Living on the Edge

People living on the edge are more interesting than those living mundane lives of security. A favorite saying of Kadizzle is "Most men live lives of quiet desperation".  On the road we meet a lot of people living lives of pleasant desperation.  Traveling the Kadizzles meet a constant stream of interesting characters.  Warm climates attract people of limited means, and often these people are living out of a tent, a car, a van, or a pickup truck.  Our current crop includes Gary, Ryan, and Mary.  The other day I suggested to Gary who is living down the way trading penny stocks, that he might meet Gary.  Gary is living out of his pickup and a tent across the way.  Gary and Ryan became friends and made a grocery run together yesterday. Every chance to save gas is important.  After they returned it was time for everyone to have a hand rolled cigarette.  It was pipe tobacco.  The Commander is a good roller from the old days and did the honors.  Of course Gary is an expert.  Nicotine is killing Gary at a quick pace, but he is sure the vitamins he ordered for $200 will bring him back to life.

Now we got Mary an ex teacher living out of her SUV in a tent.  Women are not as common in the band of bums on the road.  The Kadizzles invited Mary in for a glass of wine and the cackling was strong.  Mary came to the south west on some sort of elder tour and has now joined the bum community at Windy Hill.  The Forest Service is under pressure to reduce the bum population so in the future fees may go up and a reservation system will be put in place.  Mary commented on another itinerant named Dwane.  Kadizzle has not met Dwane, but according to Mary, Dwane is up to his neck in right wing politics.  In Dwane’s world if there is an oil spot on the road Obama caused it.

One thing you learn as you meet the people living on the bum is that they are not ignorant.  Most of these people read a lot and are well informed in a variety of ways.  

Yesterday Gary told a good story about how he has never paid income tax.  At some point Federal Marshalls gathered Gary up and took him to the IRS.  The IRS agent threatened Gary in every way possible.  First they said they would garner his wages. Gary said he would quit an take another job across the street.  Next, they told Gary they would throw him in jail.  Gary responded that he had already been in federal prison and it was no big deal.  He told them if he went back it would give him time to write a book.  Perplexed the IRS agent said nothing for a few minutes so Gary got up to walk out of the room.  The federal marshalls blocked the door. The IRS agent gave up and said let him go.  Amazing that the government would try to squeeze a bum while billionaires rip off the government for millions.

New way to track our location.

What do you do when the big one comes?  Out hiking in the middle of nowhere and you get hurt, your heart explodes, or you just plain get hopelessly lost or stuck.  To solve this problem Kadizzle ordered a satellite communication device.  Many times out in outback there is no phone service.  The device will let you send text messages via satellite, and call 911 if needed.  The one we bought is made by DeLorme and has some nice features including the fact that it can be used as a GPS while hiking.  It will cost about $11 a month for the service, but perhaps our lives or health are worth it.  The Kadizzlites have become pretty good with map, compass, and GPS, but all that does you no good if your leg is broken.  Yesterday each of of took a fall. It is no big deal, but as you get older it becomes more of an issue.  The Kadizzles have hiked easily over a couple thousand miles in some of the most rugged terrain imaginable.  Amazing there have been no serious incidences.  Looking back Rodger once dislodged a boulder that flew past Kadizzle,  once The Commander took an interesting slide on some slick rocks on a steep slope and got scraped pretty good, but all things considered our hikes have been safe.  However, you cannot control everything.  In the jungle last August snakes were a big deal.  Seeing the little rattlesnake yesterday reminds you they are around.  A snake bite in the middle of nowhere could be a big problem.

A bonus to the whole thing is that you can set up the tracking device so anyone can follow your adventure.  If we get killed before we can push the emergency button maybe someone will notice we are stuck in a canyon for a week.  The devices has not been delivered yet so we will update when it comes.

Looking for a nest, and a little hike.

Yesterday the Kadizzles headed to Payson to look for a new home.  On the way we picked up a young couple from Alaska hiking the Arizona trail.  Their map said there was no water on the next segment so they decided to skip ahead and needed a ride.  Checking out homes in Payson it was not long before we ran into Kieth and Patty in front of their almost finished home.  Last year we met them and they helped get us interested in buying a lot in their neighborhood.  They have built a home with an incredible view and many of the custom features they put in the home turned out very well.  Before we had dinner with them we looked at some homes near the airport.  The Payson airport is set up so people living there can taxi their plane home and park it in their own hanger. Each home has a huge hanger door so you can park your plane.  Signs on the streets warn planes will not stop for cars.

