Leaving for a Little While

I am heading out tomorrow and where I am going there will be no connection with the rest of the world.  I will hopefully be back online by the end of the week.  All this city camping has made me want to take some time to enjoy the trip out west.   I am heading for a little oasis of solitude and big open spaces.
 
It is going to be a challenge.  Especially with the starting battery starting to give out and no place to plug in.  I have a game plan for that I think will work.  I have the generator, in a pinch, but the generator needs a battery to start, and it doesn't seem the genny has an alternator to charge the battery.  I am figuring that the house batteries will be enough to start the genny.  So I'll  hook them up as the substitute starter battery while I take the Real Starting battery inside to keep warm and get charged. (And you all know how much of a pain it is for me to move the batteries around from earlier post)   I know what some may be thinking, why not just use the house batteries permanently as the starting battery.  Simply because they only have about 750 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) and the Real Starting battery is rated at 1400 CCA.  Diesel engine takes some serious juice to get started in the cold.  Plus, I had almost forgotten about my solar panels that can provide a trickle charge throughout the day.  That is my solution for my biggest anticipated problem.
What I am trying to plan for is unanticipated problems.  I have propane for heat to last at least a week, besides weather shouldn't be miserable cold.  I have food to last 2 weeks.  Fuel...covered.  Water will be good for maybe a week.
My biggest concern would be something else going wrong with the bus.  Flat tire or other travel stopping incident.  I have a spare slave cylinder, but I haven't had any problems with that since I fixed it for good 5 months ago.  I have spare belts, spare filters, extra quarts of engine fluids.
If worse does come to worse, I will only be 23 miles from civilization.  I might not be able to run it but I sure could hike it.
Some might wonder why I would still do this with a faulty battery.  I am not being foolhardy in my decision.  I have done nothing but planned this trip for the last two days.  It is on an alternate route towards Pueblo, CO. It would be cost prohibitive to back track and do this again in the near future, I need to save every dime for a new battery.  Plus, the big reason for me, is that through all the tests I have done and passed, this one is unique.  This is the dream that has sustained me for the past two years.  To test myself in total isolation in big open country.  No cell phone access, no internet, nothing.  There is nowhere back east to be this remote from other people.  To explore a new place.  To break away from having unlimited electricity piped in.  I have been through many mini tests.  I have gone without internet access, I have gone without a cell phone, I have gone without electricity.  There are struggles that I haven't blogged about.  I now want to struggle somewhere breathtakingly spectacular, with new challenges.  And if I get an urge to turn the propane heater off, I can.  Or camp outdoors, I can.  I want to know I can be as comfortable or as uncomfortable as I want.  It is still controlled and well planned.  I don't want anyone to worry.  I have let people know where I will be.  I want to see how I will react to challenges or what I will learn so that next time I venture out I will be even more prepared.   It almost is too safe, I AM technically in a Motor home. It's not like I am backpacking with a tent.  That is why potential mechanical issues are really just another test.  Have I taken all possible precautions?  The Boy Scout motto is: "Be Prepared".  Those two words mean so much in so many ways to me.  It isn't just something I learned as a kid, it something I embrace, especially the last couple of years.  Whatever life throws at you, be prepared.  Most people regard the quote as a reminder to bring a first aid kit on a family outing.  If your vehicle breaks down, are you prepared?  Some are content that AAA will cover that, and most cases that is true.  Then there are others, like myself, that just want to know, even if it isn't likely, that they can change a tire, change the oil, troubleshoot electrical problems, perhaps make a temporary fix to get to safety just using their knowledge and available tools.  They may still call AAA but they have the peace of mind and confidence that comes when you KNOW you are prepared, just in case.  I believe this is why I have such a kick for learning everything about anything I come in contact with.  It is why I tackle previously intimidating jobs like bus repair.  It probably why I am drawn to a survivalist mentality.   Sort of the ultimate test of preparedness.  One that I believe translates well to all aspects of one's life.  If you can prepare for any survival situation what can't you prepare for?  I have found that I have a knack for getting and being prepared for new situations.  Even when I make mistakes, I learn and apply them to the next time I am getting prepared.
This little jaunt into the wilderness marks my first step into really getting to the good part of my journey.  I have survived on determination this far, although many people might not have understood it in the beginning, I think that along the way they see it doesn't seem so crazy.  I had set the goal give up non-essentials and to move out west, but that wasn't my only goal.  It is just the biggest one anyone noticed.  There were thousands of little goals met to get here.  I overcame numerous setbacks.  Lived an ascetic lifestyle and focused on what I felt was important.  I have been out west many times to vacation.  But how I got here this time, it is different.  Tomorrow, I will have reached my goal of moving to Colorado.  That is just a geographic technicality.  It's the answer I gave when I started by buying the bus to the question, "Where are you going to go?"   The other question that I like "What are you going to do?"  Neither question has an end all/be all answer to them.  Colorado happens to be the place I wanted to go to first.  I want to go to so many places and do so many different things.  Colorado is just the best place for me to get started.
Alright, I have some more stuff to do.  Blog up to date.  Check.
Catch you at the end of the week.