Summer With An Aircard

Rae — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:32:48 +0000

The internet is down again in the Yukon, and will be down for an indeterminate period of time. Obviously, you don’t see me whining about it, and I am trying really hard to feel sympathy for the poor souls dependent on Northwestel.

I discovered yesterday that there is a port on my aircard for an amplifier, which means that I could have possibly had even better service this summer! As it is, I can’t complain. Yes, my connection is slow and occasionally drops, but I’ve been without service a matter of hours only this summer and the only things I haven’t been able to do easily are stream video and download large files. I will look into getting a booster when I head south since they can apparently increase my coverage.

After a couple of months on the 2GB plan, I decided to just go all out and pay for the 5GB even though I’ve only ever used at most 2.5GB. I’m sure that if I had more speed that let me download more, I’d be able to max out the 5GB, but for now it’s nice to be able to just surf and not have to worry about my usage. The difference between the 2 and 5GB plan is a fraction of the cost of going over by 500mb every month, so paying for the extra GB is worth my while. I intend to continue my service in the upcoming months, never wanting to be reliant on park wi-fi ever again!

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Dawson Countdown

Rae — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 05:36:23 +0000

I had The Talk with management this week about next summer and thankfully we are exactly on the same page. It was understood from the get go that I would probably not be coming back to Dawson next year, but if I did I would have a job of some sort.

Not coming back to Dawson?

I have absolutely no reason to. I’ve explored the area around here extensively. What I have left to explore would be best done from the more central location of Whitehorse. I’d like to see more of Alaska, drive the Campbell Highway, and tour the Silver Trail, for starters! Much as I dislike Whitehorse, there is no room in this life for sentimental attachments to locations. And in cold hard numbers, not coming back to Dawson means $500 in gas money in my pocket, money that I could apply to taking Miranda with me on some trips next year.

So, I’m leaving Dawson in a week! I cannot believe I’m down to exactly seven days left. It’s boggling, but I’m not in race mode. I’d like to go back to the Drunken Goat if I can, and, of course, Gerties, but otherwise I don’t feel like I’ll be leaving anything undone. My focus is on getting Miranda travel ready.

I will always have a home in Dawson and it is a place I look forward to coming back to several years from now, perhaps with my nephews and niece in tow. I leave with doors wide open and bridges intact, with fond memories of sweet ice cream and panoramic views, and without being thoroughly fed up with the limitations of services at the end of the world. It’s a great way to go.

The big question now is how am I going to manage my mail from next month onwards. I have a few phone calls to make to Whitehorse and I may end up having my mail held for months in some sort of limbo. I really saw these past two summers that I don’t get much mail worth paying attention to, so that may end up being the cheapest and easiest solution.

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Yet Another Disappearance On Highway 16

Rae — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 23:50:01 +0000

Two months after the still unresolved disappearance of RVers Lyle and Marie Ann McCann, another person, May Milling of Gibons, BC, has disappeared on the same stretch of highway.

I’m planning on going through there on my way south later this month and have no intention of changing my plans, but enough has gone on in that area, that I will be especially vigilant even if I do not fit the profile (being elderly) of those who have gone missing. This will mean being discrete when speaking with people, leaving a paper trail, and only stopping and overnighting in populated locations.

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Troubleshooting RV Problems

Rae — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 21:44:37 +0000

This summer, I’ve felt confident enough in my RVing abilities to troubleshoot problems with other rigs. It’s nice to be able to pay forward all the help I received in my first months of RVing and to educate new RVers. RVs vary greatly, but I discovered that some causes of problems are universal and that most of these problems are minor if they are a problem at all. For example:

Black Tank Does Not Drain

Assumed cause: valve broken

Assumed solution: replace valve

Real cause: Solid waste impaction (black cone of death)

Real solution: Water. Lots of it. And driving around.

This was a rental rig and I suspected that it might have come with a black cone of death, as Miranda did, since the tiniest trickle of black water came out of the tank.

I closed the black valve, went into the rig and filled the black tank to the rim with water. Within minutes, the water level had gone down. This confirmed that there was a mess of solid waste plugging the valve. This waste absorbed the water. I told the couple to top of the tank with water again and to check the tank after driving around a bit. If the water had gone down again, they were to add water and then repeat the exercise until the water did not recede. Only then should they attempt to empty the black tank.

The next day, they called to let me know that the problem was solved. I then gave them my tips for managing the black tank.