Today we headed up to Oak Flats for a hike. Up the stream we went and then took off into the wilderness. The Commander wanted to keep going up the mountain, but Kadizzle thought he spotted a good site where a ruin might be.  As we approached the ruin pottery shards started to appear. The Commander spotted a small snake and was taken aback a bit. It was hard to tell if it was a small rattlesnake.  A little later she got a quick glimpse at another one.  Usually the snakes are bedded for the winter by the time we hike, but seems they are still out.  The Commander became very cautious where she stepped.  The site seemed very large and some large pieces of pottery were all around.  We found one strange all white piece with no markings on either side.

This morning Kadizzle met one of the neighbors in the campsite.  We meet all kinds of people and one thing you learn is never preguess who you are talking to.  The young guy down the way has been living in his van for five years making a living trading penny stocks.  During the conversation with him on the way to the John, Kadizzles asked "What do these companies make".  Ryan said " Nothing, they just hype bullshit".   They make up a story and when it is good the stock goes up, as the story fizzles out the stock goes down.  Ryan manages to use the internet from his van to play the bullshit market.  On our trips we have met several retired airline pilots, an escapee from a federal prison, a nuclear physicist,  doctors,  and all kinds of strange people living on the road.  A lot of these people live on practically nothing and enjoy the solitude.  As they say "Everyone has a story".  It turns out to be so true when you wander around and meet all the strange people living on the road.

Let a little sunshine into your life

 

Sunshine falls out of the sky everyday and usually gets scattered all over the place. The trees figured out hundreds of millions of years ago how to capture that sunlight and use the energy. Now the Kadizzles have caught up with the trees. The Commander just could not wait to harvest sunshine today. Before Kadizzle finished his coffee The Commander rushed out and set up the solar panels.

By the end of the day all the little devices will be charged, and there will be enough power until tomorrow. The guy up the way is doing it the old fashion way with a generator. The peace and quiet of the sun doing the generating is worth the price.

There is an old saying, “Nothing focuses the mind like the prospect of being hanged”. Nothing focuses the mind on how much energy humans consume like living off the grid. There is no question we could live just fine with half the pollution if we made even the smallest attempt. Humans are frying the planet by burning fossil fuels it took millions of years to deposit. It is total insanity to think you can put as much carbon into the atmosphere in one hundred years as it took to remove in 200 million years. Science and math are not popular, but harvesting energy is like gardening it can be a hobby.

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Can Jewish Girls find Jesus?

The wagon rumbled into Lake Roosevelt about five yesterday.  By the time we got set up the sun was down, but The Commander had to take a bike ride.  When Kadizzle opened the door to go out there stood The Commander in a state of excitement. “Guess who I found?”,  Since The Commander is of Jewish heritage,  Kadizzle could figure it was not Jesus, but the guy did have some resemblance.

The Commander had found Gary, our old itinerant scholarly friend from last year.  Gary was living in his tent not more than six hundred yards from where we nested.  The next morning it was great to see old Gary coming down the road with his dog Sammy.   Our speculation had been that Gary would be camping in that heavenly campground where the campers have wings.  Last year when we left Gary was hacking and coughing from his chronic smoking and it seemed for sure he would be called home soon.  However, Gary actually looked pretty good and said he managed to cut back on the nicotine devil some.

So this morning we caught up on Gary’s travels, and what he has been reading.   Hopefully more of our old camping buddies will show up so Kadizzle has some duffers to ride the back roads with.  The solar panel is up and cooking and things are warm and comfortable.  Kadizzle would still like to catch the generator sneaker who stole our generator last year.  The generator is now bolted to a piece of plywood and that trailer sits on the plywood.  The sneaker will have to move the camper to get the generator.  Who knows that sneaker is pretty clever, but there is also an alarm.

Fire has some benifits

The Commander insisted we spend another day in the Cochiti Lake area.  A big debate took place about how to explore.  Take the cycle, take the truck, take both, take one part way and the other the rest of the way.  In the end we just got in the truck and drove into the mountains.

