KOWBOY
President
- Joined
- Mar 21, 2005
- Threads
- 209
- Messages
- 5,878
- Location
- Diggin' mud
- Website
- www.elwoodwhitetrash.com
- Thread starter
- #41
Tuesday, 17 December
Woke up cold in the night and pulled the Cabela’s sleepin’ bag over me. Usually just been sleepin’ with the sheet and blanket. Woke up for real ‘bout sunrise and realize how cold the camper is. This ain’t good. I ain’t brilliant … but I ain’t stupid neither. Must be outta propane. That’s why I got all the beddin’ tho. Learned that in my second big Lance at Katemcy one year when I had furnace problems. Tough to get out from under the covers. 35 degrees. No propane … so no furnace, no hot water heater, no stove. Got it covered. Pour me up a monstrous bowl of Frosted Flakes. Fella’s gotta plan for stuff to go wrong. Packed up quick and headed back to town. I actu’ly meant to check the LP yesterday when I was in town but forgot. Oh well. Truck fired off right nice. Reckon she just don’t like below freezin’.
Stopped off first thang at the Ace Hardware store. They don’t do propane but gave me directions ‘cross town to the place that does. Got there lil’ bit ‘fore they opened so waited in the parkin’ lot. Tank’s extremely easy to get outta the camper and had ‘er filled and replaced in no time at all. Another excellent design feature. So now back to the desert.
Yes … I been makin’ a lot of trips to town. But that’ all part of the master plan. Wanna stay close to civilization while I get the bugs outta my new lifestyle. This is to be expected. So gotta week outta the propane. And that’s with frigid temps the first day and half with the furnace and water heater both on steady to keep ‘er from freezin’ up. Since my work schedule is two weeks on and a week off, I’m hopin to be totally self-contained for a week So far so good but still not sure ‘bout the water situation.
Drove outta town, past my mesa, and turned left on the next road … Sand Mine Road. “4 x 4 recommended” accordin’ to the sign. Goes into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. My first 4wd road. Well not really. Certainly no need for 4wd. But kinda cool drivin’ down the wash and got me away from all the RV’s. After a good bit, came to a fenceline with a sign sayin’ “End of Road”. Hopped out and walked around a short ways. Funny as I realize I’m right close to the lake I had hiked to last week when I was on the mesa. Same neighborhood … block over and a dif’rent adventure. As I walked back to the truck I couldn’t help but notice how level it was parked right where she sat. Must be a sign from the gods … time to camp. Seemed silly to turn around and head right back up the same road. Got nowheres to go and no place to be.
Still plenty early in the day so time for some maintenance work. Drug my tool bag outta the back seat area. Took a lil’ turn on all the beadlock bolts. Checked all the lugnuts. Checked all the tire pressures. Tightened up the Happyjac couplers that hold the camper on to the truck now that’s it’s settled in some. And fixed the flat on my bike. Reckon it was just an attitude thang. Had a few beers in me and switched the camper stereo to the outside speakers. Pulled up my chair and just got ‘er done. Went for a short test ride and realized still had a slow leak. Broke ‘er down a second time and found a tiny second leak by stickin’ the tube down in the ice water of the beer cooler. Patched that one as well and good to go.
Heard the unmistakable clatter of a 7.3 comin’ down the wash well before I seen it. Sure ‘nuf, all white crew cab come into sight. When they seen me they made a u-turn and headed back. Time for another test ride on the bike anyways so off I went followin’ ‘em. They had pulled off the road just a short piece up the wash and stopped. Gover’ment tags. Hot chick in ‘er early twenties hopped outta the driver’s door. Bright green framed sunglasses. Nice. So stopped to get the scoop. ‘Nother hot chick comes ‘round the back of the truck followed by a Mes’kin. They say they’re there to scope out any off-road damage and rake it out to recover it to original. (Wonder which of the trio does the actual rakin’??) They comment how my tracks never veered from the road. I assured them I am a solid law-bidin’ citizen and they should both come over to the Mobile Home later for a beer. They never showed. Musta been lesbians.
