cc licensed ( BY NC ND ) flickr photo shared by dinstereo
With returning from Nelson for what my California speaking friends would call “beautifully trippy” time, I am coming to grips soon with next steps in my journey, leading to a departure June 23 for my Road Trip Odyssey.
The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of trips, presentations, conferences, all packaged up neatly now in the box labeled done. Among the things I won’t be doing in the foreseeable future, I have for now done, at least for the next few months:
- my last plane flight trip
- my last conference attendence (and last presentation)
- my last road trip to/from Phoenix
- my last firmly scheduled obligation.
That last one (get it?) is key, as my modus operandi for the road trip is to avoid being pinned to being in a certain place at a certain time. To make this happen, a lot has to happen in the next few weeks.
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by cogdogblog
At least my wheels, Red Dog, is ready (well she does need to go to the mechanic for a pedicure and checkup), now that I have the sexy cap on the back (a smoking deal I found in CA). There is a two pronged effort looming in my 17 days here– both organizing the stuff I need to take with me, and organizing the stuff I am leaving behind, and prepping the CogDogHouse in Strawberry to sit, stay, and behave.
I also have some things to prepare on my StoryBox concept— which is growing more interesting as I mull it over. I will be making a dedicated page here on the blog, as soon as I can toy around with a web interace that will work via the PirateBox to provide some guided prompts for what I hope to collect.
Because I am aiming to go the next 4,5, 6? months with no income coming in, I;ve been offering my place here in Strawberry AZ, 6000 feet elevation in the cool pine forest as vacation rental… if you are interested in an Arizona vacation, within 90 miles of Sedona and 3 hours to the Grand Canyon, contact me– I am only offering it to people I know (which I guess includes all the non-spammers in my social network) at CHEAP rates 😉 Seriously, it will help me to know that people would be here every now and then… then again, while my neighborhood is quiet, my neighbors have already shown they will call me whenever they see un-familiar car or black motorcycle in the driveway.
The whole part of living out of the truck for this time is not a huge deal– I did this extensively in the late 80s doing my Geology field work, but there’s a bit more of managing to sort out these technology things I lacked then. I’ve been ordering power supplies, and tomorrow will start piling all the camping gear out to see what I got.
cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by cogdogblog
I also have plans to be doing some road biking with the super light Trek I picked up in February, but have done almost no riding on it (between travel and the excuse of lack of decent roads here to ride). So part of the routine in the next days is getting out a bit, especially before I meet up with friends on the road expecting I am more Cog than Blog.
But also, I look forward the next 17 days to waking without an alarm clock, and doing some slow time as well, maybe just sitting in the hammock reading (or napping)– once I have done the rest of the clearing and cutting– landscaping projects around the estate. And on the last list, I am wanting to do a camping/kayaking trip next week (Maybe Knoll Lake?) and hoping my buddy Mike comes through with a promise to do a hike to the Verde ruins he knows well. The sadder lasts will be coming up to the last Tuesday night Yoga followed by Beer at Sidewinders and Saturday breakfast at the Randall House with my circle of local friends here.
Yeah, there’s a list of lasts, but nothing really lasts…
cc licensed ( BY NC SD ) flickr photo shared by Tammy Green (aka Zesmerelda)
This sounds wonderful! Hubby and I got in our little Prius and have traveled out west (from SC) for 3 months at a time two times already. We have our little backpacking tent in case we want to camp but also stay at inexpensive motels if we need a shower. We loved getting to meet our online friends in person! I hope this summer to head to Montana and Glacier NP but if we weren’t, I would take you up on your vacation rental! We have great neighbors and a city police dept. that watch our house closely while we are gone. You might notify the police dept. too to put your house on a watch until you get home if no one is there. I have 2 presentations to do in a couple of weeks but hubby is itching to hit the road now! LOL Have a fun and safe trip!
fantastic, alan! road trip, FTW!
and, no cog-pressure at all – hanging out, and maybe a lazy ride to stretch the legs. no worries.