The road was very steep and had some classic cliff hanging parts.  The area we hiked into had all been burned in a huge fire last year.  Now you could see many features that had been covered by brush.  Our goal was to hike about three miles across two canyons to find some archaeological sites.  On the way we came across a very high waterfall. Unfortunately there was very little water.

Since we got off to a late start we were running out of daylight and had to return.  On the way back Kadizzle heard voices and noticed three older women hiking off a Plateau.  After we asked them about ruins in the area they pointed us toward some field house ruins.  We should have noticed them on the way out, but thought we would be looking for cliff like ruins in a canyon.  The field house ruins had some good pottery shards.  After inspecting them we headed down the mountain.

Cochiti Canyon Flood - Dixon Apple Orchard

Kadizzle and the Commander hiked up this canyon yesterday.  We found a lot of Indian sites and more pottery shards of higher quality than we have ever found.  The internet here at Cochiti Lake is driving Kadizzle crazy.  If Kadizzle can get the right connection more will be added to this story.
With high winds we got stuck at Lake Cochiti.  To burn up time the Kadizzles decided to do some hiking.  As luck would have it we stumbled upon a creek that led up into the Dixon Apple orchard.  First we ran into an old dog lady.  A dog lady is similar to a cat lady.  The dog lady was on the road we werer exploring.  The dog lady had three dogs she rescued and was walking them.  Dog lady suggeste the Kadizzles might walk up the next stream they encountered.  Taking dog ladies advice the Kadizzles set off up the stream.  Not far up the stream the Kadizzles came into the Dixon Apple Farm, which had a very interesting history.  The farm had recently been hit by two disasters.  First a fire, then a flood.   Walking up the stream the Kadizzles could see there had been the mother of all floods.

As we walked up the stream the damage that had been done by the flood was amazing. When we got to the Dixon Apple Orchard it was sad to see how these people had been wiped out. Some of the trees however were still producing and we ate some very good apples.

Exploring the area we found an astounding number of excellent pottery shards. The shards were often large and had white, red, and black paint. Kadizzle found one very unusual one and my be able to post a picture later. Walking down the canyon there was a place where a stream had eaten through an old site. Many artifacts were scattered around.

After the hike we took the truck up a very rugged mountain road with a great view. Today the plan is to unload they Yamaha and ride it back up that road and explore the top of the mountain.

Sleeping with Krisna

One of the best things about life are the strange twist it takes.  Way back in the sixties Kadizzle can remember the Krisna cult.  The Krisna people as you will remember used to dance around and chant. Begging in airports was one of their specialties.  What really made the Krisnas special was that they settled in the hills near my hometown of Wheeling, West Virginia.  Kadizzle could write a page about the marble edifice they built and the strange stories that go with it.  One quick instance always comes to mind when Kadizzle thinks of them.  Years ago when Erin was only about six or seven she went for a walk in Moundsvill, West Virginia with her cousin while we were vistiong my brother Tom.  

Cindy and Erin walked by the State Prison witch was a very scary and intimidating place.  Inside the prison was one of the Krisna’s imprisioned for murder.  In front of the prison the Krisna followers were protesting with an elephant.  The elephant marched back and forth with a large sign that read “Free Swami”.  Ironically, my bother in his construction business had done work for Swami, and sold him some equipment.

Now, back to the present.  Kadizzle likes to bed down at night with some peaceful music in his headphones.  With the Spotify service you can select a genre.  After choosing meditatiion it was not long before Krisna music came up.  Strangely Kadizzle has come to like the Krisna chants.  There is something about the chants that create a tranquil state.  Forty years later Kadizzle can see how these people were sort of self hypotised into a state of bliss.  So the next time you see someone in an orange sheet dancing in the airport look closely, it could Swami Kadizzle chanting.

World Travelers

My daughter Megan landed in Hong Cong last night on a business trip.  It made me think how my children have been able to see the world when poor Old Kadizzle rarely gets out of the country.  Megan has been to London, Paris, Italy, and will go on to Taiwan.  We traveled to Ireland with Megan and Erin Years ago.  Erin has traveled to Portugal, London, Paris, New Z eland, and most recently to Costa Rica with us.  Erin's husband Fran goes around the world about three times per year and his list is too long to put down.