The downhill road that was no problem at all for the 37 x 13.50’s on the truck proved to be quite a challenge goin’ the other direction for the 29 x 3’s on the bike. Burned up the lungs and the legs but got back the two miles to the top of the mesa after multiple rest stops. Ride back down was fantastic. Goin’ downhill seems the best way to go on a bicycle.
Passed that gover’ment truck again lil’ farther up the road then they was earlier. Mes’kin was rakin’ his ass off on some motor-sickle tracks. Hot chicks was eatin’ their lunch.
Back at the Mobile Home and packed up the bike. Getting’ good at that too. Grabbed another beer or so. Then another truck come down the wash. Sure busy here at the end of the road. Coupla Park Rangers. I assured them as well that I am a solid law-bidin’ citizen. And I possess an annual pass grantin’ me legal access to these type areas (purchased yesterday). Nice fellas and they went on their way back up the wash.
With beer inhand, I wandered ‘round the homestead a bit. Came over a rise and seen a cool ol’ corral. Looks to be quite awhile since it was in use. Locals say Lake Mead used to come this far up the valley. Musta been before Al Gore invented Global Warmin’. Lots of ol’ mussel shells layin’ ‘round in the gravel tho so reckon it was the case.
Done already had me a whole lotta beer so far today. And I reckon that gets me contemplatin’ a bit more than I should. But this damn sign right in front of my truck bothers me … “End of Road”.
In the ol’ westerns, the good guy often times says “it’s the end of the line” as he shoots the bad guy. That came from “the end of the railroad line” … meanin’ no more railroad tracks so weren’t nowhere else to go on the train. So time to die. Is this the “end of the road” for me? Back in the Valley of Fire State Park there was a fancy sign on the side of the road commemoratin’ some fool back in the 1800’s that crawled under his buckboard wagon and died there. He was found months later. If’n I just crawl under this big-ass truck and die here, will they put up a fancy sign for me too? Right next to the “End of Road” sign?
Hell … I’m just startin’ on my road. That friggin’ sign needs to read “End of THIS Road”.
Or better yet … “Welcome to the end of this particular road. We hope you have enjoyed traveling on it. Please turn around now and go find yourself another road to travel.”
That would be better By Gawd.
Woke up cold in the night and pulled the Cabela’s sleepin’ bag over me. Usually just been sleepin’ with the sheet and blanket. Woke up for real ‘bout sunrise and realize how cold the camper is. This ain’t good. I ain’t brilliant … but I ain’t stupid neither. Must be outta propane. That’s why I got all the beddin’ tho. Learned that in my second big Lance at Katemcy one year when I had furnace problems. Tough to get out from under the covers. 35 degrees. No propane … so no furnace, no hot water heater, no stove. Got it covered. Pour me up a monstrous bowl of Frosted Flakes. Fella’s gotta plan for stuff to go wrong. Packed up quick and headed back to town. I actu’ly meant to check the LP yesterday when I was in town but forgot. Oh well. Truck fired off right nice. Reckon she just don’t like below freezin’.
Stopped off first thang at the Ace Hardware store. They don’t do propane but gave me directions ‘cross town to the place that does. Got there lil’ bit ‘fore they opened so waited in the parkin’ lot. Tank’s extremely easy to get outta the camper and had ‘er filled and replaced in no time at all. Another excellent design feature. So now back to the desert.
Yes … I been makin’ a lot of trips to town. But that’ all part of the master plan. Wanna stay close to civilization while I get the bugs outta my new lifestyle. This is to be expected. So gotta week outta the propane. And that’s with frigid temps the first day and half with the furnace and water heater both on steady to keep ‘er from freezin’ up. Since my work schedule is two weeks on and a week off, I’m hopin to be totally self-contained for a week So far so good but still not sure ‘bout the water situation.
