Enjoying the weekend with wild horses?

How often do you have the chance to spend the weekend in a community with no electric lines running to it?  We did this weekend.  We had the opportunity to attend a Cold Creek, NV community potluck.  Great food, great people and great fun!

Wild horses near Cold Creek, NV

On our way to Cold Creek, which is located just a half hour from our site in Indian Springs, we passed by a few wild horses along the road.  It is nice to know that there are a few animals left in the United States untouched by human hands. 

Crystal clear Cold Creek

All of the houses there get their power from either solar panels or generators.  (Most homes use the solar panel option)  The friends that invited us have 12 solar panels connected to a pack of 24 batteries in their basement.   They have a wood stove which supplies both heat and a cooking surface during the winter months.  It really is an impressive operation.  He is 81 years old and his wife in 71, but they still act like they are in their 50's. 

No electric lines here in Cold Creek, NV

Cold Creek is quickly becoming one of our favorite places to stay.  He were able to test out our new "old" truck camper, and it preformed flawlessly.  (Ok, maybe the mattress could have been more comfortable but nevertheless it was a great time.  We will get a egg cartoon cushion and fix that!)    Get out and enjoy the outdoors this weekend!  Happy Trails everyone!

Before and After Pictures of Our New ‘old’ Truck Camper

Last week I mentioned that we had the opportunity to buy a 30 year old truck camper.   We wanted to move up a step from camping out of the back of our pickup’s shell.  To be honest it looked a lot like what you might imagine a 30 year old camper would.  However, my wife has a talent for transforming the look of the inside of RV’s. 

 

The first pictures are from the advertisement that was posted on craigslist.  It is what got our attention.  To be honest with you everything was in pretty good shape on the inside, it was just that nothing seemed to match. 

The first couple of days were spent CLEANING!  It had gathered a bit of dust over the past month (maybe years) or so.  After that, we washed all curtains.  My wife bought new curtains for some of the formally ‘naked’ windows, and fabric to cover the couch cushions.  She bought a few cans of spray paint to tone down the bright red of the Craftsman toolbox that had been installed over the summer according to the previous owner. 

The pictures below are the final outcome of all of the hard work.  We think that it looks much better now.  I have decided to keep it on my truck at all times, as it has had no effect on my gas mileage.  This enables us to go do some greendocking (boondocking while going green) whenever we have a little free time. 

We hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather!  Happy Trails!

A New Toy to Play With!

For those of you that have been following our blog for awhile now, I am sure that you have noticed that we are not writing it daily like we used to do.  We are back working again full time as teachers.  The first few weeks of school are extremely busy and it takes a little time to get into a good working routine.  Still we are not the kind of people that like to just sit around the house watching TV.  As you could tell from our summer exploits, we love to be out of the house.  We decided to start a new project last weekend.  We bought ourselves a 1981 pop-up truck camper.  We have been working on it ever since.

As many of you know, we spent a full month over the summer camping out of the back of our truck.  We had a small shell over the bed and made it work as a camper.  It worked fine and gave us much better gas mileage.  However, I am over 50 years old now and it is not as easy as it used to be getting in and out of the bed of a pickup.  During our summer exploits, we talked a lot about buying a truck camper as soon as we could.  Over Labor Day, we found just what we had been looking for in a truck camper.  It is a fixer upper with the potential for greatness. 

In the coming days we will post the ‘before and after’ pictures of "The Project".  Our youngest daughter is coming here for what could amount to a fairly long visit (possibly 3 months) and we don't want to post any pictures of her "new home" until it is finished.  If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't have bothered fixing it up.  I would have just accepted it 'as is'.  However, my wife is quite an interior decorator and couldn't wait to get it back on our lot so that  she could get to work.  Before she began her tasks, I made sure that we had the inside of the beast working well.  The new deep cycle battery, 10 gallon fresh water tank, propane tank, sink, stove and bicycle rack were all checked before we bolted it onto the back of the truck.  It may look like a 30 year old camper on the outside but the inside should look much better soon. 

 More on this later!  Happy Trails!

How That New Movie Coming Out Could Effect Your Life...

Imagine if you will, a virus so infectious that it can quickly travel around the world several times in one week.  By that time, millions and millions of people have become infected.   The world as we know it would no longer exist.  It sounds like a movie script doesn't it.  I have seen clips of a new movie coming out later in the month called, "Contagion".   It is based on this premise.   It is one that I definitely would like to see. 

Have you ever consider what your plan of action would be in this scenario?  How likely is it that something like this could occur?  Do you know of an isolated place where you can take your family for up to 90 days before the virus would have a chance to burn itself out?  These are good questions.   Again I hope that I do not ever have live through a situation like this  However, I have at least thought about it and feel that I would be able to handle it better because of this.  In today's blog I want write out my own answers to these questions, in hopes that others can possibly learn from my responses. 