Erin and Fran travel in the United States so much that they have visited just about every major city.  Both of them are weary from traveling so much.  It is a lot of time away from home.  Erin represents publica entities like Columbia, Saskatchewan, and the Port of Long Beach.  Fran does contract research often traveling for Microsoft, and various other large companies.  Megan is in Macy's fashion design department and has to check out the fashions in other countries, and check with suppliers.  The big bonus is they get treated as royalty by the airlines.  Erin and Fran are able to take a free trip to Hawaii every year with frequent flyer benefits.  Kadizzle does not care much for sitting on airplanes for hours, but it would be nice to have someone else pick up the tab for a trip.

Lake Cochite

Very nice sunrise at Cochiti Lake.  Too windy to drive today.  Looks like a day of exploring the area and enjoying the warmth.  The Corp of Engineers campground here is very nice, and it is a great place to stop on the way to AZ.   Tent Rocks is a very neat placed nearby and we have hiked it in the past.  If you wanted to explore Albuquerque, or Santa Fe this would be the perfect spot.

Cochiti Lake

Today we sit at Cochite Lake.  Was a warm day, but not too long a drive.  A nice view from the camper surrounded by mountains in every direction.  Every year a big battle ensues with Verizon, their service is hopeless when you travel. Here we sit withing a thousand feet of their tower, and the internet is slower than molasses running uphill.  We may be stuck here an extra day because tomorrow will be too windy to travel. However, for ten bucks a night this place is hard to beat.  So tomorrow may be a cycle ride or just some local exploring.

The people camping next to us came over and asked for advice on how to be warm and have electricity, in a nice place all at low cost.  First we told them to get to a lower elevation, then Kadizzle tried to explain that unless you have a generator and can get off the grid low cost is not an option. There are plenty of really nice places to camp  if you do not have to be plugged in.  Most of the really nice spots are free, or three dollars per night, but you need a Honda generator, or a good solar set up.  We do have amazing TV here.  We are get free digital TV over the air and have about thirty channels to chose from.  The internet finally seems to be working a little faster so we will have a couple of entertainment options tonight.  The Commander said we are having grilled lamb tonight, so it is time to grill.

Landed in Denver

The Kadizzlites landed in Denver to see our little bug Sylvie.  In Denver we resupply groceries, and buy some of that $2.85 gasoline.  The Commander plans to stock the camper with meat, liquor, and other items.  Kadizzle is having a serious debate with himself about buying a location device from Delorme.  The device would enable the Kadizzles to send an emergency message from any place via satellite.  The question is are our lives worth $300 up front and $11 a month?  Often we are miles from nowhere in some steep canyon or on some desolate cycle trail.  If things go to hell and something breaks, or someone gets hurt help is hard to come by.  The device is pretty nifty.  You can send text messages and let people know where you are.  Might be convincing myself.

Today we will head down to Chociti Lake. It is a Corp of Engineers campground and pretty nice.  Already we are enjoying the warm weather.  The drive down along the Eastern side of the Rockies is not bad. Since it is Saturday we may luck out and not have much traffic.  The truck has been getting absolutely terrible gas mileage.  With new tires at 80 psi one would think things would improve, but we are only getting between 7 and 8mpg.  The good news is gas prices are low.

Sounds like Sylvie is up and time for Grandpa to go see the bug.

Light the Fire

The house has been dusted and scrubbed immaculately.  The list has been checked, and checked, and checked once more, but one hundred miles from home we will realize we only have one shoe or something.  Tomorrow the engine will start and may we have a tailwind heading to warmth and old friends.

More than likely the Earth Module will land in Wheatland, Wyoming.   A half day drive will then end in Denver to see my little Sylvie.  From Denver to Chochiti Lake in New Mexico.  From there not sure. Packing has been a week long process. Trying to shave every once of weight out of the rig has been a careful exercise in restraint.  Hopefully the new tires at 80 PSI should get us a tinch better mileage.  The free trial Sirrus radio should be a nice addition for the long drive. We will miss the long hot showers, good internet, simple minded television, and lots of space.  Cold hopefully will be a thing of the past. Waking to sunshine, a T shirt, and mountain views will not be hard.

Load the wagon

It looks like it is time to load up and get going.  $1,200 worth of new ten ply tires are on the truck.  Yesterday The Commander and Lord Kadizzle hoisted the fifth wheel hitch into the Toyota and bolted it down.  The name of the game is to keep the weight down, so today Kadizzle may rig up a small plywood tailgate to replace the real one.  Every once counts.  Even though we use computerized list things are still forgotten.  A lot of items create a problem.  Should we carry a hydraulic jack?  Should we take an extra deep cycle battery?  So many times you realize you have been lugging stuff around for years you never use, but then you think what if?  The what if's are endless.

