Louisiana, day 1 and 2

i’m consistently experiencing that all my planned activities take longer than expected. this is not yet a big deal. i’m currently situated in a wal-mart parking lot in lafayette, louisiana, where i plan to spend the night. i had expected to complete my lafayette visit by noon today, and be on the way to new orleans this afternoon.

yesterday i got on the road early as planned from lake livingston, and headed for kisatschie national forest, but due to poor planning, it took me a long time to find the actual forest, so to speak. louisiana, as far as the parts i have seen so far, has been almost entirely forests and lakes, with a few towns and sugarcane fields thrown in for variety. which makes it a little difficult to find a particular forest.

my gps is a mixed blessing. you tell it you want to go to kisatchie national forest, fine, it’ll take you there. never mind that it takes you to the administration offices, which are about an hour away from the actual forest. i set a waypoint manually to the border of the forest where it was located on my map, and set course for it. after driving around “inside” the forest for what seemed like an eternity, i finally pulled into a church parking lot and tried to find my bearings. when i pulled out after 15 minutes of trying to get online with poor at&t reception, i drove no more than a few hundred feet further down the road, before a big fat sign welcomed me to the forest! finally!!

to the visitor, kisatchie national forest is mainly a long stretch of road with a number of small campsites off to the sides, and some “multiple use” trails mainly used by people on 4-wheelers and dirt bikes. i took my klx out for a ride, and learned that the terrain was very difficult – loose sand, wet sand, water crossings, clay. and mostly two narrow tracks from the 4-wheelers. i dropped the bike twice (no damage and only minor bruises) and generally had a great time!

i made dinner (instant rice, pork and beans, bread) and went to bed around 8:30… it gets dark so early and there is absolutely nothing to do in the forest after dark other than sitting around a campfire, which i didn’t have – and i slept more or less without interruption until 8 this morning, with only one other vehicle on the site.

got out of bed, shaved my hair (not completely off) and beard, and washed the best i could with cold water and no shower (rubbing alcohol on disposable towels seem to work well.) decided to take the bike out for another excursion before moving on, and went out to all the little campsites, which are all more or less identical, and again up and down one of the dirt tracks… then i loaded the bike onto the van and hit the road on I49 toward lafayette.

found a visitor center on the gps in breaux bridge, which turned out to be closed. went for a walk while since i was there anyway. most of the the interesting shops were closed early (sunday). took the “scenic byway” LA31 out of town, which turned out to be quite uninteresting, and then returned to lafayette.

went online to look for a good place to eat and found favorable reviews for prejean’s – which was a very good, very large, casual cajun restaurant. i went for all 3 courses, and didn’t regret it. it was all delicious, although the deep fried cheesecake a la foster’s wasn’t as good as it sounded.

so now i’m finding myself in a wal-mart parking lot along with a couple of other overnighting vehicles. they have security here – which is comforting. there isn’t too much noise. the weather is very accommodating. i think i’m going to get a good night’s rest – tomorrow morning i plan to check out the local sights, then continue on toward new orleans in the afternoon…

It begins…

even though it has been almost two weeks since i left lubbock, today marks the first day of my real adventure. between the 15th and today, i have been hanging out with friends and basically taken full advantage of their generous hospitality, for which i’m very grateful. but today, i left houston – my next definite stop on my journey is ft. lauderdale, fl… i need to be there around the 8th of next month – that gives me a week and a half to complete the journey and experience as much as possible on the way.

i set out from houston in the early afternoon after a late mexican breakfast with paul at a local place, and stopped by a walmart on the way out of the heavily populated area around houston to purchase various necessities for my trip. i then set out northeastward, using the GPS, toward the big thicket national park. that was no success – apparently the GPS did not want me to find the entrance to the park, so i continued randomly northeastward, and stumbled into lake livingston dam a little after 5 pm – and a little later, the lake livingston state park. i could have continued driving for a couple more hours, but decided to check into a campsite for $18 – with a morning shower included. it was already getting dark when i pulled in, so i don’t have a complete picture of what it looks like around here, but there are many people at the campsite and by the lakeside fishing. i plan to eat some of my “rations”, go for a walk in the dark, look at my options for tomorrow, then probably read and go to sleep early so that i can get up early tomorrow and continue my trip eastward.

