Month: February 2022

Retiree in Action: Part 2: Work on the Cargo Van Begins!

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My new Ram Dodge Promaster cargo van is an empty shell! What should I work on first, that is the question! Since this van has wall liners already installed and it will become my “glorified tent”, I am not going to insulate the van. If I am cold, I have my winter sleeping bag. If I am hot, I can sleep on the ground under the stars or in my tent, which I will always carry on my travels … I was a backpacker!

For starters, I removed a few plastic rivets from the side wall to eventually bolt the bed frame to the van, or so I hope! (I did not want to drill any holes into the van, but instead to use existing holes.) Never knew anything about rivets, but a local person suggested I use a plastic tool to remove the rivets and thus not damage the van’s wall liners. Worked perfectly!

With the lower wall liners off, I installed noise deadening material and also did some of the roof to finish the one box of Klimat I had purchased. The noise deadening material was not a necessity. The wall liners were good enough, but with them off why not add the noise deadening layer.

Halfway through the noise deadening installation and not appreciating the upper body workout, I took a break to shop for wood needed for next steps in this construction. My ACE neighborhood store did not have all the lumber I would need, so to the big box store I went! (Apparently with building materials supply chain issues, larger stores get building materials before our neighborhood stores.) Other items I ordered online.

I am taking this project in sections; steep learning curve ahead for me. I wanted to build a bed frame with appropriate support and high enough to fit my bicycle underneath. Can I get my fingers into the holes to bolt the frame to the van ? Can I figure a way to have the bicycle slide out enough for me to unlock the fork from the tray and then lift the bicycle off? How does one install drawer ball-bearing slides? With my reading of various material, You Tube videos, and brain I hope to determine all that is needed. And then to put it all into action to complete what I need!

This is a low roof van, thus I need the bed frame and bicycle work to be accurate. While I can stand in this low roof van, when it comes to me eventually sleeping on the bed there is little room for me to sit-up. Inches are important in the construction of the framing for the bed and bicycle. This van barely makes it in height into our garage; 3 inches to be exact. The 118 inch wheelbase is okay for the garage too and I can fit into parking spaces just as passenger cars. The width of the van is huge…80 inches…75 inches within inside walls… allowing one to sleep from side to side in the van …. Nice!

Retiree in Action: Part 1: Buy A Cargo Van? You May Ask Why?

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October 2021, still a Covid world! Damn! My frustration in not traveling internationally was taking a toll on me. Nothing tremendously serious, but annoyingly confining. When will I be in Australia or Chile or Italy? Watching and reading the news left me asking how I could be outdoors exploring a world beyond Arizona. With friends and family on the east coast and a beautiful USA countryside, travel once again across the USA similar to my June 2021 trip was an option.

No, this adventure would be slightly different. No more cramped space within a Honda Element which had my home-made bed platform, space for a bicycle and camping gear, or rolling out of a tent each night! I was tired of climbing out of a tent or being hunched over in the Honda Element when moving around within it. This time a cargo van with space for all! I began to envision and affectionately call my new van idea a “glorified tent”! My two priorities: space and ease to get to my bicycle and a bed a few feet off the ground.

November 2021, I put money down on a van in San Juan Capistrano, California. I chose a Ram Dodge Promaster 1500, low roof, 118 inch wheelbase cargo van, sight unseen, since none were in the state of Arizona. Also, my Homeowner’s Association dictated no vehicle longer or with higher roof could park in the driveway. And since I do not have a recreational vehicle garage attached to my home, this van was my choice. You may recall supply chain issues, such as for electronic chips, and back log of shipping containers at our ports. As a result, my van was “in transit” according to the website, except it was still in Mexico according to the dealer’s phone call to find its location. 

January 2022, my 2021 cargo van arrives! Or so I think it will be mine. I still had to check it out with a test drive and to finalize a deal. After doing so, I traded-in my Honda Element, drove the van from California to Arizona, and now my sketches of what I wish to build in the van will become a reality in the upcoming weeks! I hope …

Yes, my goal is to convert the empty inside of my cargo van into something that will work comfortably for me. I have no woodworking skills, except to say thanks to my dad who taught me how to use a hand saw, screwdriver, and hammer. I am not spending tons of money on the conversion as I had seen other do on various blogs and You Tubes channels. I will not be living full-time in the van; I have a home to return to at all times. This van is with backpacker gear, no frills, no guarantee of right angles in the construction of it, low budget, reusing wood from the Honda Element bed platform, and thus I am creating my “glorified tent”. Now I can envision taking off in the early morning to see birds or staying later in the day somewhere to catch a sunset. In either case, no tent to take down or put up! No late night “office hours” in a passenger seat as I had done in my Honda Element. Now I could make my sketchy construction ideas a reality! Or so I hope; time will tell. I will let you know how I am doing, what I am learning, and for you to see the final work! Wish me luck!