The first part of my action plan was find a safe, isolated place for my family to rendezvous.  The spot that I have selected is miles away from a paved road.  However, it has some of the basic elements needed for survival.  This spot is located near an underground spring.  The spring creates a little stream through the desert.  All along the stream are abundant plant life, and many animals use it as their watering hole.  It makes it a perfect location to be able to hunt and trap small game.  In terms of plant life, cattails are plentiful at that location.  There are many parts of a cattail that can be eaten to provide many of the necessary nutrients to sustain life.  There are huge hardwood tress in the area which will be perfect for making shelter and providing firewood for warmth.  It is so remote that few people even know where it is and so difficult to reach that most would not want to try.  In this sort of a scenario, isolation from the masses will be key. 

The second question from the 2nd paragraph asks, "How likely is it that something like this could occur?"  About once every 100 years or so, a mutant virus comes along that humans have not seen before and therefore do not have the necessary antibodies to fight it off.  These types of viruses are even worst today since travel between nations is so common.  You could argue that these virus can travel as fast as the speed of an airplane.  Mother nature has been responsible for the past outbreaks, for example the Black Death of 1348 or more recently the virus known as H1N1.  Fortunately for everyone the H1N1 virus was not a particularly strong one.   Nowadays though, biological weapons under the control of terrorists could be used.  I read this on a website the other day: 

For example, after the recent attack on Gaddafi's palace in Libya, special operations personnel have been unable to locate stockpiles of precursor chemicals that his regime was known to possess. These chemicals may now be in the hands of terrorists who can use them to begin producing biological and chemical weapons that they'll use against their perceived "enemies," such as the American people.

Government Medical Response Will Leave You and Me Out in the Cold

In the case of a biological attack, the response by government officials may be as frightening as the attack itself. Because many biological agents are contagions, government personnel won't just clean up, treat the wounded, and call it a day. A biological attack will likely create an ongoing crisis. During such a crisis, both state and federal officials have broad powers that they can call upon to try to contain the spread of disease.

For example, in New York, state and city officials recently published a legal handbook on response protocols for a major epidemic that results from a terrorist attack or from natural causes. Local governments have the power to "establish curfews, quarantine wide areas, close businesses, restrict public assemblies, and, under certain circumstances, suspend local ordinances.  I often worry about the large number of people currently living in cities.  It will be difficult to avoid contact with others around you with the virus.  If you already know where you would go to have a "safe" location, how long would it be before you would make the move to that place.  4 days after the outbreak, 7 days, 2 weeks?  Would the government let you go? What would traffic be like if you waited too long?  Would there be any gasoline left if all workers stayed home to isolate themselves?  How long would it take before gangs started running the show?  There are no easy answers.  However, these are questions that will need to be answered in the event of an outbreak.  Why not think about it now?  If you wait too long the list of supplies that you will be needing will be less and less available with each passing hour.  Again the purpose of this blog is not to try to put fear into you.  On the contrary, I would hope that by thinking about these things in advance you would have greater peace of mind.  I go to bed each night without fear of the unknown.  I know that I am repeating myself when I say this, but I am not suggesting that these things will ever happen in your lifetime.  If it does though, I hope that you are ready.  Again, the way that I see it, if it never happens then at least I had no trouble sleeping at night, and I had a lot of practice (enjoying life) in the outdoors.  It is a win-win scenario.  

The state of Alaska came up with a multi-week program to deal with just such a situation.  Here is the link I found it interesting:  http://www.hss.state.ak.us/prepared/assets/DHSS-7Day.pdf  .

Happy Trails everyone!  I hope you take the time soon to get out an enjoy nature!

What Would You Do If This Happened Tomorrow?

I love to read about all sorts of things.  The more that I read, the more that I know.  The more that I know, the more I can be prepared almost anything that happens in life.  I recently viewed a video created by the Discovery Channel that made me do a little more investigating.  Here is the link to it:  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6r5ne_solar-storms-alert-2008-2012-discov_news . (It is a few minutes long but very informative.)

I think most of our readers have heard about the possibility of solar storms striking the earth.  I know that I have heard it because of the whole "2012 end of the world" thing.  However, I didn't really fully understand how it would affect civilization.  Anyhow after watching the video from the link that I mentioned in previous paragraph, I am even more grateful to have been able to spend much of the summer living out of the back of a truck.  It was great fun, but we learned a lot about how to survive on our own without electricity. 

Here is another interesting link:  www.solarstormwarning.com .  The following are some interesting comments from that website.

