What are good places to go during Spring?

[Deleted member 27861]

I just realized that most of the places I want to go to, mainly in Louisiana and Arizona (The French Quarter, Slab City, Arcosanti), are probably going to be nearly inhospitable for a bike punk pretty soon, but I don't know of anything up north that interests me, and I really want to get away from the humidity of the South in the summer time.

What are some suggestions?

 

[nivoldoog]

NOLA, I hear, is not bad about it... but there is more chance to have someone fuck with you. NOLA homeless got a way "We run this shit" attitude is what I hear. But if you get friends with some of them they are a well knowledge group.

I normally go north for winter and south for summer. Winters in the north have snow so no rain and summer south has heat to dry off from rain.

 

[Deleted member 27861]

What's NOLA? Oh nvm, I'm dense. New Orleans Louisiana, right?

 

[Jimmy Beans]

New Orleans Louisiana, right?

Nah you close tho, New Orleans Utah.

 

[jimi]

What kind of things interest you?

 

[Deleted member 27861]

What kind of things interest you?

Well...

Developing my independence in terms of self-sustainability and getting by in life.
Making music. Mainly by playing the harmonica and singing.
Story telling.
Swimming and sailing, though I haven't done any sailing yet.
Learning more DIY things is badass.

Finding some sense of community is a big one, and I'm not too, too picky about how. Be it a local neighborhood community or gathering, cohousing or sharing an apartment, joining some ecovillage or intentional community, even if I have to forge one myself and build a place for myself, that's fine.

I actually recently found a few books and zines about earthwork housing and alternative housing in the library section of this website, which lead to me looking into more things like it, and I think the idea of building my own home affordably sounds like something I definitely want to, and should do.

I remember seeing your posts about intentional communities in the past. What are your thoughts about them as of late?

 

[jimi]

Intentional communities can be tricky. They're all over the place.

I currently live in a housing cooperative, and it's constant ups and downs. It's geared toward college students, and as higher education and people who attend it become less radical, so do student co-ops. I've been struggling a lot with the normies who now live here, there just aren't cool people moving to this nike-owned college town anymore, and I'm starting to make plans to get out. Hopefully I will start my own co-op someday. There are still a bunch of student and non-student co-ops in bigger cities that may be cool to check out. I know Berkley and Anne Arbor have huge amounts of them. There are a lot in the NE.

This isn't a complete list by any means, but its a good start: Our Members - https://www.nasco.coop/member-directory

Successfully living in & running communities, especially ones that are more than 6ish people or are made up of people who don't know each other super will beforehand requires a certain amount of diplomacy. Some can be really bureaucratic, some can be cult-like, some are just disorganized messes. None of them are perfect and most change drastically with each coming and going of a member, if you're ready to put in work they can be extremely rewarding. The most radical and productive I've seen lately tend to be really small, and consist of friends who bought land together. If you're just passing through, you can probably have a good time at most spots.

I'd recommend looking into places and making a list of spots to visit. Ecosvillages, co-ops, communes, etc. might be a good place to start in deciding where you want to head.

This site might help: Intentional Communities - Find, Join, & Learn about Intentional Community - https://www.ic.org/

I don't hear this suggested often, but if you're passionate about stuff, you can also hit up the activist circuit. There are still forest blockades and protest camps scattered around who have had dwindling numbers as climate apathy grows, and travelers are in a unique position to lend a hand there. If you wanna be around folks with a sense of purpose who care about sustainability, there ya go. With summer approaching, there will be plenty of gatherings, skill shares, and eco-defense projects to participate in. I don't know if a EarthFirst! Rendezvous is planned for this year. Most of these groups communicate via email list, but don't update their websites often. If you end up on the west coast I might be able to steer you in the right direction.

NEST is just an example in my area of a summer project: Northwest Ecosystem Survey Team! - https://nestcascadia.wordpress.com/
There is still an occupation going on in the Mattole forest, you can find a lot about that on social media.