A Retiree is Hopping To It!

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Ever feel there are a million things to do in a day? And a million more to complete within a year? How can there be so many things to do in a retiree’s life? Where to begin? What to do? Can I still fit my daily nap in … only joking as I have not figured out the “art of napping”. I hear it is a good thing. Silly of me to ever think my retired life would be slow, or slow down.

As I enter a new decade in a few months, I liked a quote reminding me the first decades of my life were for research and now I can get on with the crux of what I have been wanting to do. For many years I worked hard in the educational world to ultimately enjoy international travel with no need to only schedule trips during school breaks. I have been to 23 countries so far with so many more to visit, but unfortunately Covid-19 has slowed my international travel progress. The past couple of years I was to be in at least 6 more countries new to me! With my life goal of wanting to see the world, six is a huge number and months of travel put on hold! When will I get to these missed countries? When will I see more of the world? This retiree is not getting younger … hmmm … maybe I should check into the “art of napping”.

I anticipate 2 more years of virus anxiety around the world because people vary in their protection from the virus. As a result, I am hopping to another travel goal for the upcoming 2 years! The USA and Canada are beautiful countries. I hope to combine bird-watching, bicycling bike paths and rural roads, photography, and discovering unique places and people within each of these countries. They are similar hopes to any of my international travel goals, since I always wish to wander and travel with flexible travel plans. My goal is to move on living my life while I can! To many individuals who are older than me remind me to do so! And while I know they are probably right, it has taken me a bit of time to get going again.

Time to travel … with a new van … converted within to my needs …. and in time we’ll see how it turns out … and then time to hit the road! I am hopping onto a new idea; wish me luck!

Put Your Brain To Work!

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There is nothing new these days. We have always had to make decisions. New are the facts to be considered when making a decision. Where do we get our facts? Can we agree to live with what becomes known? Will we respect another who decides differently? Can we live in a world where our thoughts and actions necessitate time in their formation?

I recall a time as a school administrator where one badgered me in wanting an answer to their question. We need to take time to think, use our brain, consider various ideas at once to make the best decision, not be swayed, but to truly think! You do not want the rushed answer as it will most likely be “no”.

Allow another time to think, just as you are taking time to think about all that is happening in your current world: women may ask, if it is my body and my choice, why is the government intervening in my reproductive issues? Many people may ask, should I vaccinate or not, wear a facial mask or not, or stay indoors with others in large crowds. Others may ask, many environmental, dietary, and mental health questions. There is an unending list of questions to ask; many answers to be given, but all take time for us to truly research the facts and to answer intelligently. Give yourself time to think and then answer. It ultimately is your decision or another’s decision, to be respected. And/or have a conversation as to why each of you differ; there are times that will happen and it will be okay.

Hawk, Hummer and Hoot … What An Exciting Morning!

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A bird feeder in your yard is not a necessity to observe birds. Take a look out a window or walk around your home and you may discover birds close by! 

The other morning a cooper’s hawk was sitting on our back wall. We just happened to be looking out our back window and there it was! It sat there for a period of time, enough time for me to grab my camera and capture a photo:

Twenty minutes later while working with a landscaper in our front yard, he discovered a hummingbird’s nest! It is definitely newly constructed. I will keep watch for any activity with hopes to observe a hummingbird some day sitting on eggs in the nest … time will tell! 

A hummingbird is 4 inches in size and their nest is even smaller. The cup-shaped nest may eventually hold 2 eggs in it. I took a close-up photo of the nest so you can see its shape. The nest is so small I had to stand inches away from it to even see the nest which is well hidden in the bush! Here is a photo of the nest:

As the landscaper and I continued working in the front yard, he saw an owl! If there be any good idea in doing the landscaping work, this landscaper helped me see a hummingbird’s nest and an owl right on our property! It was a Western screech owl that hid within the branches of a mesquite tree as it sat on our side wall. The wind was blowing and continued to knock the owl in the body, but it seemed to continue to sleep. I captured a photo when the wind blew the branches away from the owl. Finally the owl decides to move and we discover it on the ground on the other side of the wall! Now it sleeps in comfort and a protected place. Here are a few photos:

Common ravens, Harris’s hawks, red-tailed hawks, doves and various other birds fly overhead, including hummingbirds that visit our flowers … but seeing these three: Cooper’s hawk, hummingbird nest and Western screech owl … today were spectacular! 

