My Journey

Sticky9

Member
Decisions, decisions... the grass is always greener it seems. I don't know if you will ever be content with your decision, but it seems like in this situation it does not have to be a permanent one. Good luck with whatever you choose and thanks for the many years of entertainment and exploration. It may appear that this chapter may be coming to a close, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the book is not quite finished. As I tell my friends and family when I am trying to make life decisions... "I guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out...."
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
This is what i would do and not a suggestion at all. I’d make the cabin my home and base camp. Get it all set up the way i want it. Then put the camper in the barn. Put some money it the Jeep or buy something new that allows sleep accommodations like the Land Rover with a pop top. But I’d base it off a Land Cruiser 80 Series. Then do shorter trips from your base camp. Maybe more climbing. If i didn’t miss the camper after a few months I’d sell it.

I’ll bet the dogs would love having a yard to run free in too. No more leash’s!

Again, thats what I would do and not a suggestion.


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Sierra Valley.....yep I hope that as well.....hopefully we will be back out there.....out there on those "overland expeditions" ?.....

Sticky9.....I think you are correct.....

Ace.....I don't see myself ever selling the truck camper (I love it so much) nor the Jeep (I bought that Jeep for my oldest son when he was 14 years old.....that was several decades ago.....& one day it will go to his daughter).....I do understand that you're saying that is what you'd do.....



And so it was that I continued to put off the next big decision.....

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I chose to leave the camper on the truck.....and I chose to just camp in my driveway.....looking out the window at my tiny cabin.....many days in April the snow fell.....

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And some days it got bitterly cold with temperatures dropping into the single digits.....

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The days turned into weeks.....yet I still decided to live in the truck camper.....despite it being one of the coldest (if not the coldest) April in Montana history.....

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The days I stayed busy with lots of projects.....there's just so many projects to work on here.....I find that working on projects is an excellent substitute for exploring those unknown places.....

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And on those frigid nights.....I dreamed about the past and the future.....

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Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
The last photo, is that a fatbike with a Lauf fork? Maybe an ebike? Got plans for that?

I ride a fat ebike and I can say its an absolute blast to ride.


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sburks737

New member
I cant help but wonder why (as I assume your struggling with it too)?
Why NOT move into the cabin....
Do you like the challenge of staying in the camper? Not I think its a challenge for you but I hope you know what I mean.
Would it be less fulfilling as being out and about all the time?
Dont want to lose the year count of being full time on the road living?
Would it feel like the end of a chapter?

Like many others have stated, whatever you decide to do we all enjoy reading and following along.
 
Ace.....that bicycle does not belong to me.....that bicycle belongs to Iohan Gueorguiev the Bike Wanderer. And that picture simply reflects my dream & his reality. I own a Surly Long Haul Trucker.....I was once a long distance pavement rider.....

sburks737.....great questions and thanks for the lead in.....

THE STREAK !!!!!.....I'd be fibbing if I said that this didn't play a role in my decision making. When it comes to the streak, right or wrong, I'm a purist. Often I read blogs written by people that are staying with friends or relatives, staying in Airbnbs' or such places, and they go on & on about the years they've been on the road. In my mind, right or wrong, I feel like that's cheating. Regarding my travels, I do recall a few nights falling asleep on a friend's couch a few years ago (& I felt like I cheated), maybe I stayed in a hotel once or twice, I don't recall (that too would have been cheating). Anyhow, in my mind, a night in the cabin meant that THE STREAK was definitely over.....but.....

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What I have learned over the years is that THE STREAK is stupid. For some reason we as a society have developed this idea that the longer a person(s) is (are) on the road, the more noble he (she / them) is (are). And it's just not true.....as a matter of fact, it's nonsense. All that really matters, and I stress that this is only my opinion, is that people just get out there and explore. It doesn't matter if it's just for a single night, for a long weekend, or for a few weeks. People who travel long term are not special.....they're no different than anyone else out there with their own dreams.....