If you are interested in this you might check out itsgoingdown or the Earth First! Journal. They're likely to have a list of projects/camps/meetups. Shoot em an email if you can't find anything.

https://itsgoingdown.org

https://earthfirstjournal.org/

 

[Deleted member 27861]

Hey, thanks for the information!

Uh, I think because of my online classes, for now I'm going to consider joining a student co-op, though I really doubt they will accept me with me being from out of state and not being from their school. On top o that, it would be easier to find a job somewhere if I live there first, but, without a job and proof of income, they won't accept me.

Also, I kind of feel like I'm missing the point here. Like, it's not quite in the spirit of me being adventurous and seeking out independence.

I've spent most of my life being hesitant to make any sort of move, and trying to fit into a nice little box and prove myself and be accepted everywhere I go out of fear of being cast out, and I'm trying to see that, I can make it even if I'm cast out.

Right now, from where I'm standing in my little corner of the world, everything seems nearly impossible except for being homeless, simply because I don't have a lot of money, and am currently not very useful outside of being a welder.

But I'm certain that if I just leave home, even without a set plan or concrete destination or goal, then I will reach a point where it seems like EVERYTHING is possible.

Still, if I can just get into one, I think it would be a good place to start and take online classes while I get an idea of where to go and what to do next. I found two in Boulder, CO that interest me, since I like Colorado and have a couple of friends there.

That thing about NEST sounds interesting, so I'll look into that, as well.

 

[jimi]

Hey, thanks for the information!

Uh, I think because of my online classes, for now I'm going to consider joining a student co-op, though I really doubt they will accept me with me being from out of state and not being from their school. On top o that, it would be easier to find a job somewhere if I live there first, but, without a job and proof of income, they won't accept me.

Also, I kind of feel like I'm missing the point here. Like, it's not quite in the spirit of me being adventurous and seeking out independence.

I've spent most of my life being hesitant to make any sort of move, and trying to fit into a nice little box and prove myself and be accepted everywhere I go out of fear of being cast out, and I'm trying to see that, I can make it even if I'm cast out.

Right now, from where I'm standing in my little corner of the world, everything seems nearly impossible except for being homeless, simply because I don't have a lot of money, and am currently not very useful outside of being a welder.

But I'm certain that if I just leave home, even without a set plan or concrete destination or goal, then I will reach a point where it seems like EVERYTHING is possible.

Still, if I can just get into one, I think it would be a good place to start and take online classes while I get an idea of where to go and what to do next. I found two in Boulder, CO that interest me, since I like Colorado and have a couple of friends there.

That thing about NEST sounds interesting, so I'll look into that, as well.

Some student co-ops are pretty flexible, some are more strict, really depends on who lives there and how they are affiliated with higher education. I know that even though the technical rules of my co-op state you should be enrolled in an Oregon higher education program, we'd totally bend them for a good applicant that is taking online classes somewhere else. We aren't affiliated with any of the colleges here, we're our own independent nonprofit, so who cares. If you've got enough money in your bank account for a couple months of dues, then a bank statement counts as proof of income. We've brought in lots of people who work under the table over the years. I'm sure we're not the only ones that function this way. The nice thing about co-ops is that the rules are made by the people there, and we can also grant exceptions to them if we agree to do so. A lot of co-ops accept guests too, if you just wanna visit for a bit and check them out! But you're right, living in a co-op may not help you feel more independent. If one of your major things is feeling trapped by social responsibilities and feeling tired of pressure to edit your behavior for others, it really might not be a good idea for you right now.

I'd say you'd still be being somewhat adventurous by moving to a city you've not lived in before. You don't need to be homeless to spend a good 6+ months having fun discovering all the cool secrets of a new town and making friends. Also welding IS super useful.

I do agree that being homeless and/or traveling teaches you a lot, though. It can be trial by fire, but if it suits you and you have a bit of luck, there are good friends, skills, and confidence to be gained. You'll never know unless you try it. Maybe just travel towards the co-ops you're interested in, and if you get sidetracked along the way, then there ya go.