Drove outta town, past my mesa, and turned left on the next road … Sand Mine Road. “4 x 4 recommended” accordin’ to the sign. Goes into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. My first 4wd road. Well not really. Certainly no need for 4wd. But kinda cool drivin’ down the wash and got me away from all the RV’s. After a good bit, came to a fenceline with a sign sayin’ “End of Road”. Hopped out and walked around a short ways. Funny as I realize I’m right close to the lake I had hiked to last week when I was on the mesa. Same neighborhood … block over and a dif’rent adventure. As I walked back to the truck I couldn’t help but notice how level it was parked right where she sat. Must be a sign from the gods … time to camp. Seemed silly to turn around and head right back up the same road. Got nowheres to go and no place to be.
Still plenty early in the day so time for some maintenance work. Drug my tool bag outta the back seat area. Took a lil’ turn on all the beadlock bolts. Checked all the lugnuts. Checked all the tire pressures. Tightened up the Happyjac couplers that hold the camper on to the truck now that’s it’s settled in some. And fixed the flat on my bike. Reckon it was just an attitude thang. Had a few beers in me and switched the camper stereo to the outside speakers. Pulled up my chair and just got ‘er done. Went for a short test ride and realized still had a slow leak. Broke ‘er down a second time and found a tiny second leak by stickin’ the tube down in the ice water of the beer cooler. Patched that one as well and good to go.
Heard the unmistakable clatter of a 7.3 comin’ down the wash well before I seen it. Sure ‘nuf, all white crew cab come into sight. When they seen me they made a u-turn and headed back. Time for another test ride on the bike anyways so off I went followin’ ‘em. They had pulled off the road just a short piece up the wash and stopped. Gover’ment tags. Hot chick in ‘er early twenties hopped outta the driver’s door. Bright green framed sunglasses. Nice. So stopped to get the scoop. ‘Nother hot chick comes ‘round the back of the truck followed by a Mes’kin. They say they’re there to scope out any off-road damage and rake it out to recover it to original. (Wonder which of the trio does the actual rakin’??) They comment how my tracks never veered from the road. I assured them I am a solid law-bidin’ citizen and they should both come over to the Mobile Home later for a beer. They never showed. Musta been lesbians.
The downhill road that was no problem at all for the 37 x 13.50’s on the truck proved to be quite a challenge goin’ the other direction for the 29 x 3’s on the bike. Burned up the lungs and the legs but got back the two miles to the top of the mesa after multiple rest stops. Ride back down was fantastic. Goin’ downhill seems the best way to go on a bicycle.
Passed that gover’ment truck again lil’ farther up the road then they was earlier. Mes’kin was rakin’ his ass off on some motor-sickle tracks. Hot chicks was eatin’ their lunch.
Back at the Mobile Home and packed up the bike. Getting’ good at that too. Grabbed another beer or so. Then another truck come down the wash. Sure busy here at the end of the road. Coupla Park Rangers. I assured them as well that I am a solid law-bidin’ citizen. And I possess an annual pass grantin’ me legal access to these type areas (purchased yesterday). Nice fellas and they went on their way back up the wash.
With beer inhand, I wandered ‘round the homestead a bit. Came over a rise and seen a cool ol’ corral. Looks to be quite awhile since it was in use. Locals say Lake Mead used to come this far up the valley. Musta been before Al Gore invented Global Warmin’. Lots of ol’ mussel shells layin’ ‘round in the gravel tho so reckon it was the case.
Done already had me a whole lotta beer so far today. And I reckon that gets me contemplatin’ a bit more than I should. But this damn sign right in front of my truck bothers me … “End of Road”.
In the ol’ westerns, the good guy often times says “it’s the end of the line” as he shoots the bad guy. That came from “the end of the railroad line” … meanin’ no more railroad tracks so weren’t nowhere else to go on the train. So time to die. Is this the “end of the road” for me? Back in the Valley of Fire State Park there was a fancy sign on the side of the road commemoratin’ some fool back in the 1800’s that crawled under his buckboard wagon and died there. He was found months later. If’n I just crawl under this big-ass truck and die here, will they put up a fancy sign for me too? Right next to the “End of Road” sign?
Hell … I’m just startin’ on my road. That friggin’ sign needs to read “End of THIS Road”.
Or better yet … “Welcome to the end of this particular road. We hope you have enjoyed traveling on it. Please turn around now and go find yourself another road to travel.”
That would be better By Gawd.
