One thing I’m enjoying about having nobody around is that I can set up my sound system and play music at real volume outside. You just hear things differently that way. It’s a huge perk.
I’m still figuring out whether the larger DJ gear is earning its keep in the van. I’m considering stashing it at a friend’s place in Colorado and just traveling with my tiny portable setup. I love having it, but it completely dominates the interior. If I keep it I’m going to build two fold-out counters to give me surfaces to work on. Right now there’s nowhere to set anything down, which is proving problematic. I have a clear idea for how to solve it, I just need a woodworking shop. I’ll live with it a bit longer and see how it goes.
Today is move day. Easy one though. I was in a half-unfurled state here so packing will be quick, and since we’re not going far I’ll just toss a lot of things in the van loose and pull them out when we get there.
We went on a great bike ride yesterday. Followed the rim trail 3.4 miles to a viewpoint that was pretty spectacular. There’s a campsite right there we may circle back to in a week or so.
I posted several new essays to the site yesterday. That’s the kind of thing I don’t necessarily sit down to write in advance, they just suddenly seem important to bring to life. I have a container for them now so it feels efficient. I’m building a similar model for the music, a place to just create and put the stuff. That’s solving something that was a real problem for me for years. I didn’t have a good outlet.
We don’t know where we’re sleeping tonight. About an hour and a half drive to the visitor center. We’re going to talk to a ranger, get some answers, make a plan. I’d like to drive around the park today and see the sights, and if we can get a permit we’ll be going into the backcountry.
I’m at 12% battery right now, scraping by on solar. Bright sunny days but the tree canopy gives me only a brief window each day. I’ve learned I need an extension cable for my portable panels so I can place them further from the van and into the sun patches. I’d be at 100% with that cable. I’ll order it next time I have a mailing address.
One gap I’m plotting to fill: I have a tremendous amount of drone footage that I’ve never found an efficient way to share. Now that the morning journal entry has a system and a flow, the next baby step is something similar for short form video. A daily drone clip, past or present, doesn’t matter. I could create these efficiently and in abundance. I have so much footage and it’s great to watch. The only thing to figure out is that short form platforms are vertical and my footage is horizontal. I’ll work that out.
I continue to feel markedly better since I stopped chewing that damn gum. A real lesson. Nothing I put into my body is inconsequential, not even chewing gum. I would not have guessed that. But I sure learned it.