Astrophysicist Alexei Dmitriev says that both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 satellites reveal that our sun, as well as our entire solar system, is now moving into an interstellar energy cloud. Opher, a NASA Heliophysics Guest Investigator from George Mason University says this interstellar energy cloud is turbulent. Dmitriev explains that this cloud of energy is exciting the atmospheres of our planets and especially our sun. As this interstellar energy cloud continues to excite/charge the sun, it causes the sun to become more active, resulting in greater output from the sun. IE: Bigger and more frequent solar storms and CME's resulting in the Carrington effect. This interstellar cloud of electrical energy is also absorbed by the Earth, and scientist have found that it results in more earth quakes, all while dramatically effecting our weather here on earth. When asked how long will it take our sun to pass through this interstellar energy cloud, Dr. Dmitriev replied, "I don't know. But If I had to guess, I would say somewhere between two thousand to three thousand years." This interstellar cloud is a wispy band of charged particles through which our solar system is slowly moving through.

When Dr. Dmitriev was asked what are the implications of all this for earth he replied, "Global catastrophe! Not in tens of years from now, but in ones of years" ...in that this global catastrophe is basically right around the corner setting the stage for NASA's latest solar storm warning 2012-2013.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Did you know that a super solar storm would knock out most power world wide for months and take years to repair it all, costing trillions in damages world wide?

• Are you prepared with at least twelve to twenty four months of previsions for food, water, medicine and heating?
• Are you aware that a killer super solar storm would lock down modern countries like the United States, Europe, Asia, and Canada for months?
• Are you aware of that countries like the U.S. have an Anti Hoarding Act that effects you during a national crises? ((Learn how not to have your food purchases tracked))
• Are you ready to fend for yourself as food stores most likely will not be in operation for months because of looters, gangs and no power, and especially a lack of food supplies?

Now, I want to say again that I am in no way endorsing the idea that a global catastrophe is right around the corner.   There is no way to determine these things.  It could happen a thousand years from now or tomorrow.  No one knows for sure.  I just know that I enjoy my time being out in nature.  I honestly think that I could and would survive a global grid meltdown.  I owe it to the fact that I have gone out and actually tried it.  I hope that everyone looks at the fun my wife and I had traveling through the United States this summer, and will start giving serious thought to doing the same.  Even if a solar storm never hits the earth, getting out and enjoying the outdoors will probably be a fantastic experience.  If it does hit, you will have developed real skills to help you and your family survive.  Happy Trails to all! 

Hurricanes, Tornadoes, and Flooding- Are You Prepared?

I have been asked a couple of times recently what I would have done if I was living back on the east coast last week when the hurricane hit.  The answer is always the same: My house has wheels, I would have moved a few hundred miles away and only come back when everything was better.  Ahhh, the advantages of Greendocking.

This has been a crazy summer with many weather related stories.   Tornado outbreaks, the hurricane, the heat and drought conditions that some Americans are facing are all reasons to be thankful that my house can be moved.  It is more than just that though.  I know that I can also survive with no need whatsoever to be hooked up to the grid.  I really feel sorry for the many people who have lost so much already.  By the time the electricity comes back on for these same people, they will have lost much of their food as well. 

For those of you that don't have the advantage of moving your 'house', I would like to suggest that you keep a G.O.O.D bag around.  This GOOD bag stands for "Get out of Dodge".  In the military it is called a bug-out bag.  Wikipedia even has a lot to say about it.  Basically it is a portable 72 hour kit filled with things you would need to have in order to survive in a short term evacuation. 

According to Wikipedia, the suggested contents of a bug-out bag vary, but most of the following are usually included:

• Enough food and water to last for 72 hours.
• A first aid kit
• Fire starting tool (e.g., matches, ferrocerium rod, lighter, etc.)
• A disaster plan including location of emergency centers, rallying points, possible evacuation routes etc.
• Professional emergency literature explaining what to do in various types of disaster, studied and understood before the actual disaster but kept for reference
• Maps and travel information
• Standard camping equipment, including sanitation supplies
• Weather appropriate clothing (e.g., poncho, headwear, gloves, etc.)
• Bedding items such as sleeping bags and blankets
• Enough medicine to last an extended evacuation period
• Medical records
• Pet, child, and elderly care needs^]
• Battery or crank operated Radio.
• Lighting (battery or crank operated flashlight, glow sticks).
• Firearms and appropriate ammunition
• Cash and change, as electronic banking transactions may not be available during the initial period following an emergency or evacuation
• Positive Identification, such as drivers license, state I.D. card, or social security card
• Fixed-blade and folding knife
• Duct Tape and rope/paracord
• Plastic tarps for shelter and water collection
• Slingshot, pellet gun, blowgun or other small game hunting equipment
• Wire for binding and animal traps

I hope that everyone will take the time right now to get these things together in one place.   If you need to get out in a hurry like a flash flood or tornado warning, you probably will not have the time to try and find these things.  Hopefully, your GOOD bag will never be used.  However if you ever find yourself in a situation when you need it,  you will be very grateful that you did have it available.  Happy Trails! 

