People have asked me, and maybe even some of you may wonder, “So, what are you going to do/where are you going when your house sells?”. The best I can do currently is point northwest and say “I am heading that way”.

It’s the only answer I have. I am always looking at the plus/minus list on my legal pad about a select few potential locations. I will end up somewhere in the Northwest. Nothing definite about where, but I do have some ideas. I might do some travel between some places seasonally and go to many new areas I have yet to explore. Now, I KNOW what you are thinking…“But, how long could that last?“ “How long would you WANT to do that?”. “I would think that you’d miss not having a ‘home’.”.

All legitimate questions, and I even ask myself some of those same questions about the process. There are those of us who start looking at this from a time perspective; I am certainly not in my twenties anymore, and there are things you may need to consider about what you WANT to do vs. what you are ABLE to do. I think about how long I would potentially do it for, and I have seen several videos about the topic. Many miss having those “roots”; I don’t really think about “roots” right now but I do know it will happen at some point. The last four years is the longest I have been in one place since 2012 and I have never really settled in; I did not want to be here in the first place. Non-stop moving has been my lifestyle for a while. I was used to it as a seasonal worker. The problem is probably where I am and not so much as being settled someplace.

Ironically, out of the blue I just had an opportunity for somewhere to live come up in a place I have been near (but not in) that would probably work out great for both parties if we can make it happen. It should not be an issue so I will definitely be pursuing that. I am not sure what the “cheap rent” entails, but I can help fix some things.

Yeah…I know…sounds like the plot of an 80s slasher movie…or a bad porno, doesn’t it? It is neither.

As far as I know. Anyway…

Some people are road dogs for years, while others do it full-time for a while and have been there, had the experience, and ready for the next thing as long as it does not involve travel with “THAT person ever again!!!”. I can understand that, because the human campers/camping/campgrounds have all changed considerably since my childhood vacations. I have done a lot of travel here in the US and I have seen and done quite a bit, from those childhood vacations, to my vacations I have had as I have gotten older, and when I was on the road doing concert work, to my current trips. It is just not the same these days.

It is even different for me as I was always a tent camper. I would wake up maimed if I slept on the ground now. I just can’t do that these days, but admittedly having an RV is a conundrum; it is comfortable, dry, warm, safe(ish) but it is a sort of “sell-out” if you used to be a die-hard tent camper. I just look at it these days as it doesn’t matter how you go about it; those in the outdoors are not sitting at home.

But you gotta be cool. People get crazy in the woods and they forget how to act. No respect for nature or others nearby. Many campgrounds are littered with the noise of generators despite the fact they are not allowed outside of certain hours – if at all. Campgrounds and dispersed campsites in National Forests have become permanent homes and garbage dumps. Some videos I saw said they were just tired of a lot of stuff, but mostly it was the behavior of other people that was a problem – and even concerning in some instances. There are some areas that I know of where there was danger to parking your car there. It is not everywhere but something you should check into at the local ranger station before leaving your car unattended.

That being said, though, I know first hand about the assholes you can run into in the forest so you need thick skin in some instances. Happened to me in Montana five years ago or so and I posted about it in my blog to make others aware. I was pissed off it even happened and the guy got a nice ticket from a Forest Service officer for being an asshole. Both of our weekends were ruined but mine didn’t end up in court.

Yeah, I was nearly in a physical alteration, but I did not give up and quit camping altogether. I DID leave after the confrontation as I did not know what that asshole was going to pull when he came back, especially after I sent the law after him AND he was probably armed. I made a conscious decision to just leave to avoid further bullshit from that arrogant Montana asshat. It is all about your comfort zone.

Honestly, I do not have any set timeline. I just want to go wherever I can while I can. I have given that some thought as well. I mentioned getting rid of my trailer a while back so that is still on the table. If I got a car I could use much less fuel, but the dogs make hotels more expensive unless they stay behind – which will be able to happen.

Hotels are something that I really need to rethink for my domestic road trips. I do not have issues with them in Europe, but in Europe I usually book local hotels. Never a chain unless it is a European chain and only as a last resort. The big chains in the US now are just overpriced generic garbage these days and the last few road trips I took just showed me how crappy they have gotten for more money. I think if I did do road trips with hotels I would seek out the better small mom & pop hotel/motel options and get away from the big chains like I do in Europe. I can save some money while trying to help a small business.