 

[Deleted member 27861]

Some student co-ops are pretty flexible, some are more strict, really depends on who lives there and how they are affiliated with higher education. I know that even though the technical rules of my co-op state you should be enrolled in an Oregon higher education program, we'd totally bend them for a good applicant that is taking online classes somewhere else. We aren't affiliated with any of the colleges here, we're our own independent nonprofit, so who cares. If you've got enough money in your bank account for a couple months of dues, then a bank statement counts as proof of income. We've brought in lots of people who work under the table over the years. I'm sure we're not the only ones that function this way. The nice thing about co-ops is that the rules are made by the people there, and we can also grant exceptions to them if we agree to do so. A lot of co-ops accept guests too, if you just wanna visit for a bit and check them out! But you're right, living in a co-op may not help you feel more independent. If one of your major things is feeling trapped by social responsibilities and feeling tired of pressure to edit your behavior for others, it really might not be a good idea for you right now.

I'd say you'd still be being somewhat adventurous by moving to a city you've not lived in before. You don't need to be homeless to spend a good 6+ months having fun discovering all the cool secrets of a new town and making friends. Also welding IS super useful.

I do agree that being homeless and/or traveling teaches you a lot, though. It can be trial by fire, but if it suits you and you have a bit of luck, there are good friends, skills, and confidence to be gained. You'll never know unless you try it. Maybe just travel towards the co-ops you're interested in, and if you get sidetracked along the way, then there ya go.

You explained exactly what I got to thinking about tonight but put it much more simply! It's about the journey, not the destination. I have no idea what's in store for me. I might aim to go to Los Angeles but somehow land in New Orleans and end up joining some ship crew. Or intend to go to Arizona but end up falling for some chick in Utah and try to live there.

What I need to do, is to just pack my things on my bike, and head West until I reach Arizona. Then decide from there what the next move is.

So as long as I bring all of myself and a decent view of life with me, that's the only thing that matters, that I can be certain about, that I can take with me everywhere.

And it took me talking to my mom about it and helping her with her Christian night class about joy to help me realize this.

 

[jimi]

You explained exactly what I got to thinking about tonight but put it much more simply! It's about the journey, not the destination. I have no idea what's in store for me. I might aim to go to Los Angeles but somehow land in New Orleans and end up joining some ship crew. Or intend to go to Arizona but end up falling for some chick in Utah and try to live there.

What I need to do, is to just pack my things on my bike, and head West until I reach Arizona. Then decide from there what the next move is.

So as long as I bring all of myself and a decent view of life with me, that's the only thing that matters, that I can be certain about, that I can take with me everywhere.

And it took me talking to my mom about it and helping her with her Christian night class about joy to help me realize this.

There ya go bud, get geared up and go!

 

[Deleted member 27861]

There ya go bud, get geared up and go!

Hey what about North Carolina? Is that bearable in the summertime? I ask because I remember there's a band from there I like named the Carolina Chocolate Drops, and I just wonder if it's a place to learn more about what inspires their music.

You know, things pertaining to African-American history.

 

[Sameer]

The desert on the BLM lands at the South entrance of Joshua tree.

I just realized that most of the places I want to go to, mainly in Louisiana and Arizona (The French Quarter, Slab City, Arcosanti), are probably going to be nearly inhospitable for a bike punk pretty soon, but I don't know of anything up north that interests me, and I really want to get away from the humidity of the South in the summer time.

What are some suggestions?

Flagstaff Arizona plenty of camping and the elevation is 7300 feet. Summer temperature is never about North or South it is about elevation as the temperature drops approximately 3 degrees for every thousand feet. In the spring go see the bloom at the Joshua tree national Park. Go to death valley and see the bloom. Telluride Colorado at 9 to 10,000 feet. In the spring travel the 95 and work your way up to Reno hand travel across to Ely Nevada. Cortez Colorado has moderate temperatures but not in July and August and it's a wonderful place. I forgot to add Leadville Colorado... Google it!
I live in a van and this is what I do..