In Which I announce We now Have Crew..

[creature]

Just pulled of of CA1 to bypass SF bay..
Presently in Santa Rosa, contemplating options.
3 strong job leads, 2 in Imperial County, CA, within distance of the Slabs, the other was an unsolicited call to me from a major construction firm for a job out of Ukiah.

Opportunitirs in SLO. But if I need to be dammed to the Bay to save up some $$, so be it.

Wish I had wound up in WA earlier.I
The road trip along the northern OP was sweet, but the rain & cold limitrd my EVAs..

The van has been primarily in "freight" mode, so gearing her to heavier exploration hasn't happened in full, yet.

Def not a conversion that can take place in protracted rain.
Otherwise I'd have stayed up there & prepped for winter, beforehand.

I've been told I'm good to go at the Lizard Tree Library (Slabs), which means I have options regarding support I can render for any who actually and truly commit.
I realize I have to set the reality up, first, but what would be nice is some sort of cohesive encouragement, rather than simple well wishing..
I am in my vehicle, I am looking for work, I am ready to live in a fucking city, if I need to, despite the general risks of living this way..

Soo.. I am not merely farting into the wind to smell my own roses..

Despite accusations to the opposite, I have a plan,& I am acting upon it.

Phase 1 is to do what I have done many, many times before; work & save up money..
But instead of doing another fucking 10 or 15 thousand mile (or more), three or four month road trip (or more), I am going to sink the money into a fucking boat, instead of a vehicle, *fuel*, etc.

This time I'm down with doinh what I have to, entirely on my own, though mid-2014 was when I put out my first serious call for ass-kickers..

'Interest' is nice..
'Having a dream' is nice
'Wanting to join when it's ready' is nice..
'HMU' is nice..

Breaking your ass in the field is hard.
Freezing your balls at -11 degrees might pounding fucking steel into frozen earth, does, in fact, actually mean something.
Sweating on half melted fucking pavement with just a few hopes keeping your brain together is, in fact, more work than the work you are actually doing..
Kicking around in a fucking desert with a towel that has eyeholes cut into it over your head & needs to be kept continually soaked so that the sun doesn't kill you isn't something I look forward to, but have been near enough that I know I *will*, if that is what it fucking takes.

I need to get the fuck out of here.. @DoctorApocalypse put this up a couple of years ago, & I am going to repost the link once again..

https://squattheplanet.com/threads/the-most-isolated-town-on-earth-wants-a-radical-redesign.23044/

There are other possibilities.
I was looking at coral reef reestablishment efforts, and it may be possible to do, and even get funding for, but that's a whole 'nother story.

Maybe the thing to do will just be to anchor somewhere.. I have, as far as I know, a lifetime invitation to Cat Island, in The Bahamas..

Hell.. Even Hawaii is possible..

But the first thing is going through what has to be done to get the boat..

Sooo.. That's the general, current status.

Not hitting anyone up,
Not patting any Sleepytime dancing ponie..
Not 'answering any pennies tossed into wells..

Road trips are pretty fucking easy, all in all..
Getting a 40 foot or so LOA that is effectively 'blue water ready' is going to be a bitch.

If what it takes for me to get her is to begin burning in the Fucking Desert, guess what?
I fucking *will*.

I don't wish it, but I fucking will.

Especially if I have a few friends who are kicking my fucking ass to get it done..


.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

It's inspiring that you have a goal and are actually taking steps to realize it. I get so sick of the whole, "I wanna do this" and you talk to the person a few years later and thier still spittin out the same shit, bitchin about shit, and blaming the same shit for why they havent done shit. Most people are talk, cause its easier than actually doing somthing. But, thats no way to live. Its not living at all.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

It's merely existing.

 

[creature]

If I'd accomplished nothing in the time between, I would sure as fuck be guilty of that crime..

I have a lot on my plate that I am hammering on, but I've been intending to do inventory..

Inventory, however, is not doing, so it goes kind of back burner..

