Well, my truck went in the body shop Monday. I hope to have it back by the end of next week if not sooner but I am not sure if that will happen since they have seemed to get a late start on really tearing into it. I think they might have gotten partway into it and found more damage so they had to wait for the adjuster. This body shop is an “authorized” shop for my insurance company so they work closely together and the adjuster has the power to move things quicker.

The local adjuster called me yesterday morning about my truck. He was at the body shop to see the damage and said they were working on getting the rest of the front end taken apart to get a better idea of the damage. I pointed out a few concerns I had and he took notes and even took a look and verified one thing that I was seeing. He said that they will be checking the frame to make sure that everything is straight to determine if what we both saw is a factory flaw or accident damage. I should hear back from him on Monday to let me know what the final claim will entail. I really have no idea how it will turn out.

I got my rental car and I ended up with a dark charcoal gray Hyundai Elantra. Not really a bad car from a driving standpoint, especially getting nearly 44 MPG on the way to & from my doctor appointment. It rides pretty good, handles great, and definitely has plenty of power. But, it is not a car I would buy; kinda noisy, too low to the ground, and it’s ugly inside and out. I have driven trucks and SUVs for the last many years so I am not used to having to climb up out of a vehicle these days. Another thing is with all the trucks & SUVs on the highways nowadays, I would be somewhat concerned about the safety driving a smaller car on the highway. However, it beats walking.

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I have to replace a lock on my trailer pass-through storage compartment. On the way up from Kansas a key broke off in one of the locks so I could not lock it and at one point the core came out of the latch. I can keep it shut with the thumb latch on the other end but I could not securely lock it. It is where my set-up, water, sewer, and electrical gear is as well as my flat top griddle. Luckily, I have not been able to go anywhere to get stuff stolen.

I was really hoping they would be in the mail today but no such luck so maybe tomorrow (USPS Tracking just sucks). I ordered four lock cores that are a more secure style than the factory ones. I figured if I am replacing one I might as well do all of them with better lock cores. Granted, if someone wants in they will get in, but these will slow someone down & help with a bit more peace of mind.

I got the bedding out of the trailer washed & folded. With Meghan being gone I am not in much of a hurry to put it all back together since I won’t be in it until she is back – which may be a few weeks – so I have plenty of time. I have been getting in the trailer more to do keep up on the dusting, wiping & cleaning (a lot of dust & ash from having the windows open plus a little dog hair) and that’s after sorting & taking more stuff to storage. When I left KS I had to bring the last-minute important things I could not leave behind; things I may or may NOT need access to easily. I also had bulk items like bars of soap, toothpaste & toothbrushes and deodorant that I usually buy a year’s worth of – always gonna need it. I have gotten quite a bit out actually and it is really freeing up space. I figure with the cooler weather I won’t need to worry so much about the heat.

I find it is like backpack travel – always looking at what is packed and what else I can leave behind, eventually clearing out until you get a mostly empty backpack. I do know that my truck is much smaller than the Avalanche so alot of that stuff has been gone through and either tossed or put into storage as well. It’s kinda like when you move – you come across a plethora of items you have not seen, or missed, for five years or more. You think about the real necessity of keeping stuff.

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Finally made sure all was ready to get my new phone turned on yesterday and the old one reset, wiped and ready to get cell service. I took a few extra days to just make sure – wiping all the info off my phone is always somewhat daunting that brings me hesitation. I had two backups of the old phone and I did a transfer directly to my new phone so I felt good about proceeding after getting the number ported to the new one.

In chatting with US Mobile to switch phones, I told the guy I was going to use the old phone for travel and he gave me some ideas about service plans & options. I am trying to avoid paying for two of the top plan lines since the one phone is going to be only used for international travel (or if I even THINK I will be going international) but mostly turned off. I want to save money and I think it will be more affordable than I originally thought. I still have my second number – it is kept in my account until I want it gone. I am glad since I already have that number used on a few websites and for business & account calls. It’ll be handy for selling on Craigslist too. He gave me a really low-priced option ($8/mo) with little data/text/voice but I would have to buy roaming for international travel and probably more data when not near wifi (which is most everywhere in Europe I went and on trains). No matter the plan I choose I can put it on “stand-by” for $2.99/mo and keep my number. That is REALLY cheap. Then when I am going out of the country I contact them and turn it back on for the month or so. I’ll crunch the numbers ovwer the next week and find the best option.

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I have recently started giving some thought to my living situation; or, more appropriately, lack thereof. With food & gas prices like they are (and will probaby be for the long run), it may curtail my ambitious road trip travels a little. Fuel for even a short trip would be expensive – I know from driving up here from Kansas in March. Real life happens and travel plans can change so you have to adapt. Honestly, that money may be better spent a different way; traveling solo obviously means no one to help me with expenses and traveling in the west is definitely more expensive. So, I have begun pondering finding someplace to buy. With the economy sucking so badly and the interest rates being high, I think I might be in a good position to score a place for a really good price. I do not need or want big or fancy – I’d rather save money for other things like travel – but I don’t want someone else’s problems or want to do a lot of work (I just got out of that nonsense). Plus, since 2012 I have lived in some pretty “inter which leads to the challenge of affordability, but there’s certain criteria that are non-negotiable. Of course, I may have to become a little more flexible because bottom line is that I gotta live someplace that I can afford. I have three potential places right now.

There’s other things to consider as well, and the biggest one is probably financial. I look at various things – is there tax on retirment money? What about state income taxes, sales tax, or property taxes – infrastructure has to be paid for somehow. The tax/financial laws are literally all over the place in differing combinations and each state is different so you really need to do your research to see what the best option is for your circumstances. I also consider the politics of some place I might want to be. There is weather & climate – I don’t want desert heat but not much for cold weather these days either. Maybe you want nightlife or movie theaters. Groceries are usually more expensive in certain areas due to delivery costs. Once you figure out several options then you have to look at what requirements you can be flexible on. Some things for me are hard to compromise on, but the main thing these days is affordability and good healthcare.

It’s a little disappointing to have to cut back on my long-anticipated road trip but it’s okay in the long run, and that is very important. You always have to be flexible in life and do your best if things change.

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I have some stuff to figure out and get after it. Thanks for reading my blog. See you next time.

Shawn