Most beautiful place March 11, 2003, 12:54:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19753As Edward Abbey said in Desert Solitaire, "This is the most beautiful place on earth. There are many such places." That's the way my travels have seemed to unfold, traveling full-time in the Lazy Daze. Recently I hiked for a few days with friends in the Chiricahua National Monument. (South and east of Tucson, AZ.) This is part of the homeland of Cochise. It has huge, impossibly balanced boulders, spires and rock formations. Before a hike, I like to sit on the step with a mug of hot coffee and watch the sun come up over the mountains. This may be the most wonderful part of the day - - sometimes it's hard to choose. Then after a few days, I traveled east, across the valley to National Forest Service Land, and boondocked at the base of Cochise Stronghold for several more days. Boondocking in a 23' Lazy Daze makes a mockery of 'roughing it'. Beautiful high desert forest, miles and miles of trails, and all those stars at night. Yes, there still are shooting stars. Just like when you were a kid. I get to see them when I sit out at night, far, far away from any town, sitting next to the embers of a campfire that softly pulsates into charcoal. It's said that Cochise watched the soldiers coming across the wide valley (they would be easy to spot, kicking up dust along the way) then take his people up the natural granite fortress that was a haven from the US Cavalry. As I hiked up to the pass, I thought how impossible it would have been for the soldiers to have ever found them. As is true of these trails, your breath gets simply sucked out of you with eve turn of the trail; the beauty is so majestic and ever changing. Fortunately there are also huge flat boulders where you can lay down, catch said breath, or just stretch out and let the warm sun kiss your body. Did you ever cry in a cave? I did. Kartchner Caverns is a living cave that is being ferociously protected. Thank heavens. At the end of the walk through the cave, we sat quietly while the lights softly and slowly changed, highlighting some of nature's finest creations in this underground haven. In the background some lovely music played, and here came the ole lump in the throat. How lucky I am to be able to experience all this. In a few days I'm heading to Yuma, where I'm told to not miss Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. And, I think I've found a fellow in Yuma, who will build the kitchen cupboard like Andy has. Last but not least, I'm also told by my single friends that I can dance every day in Yuma!!More later, Sarah and Mz. Daisy I tried to daydream, but my mind keeps wandering.[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: Most beautiful place Reply #1 – March 11, 2003, 04:06:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19763QuoteThen after a few days, I traveled east, across the valley to National Forest QuoteService Land, and boondocked at the base of Cochise Stronghold for several more days. Boondocking in a 23' Lazy Daze makes a mockery of 'roughing it'.SarahThere is nothing wrong with 'roughing it in luxury'.Ron 30 IB Anaheim, ca
Most beautiful place Reply #2 – March 11, 2003, 02:25:42 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19757Sarah,Thanks for the beautiful images you project. I think you should write a book about your travels. The boulders you speak of bring back fond memories of when my parents would pack us up and make the yearly trek from CA to TX in our slide in camper. We would always stop by the boulders to take pictures and what not. Keep up the great reports. My atlas gets a good work out every time you give a report.Thanks again,-Victor ps - I hope you are taking lots of photos of your travels. If I ever run into you, I'll want to see them. :-)
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Most beautiful place Reply #3 – March 11, 2003, 03:16:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19761Thanks Sarah, Those descriptions are so pretty. I can't stand the wait. We have a 30 footer on order and shoule have it mid April. We're in Colorado Springs, and plan to head due south to see that lovely part of the world. Hope our big LD will fit the roads there. We were able to squeeze a 26.5 footer into many exploration roads. There are so many places in the USA that we call our favorites. This world has many breathtaking places, and I'm sure America isn't unique there. We've been to the Olympic Rain Forest in Washington, the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, Glacier National Park (and the Canadian part, Waterton) and the Washington and Oregon coast, as well as the California coastline. Also bumped down the East Coast seeing Chincoteague and Assateague, and all the outer banks and Savannah and Atlanta.I agree with you,--- early in the day and dusk are my favorite times........there is a serenity that is just fascinating. We hope to see the Carlsbad Caverns too, and just poke around until we've had "enough". We hope to do a lot of boondocking and get away from crowds. Too bad more people don't have this wonderful opportunity.You write beautifully........thanks. We're circling lots of good places on the map.Jane and Bob[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Most beautiful place Reply #4 – March 11, 2003, 04:41:57 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19765Hi Jane, Bob and Sarah You all are doing (and have done) what I would love to do. I was down at the factory a couple of weeks ago, and decided on the 23.5 front dinette. Red with blue interior. However I have hesitated to send the check, because of the "war" situation and the cost of gas. If it should rise to $3 or $4 a gal, the cost of a fill-up seems pretty astronomical. I keep waiting to read something about this from every one here, but so far, nothing. (I did write a letter a couple of days ago, but yahoo seems to have eaten it.) So, anybody have some encouraging words for me? Do you think the rise in gas will be temporary? At a campground in Lost Hills on my way back from Montclair, I did meet a man with a tan LD who said "you are a short time alive, and a long time dead. Go for it." He and his wife were on their way to Puerto Penasco with a stopover at the Organ Pipe Cactus Nat. Mon. (if you run into him Sarah, his name is Peter.) I am anxious to hear from some of our LD great thinkers. I really do respect your opinions.MacSonoma Co. Calif