 

the picture is from yesterday – thanksgiving day. downtown houston was more or less deserted, a great day for a little motorcycle exploring… found an open starbucks just in time for a little afternoon coffee break…

Spicy Beer & Wine Chicken Drumsticks

In celebration of Lubbock’s newfound freedoms, I present to you a recipe: Spicy Beer and Wine Chicken Drumsticks:

Ingredients:
Chicken drumsticks
Salt and hot pepper flakes
Light olive oil
Bay leaf
Red wine (*)
Beer (*)

(*) Any kind of red wine and beer from your local grocery store where you buy the chicken will be perfect.

In a Dutch oven, brown the drumsticks in a bit of oil over high heat, add seasoning. When brown, add red wine to taste, and let reduce until almost gone. Add some more if desired. You can always go get some more around the corner if you run out. When reduced, add a bottle of beer. Put a lid on, reduce heat and simmer until done. I’m not sure how long that will take, probably an hour. I’ll let you know how they turned out in a later post. But it sure smells good.

Morning coffee is saved

Got my RoadPro 12 volt immersion heater in the mail today. Its heating element is only 120 watts, but with a little patience – about 10-12 minutes - it manages to heat a mug of water to near boiling. The cord runs hot, and I’m reading in reviews that the plug may melt… but it’s fixable. Best of all, my morning coffee is saved! Great news for the cold winter mornings ahead.

More van pictures

I've been adding some finesse to the van – like I’ve mentioned earlier, I was considering a back wall. Well, the more I’ve sat on my bed the more I’ve missed the ability to sit back and relax, and some annoying electrical wires in the corner next to the bed have been worrying me. Today I did something about it. I’ve built a wall halfway across the back of the bed, and glued on to it a 1 inch foam sheet. This works great as a back rest. Onto the other side of the wall I've attached shelving – the kind you normally attach to a pantry door for extra space. What’s cool about the “half” wall is that I can reach behind the wall and get to the stuff on the shelves.

I’m also attaching pictures of the set of drawers, which now have a bungee cord attached to keep the drawers from opening when I turn. One day I came into the back, and the contents of one drawer was emptied onto the bed. That shouldn't happen anymore. In that picture, you can also see the carbon monoxide alarm that I’ve attached to the wall next to the bed.

View Full Album

ultimate mx hauler - part 2

i eventually decided to order the 4 inch drop adapter (after careful measuring) for the receiver, and received it in the mail last week. It lowers the umxh platform just enough to position the bike over it, so i went ahead and loaded the bike. it took a little work to get the bike positioned just right on the platform - the foot pegs need to be locked in place using hooks that go through the platform. once they were locked down, the bike seemed secure, although there was a lot of wobbling, both sideways and up/down. it subsided somewhat after i raised the platform, but i'm still a bit worried about it. i'm also a bit worried about how secure the bike is with only two hooks holding down the foot pegs. i decided to also strap it down with 3 ratchet ties, for extra safety, and took it for a test drive.

loading took me about 15 minutes. i imagine with practice i will get much faster. with the drop adapter, the bottom of the carrier is only about 8 inches off the ground, so i need to be careful going over bumps and exercising the rear suspension. i also need to remember that the van is now 3-4 feet longer than it was before. it will be even more tricky to back into parking spaces with the bike on the back, but i'll get used to it. the bike does not block the view in the side mirrors. i can see the edge of the wheels on each side, but that's it. i did not notice any excessive shaking during my test drive.

after the test drive, everything looked good, all bolts were still tight. unloading the bike took only about 3 minutes.

so far so good... i'm still concerned about whether this form of transportation is completely reliable, but i'm going to work with it and hope that my worries will prove to be uncalled for.

Van Pictures

Here is the van. Rear windows have been tinted dark for security (i.e. keep anyone from looking inside and get tempted to break in...)

Space for hanging clothes. A curtain is installed to keep them neat and protected against dirt.

