More on Class B Extended Living

"We have a 5th wheel........We are considering a Roadtrek as an adjunct to our fifth wheel since there are a lot of spots in US and Mexico (particularly Yucatan) where a large fifth wheel will not go.......Reed and Elaine"   That's a reader's April 17 comment to my post of February 24, 2015.

We began with the Roadtrek, Reed and Elaine are taking the opposite approach. However, they know where they want to go. When we began our planning we weren't so sure. We wanted real experiences to validate our ideas and assumptions. We also wanted the possibility of setting up "bases" in several places in the U.S. where we could stretch our legs and relax, and use the Roadtrek for the explorations from these places. Because we had a nebulous plan, we really weren't sure of how it would turn out. But we decided the explorations would come first in the Roadtrek. We would learn from our experiences and discover the locations for our bases.

And so it has been. About 18,000 miles later we know where in the Midwest and where in the Southwest we will be. We are no longer tied to our sticks and bricks condo. Our bases provide mild summers and mild winters within short distance of so much to see and do. As one said "Getting there is all the fun" and there are a lot of choices in RVs and we researched just about all of the Class Bs and Cs out there. We decided that most important was to get something that would work for the intended purpose and our intended lifestyle. We wanted a 3-1/2 season exploration vehicle designed for use on paved or gravel roads. We intended to use it to create our future. Because we had so little practical experience we first rented a Sprinter based van and I've published some detailed information about that on my personal blog. However, these are all personal observations viewed from the lenses of our personal intentions.

We never expected to live in the RT for extended periods, although an Alaska trek is on our list of possibilities. Such a trek would require about 6 weeks. Our recent 90 day trek stretched to a 110 day experience which certainly tested our concept. There are "tiny homes" and the Roadtrek is miniscule by comparison. However we are still smiling after that 110 day experience.

On the Road

On the road again. Winter is receding and it is time to return to the Northland. Some of our plans did not come to fruition. We wanted to head east but getting the southwest base setup became more complicated than expected.

Firstly, after 90 days of looking for a "permanent" abode so we could move out of the Roadtrek we found ourselves in the Roadtrek. Secondly, my business travel delayed things a bit. Thirdly, finding a suitable "home" was not easy. We'd been looking at all kinds of rigs for over a year. However, we had great difficulty finding a floor plan and dimensions for the site. We wanted to minimize rear sun load on the rig. That meant no or minimum rear windows.

The most popular 5th wheel floor plan seems to be the front bedroom, center kitchen and rear living with lots of windows. We looked at alternatives including front living and even front kitchens. We decided that opposing slides for the living space would provide the largest living space. But our experiments in living in a TT and visits to many neighbors in the 5th wheels convinced us to keep looking.

Finally, we were in the situation where we either suspend until fall or leap. We decided we didn't want to begin this process all over again in the fall.

Of course, making a decision leads to another series of steps. There would be the the financial stuff, checking out the rig, getting a rig into place and that requires additional coordination, getting all of the accessories including power protection device, fresh water hose, regulator, additional filter and dump hose and fittings. Etc.

It was all a press, and as usual there were some issues to be resolved. Then the mad scramble to pack and head down the road.  There were last minute good-byes and other things to do.

But we did head on down the road (or was it up?).

Setting up the southwest base

We've spent the better part of 90 days attempting to complete the creation of our southwest living base. It hasn't been easy.

However, this week it came to pass. We had the Redwood Cypress put into position on our location. This is something that we began in 2002, declared in 2007 and today 14 years after those tentative steps. we have achieved this goal.

The Redwood is now added to our living possibilities. 

Here is the way it looked a short time ago:

It has been a long journey/

A Former Mining Town Gone Eclectic

What happens to a turn of the century mining town when the mines are depleted and a century passes? I'm talking about a town founded about 1890.

To find out, go to Bisbee, AZ. It is currently a tourist site, includes hippies and other free living spirits. I say that based on some of the people we met and the posters in the windows of some of the artsy shops and other windows. Recently posters included "Vote for Bernie" and "Overthrow the Establishment."

The town promotes itself as having "a thriving art scene."  However, that's merely the tip of the iceberg. I suggest that the visitor look deeper. We did and we found a lot to like and to enjoy.

Frankly I find this "art scene" promotion interesting because the town was founded on the sweat of thousands of hard working copper miners. Today, the hippies sit outside the local mining museum playing their drums and hoping for handouts, while the tourists go into the local museum to discover the hard reality of mining ca 1912. What a change a century can make!

