Shields at 64%. Phaser banks 3 and 4 are offline…
OK, seriously. It wasn’t that bad, probably because no Klingon disruptors were involved. The weather is sunny and calm this morning. We already know about my bike’s clutch cable. Its replacement should be here sometime next week. The awning is slightly worse for wear. A connecting pin came out while the awning was flopping around in the strong wind while I was trying to take it down. I was able to hammer that pin back where it belongs. Not everything is as straight as it used to be, but it all still connects together like it’s supposed to, so the awning is still usable. Just not in a strong wind, of course.
My antenna masts held up just fine. I’ve extended the flagpole with my internet antenna back to full height. The internet works well once again, as I expected. It’s better to drop it and live with low-quality YouTube videos for a night than to risk breaking the mast. #firstworldproblems. The painter’s pole with the J-pole ham antenna held up perfectly. It survived the top of Mt. Washington, so I knew it would survive this. I’ve also ordered some new PL-259 connectors. I’ll replace the one that’s come apart at the end of the coax attached to my mobile antenna on the front fender. At that point, I should be able to hit the local repeaters with that, and not need to put up the second mast at all.
Since I’ve already taken down my awning, I’m planning to take the van into town for errands today. I have a package to pick up at Quiet Times, and I’m running low on groceries. It’s easier to take the van into town, then put everything away directly into my kitchen and fridge than to juggle everything on the bike (if that was an option right now), or even get a ride with one of my new local friends. It’ll also be a chance to do laundry and grab a shower since I can do both at the same place. I’ll also take the opportunity to refill a water jug I just finished and dump my trash, both of which are provided by the BLM LTVA.
The only issue is that since it’s only Melinda and me left from our original camp, we need to coordinate our trips so that we’re not both gone at the same time. Someone else might show up and take our spot, and then we’re looking for a new camp. I can leave the bike here, but don’t want someone swiping it. Unless I strap the bike to the back of the van until the clutch cable gets here, that’s a small but non-zero possibility. People are far less likely to mess with our stuff if it’s obvious that at least one human and van are here keeping an eye on them. I like being able to come and go whenever I want without bouncing around other people’s schedules, but that’s just not possible right now.
Part of my shopping list consists of ingredients to test one of Allyson’s recipes for the van life cookbook she’s working on. I’m not only the inspiration for her book, I’m also one of her beta testers to see how well her concoctions work in the real world, in a real van. Now that I’m not driving Route 66 every day or living in a friend’s house in LA, I’m making my own food in the van almost exclusively, especially since with my bike out of commission I can’t buzz into a restaurant in town nearly as easily. I’ve never been much of a cook, so hopefully this will help me get a bit better at it beyond heading up soup and Spaghetti-O’s. (I’m better than that, but not too much better.)
Smokey Da Van 