No Hot Water

Assumed problem: water heater is broken

Assumed solution: sue the RV rental company

Real problem: there isn’t one

Real solution: explain that the RV heater won’t kick on when the water tank is full of hot water! Plus, it needs 12V power to work. See next problem.

Furnace Blowing Cold Air

Assumed problem: propane not flowing from the tank/broken propane system

Assumed solution: sue RV company

Real problem: discharged batteries

Real solution: plug in RV and educate about how long one can expect to boondock on a single 12V battery (hint: it’s less than four days). Also prove that the propane system is working fine by turning on all three burners at once.

Water Hose Leaking At Connection

Assumed problem: RV park hookup is missing an O-ring

Assumed solution: demand a refund from RV park and go somewhere else

Real problem: none, leaky connections are pretty much a fact of life, which is why teflon was invented

Real solution: add teflon to threads

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Directions, of a Sort

Rae — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:13:05 +0000

Tonight, I was invited to a BBQ at a friend’s who has property near the RV park. This is what I had to go with to get there:

The area circled several times was my target. Surprisingly enough, I found it.

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Pecuniary Shyness, or This is Real Life!

Rae — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:48:57 +0000

Some RVers like to talk at great length about their finances, to the point of splashing out for all to see their balance sheets. I made a decision early on to gloss over this topic because I realised early on that full-time RVing is real life. Let me repeat that: full-time RVing is a lifestyle choice, not a perpetual vacation. Everyone’s reality and circumstances are different. I don’t see any value in going into any sort of detail about my financial portrait.

This issue has come up several times over the past few days. I’ve had someone comment that I ‘owed’ it to other RVers to explain how I get by day to day financially so that they could emulate me (!). Another person was appalled that I ‘steal’ from the thrift and free stores since I’m obviously well off, with a ‘nice motorhome and recent model car.’ Another doesn’t get the difference between being ‘tight’ (choosing not to do or buy certain things in order to do or buy other things) and being ‘broke’ (not being able to do or buy anything). If I lived a mainstream life, no one would expect me to pull out my balance sheet, they would understand how someone my age living in her own home and driving a recent model car might need to be frugal in other areas of her life, and they’d understand that not being able to do it ‘all’ is normal!

So far, the financials of my RVing life have been very cyclical. I have had periods with good cashflow and periods with bad cashflow. During the good periods I get caught up and during bad periods I try not to get behind. The goal is, of course, to balance out these periods and provide a steadier cashflow instead of one with gigantic negative and positive peaks. This summer was my first taste of this ideal cashflow vision and it has been lovely, but I am now heading back into squirrel mode, especially since I have a couple of big expenses coming up.

One thing to keep in mind is that I’m single with only cats as my dependents. That gives me a lot of freedom in how I choose to allocate my money. Once the bills are paid and I’ve put money away for retirement and emergencies, there is no one to care if I decide to buy a new toy and eat beans for a month. But if I were to put all of this on a balance sheet for the world to say, I’d have to erase a lot of comments from people with different priorities and values who think they have a right to tell me how I should be managing things. I might as well save them the trouble.

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Cat Food Heart Attack

Rae — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 07:12:25 +0000

I misjudged how much cat food I was going to need to finish off the season and found myself having to buy a bag here in Dawson. The best place to buy pet supplies is the Home Hardware, so that’s where I went. They carry the small bags of Whiskas, the food my cats eat.

Whiskas comes in three sizes. The small bag is normally about $7, the medium bag about $12, and the big bag about $20. I usually have several medium bags on hand, bought for $10 or less with coupons.

In Dawson, the small bag sells for $15!!! To my horror, I actually heard myself say out loud in front of staff “It’s no wonder I stock up in Whitehorse!”

This is obviously a necessary product; letting your cat starve is not an option! So, I have to wonder if that’s why the price is jacked up so high. I understand the logistics behind getting things here, but pricing up here really does not seem to have any rhyme or reason.

I have to say that much as I love Dawson the appalling grocery situation here is starting to wear on my nerves, especially after seeing how smaller towns in the Northwest Territories have proper grocery stores. I’m really looking forward to replenishing the larder in Whitehorse!

(I’m just grateful I won’t have to buy propane in Dawson this year.)

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Two Years on the Road

Rae — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:40:59 +0000

So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key. (the Eagles)

Two years on the road…

I think that if anyone knew the full story of some of the things that have happened over the past twenty-four months, they would be shocked that I have made it this far. I have survived bad employers, negative cash flow, a life threatening incident, and crushing loneliness. Why do I continue to persevere at making this life work when it is obviously so difficult?

