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| Posted for future reference. Stolen from Wirecutter. |
How do you get a vacation from being retired? It relentless. Monday: Retired. Tuesday: Retired. Wednesday: Retired. Thursday: Retired. Friday: Retired. Saturday: Retired. Sunday: Retired.
Rain
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| I took pictures of the drainage around the house to identify those areas that need fill. Most of this stream was hitting the ground 5' away from the foundation. No problem! |
According to the Raindrop app, I received
Four miles south of me has only gotten a trace.
Van-life
One of my younger acquaintances is fantasizing about van-life. He looks at his rent and starts jonesing to be a gypsy.
The smart money would be to rent a moving van for a week. That would cost about $150. Take one day to dress-up the interior. Take it to some concert or "event" or campground that interests you. Stay for five days. Clean it out and return it on the seventh day.
According to the second link in the paragraph just above this one, the top locations for parking a van overnight (with you inside of it) are:
Walmart: Most Walmarts allow vampers. Call the customer service desk. Ask if you can. Then ask where they want you to park.
Cracker Barrel:
Cabela's, Bass Pro Shop:
Planet Fitness and clones: Showers with fluffy towels!!! Need to be a member but it is dirt-cheap for what you get.
Truck Stops: Showers and food and gadgets!!!
General rules: Call ahead. Park in the designated area. Arrive late, i.e. after 7:00 PM. Buy something in the store to make you a legitimate customer, even if it is just a bag of ice. Leave early, i.e. before 7:00 AM. Do not exceed two nights in-a-row in a given place.
Walmart and other companies allow short-term "campers" because their business model caters to outdoorsy people who travel. Key point, "business". You have to represent incremental business and not scare away any regular business. You are going to have to buy food and other supplies somewhere, right? Make sure that your host gets first crack at those dollars.
No loud music, strobe-lights or anything that attracts attention. No peeing in the bushes. No fires. Look presentable (fully dressed) when outside of your van. No visible drinking or weed use. You are supposed to present the look-and-feel of Johnny Tickseed driving from Janesville, WI to a Bluegrass Festival in Baneberry, TN not some "scary" homeless vagrant.
A frat brother bought an old Bond Bread truck and turned it into a camper. Worked out pretty well and we took it all over NW PA. It was terrifying on ice roads.
ReplyDeleteRejected by the USMC he became a C130 pilot for the USAF. Well done Crazy George.
Too lazy to research but IIRC, said U-Haul cost me more than $150 for just two days. Have a battery-powered fan for ventilation and a way to lock the door open a wee bit while avoiding getting locked inside by some ne'er-do-well. Have good shower shoes.
ReplyDelete"Tickseed"? Hmmph! I'll have you know it was an OK place until the GM plant went away. And Dollywood is in Branson, MO. So there! :-)
OT Trivia: Herculaneum, MO was home to the last primary lead smelter in the USA until Obama shut it down in 2013.
https://www.budgettruck.com/truck Lansing pickup-and-dropoff, Sept 8-to-Sept 15, cargo van (no passenger seats or windows), 357 cubic feet. $19.99/day and seventy-nine cents a mile (plus gas if you return it less than full)
DeleteYou, sir, are obviously the better shopper. :-) I could be misremembering.
DeleteWe went with U Haul in Madison WI with a big truck and something like $1.29/mi. I forget the details but remember hyperventilating thinking about the costs. No AC, speed governor, crappy bench seat. It was an ordeal.
Sigh... we got something like 1/8th of an inch about 0400 this morning. And that was in 15 or so minutes... That was the first rain in three weeks!
ReplyDeleteVan living is cheap, but has some hidden costs. Your suggestion that he try it out for a week is a good one, it is not for everyone.
ReplyDeleteA tradesman style van is a good choice if it is reliable and within budget. It will have more room and more privacy. A white tradesman van can be parked in most corporate parking lots without raising suspicion.
On my van, I used a one inch thick piece of plywood cut to size to make my bed, topped by two 4 inch foam blocks normally used to reupholster couches. A good cooler, a small camping stove, and the rest is up to the person. Oh, and a piss bottle, a bleach bottle works well here.
Having a membership to a fitness club is a very good idea, cheapest way to get a good shower that I know of.
Sometimes, just having a viable exit strategy is enough to make a bad situation endurable. At least he would not feel trapped.
DeleteMaybe it could be turned into a "job" promoting specific products: Weber grills, Johnsonville Brats, Ozark Trail gear, Teva sandals.... Set up at 3:00 PM and be very visible and look like you are having the time of your life. Have signage showing aisle the product is on and the price.
You might get invited to camp in Walmart/Bass Pro Shop parking lots or supplied with "promotional" items like food and apparel.