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So to let go of THE STREAK would be difficult to do.....as meaningless as it was and is.....I'm obviously a byproduct of what society wants to see am I not ? (.....did I even say that correctly ?).....

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Anyhow, the number one reason for my reluctance is that I fear complacency. Living in the cabin would just be so easy.....it has all the modern conveniences that I could possibly want. My fear is that at this point in my life that I become complacent and I just stagnate in the cabin. I love the cabin so much, I love the location, and I love my mountain views. I love all the projects that keep my mind & body busy. I love letting the dogs run loose all day with never a single worry. I love the hot showers.....morning & night. I love the wildlife here.....the deer, the fox, the prairie dogs, the birds, the waterfowl.....I just love everything about the cabin.....so.....

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As a young man I traveled a lot.....for years & years.....and then I met a woman and I settled down.....and then my dreams seemed to disappear. Decades later I once again have the dreams.....I fear complacency I guess more than anything.....

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ITTOG

Well-known member
Great shots and good luck with your decision. As a competitive person I completely understand your conflict with THE STREAK, even though my reasons for keeping it going are different. I guess the easy thing may be to live in the camper but shower in the cabin, as if it is a local YMCA or truck stop. Would that be cheating? :)
 
I full get the complacancy of getting into the cabin life! Beautiful pics! What mountain range is that? Hope you get back out on the road soon so much to see.
 

fisher205

Explorer
" HE STREAK !!!!!.....I'd be fibbing if I said that this didn't play a role in my decision making. When it comes to the streak, right or wrong, I'm a purist. Often I read blogs written by people that are staying with friends or relatives, staying in Airbnbs' or such places, and they go on & on about the years they've been on the road. In my mind, right or wrong, I feel like that's cheating. "

I remember reading "Travels with Charley" by Steinbeck and being enchanted by it. In the end, I don't think he was in the camper for more than 2 weeks continuously, and a total of only 2 months if all the days were put together. I think you can lighten up on yourself and enjoy your endeavors. Nobody will think you are a poseur and non of us will think the less of you for it.
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
I full-timed for 8.5 years. I “cheated” by checking into a motel now and then mainly to get really clean. Creeks and lakes didn’t cut it after a while. I stayed in a friends house for a few months while recuperating from a mountain bike accident. I also spent a few winters camping in her driveway. None of that would I call cheating.

Why did i quit after 8.5 years? Several reasons. One I liked working on things and building stuff. Hard to do in small RVs. Also got tired of paying people to work on my stuff when I felt I could do better if I had my own shop. I was getting along in age and wanted more comfort.

As for the streak; as the years accumulated I thought I wanted to go 10 years, but one day I said screw that and bought a house with a nice garage/shop. One other significant reason was I came across a small mountain town I really liked. I’ve been living here just over 10 years now. I don’t miss the full time travel at all. But I still get out on overlanding or camping trips several times a year. That fills my travel itch.

One thing I didn’t mention was my reason to go to the full time life. I went through an unwanted divorce in 2000. A few years later I retired and had no place to hang my hat. Travel was cheap then so I bought a 20’ travel trailer and became a “rubber tramp”.

Ace


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ITTOG / Sierra Valley / fisher205 / Ace / sburks737.....I took much too long to get to this post.....my apologies.....



On April 27, 2022 we moved into the cabin.....it was almost surreal.....like a pumpkin in the sky.....

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But it's all good here.....

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We've been trying to get accustomed to the new lifestyle.....

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Trapper is doing better than Tanner and I.....

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I'm a wanderer.....that's just who I am.....

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Every waking moment I'm thinking of getting back out there.....

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tgil

Well-known member
That Trapper Girl! Seems like she's gonna "buck the system" one way or another!
Just because you aren't out wandering, you can still post some pics of the projects you work on until you hit the road again!
I enjoyed your cabin remodel, the landscape work as well as the landscape just you did in prior years.
Sometimes, as I sit at my "9-5", it does me good to take a little break and see what Jerry and "the kids" are up to!

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