My Journey

ITTOG

Well-known member
Man, you have had an interesting life. Thanks for sharing.

That’s why I told him he should write a book. If he just copied this entire thread he’d be half done or more.


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I'd not a book at least a summary of all the places/trips he has been/taken. I hope to do 10% of what Jerry has done.

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80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
ITTOG.....thanks.....

Sitting here this early morning on top of a mountain in Oregon as a huge storm dumps tons of rain, with frequent strong wind gusts.....I feel like I'm in a sailboat in an ocean storm.....unable to sleep.....
Curious as to what mountain you're on. I live in Eastern Oregon and just recently browsed through your "My Journeys" thread. Some good photos and interesting dialog. Also interesting are your travels outside the USA. I got interested seeing the evolution of your travel vehicles and living quarters, starting with the pickup & slide in camper combo, your trial with the 37' Renegade Classic, and return to the pickup/camper setup. I don't travel near as much as you've been doing, but, for just myself, I like my current setup. 2006 'Lance 1055' 11' slide in camper set on a 1997 F350 Crew Cab 4x4 with the 7.3L Powerstroke diesel. I usually flat tow either a '81 Mini pkup or a '94 Land Cruiser. Do you get much dust infiltration into your Northern Lite camper when traveling off pavement? I was really surprised to read that you don't utilize the plumbing in your camper. That, for me, was one of the attractive benefits vs a lower priced setup with out, if living in it full time. The fresh water storage capability alone, is quite an advantage for off grid camping. The dry shower, in my Lance, I'll admit, leaves a little to be desired, but is still better than the wet shower setup that I had in my 1st camper. I'm 64 yrs old, devorced & retired & have toyed with the idea of selling everything and living full time on the road. I need to take the time to calculate if it would be feasible with my limited income and also if it would be a lifestyle that I could handle. Reading through your experiences has shed some light on that and I thank you for the time & effort you've taken to put in this forum for others to benefit from. If you're ever in the John Day, OR area or plan to be, PM me. I'm not a dog owner, but I usually get along with well behaved pets. They have characters all their own.
 
First off I wanted to say thank you for the positive feedback on the last posts. I've often wanted to share some of those old trip pictures but was concerned as to how they might be received. PNWY opened the crack in the door and I saw my opportunity. I sure hope he will be doing a trip report on his upcoming South American travels. Maybe some day I'll post some more older stuff that I think you all might enjoy. My favorites are my first trip.....18 years old hitchhiking from Washington DC to Miami and flying to Caracas, Venezuela, and then bumming around South America, a few years later a stint in the Peace Corps working in the Amazon jungles with the Shuar Indians, and last, Alaska in the mid 70's, driving the ALCAN Highway when it truly was a risky endeavor, living in a homestead cabin, and then working out of helicopters while living in the Alaskan bush.....yep, those would be my top 3....."those were the days my friends".....

80t0ylc.....that sounds like a perfect rig for Central America.....you should think about it. Dust has not been an issue for me but moisture has. My guess is that this unit is so airtight that it's not releasing the moisture. I've not done real well with the full time in an RV lifestyle. I enjoy digging in the dirt (gardening), and sometimes a recliner and a remote control in my hand. Too much of anything can be a problem. Also, I was camped at the trailhead for the Pacific Coast Trail so technically not on a "mountain peak" but certainly on the ridge.....

We continued east along Highway 22, eventually merging onto Highway 20 and after not a whole lot of driving we stopped at the trailhead for the 2,659 mile long Pacific Coast Trail. The weather, which still had yet to be described as fair, deteriorated quickly. We stayed here for a few days.....a nice parking lot and fast internet.....nice spot to wait out the inclement weather.....and finish another travel book found at a used bookstore.....

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Cabin fever hit me on the second day so I put on the rain gear and Tanner and I hit the trail. Yukon stuck her head out the camper door, turned around and jumped into the bed.....obviously she's the one with the brains.....

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But it was a good hike as we passed deep into the forest, away from the sounds of the passing traffic along the highway. Soon we hiked into the Mount Jefferson Wilderness Area.....

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Now all we could hear were the Ravens.....there were lots of Ravens but for just a short stretch. Then it was quiet, and I mean really, really quite. I could hear the rain dripping from the leaves, my breathing, a slight breeze through the trees, and occasionally me saying "good dog Tanner".....you've got to love the wilderness areas. I think just the name makes you look deeper.....

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I saw this sign which intrigued me, so we veered left just curious as to what lay ahead.....

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There was a small lake to the right.....I wondered if this was Santiam Lake ?

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Further along a larger lake on the left.....

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We hiked for 4 hours that rainy afternoon.....

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That evening the lifting clouds revealed Mount Washington nearby.....

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And that night it poured and the winds howled.....
 

80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
.....80t0ylc.....that sounds like a perfect rig for Central America.....you should think about it. Dust has not been an issue for me but moisture has. My guess is that this unit is so airtight that it's not releasing the moisture. I've not done real well with the full time in an RV lifestyle. I enjoy digging in the dirt (gardening), and sometimes a recliner and a remote control in my hand. Too much of anything can be a problem. Also, I was camped at the trailhead for the Pacific Coast Trail so technically not on a "mountain peak" but certainly on the ridge.....

We continued east along Highway 22, eventually merging onto Highway 20 and after not a whole lot of driving we stopped at the trailhead for the 2,659 mile long Pacific Coast Trail. The weather, which still had yet to be described as fair, deteriorated quickly. We stayed here for a few days.....a nice parking lot and fast internet.....nice spot to wait out the inclement weather.....and finish another travel book found at a used bookstore.....