The Electromate is an auxillary battery that supplies 110V through its built-in inverter, as well as 12V, and can be used to jump start the van, and inflate tires. The inflator is not very powerful, but it gets the job done. It is constantly charged via the inverter when the van is running. Extra 110V outlets for various appliances, like my laptop. Storage space under the bed, and behind it too.

This power inverter runs whenever the engine is running. The other 12V outlet is always active, just in case I think of a use for it.

Drawers for miscellaneous items are within reach from the bed/desk area.

Desk and bed. The lamp is a 10w CFL, bright enough for any type of work. The bed is built across the back of the van, and is only just long enough to sleep comfortably on. I have reservations about putting even 1 1/2 inch of insulation on the walls around the bed, because it will make it uncomfortably small.

Shelves: The bottom shelf is designed to accommodate my S90ES digital piano. In theory, I should be able to play the piano off of this shelf. The top shelf is designed to hold apple boxes, a good size for miscellaneous items, and free at the grocery store. The boxes will stay in place when pushed over the lip and under the top edge of the roof.

These drawers are reserved for clothes (for now.) I put a small strip of Velcro on the back of each drawer to keep it from opening when braking. Tools and cooler for food items are stored under the bottom shelf.

Late september update

The structural work on my van is complete. For now. I keep coming up with ideas for modifications, but I have everything done that I need for launch. The van is now equipped with enough shelf and drawer space to hold everything I need to sustain myself on the road. Most of my stuff is packed. I'm surprised that I was able to comfortably fit everything without serious sacrifice, and without using the seating area at all. I'm almost ready for the big garage sale to get the remaining items out of my possession.

I have enough tools to make additions, maintenance and repairs on the road. I'm still not sure if I'm going to need insulation, but if I do, I can add it. I'm also thinking about installing a back wall - since the rear doors aren't usable anyway - a wall would provide privacy without curtains, insulation, keep me from falling off my narrow 24" bed toward the rear, and give me even more storage space between it and the rear doors.

I have equipped the van with a remote starter. That will come in handy when I wake up in the morning and it is freezing outside. It works wonderfully except that the parking lights turn on when activating it, and don't turn off until somebody turns the key in the ignition and depresses the brake pedal. I think there is a way to reprogram the thing so that I can run the engine without turning the lights on. That sort of works against the whole stealth theme.

An electric blanket will ensure that my bed is warm at night. Electric outlets have been installed in the rear, with my backup battery hooked up to charge via a power inverter anytime the engine is running.

I know, I need to post some pictures. I'll post as soon as I get a chance. Maybe this weekend.

I've ordered a Kindle 2, the e-ink reader from Amazon. I've been on the fence about buying it for a while, but after holding one in my hands I'm persuaded that I need to have one for my trip. I plan to be studying and reading a lot, and it's just not practical to carry books with me. I'm also on the fence about buying a new Windows laptop. I may wait until they begin shipping with Windows 7, although I'm not sure if I can make do with my Mac Book until then. If a great deal shows up on fatwallet.com, I'll jump on it.

flyby tonight

tonight, a unique opportunity may present itself to see the international space station and space shuttle discovery side by side in the twilight. the space shuttle undocked from the space station this afternoon, and will be close by tonight.

the show begins at 8:11pm tonight (central time), and lasts all but 2 minutes. you many need binoculars to tell the two apart, or you may not. better bring em if you have em.

the two will follow an arc, rising in the ssw, that's not too far from where the sun went down, and reach an altitude of 60 degrees.

stupid software development analogies

i could have sworn i would never write about comparing software development to building stuff in the real world, but during my work on my van, i've come to realize there are striking similarities between the two.

on the construction level, the two are very different. having written software all my life, i'm used to the luxury of inconsequential design errors (as long as they're caught soon enough.) when you're building stuff out of real materials, you can't afford to go back to planning too many times after execution has started. i have to work very slowly to avoid making stupid mistakes.

