Alaska Scare and New HFH Task

A few days ago, I said in a post that I am ready for the north but it may not be ready for me. For example, campgrounds may not be open. At the time I was referring to campgrounds in the lower northern U.S. states, like Idaho, Montana, and Washington, which usually open around Memorial…

Help! Send Chocolate!

Still doing volunteer work for HFH. I mostly paint doors all day, every day. From one house to the next. Have you ever counted the doors in your house? A modern sticks and bricks house? Every regular bedroom has 3 doors minimum – 1 entry door and 2 closet doors. The master bedroom has 3 also…

Getting Ready to Head North

I head north from the Deming/Las Cruces area in about a week so, after my Habitat for Humanity shifts, I have been getting the van and RV ready for storage. First up: cleaning out cupboards, nooks, and crannies of anything that would attract critters. Second big job: summer-izing the RV, which means putting reflective shades…

But First, Habitat for Humanity

I think about my upcoming Alaska trip every day. Sometimes I even have second thoughts about such a long trip away from my RV. My little home will be sitting under the summer desert sky while I travel for 6 months. I bought a cover for it, which should help with UV Rays and moisture. …

Packing for Alaska: Tent and Screenhouse

I learned how to put up both my 8-person tent and the 12×12 foot screen house on a New Mexico “beach”, really the shoreline of a huge Rio Grande reservoir. As I stared at both towering structures with pride, it occurred to me that maybe they were overkill. Then, I remembered, I will be essentially…

Build a Wall?

After reading my blog post about drug smugglers on public lands more than one person said the solution is: Build The Wall. I don’t think so. For one thing, the rancher who was slaughtered by drug runners in 2010 (near Douglas, AZ) had a property that was bordered by a wall,  which never stopped smugglers from…

Alaska: Phone and Internet

I finally took the time to research Internet and phone service in Alaska! As expected, there is not much service, except in the larger cities. Verizon told me yesterday that they have been in Alaska for only two years and provide service in Anchorage, Juneau and 2 other smaller cities (not Fairbanks). Further research on…