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Most beautiful place Reply #5 – March 11, 2003, 04:58:54 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19766As an active duty military member I can appreciate your concern about the upcoming war (which will happen) I doubt it will be a quick one either, especially if there is urban combat in Baghdad. But to avoid politics in this discussion group, there's a lot of great camping near you. Most of my trips are weekend trips within a 100 mile radius and it makes me get out twice a month - time I might otherwise spend in the city shopping or going to restaurants (still spending $$). I like the quote from Mark Twain "Two weeks in San Francisco is worth a lifetime in Memphis" (no offense to the people of Tennessee). After 9/11, it's best to live life in faith rather than fear. Sonia in San Diego hoping to retire in Dec 2003 despite the war
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Most beautiful place Reply #6 – March 11, 2003, 05:44:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19767Hi Mac,You wrote ---- QuoteSo, anybody have some encouraging words for me? Do you think the rise in gas Quotewill be temporary? At a campground in Lost Hills on my way back from Montclair, I did meet a man with a tan LD who said "you are a short time alive, and a long time dead. Go for it." I pretty much agree with this fellow. I'll be retiring on New Year's Day in 2005 and then beginning my gypsy life, so, lately, I've given a lot of thought to these budget issues. It seems to me that the key is to think of the price of gas not so much as affecting dollars per mile, but, rather, as limiting miles traveled over time. If the price of gas is high now, I may not travel so far this month, I may sit and savor the scenery for a few days longer. If gas is cheap, I may try to go down the Mississippi and back up in a month.If your lifestyle means you use your RV mostly for weekends and vacations, then the cost of fuel is still only dictating how far from home you may want to go. High prices mean you get the chance to discover the wonders close by. Low prices mean you can go farther afield.As an example, I live in the SF Bay Area and there are plenty of places I could visit and stay at for extended periods of time but are within just an hour drive. I might not think of them if gas is cheap and I succumb to the thought that 'getting away' must mean getting 'far' away. Andy Baird mentions on one of his 'Travels With Gertie' pages that he found himself traveling fewer miles in a day on a recent trip, but enjoying it more. In any event, the fact that the cost of fuel causes us to budget our money and time, shouldn't mean we have to budget our enjoyment of life. Go for it.- Gregg Bartle
Re: Most beautiful place Reply #7 – March 11, 2003, 06:44:29 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19769Mac OPEC learned in the seventies that high oil prices lead to worldwide recessions which messes up their total sales It is their long-term desire to maintain oil prices in the $25-30 per barrel price range. The situation now is the result of many things including the political situation in Venezuela. I would think that the price spike you are seeing now will 'cure' itself in a few months. If not, that new LD can be a replacement for your home ;-). Living in California, you are seeing a more severe price rise than the rest of the country. It supposedly has something to do with the re-formulated gas that is now being phased in. Give Gov. Davis a call.I refuse to live in constant fear. Life is terminal; no one gets out of here alive. As the man said, "go for it".LarryP.S. you are going to love your LD.
Re: Cost of gas Reply #8 – March 11, 2003, 07:23:18 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19773"the key is to think of the price of gas not so much as affecting dollars per mile, but, rather, as limiting miles traveled over time. If the price of gas is high now, I may not travel so far this month, I may sit and savor the scenery for a few days longer. If gas is cheap, I may try to go down the Mississippi and back up in a month."Beautifully put, Gregg--you hit the nail squarely on the head!Andy Baird :-)
was: Most beautiful place/now: price of gas issue Reply #9 – March 11, 2003, 08:14:55 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19775Mac wrote: (snip) - - - If it (gas) should rise to $3 or $4 a gal, the cost of a fill-up seems pretty astronomical.Hi Mac - well, here's my $.02 worth. Assume I drive about 2000 miles/month. (I don't drive nearly that much, but it's a number.)I only get 8mpg. (choke!!) That's 250 gallons/month. At $3.00/gal, that would cost me $750/month. So I add some oil from time to time. Can you rent someplace as cheap as that? My other costs are really minimal - I'm a fulltimer, so I still eat like I used to, but I boondock a lot - by choice. Boondocking costs nearly nothing, or nothing. Peter was right - you're a long time dead. Go for it, my friend - life out on the road is beautiful indeed, because most of the time, you're not out on the road at all, but hunkered down in some of the world's most wonderful and inviting scenery. Slow down and live.Virtual hugs, Sarah and Mz. Daisy. PS - thanks for the heads-up re Peter and his wife in Organ Pipe Cactus NP. I'll look for them.