If the Ground Around You Is Shaking...

The East Coast just got hit by an extremely rare earthquake a week ago.  I was watching a show on TV last week and they said that an earthquake along the New Madrid fault in Missouri has the potential to be the worst in US history.   I wonder if there is anywhere safe anymore.  I did some research to see what could be expected if something like that happened.  Today's blog will look at what I found.

Again, I want to point out that I am not the kind of guy that will (or even wants to) spend my life worried about things that haven't happened or may never happen.  I love life and I love seeing everything that this earth has to offer.  However, I am also a person that subsribes to the Boy Scout philsophy of "Be Prepared".  The meaning of the motto is that a scout must prepare himself by previous thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.  I want to know what might happen so I can make sure that I am prepared. 

I was reading an article from a government agency in southern California.  http://www.wrd.org/engineering/earthquake-water-recovery-california.php  It dealt with surviving a big earthquake of 7.8.  (A big earthquake...yes, but remember the Japan earthquake was a 9.0, over 30 times stronger than a 7.8)   A panel was asked questions about what infrastructure was in jeopardy (pipelines, water tanks, wells, aqueducts, reservoirs), how the damage would be assessed, how repairs would be conducted, how long water supply outages would occur, and where emergency water supply sources could be obtained. Some of the conclusions were:  (I added the bold facing)

• Fault movement will likely cause major damage of the infrastructure crossing it, including the main aqueducts bringing water to Southern California from Northern California and the Colorado River. Repairs may be hampered due to damaged roads and large scale-fires.
• The most severe damage will be closest to the fault, but even in the Los Angeles area there will be damage to pipelines and other infrastructure due to intense shaking. In addition, the Met / LADWP outages from aqueduct damage will impact the local water supply.
• In the first few days after the quake, there may be no water available due to infrastructure breaks and loss of power. After that, repairs will bring supplies online slowly. Each agency will be busy with their own systems, and repairs may take weeks to 6 months or more. New water pipelines may be in very short supply, as they are not in stock and will need to be manufactured.
• A "Potable Water Plan" should be devised to describe to the public how to use water during the first few days of the emergency, when treatment plants may be offline. Avoid "Boil Water Orders" because gas lines in homes may be ruptured and people with gas stoves may cause unintended explosions. Instead, a "Purified" or "Bottled" water order should be made to emphasize drinking treated water instead of boiling it.

It is nice to know that someone in our government is at least looking at the possibilities.  However, water is an essential part of living.  You can live up to 3 weeks without food but only about 3 days without water.   Relying on the government to provide bottled water to millions and millions of people for a time frame of 6 months or more would seem unwise.  I can only imagine the rioting that could occur.  Toilets without water can't be much fun either. 

This brings me to the point that I am trying to make regarding greendocking.  We feel like we are ready to deal with this situation because we have a better understanding what can happen.  We live in an RV with a 30 gallon fresh water tank.  We try to keep it full at all times.  In the back of our truck we have a 5 gallon water tank and 5 gallon in our portable solar shower.  We have identified water sources within walking distance and a found a remote mountain spring should we find that we have to move to a safer location  until order is restored.  (Another great thing about having our house on wheels)   We visit this little spring on fun 'greendocking' camping trips.  We talk about what edible plants are available to supplement our food storage supplies.  I look for game trails for trapping and hunting and know how to skin, gut, and cook these animals.   Basically we are all set up to live for a very long period of time. 

I think that I should mention that the recent Virgina earthquake was not a major earthquake.  The Japan earthquake released nearly 30,000 times more energy than that.  However, this east coast earthquake caused some 200 million dollars in damage and could be felt from Canada to Alabama.  If it would have been a 6.8 instead of a 5.8, 30 times more energy would have been released.  The damage would have been much more severe and more widespread. 

I plan to address some of the 'unusual' emergencies which can occur in my next several posts.    Hopefully, just thinking about these possible events will get you better prepared in the unlikely event that something horrible happens in your area.   Practice makes perfect.  Get out and go camping!  Even if nothing out of the ordinary ever occurs, at least your preparation will help you get out in nature and enjoy some time with your family.  I will continue to repeat this message with each new blog that I write.  Happy Trails!