This window sign is one of several which sums up the attitude of some of the local proprietors. However, we found many to be friendly and the service at the restaurant we visited was great as was the food:

We walked past quite a few motel/hotel/BNB establishments. Here is the sign posted in the front door of one at about 5:30pm. I asked G what she thought of this. She said "I wouldn't stay there," The front door was locked and so this signage wasn't tongue in cheek. I've deleted the personal info contained in the original notice:

Not everyone has the same view. Here's one shopkeeper's perspective about shoplifters:

Worth Walking
The town is worth walking from the entry point all the way up to the Copper Miner statue and St. Patrick's Catholic Church. The church has outstanding stained glass. I also suggest taking some of the side streets. On a typical weekend walking is an absolute necessity. Parking is non-existent after 11:00am, so I suggest arriving at the town early and finding a good street parking site. These are free. But do check the posted parking times. If you find yourself in a less desirable spot wait until after 6pm. At that time many people leave the town and parking frees up. However, attempting to find a parking spot on the street at 2pm on a Saturday in late February is just about impossible That observation is based on our experience.

Some parking sites are taken by local vagabonds. Most notably the old Citroen which I understand is home to one of the local residents.

The Local Fly
If you walk and look at some of the buildings,etc. you will notice the reference to a fly.  I guess wherever humans go and dump their garbage or detritus, the flies will thrive. This was apparently the situation in 1912. The consequences live on today. BTW, back in 1912, for $10 one could purchase the equivalent of $240 in goods by 2015 standards. We found the hornets to be more of a concern in 2016. However, they weren't aggressive and didn't bother us.

The Mining Museum, etc. 
If one goes to a former mining town which thrived with tens of thousands of miners, then one should see what this was all about. The mining museum was wonderful. Worth stepping around the hippies at the door. But this is now a service economy, isn't it?

This is called "brass." For more information about it I suggest the reader visit the mining museum. I can say this. When I began working in heavy industrial plants under construction in the late 1960s we used this. I was an engineer. Thanks to the mandates of the US Government, I am also today a registered miner:

There is also a bona fide mine tour, complete with hard hats. One can drive to the nearby open pit copper mine:

Don't Delay 
What we discovered is that there are a lot of hotels in town, but in this "just do it " society a lot of people visit and then decide "Gee, this would be a nice place to spend the night." That's a mistake. Rooms are gone by 6pm.

On arrival in the morning we walked the length of the town, stopped by a place G had checked out on line and at about noon we made our reservation. By 6pm they were full and were turning away visitors. That's Bisbee on a Saturday night.

We decided to stay away from the hubbub of the Copper Queen and the center of town. We prefer to walk into the melee and then walk out. "The Road Less Travelled."

Pleased With Our Decisions
We were pleased with our decisions. We spent the night in a historic 1895 hotel, Had a private fire place to ourselves and the upper party room. All in all, an enjoyable evening.

Various views of the town

Cooking with heat

Tonight's dinner included jalapeno cheeseburgers. WaHoo!

Desert Blooms

Here in the southwest, with the arrival of Spring we are experiencing "desert blooms," It really is amazing. We have cacti, small trees and shrubbery breaking into flowers.

Camper Van Cooking - Expanding Our Options

As anyone with a camper van knows, cooking is limited by the technology and space available. It is also limited by one's skill.

Our Roadtrek 210P included a two burner propane range and a convection-microwave. Certainly sufficient to do a lot of cooking chores. However, we've expanded our options by adding a portable induction burner and a propane gas grill.

The 210P also has a 5 cu. ft. refrigerator/freezer. That is an important thing because we can only cook what we carry with us, unless we go hunting for game.

We've found that by adding some good Lodge cast iron, we can prepare just about anything. When the weather is good, it is also helpful to be able to cook outdoors. This minimizes water vapor, oils, and heat emissions into the interior of the van.

Here are our cooking accoutrements:

• Microwave/convection oven
• Two burner Range
• Propane Grill
• Inductive portable cooktop
• Lodge reversible griddle grill
• Lodge large cast iron skillet with Cub aluminum cover
• Lodge small cast iron skillet
• Small and one-quart saucepans 

We can and do cook just about anything. For example, here is yesterday's dinner menu:

• Stuffed chicken breast
• Roasted asparagus
• Roasted potatoes
• Apple sauce (unsweetened)
• Vanilla ice cream with fresh raspberries. 

We cooked the potatoes after slicing into wedges in a little olive oil, sea salt and parsley. This was all wrapped in two foil packets and placed in a large, covered cast iron skillet on the inductive burner. I alternated the temperature setting between 360F and 390F for an hour. The asparagus was trimmed, put in foil with olive oil and sea salt. It was cooked on "low" on the grill for about 20 minutes. (Note, grills vary. The Coleman I used runs hot). I also put a large feta cheese and spinach stuffed chicken breast in foil. When the asparagus was done I popped the chicken breast in the grill also at low. It cooked for about 30 minutes. While cooking, I put the asparagus still wrapped in foil on top of the grill to keep it warm. To charcoal dutch oven cooks this will seem familiar.

We had a neighbor over for dinner and they thought it was delicious.

Cooking in progress

Ready to serve