After the rotten scoundrel stole our generator last year we have instigated new security measures.  Buying a game camera was one thing strongly considered and still may happen.  It would be nice to capture the sneak thief on the camera.  If God is willing and the creeks don't rise the intrepid travels will head south on Thursday.

The Jihad

Years ago we moved to North Dakota.  Kadizzle was impressed with the general cleanliness of the German population.  As time has gone on and industry has thrived the newcomers to Hazen have let the culture of the south flourish. Junk is appearing everywhere.  To counteract this mess Kadizzle has started a Jihad to get the city commissioners off their rectums and enforce the law.  No one wants to make waves, but unfortunately the time to act has come.  So Kadizzle's latest hobby has become embarrassing the city commissioners into enforcing the law.

Boredom is sprouting everywhere.

Back home feels good for the first day or so, and then the boredom starts to strike.  What can we do today in Hazen?  If the big truck pulls into the grocery store we can go watch them unload.  Watching the snow melt is fun, but even that will be done soon.  The big event today will be going to the library to see if the one magazine that is any good came in.  We toured main street twice, no noticeable changes.  The creek beside our house is really high, now you talk about excitement.  Just cannot get the enthusiasm to start any home projects, how unusual.  For some real excitement we may go see how the boat made it through the winter.  Almost forgot the biggest event of the day, the mail lady will come.  We may get some neat stuff to throw away.  The only hope in the near future is it may be warm and dry enough to give the motorcycle some exercise.  We could do some painting and watch it dry, but that sounds like work. 

Another unusual home

As Kadizzle types this the Earth Module sits in front of the high school in Buffalo, South Dakota.  After searching Spearfish,  and Bellefusche with no luck, we headed north to Buffalo.  Using an old trick of our pilot friend we tried the airport.  In every town in the United States except Buffalo the feds have spent a bundle on little airports.  The airport was not the deluxe deal Hazen has with a nice lounge, and rest rooms.  All that was offered was a muddy mess.  The Commander had the brain storm to try the parking lot at the new high school.  As luck would have it the local parents were at the school getting ready for the prom.  Even better luck was the first person we talked to happened to be the wife of a school board member.  Her husband said we could spend the night.  Kadizzle asked him for the local police number to make sure it was OK with them.  Yup, the police said we could stay.  After driving all day from Denver we are nestled here drinking wine and beer.  Apparently we beat the prom kids to it.

The most important outlet to the outside world.

The Denver clan is headed for Hawaii.  Sylvie is so excited she can't sit still.  If God is willing and the creeks don't rise the Earth Module will be on it's way to the arctic regions of North Dakota.  One big problem, word from home is our sewer line leading out of the house is frozen.  The Commander has ordered all local forces to solve this problem, which at a minimum will cost $250 bucks.  Kadizzle thinks given the chance he could solve the problem, so needless to say there is disharmony in the crew.  Only in North Dakota can the ground freeze six or seven feet deep.  If the weather does not cooperate it may be impossible to get home.

Did you notice my birthday?

Kadizzle comes from a family of nine kids.  Birthdays were not a big deal. If my parents had to plan for nine birthday parties like the one my granddaughter is having it would have been a full time job.  If Kadizzle was lucky he got something for his birthday.  Kadizzle remembers one birthday where his father put a wrapped pen knife in a big glass gallon jug for Kadizzle to get out for a present.  Once Kadizzle's grandmother took him to the toy store on his birthday.  Most birthdays just were not noticed.

Now we come to Sylvie's birthday.  This may require as much planning as a wedding, and cost almost as much.  Apparently the plan is to rent the Art Garage and have all her friends show up for an art project.  Sylvie may well grow up as an only child.  She is a great little girl, but someday she will be faced with the reality the sun does not rotate around her.   Kadizzle learned very early there were eight other planets in the universe besides him, and he was pretty close to the smallest planet.

Cycle ride on the Casner Trail

Another person did this video, but it is the same trip Kadizzle recently took with Al on the Casner trail.  On the steep part going up the spine Kadizzle stalled out and had to turn around.  It is a fantastic trip and if you go over the edge it is your last trip.