where the real similarities begin, in my experience, is in requirements analysis. requirements in software are very difficult, and most often overlooked, cause, you know, software is infinitely malleable, as they say. most of the time, the first possible solution is the one that is implemented. most of the time, requirements are not complete (at best), or simply consist of a work order, and it is left to the developer to fill in the blanks, something a lot of developers just don't have the necessary experience or incentive to do well. this is where there is a direct parallel between building a home in van, and building software. it would have been extremely difficult for me to hand over the project to someone else, and have them deliver a van that will satisfy all of my requirements. there are a myriad of concerns that have to be addressed, and even if there are universal rules for design, my specific situation is different enough that no standard solution will fit. the only way for me to get the right van for me is to spend a lot of time and energy visualizing different ideas, needs and situations, let the ideas happen and try to pick the ones that will fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. this is what we do with prototyping in software... when we do it right. in my experience, prototyping in software is more often used as a sales tool - to convince management or the customer that you have a good idea. if i had handed the van project over to a conversion van specialist, no matter how good a craftsman he is, he had better be a master requirements analyst, or the project would be a failure.

i mentioned the shelf/piano desk already. this is but one example. i'll probably elaborate in further posts.

making progress

the motorcycle carrier is fully assembled. the assembly instructions are very good, and it was no problem for me to put it together. one screw broke in the process, though, and i had to replace it. and it turned out that, contrary to the salesperson's opinion, the platform that is supposed to lift the bike is about 5 inches too high in the lowest position. so i have the option of getting a drop adapter, or lowering the receiver itself. i'm leaning toward lowering the receiver because that solution will be sturdier. it's been quite some work trying to find a place that will do this, but i have a lead that i'm going to follow after labor day.

the first long shelf went up in the van today. this shelf will mainly be used to hold my 5 foot 88-key digital piano. the shelf is mounted low enough to add another shelf over it, but high enough to actually sit and play the piano while it's sitting on the shelf. that means i can practice anytime i want. i will have lots of storage under the shelf, and the top shelf will be built specifically to hold boxes of stuff. i mounted the lower shelf to the wall ribs using self drilling screws, but i was worried about the sturdiness of the shelf, and ended up putting a vertical board under one end. i will add another support near the middle of the shelf. then it will surely be solid enough to sit on. the top shelf i'm still not completely certain about how to support. i'll figure it out.

and for the first time, my dream of having a tv hanging over my bed is a reality. using velcro, i have been able to attach my iphone over the pillow at a perfect viewing distance. cool!

also using velcro, i've mounted insulating curtains. these serve several purposes. for one, they keep the inside private, and keeps light from getting out. they should also help keep the inside temperature more comfortable, and finally make the whole place seem a little more like a home.

motorcycle carrier

today i received a deceptively heavy package in the mail. it turned out to be my new motorcycle carrier, an ultimate mx hauler. this thing, if it works as advertised, will enable me to load my klx250s easily and safely onto the back of my van, without help from others. installing it went smoothly until one of the machine screws broke while tightening it, so i'm now taking a dinner break after returning from the hardware store to get a replacement screw.

the umxh was fairly expensive, but hopefully it will do the job. so far, it looks good. it has a hydraulic jack for raising and lowering the platform that the bike rests on, and i purchased the optional locking pin (with a key) and cable for some theft protection.

once i get it installed, i'll return with news... hopefully of the good kind.

losing weight

right now, my focus is on the transition from living in a 1900 sqare foot house into living inside a van. most of my large furniture items are gone, but there are tons and tons of little things that must go. the inside of a cargo van is insanely small relative to a house, and i'm spending a lot of time thinking about how to make it work. but it will, because it has to. i'm planning a garage sale soon, and i hope that will take care of most of it. i have repairs to make on the house before it can be sold. i have to ready the van for use as a living space. this involves some woodworking, which i have zero experience with. but i'm doing it anyway, and so far things are looking good.

once i get all the practical chores taken care of, my plan is to go east. and south. we will be getting into the winter months, and i'm not planning for the van to have insulation. we'll see how good an idea that is.

blog

so this is the outlet where i can tell everyone what i'm up to, should i feel so inclined. and i imagine from time to time i'll have something interesting to post in the coming months... i sure hope so! over and out. it's been a busy day.