And that night it poured and the winds howled.....
Yeah, I'd like to travel around Central America, but I'd need Venezuelan fuel prices and somehow get a camper & towed rig through Mexico...lol. I agree that the lack of ventilation is what is behind your moisture problem. I have a Fantastic Fan (brand name) in my Lance. Something like that might help, but I wouldn't run it while traveling on an unpaved road. You need to crack some windows and it draws air through the slightly open windows and out the roof. You can imagine what that would do in dusty conditions, which is why I haven't used mine in that situation.

Edit: Been thinking about your Central America suggestion & one thing I need to mention about my Lance - the water system is sealed and heated by the camper's furnace and really designed for cold weather camping. It has an A/C unit, but I'm not sure how well it would do in the tropics like Central America. The A/C needs either hook ups or my generator to cool the camper. Hot nights without A/C would take some getting used to for this "used to 4 seasons" retired ol' fart...lol
 
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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
My Trip to Columbia i did a bad job updating. Ended up just a few pictures and links to my brothers blog, and FB album. Ill do a better job, for this trip.

I think we are all glad that door was opened and you shared that, thank you! Sounds like an amazing life thus far! Im pretty sure we are all ok with you sharing anything you are comfortable sharing. I know I appreciated it, and added a few things to my list. I have a long way to go to be that exciting, but am doing my best: I figure as a single guy with out a family i may enjoy it as long as I can.

Safe Travels and Happy Trails!
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
My Trip to Columbia i did a bad job updating. Ended up just a few pictures and links to my brothers blog, and FB album. Ill do a better job, for this trip.

I think we are all glad that door was opened and you shared that, thank you! Sounds like an amazing life thus far! Im pretty sure we are all ok with you sharing anything you are comfortable sharing. I know I appreciated it, and added a few things to my list. I have a long way to go to be that exciting, but am doing my best: I figure as a single guy with out a family i may enjoy it as long as I can.

Safe Travels and Happy Trails!

I spent 8.5 years full timing and was single (divorced) and happily retired. Finally got tired of the road and settled down in Cedaredge, CO six years ago.

Ace


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80t0ylc

Hill & Gully Rider
I spent 8.5 years full timing and was single (divorced) and happily retired. Finally got tired of the road and settled down in Cedaredge, CO six years ago.

Ace


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What did you do with the stuff you didn't sell and wanted to keep, but couldn't carry, while you were full timing? Like tools, for example, drill press, power & table saws & I'm sure other stuff? 8+ yrs is a fair amount of time. I wonder if Jerry ever plans to settle down......for a while, anyway? But, I don't imagine that it will be permanent, once you've lived on the road & have that "in your blood", I'm guessing you'd easily get bored of staying put after a while.
 
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Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
What did you do with the stuff you didn't sell and wanted to keep, but couldn't carry, while you were full timing? Like tools, for example, drill press, power & table saws & I'm sure other stuff? 8+ yrs is a fair amount of time. I wonder if Jerry ever plans to settle down for a while, anyway? But, I don't imagine that it will be permanent, once you've lived on the road & have that "in your blood", I'm guessing you'd easily get bored of staying put after a while.

I had a good sized storage rental for stuff I couldn’t part with but sold a bunch of things before leaving. After settling down I did not stop traveling as you well know. But let’s get back to Jerry’s Journey.


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80t0ylc.....I'd like to settle down again but I just haven't found the right place for me. Always searching.....

Sticky9.....Peru is such a beautiful country blessed with some of the best mountain peaks in the world. The people are so welcoming, the thought of the local foods make my mouth water, and their culture is supreme. I hope you'll post your trip report here. Several years ago I trekked in Nepal and posted here and it was well received. Safe travels.....

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Day One of Year Two
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26 degrees this morning.....pushing us south....

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After a restless night in the camper, the clouds began to lift and the winds began to subside.....

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But it wouldn't last......So we drove east descending the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain Range searching for the good weather and a mountain to climb. Black Butte (6,436') would be our next mountain summit.....

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Once we descended the Cascade Mountain Range, everything changed. The Cascades seem to hold the clouds from moving further east, and they seem to just hover over that last ridge. I was pleased to have moved on. As you can see in this trail picture as we ascend Black Butte, not so green on this side of the range.....

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The fire tower on this summit was manned. The summit was engulfed in clouds as we summited.....

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Within 10 minutes most of the cloud cover blew to the east and the views were quite nice.....

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I hadn't even noticed this old fire tower until the clouds moved on. This thing was pretty amazing. A nearby sign said that it was the original fire tower which was constructed in 1924 and was vacated in 1979.....

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Somewhere deep in this forest we spent another night.....

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We camped along a small creek.....the fall colors.....

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This forest spoke to me.....
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
Can’t believe a wooden fire tower still in use. Thought they were all replaced with steel, especially so if rebuilt in 1979.


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Ace.....I too was surprised to see someone in there. I thought that I'd read that it was considered unsafe but I'm 100 % positive that it was occupied.....

That evening (and the next morning) we walked into the forest following the meandering banks of the unnamed creek. The fall colors pulled me deep, deep into the forest.....

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We bushwacked our way upstream, knowing that the stream would lead us back when the time came.....

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Larger trees flanked the open spaces as we expanded our explorations.....

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The open spaces were filled with recent signs of elk.....

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No doubt in my mind.....Tanner loved this forest as much as I.....

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