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Most beautiful place Reply #10 – March 11, 2003, 08:30:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19777There are so many beautiful places........Patrick's Point in northern California is one of the most beautiful woods park we've seen.I agree with you wholeheartedly.Jane in Monument, CO[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
To Jane in Monument, CO Reply #11 – March 11, 2003, 09:30:49 pm Yahoo Message Number: 19783-Quote Jane in Monument, CO Jane, in an earlier post you asked me a couple of questions and I responded saying I couldn't read your email address. I'd be pleased to respond if you provide your address as follows: bnjlowes at aol dot com (or whatever it is).Chris Horst Denver, CO 2002 30'
was Most beautiful place now gas prices Reply #12 – March 18, 2003, 09:15:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 20005"However I have hesitated to send the check, because of the "war" situation and the cost of gas. If it should rise to $3 or $4 a gal, the cost of a fill-up seems pretty astronomical." "So, anybody have some encouraging words for me? Do you think the rise in gas will be temporary? At a campground in Lost Hills on my way back from Montclair, I did meet a man with a tan LD who said "you are a short time alive, and a long time dead. Go for it." Mac Even at $4'gl it would cost much less to travel to a destination than to fly even using today's rates to places you may want to visit. I do think the price increase will be temporary and are actually inflated by the gas companies now and that's why AAA and others are starting an investigation and legal proceedings and calling it price gouging. I've know long time full-timers that have gone through several high priced fuel markets and when that happens it just makes them spend more time in an area and travel less miles with their RV. There are so many places in this country to visit and you could easily spend a lot of time in an area to really get to see it well. If you tow a vehicle as most full-timers do and have one that is fuel-efficient you can travel only a hundred miles in the RV and then use the toad to see the area.Many of us think of traveling to places far from home and we often neglect to visit places basically in our own backyard. We've actually used our LD to see places closer to home over the past couple years. Many we had never visited before since moving to FL. There are so many nice places within 100 miles that we could easily spend a lot of time just visiting them. I know this is true for many people because when they get a vacation they tend to travel farther from home and often don't think of all the nice places they could go to much closer to them thinking they'll do it on a day trip and then they never get the time due to other things. I know that's how we had been but we are starting to see more of the areas closer to us.The man you met that said "you are a short time alive, and a long time dead. Go for it." This was a wise man! Take his advice! Gas will fluctuate for various reasons but it is a poor excuse not to fulfill your dreams of traveling in a LD. Sarah made a very good analogy to the cost of travel and the cost of an apartment and you can't see nearly as much that way or be as comfortable doing it. There are many places to explore right in your own "backyard" that I'm sure you really haven't seen like you could if you spent the time there. If you want to travel full-time in a RV there is no rush to go coast-to-coast the first month. Slow down and take your time and really get to see this beautiful country a little at a time. There's no need to try to do it all in a short time and not really get to see much of any of it. Budget a set amount of dollars for travel a month and when you've spent that stay where you are and explore. I'll bet you'll often find you won't even spend all the budgeted money every month because there are so many beautiful places to explore in this country. Once you start doing more exploring and less traveling you'll enjoy traveling that way a lot more. Most of the full-timers I've met travel that way. They can really get to see much more that way and meet many more interesting people than if they just keep moving. If you can let the price of gas stop you then you'll always find some other excuse not to buy a LD or any RV and you'll never realize your dreams of traveling in one. Life's too short and you never know when it will be your last day on this earth. Live it to the fullest!Mike
Re: gas prices Reply #13 – March 18, 2003, 09:37:05 pm Yahoo Message Number: 20008Oil futures prices took a big dive recently. See http://www.wtrg.com/daily/crudeoilprice.htmlThe primary reason is Saudi Arabia's announcement that they will make up any losses in world oil supply due to the Iraq unpleasantness. Also, Venezuela's oil production has increased in the last few weeks, returning to close to normal levels.Gas prices are not directly tied to crude oil prices, but they are related. So we should be seeing some relief soon. Prices at a few stations in my area actually went down overnight. Unfortunately, prices at the pump seem to jump up instantly at any hint of trouble, but settle back down very slowly.--oryoki
gas prices Reply #14 – April 30, 2006, 10:58:32 pm Yahoo Message Number: 66139Gas prices will be going higer and it will affect the selling and buying of any type of rv and it will be your choice if you want to pay or not but if i was selling i wouldnt wait just my two cents . Jody....
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