Since 2010.. ND, CA, NM, FL, VA, British Columbia, Mexico, Central Canada, Bahamas in 2008, OR, WA, TX, AZ, MA, OR, NC, DC, KS, a few others.. Louisiana.. NY, NYC..
These were not pass throughs, these all had places I accomplished stuff,or were key to accomplishing stuff beyond my immediate self interests.
Shit.. Since 2004 I've gone through 3 vans, a pickup, TWO fucking school buses and a toyota camry.. Strike that.. An Astro (NY to KeyWest & back, with kids,) & a Toyota Wagon..
The buses never got far, but the other vehicles did.. Shit.. If I had to use average driving, it would be just the 130,000 of normal driving people do..
Right now, for instance, I've just cranked a *minimum* of 2000 miles of scenic driving (out of 3,000) in about 6 weeks behind the wheel.. - that is just in *this* vehicle...
Shit.. 100,000 miles of 'scenic' driving would probably be a conservative estimate..
& the majority,by far, not even on the fucking interstates..
Secondary US highways, National Forests, coastal routes, semi - off road, deep pull offs, crap like that..

Stuff that destroys vehicles..

So..
It's not as if I haven't been doing anything, or sitting on my ass, other than the driver's seat..
And frankly, I'd been relying *too much* on other people's shit to make mine work..
So.. as much as the idea of a semi-communal sort of start is, and as however much more fun & constructive & progressive it might be, I've learned that bullshit is really, really easy..

Hence the wise listen to their own advice, correct?
.

 

[creature]

I need to circumvent the Bay, this moment..
Hopefully hit the Coastal pulloffs s again, before sunset..

 

[Deleted member 20240]

I hope you know I was complimenting you.

Best wishes.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

Your doing what you want with your life and that is admirable.

 

[creature]

I thought you were being positive, but I've been bitched at recently, so my Idiot Gear is engaged.. Plus there was a bit of a reversal, and I'm def a bit edgey..
Anyways.. Sorry if I was snappish, but anybody reading, please don't put down crap like "I'd be so down, if..." or "maybe next year.."..
I don't even need commits..
I just need people to call me on it, & to keep me going..
*they* are the ones there'll be a berth for..

Got fuel, getting supplies, going to try & get south of SF, but it looks fucked..

 

[Deleted member 20240]

Guess you can see the fires from space now. Hope you stay safe and these dont put a damper on your plans.

 

[Deleted member 20240]

Be happy, godamnit!

 

[Deleted member 20240]

Those aren't even near the areas where you intend to be though, from the looks of it. Hell, what do I know?

Ok I shut up now.

 

[QueerCoyote]

I thought you were being positive, but I've been bitched at recently, so my Idiot Gear is engaged.. Plus there was a bit of a reversal, and I'm def a bit edgey..
Anyways.. Sorry if I was snappish, but anybody reading, please don't put down crap like "I'd be so down, if..." or "maybe next year.."..
I don't even need commits..
I just need people to call me on it, & to keep me going..
*they* are the ones there'll be a berth for..

Got fuel, getting supplies, going to try & get south of SF, but it looks fucked..

I can't join ya, but I'm definitely interested in how your story turns out with this journey and can call you out if it seems like you're diverging... having fam to keep you going on your chosen course definitely helps keep the passion going. I look forward to seeing your progress in the coming weeks.. and if there's no progress to be seen I guess you'll be hearing from me if ya truly do want call outs when you stray. I don't know ya aside from the forums, but any friend of hillbilly castro is good in my book.

 

[creature]

Thanks, Coyote..
Def what I need..

Decided to stay north of SF for the moment, hoping this NorCal thing has some meat on the bone, come Monday..
But.. That means the drive south of SF will be.on a weekday, which is fucking insane..
Heading down this afternoon was bad enough.. Heading into Santa Rosa to bypass was a mistake.
Just gonna push straight through..

If something does pop up I can turn around, but Alameda on Monday is almost mandatory..
& I hate overnighting in the Bay, though Berkeley isn't too bad..
I'll figure it out..

In any case, if there's nothing fast up here, then def south..
Phone interview for Imperial on Tues/Weds..
There's at least something temporary down there, and if I have to hit up LA or SD in the long run then that's what'll happen.

Meantime there's a nice sunset going on..


.

 

[Jerrell]

I don't blow smoke and gave up hoping people's dreams come true a long time ago. I'm not one to offer pep talks or even kick someone in the ass as motivation unless its personal. If they want to win, they'll find a way and if they want to fail, they'll find a way to do that too.

That said, as a former sailor, I can offer advice like learn terminology now if you don't already know it. Learn to use equipment you'll need aboard your vessel. Learn constellations. Learn sailor lore and history. (Do you know the history of the phrase, "pay the devil?") Learn maritime law. Things like that.

I don't know your history or if you have any at sea, but if yer a landlubber all yer life, then take advantage of being around the Bay, and coast in general, by getting on the water for a duration of more than a float around Alcatraz as often as possible. Get your sea legs under you.

Fair winds and following seas.