Have you walked around your yard to see what wildlife is nearby? Even within concrete cracks there may be some living thing, so don’t overlook them! And keep your eyes on the sky as there may be something interesting flying overhead! Nature is around us all and to be enjoyed!

Want an AZ Escape, No Cell or Wifi Service Where You Stay?

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Recently my partner and I discovered a place in the wilderness of Arizona, north of Tucson. Since travel was within 2 hours from our home, we decided to check out the area and stay at Aravaipa Farms, Orchard & Inn for 3 nights. Here is the website: https://www.aravaipafarms.com

We stayed in a casita, purchased all 3 meals per day, and brought our own wine since at the time of our visit they did not have a liquor license. They are the friendliest people with fantastic cooks creating meals to meet our gluten-free, vegetarian and dietary needs. Since Covid was still the reality in Arizona, meals were delivered to us at our casita to be eaten there or as we did take our lunches on the hiking trails!

They have a farm with a burro, goats, miniature horses and chickens. They have an orchard with 900 trees: oranges, peaches, apricots and more. I loved bird-watching in the orchard, plus they have many bird houses hanging around the property. There are casitas of various sizes. We walked around their orchard and on some of the trails rights from their property. To arrive to their place, it is necessary to drive some final 4 miles on a dirt road, down a steep dirt driveway and across a creek, that had about 6 inches of water in it when we arrived, but all doable with a Honda Element.

Our favorite adventurous hike was the Brandenberg Mountain Ridge Trail. A short distance down the road from Aravaipa Farms, Orchard & Inn was the start of this trail. We hiked 2.5 miles to a lunch spot overlooking, in the distance, the place we were staying and with the orchard being easiest to notice along with great views. The mountain towered behind us at lunch, but on our way up we walked through a wash, steep incline and then an old jeep road on the ridge with so many options to stop for lunch and also make it our turn-around point.

We hiked above the front-facing wall to ridge area on right side of photo.
Zoomed in for this photo so you can see the orchard where we stayed.

Another trail we enjoyed when we decided to hike beyond the creek trail was to head up Exploration Trail. This was a fascinating combination of hiking in washes and then to the top of the hill by following rock cairns (rock piles) and making our own way to the ridge to look to the other side. This trail is being created as I write.

One of many short sections off of Exploration Trail to explore!

At night, it is silent or you may hear an owl hooting! One night the wind whipped through the area for the entire night! Earlier that night we had been out walking and star-gazing, although chairs are available in a couple of locations if you wished to sit back and gaze up! We slept well each night after each day of fresh air, fun hiking and delicious food. 

Be sure to visit Aravaipa Farms, Orchard and Inn at https://www.aravaipafarms.com if you enjoy solitude, silence and an opportunity to hike, bird watch, star gaze or simply relax! 

Please know: to hike in the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness you need a permit since the number of visitors per day is restricted. Permits are required in advance from recreation.gov for the West Entrance. 

If you are in the area, or staying at the inn, there are other trails to hike with no permit needed! We will return to Aravaipa Farms, Orchard and Inn and to hike Aravaipa Canyon Wildness when we are also ready to have wet feet since there are so many creek crossings there.

Bird Feeders … Easy Way To See Birds …

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All of us cannot get around and see birds, but we can create habitats for birds to come to us! This may even be in your backyard. If you have some trees for birds to perch on while they wait their turn to feed at a feeder and food they like to eat, you will have birds arriving where you can easily view them. Other birds will enjoy specific flowers in your yard, so with your next planting you may consider hummingbird-friendly flowers.

There are feeders specific in meeting what humming birds like and are attracted to, such as this feeder:

Other birds enjoy seed in a container, such as these birds do:

Some birds simply enjoy the fruit slice available to them:

Of course, there are some feeders for you if many birds visit your area at a time. I have seen a feeder such as this one to handle that bird feed need:

I am no expert on feeding birds, the type of feed best to attract specific birds or the various feeders to use, but I do enjoy seeing birds in my backyard whether in the trees, flowers or at a feeder. New to all of this information, I discovered the Wild Bird Unlimited store in my area and they were a fountain of information and a place to buy what I eventually wanted. Also, my local Audubon provided me with help, and so has reading material from various sources. With some time, you too can create an area attractive to birds and encourage them to hang out and/or eat at the feeder you set up! Have fun!