to be done. I got some brush piles burned after I added a few more branches I trimmed from the trees. I had a small brush pile with some lumber scraps so those went to the wood pile in the back to return to the earth. I still have a couple of piles of metal to get rid of but before I call the guy I have a little more in the basement to add to it. I am trying to get this stuff done before it gets hot again in the next few days and get the few remaining things can get cleaned up. It is all just about done and it looks much nicer, but I did try to keep it organized and ready to be loaded. I still have a huge brush pile in the front yard to burn and that should be about it for now. A few dead trees still need to come down at some point but I am not going to worry about that.

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I got into the trailer this afternoon to see about repairing the loose screws in the cabinet hinges to get that off my list. I had done some repairs after the dealer went through and only tightened the screws instead of fixing them. They did replace two with longer screws but they were not good screws for this repair so I put some different ones in there and the doors should stay tight now.

I found some screws that would work so I grabbed eight of them to start with. I ended up redoing one door completely where it attaches to the cabinet, Another one needed three screws and everything else seemed fine for now. The worst one I had to repair would have fallen off before too long. Trailers go through a lot when being towed down the highway. It is actually quite violent – I know from experience.

Yep…it is Story Time with Shawn.

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We used to go on vacations with my grandparents and sometimes aunts & uncles. Well, one time we went to (I think) Colorado (our usual destination)…I was maybe 11 or so. My grandparents had a giant Yellowstone trailer and towed it with a Suburban – 3 MPG on PREMIUM! I was riding with them.

I was a travel nerd even back then. I would get a map at the rest areas and highlight our routes as we went. I would look at a Rand McNally Road Atlas and think that was so cool and someday I will have one.

I would look at this info and I saw in some states it was illegal to ride in a towed trailer and I didn’t understand why. Well, I asked my Grandpa about it, and somehow it transpired that my Grandma & I ended up in the trailer for a short tow.

My Grandpa took off down the highway. Holy cow…it was unbelievably violent at highway speeds. If you ever saw the early “Jackass” bit about “Roller Disco Truck” that was what it was like…except for the drugs, the crop dusting and the rusty fishhooks.

Now this is before cell phones, and we had no CB since it was before that craze.Wd had no way to tell him to stop. Luckily he did not go far and then pulled over; the short distance we went scared the bejeezus outta me. I saw firsthand what trailers go through – everything moves and flexes constantly in every direction. I remember a trailer sales person told me years ago that the cheap trailers just will not last and I see how that can happen.

The odd thing, however, is that some states DID allow you to ride in a towed trailer…some STILL do!

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Back to the trailer…

Even the metal trim around my microwave has to be tightened down since it works its way loose from the rigors of the road. I tightened that up while I was in there fixing the doors.

A few days ago I went to a thrift store to get out of the house for a bit, and I found a couple of bargain treasures. One is a really nice Case Logic seatback organizer for a car. It is made of really heavy material and has two huge slanted pockets and hangs. I thought I could use it in the trailer. I already have an over-the-door coatrack on the bathroom door that I hang my coats on. It can get bulky in winter in the kitchen with coats & hoodies so I took my new find and took some hook fastener straps and hung it off of the towel rack. I will probably even take it off completely and lay it on the bed when not being used. I don’t want any weight on the towel rack while moving.

I went to another thrift store yesterday and got a set of four vintage Kellogg’s Cereal Bowls. Very collectible and I scored bigly on this set. I also got two small storage tubs and will use one to keep my dog gear and hiking stuff dry and organized in my truck. The other tub is just the right size for storing all my travel packs, a small duffel, and a waterproof pack; only thing that was too big is my Osprey weekend pack but I hope to get rid of it soon. I disinfected the tubs with Simple Green Disinfectant, rinsed and dried in the hot sun. Nice to now have stuff stored and dry in my truck.

I also got a set of produce containers. Those ones you see that claim keeps stuff fresh longer? Yeah…they actually work very well if you follow the directions about ventilation and adding water. I love berries and they last much longer. I now have five of those and two plastic drawers in my trailer fridge. It keeps stuff from sliding around and everything fits fairly tightly so I can pack it the same way every trip. I can always put stuff other than produce in them just to maintain the packing. Some of my freezer containers are about the same size as a few of my produce boxes so always room for meal prep containers and leftovers!

I need to get some spray paint and do some frame touchup on my trailer to stop some surface rust. I have to paint the stabilizer jacks since they do get road grit blasting on them going down the highway. They are in need of some wire brushing and some paint as well. I need to fill a propane tank and buy a water filter.

Otherwise I think I got the trailer pretty well ready to go somewhere. My truck is going to need tires and that sure got expensive.

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I made a trip to the store earlier for a few things. I tend to make more trips and buy less so everything gets used in a timely fashion. I have some Carbone’s pasta sauce to use up so I made some some mini cheese tortellini and a few artichoke hearts on the side for dinner tonight – the package said 2.5 servings, but I made it into 4 to cut back on sodium & carbs; it was a decent meal and damn delicious. I stretched 3 servings of Carbone’s into 4 as well. I will make some sun-dried tomato and basil olive oil flavored with veggies, olives, artichoke hearts tossed with mini spinach & cheese ravioli tomorrow night. Just like tonight, I will get each one portioned out into 3 pans and I will eat a serving fresh. I’ll freeze the rest in containers and get the freezer stocked up a bit at the same time. I got some ciabattas to use for burger buns (love that texture) and will broil a few with garlic butter and cheese for the pasta.

I have some ground beef and will grill some burgers to freeze and eat one fresh. I will do that tomorrow as we are expecting some hotter weather and I don’t wanna be out in that weather.

As I have posted in the past, when I leave the house on a camping trip with a bunch of prepped stuff it makes life on the road so much easier, especially for the first few days. I can get into travel mode and eat without having to cook; I can eat out of the freezer the first few days, then start cooking a few things along the way while I keep rotating fresh in and out of the freezer for my meals.

Grocery trips are very different than what most people are used to, and it is really why I always shop the way I do – a few days at a time but I do have staples like rice, beans, pouches of lentils, gluten-free oats (less slimy), frozen berries, almond milk and I usually have this stuff on hand. But with all the political bullshit happening I may have to stock up some on the things I like, like Italian pasta & tomatoes, chocolate at Aldi, and the one that scares me the most – coffee. FFS…coffee is going to become a real luxury. I stocked up on six bags of Sumatra and am going to get more. Tea as well. I do stock up on tea and have a good supply on hand. There is an overstock place I go to often and they have screaming deals on tea and coffee. I get to try different types of teas and coffees that they find. I got a 3 oz. Packet of Green Day coffee for $1.79 and it was a pretty decent cup of coffee. I got several cups out of it. I will have to go back for more, but it gets expensive like that. I only have a 5 oz. Cup in the morning, or if I am needing that flavor that only a double espresso can offer. Then in the afternoon or early evening I will have a cup of tea.

That is it for tonight’s post. See ya next time.

Shawn