Speaking of Europe, another thing I consider is that I have been all over the US. I have seen a lot. I need to get to VT, NH and ME to bag the last of the 50 states but I also want to see several places in New England and surrounding areas in Canada. Once I do that trip, I don’t really have many more places in the US high on my list to see – but there are a few I want to go back to. I could get rid of my trailer and just fly to Europe, Asia, Australia and even New England. For the price of my trailer payment, extra fuel costs to tow, taxes and registration I could easily get in two trips to Europe a year – maybe three!

As far as missing a “home”, when I think of “home”, domestically (in no particular order except a three-way tie…) it is Colorado, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. It may not be a particular address, but an area or a region I love. I would definitely love to live in Ireland and some other places in Europe and Canada I have been to. When it comes to “roots”, I can only narrow it down to those same places, but being of Irish descent Ireland is probably the most special, most personal place I have ever visited that felt incredibly like it was truly “home”.

Traveling solo also has its issues. Safety in numbers is obviously better, from personal safety to having someone around in case of emergencies. It is also really nice to have someone to talk to & share your travel experiences with and at times you wish someone was there with you to see the mountains on a misty morning, a herd of buffalo storming through your campsite, or a sunrise/sunset on a beach.

It is a lot to consider. Perhaps once I get out traveling and see for myself how things are in “the wild” it won’t be THAT bad. I do know there are issues but I honestly do not think most of it is as dramatic as some of the video titles I have seen (usually it is just drama words for clicks & likes). I find it’s best to do to see for yourself and see how your bullshit tolerance is. Some people are going to overreact in situations that do not need overreaction – only calm thinking.

I have not taken a long trip in this new trailer other than my first trip to two different Missouri State Parks and some weekenders. Making an “open-ended” trailer road trip is a whole different thing than being a Weekend Warrior, and both are different than a normal two-week vacation. You are starting out from Point A.

That is your full itinerary on an “open-ended” trip; you are leaving from “Point A”. The rest? There is none; it is up to you as you go.

The nice thing is that it is really no different than doing hotels on a vacation – except you get more choices of where to stay since you are pulling your house behind you. Want cable TV, a pool and a shower house? Hit a commercial campground. Want an isolated place away from others and a primitive campsite where you can take a shower outdoors watching a gorgeous sunset? Public lands are where you need to be.

Like any trip you take, you also must be tolerant to last-minute things happening. If you have no reservations you could arrive at a full campground, have a flat tire, etc. You have to just stay calm, roll with the problem and do what you can to get things back to normal and continue your trip if possible.

I know many people just cannot travel this way; they like an itinerary with reservations and certainty. I would rather just discover things, planning as little as necessary.

🥶

I woke up to some really cold weather this morning – it was gray, cloudy, breezy and 7° F with a wind chill of -11° F. I knew it was cold when my bare feet hit the front porch concrete when getting fire wood. I have a wheelbarrow I load up with firewood and put it on the porch so it is covered from weather and is close. My fire wood stack is far away from the house; with this being termite country you have to keep it away from everything else made of wood that you do not want eaten. Like, your house.

I am thinking I am gonna just stay home over the next few days. I do not really need anything from the store today and I am sure it is just chaos at all of them. My garage only has one heat vent and it is not really enough to keep it comfortable so keeping the big door shut is very helpful. I do leave the kitchen door open into the garage sometimes to help heat out there but it cools the house down fast when I do that on a really cold day like today. With the garage being cold like it is it brings the outdoors into the house essentially – same problem as shutting heat vents in an unused room in your house. It is insulated but the big door is not. I did go out and hang a couple of blankets on it to have an insulating air pocket.

I have lived in some places with extreme weather and have learned several things that help you and save energy & money. If you are driving in an ice storm and your windshield freezes up, put the sun visors down to help hold the defroster heat against the windshield to keep it melted – especially handy for those who drive Jeeps. In brutal cold like this I will leave all house curtains (and shades in my trailer) closed as insulation. Works in very hot weather too. Any type of barrier or hanging shade covering the outside of your house or inside your windows makes a huge difference – put your hand between the curtain and the glass and see. Yeah, it’s a bit depressing being constantly dark at times but it really makes a huge difference. If I have a blazing fire roaring away and it is pretty warm in the house during the day I will open up the curtains since it is so warm inside and at least get some sunshine inside.

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That is today’s update. Ready for winter to be done.

See you next time!

Shawn