Because it gets better every day. Because it lets me see wonderful places and meet amazing people. Because it does not leave time for boredom. Because it constantly challenges me. Because it has so much to teach. Because it gives me something to share. Because it is my calling; this is without a doubt what I am supposed to be doing with my one wild and precious life.

I thought that my second year on the road would be much more sedate than the first, but this was most certainly not the case! It started with a literal bang (of brake components failing) that taught me to slow down and be more present, paused on an island where I did my interior, took me back to the Klondike and past the Arctic Circle, before circling back to the beginning. I finally got my internet independence, made some serious progress in self-employment (the biggest of which still can’t be revealed!), and became a seasoned RVer.

My goals for year three are both general (to continue this upward trend) and specific (to add at least two more states to my list). Otherwise, I’m happy to see where the road will lead me now that I have checked so many of my expectations.

Thank you, once again, to all my wonderful readers, from those who have been with me from the start to those I picked up along the way.

Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.

and

You cannot dream yourself into a character: you must hammer and forge yourself into one.

(Henry David Thoreau)

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Detachment

Rae — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:43:37 +0000

I’m leaving Dawson in less than two weeks. I’ve had an okay summer this year, but I still love this town and am glad that I have had a chance to know it so well. That said, my feelings about my imminent departure are completely different from last year. In fact, this is the first time I’m going to leave a place without having my departure panic attack. I didn’t really get settled in this year and I’ve stopped thinking of this stop as a destination, as an event with a beginning and an end. It seems that sometime between leaving Campbell River and the last couple of weeks, my RVing life began to find a continuity of its own, with routines that carry over whether I’m stopped or traveling.

Financially, the summer was a blessing and going back to financial incertitude is going to be tough, but I actually managed to do a solid job of replenishing the coffers. I’ll do fine for myself well into the fall even if I don’t find a job in Osoyoos, although I have decided to look for something part-time. I have enough set aside to actually travel back south and I’m giving myself a full sixteen days to do so. My itinerary is a bit bold and I may chicken out about one section, but I look forward to an even longer period of boondocking while being able to work every night.

My fall plans are slowly coming together. I have decided to fly to Montreal at the beginning of November for a week to see my family, something that will be made possible since I’ll have a rig and cat sitter available to me. My sister had a baby on September 1st, my first niece, so it will be nice to see her and my two nephews. I’m pretty sure the youngest one doesn’t remember me!

Besides that, I have a writing project to complete and I also need to work on things related to that announcement I’m not yet ready to make. I’d also like to continue with the renovating and decorating, although I will have to be extremely frugal in all areas of my life so as to stretch my savings as far as possible. I’m committed to being in Osoyoos until December and have not made plans beyond that.

So, that’s the latest status update. Nothing too exciting, but things are going to pick up soon.

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Waiting on a New Computer

Rae — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:53:57 +0000

Purchasing a new main computer was not on my list of priorities for 2010. I was going to start considering it in 2011 and buy late in that year, or early in 2012. After all, I bought a brand new 24″ iMac in 2007, a computer I expected to serve me well for at least four years, which I then supplemented with a good notebook.

Without going into all the details, my iMac is slowing down; the fan went on the notebook needs replacing; having a notebook and a desktop computer and an iPod Touch is redundant; I finally conceded that a desktop computer does not fit in with my vision of the ideal RVing life; and my dream computer fell into my lap, albeit under sad circumstances.

So, here’s Angus, which should arrive within the week:

2009 17″ Macbook Pro

Going from a 24″ to a 17″ screen is probably going to be a shock, and the trackpad is going be an adjustment, but otherwise the change is a major upgrade and is especially sweet since I would never have been able to justify the purchase of 17″ model under any other circumstances.

This week, I’ve cleared the Powerbook and put it up on eBay and I’m now working at tidying up the iMac to make the transfer easier. I don’t want to use Migration Assistant since the iMac is experiencing some conflicts, so I’m making lists to aid in the manual transfer of files, apps, and preferences. I can’t believe how messy and cluttered the iMac is! I have gotten sloppy in my digital filing since moving to Macs since they have such a good search function.

Once everything is moved over to the Macbook Pro, I’ll clear out the iMac and put it up for sale. If I manage to sell both the iMac and the Powerbook, I should recoup at least two thirds of the cost of purchasing the Macbook Pro, which would definitely reduce the hit on my budget.

It’s going to be awesome to RV my way south this fall with my primary computer accessible at all times and internet access wherever there is cell service!

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