So that kind of gives me a couple more answers about where I belong. There’s really no point in continuing to try to shoehorn myself into the main portion of society where I will never really be understood her embraced. And unfortunately, that also means that it’s time to let go of the idea of electoral politics. Two reasons. First, this thing; Voters cannot be reached if it takes five minutes for them to see me as something other than weird, because voters won’t give you five minutes, they give you five seconds. And I will never become a person who is appealing to the average person within five seconds. I will never be able to say the glibly satisfying things that make a person appreciate a soundbite slogan. The other reason is what I learned about social capacity and finite energy and balance on this trip. I just don’t think that I would physically survive the campaign trail, and as such, I don’t think I should do it. I think a lot of people have said over the years that the people who were truly the best qualified to lead would never seek the job, and I guess that’s my situation. I bring the depth of understanding to everything I do that would make for a good policy maker, but we do not elect politicians based on depth of understanding, reelection based on charisma in soundbites of 10 seconds or less. And that’s just not my thing, and it never will be. I would really like to live in a world where we elected leaders based on the depth of their understanding, and in that world I would be a leader, but I just don’t see a pathway to that world as long as democracy is the fundamental concept, and I am not ready to abandon the concept of democracy since I can’t imagine a pathway from democracy to an enlightened form of leadership. So, no elected offices for me. Maybe advisory roles, maybe I find a way to sneak in to a leadership position without a campaign like Hamilton did, but I think it is time to go undeclared, and instead to declare that I will not be running for Congress ever, versus the prior position of doing it later.

The main purpose of this trip has been to figure out what is next for me. The next purpose was to figure out in greater depth the answers to some of my social dilemmas and particularly to understand the barriers keeping me from intimacy and vulnerability. I have gotten pretty good answers to all of those questions so far. Not complete solutions, but understanding that helps me choose a path forward. The details are still unclear, but this trip has been profoundly valuable in what I have learned. I have still not made my final destination of Alaska, but really, that doesn’t matter; the novel has reached the climax of this plot plot, and from here we are merely working toward the resolution of the story. we continue to the end of the journey quite likely without much further drama, and then from there we begin the revisiting portion, tying up loose ends, closing out the plot lines that have not been resolved yet. I have to go back to northern space Pizza and Donair to finish my conversation with that family of immigrants and learn about their successes and challenges, I have to go back to Sasquatch and finish our conversation and give him the answers I couldn’t give him last week, and I have to go back to Lake Stevens Washington and see what else might happen there. That is likely going to be mostly the end of this journey, where the epilogue is written, and then from there, perhaps back to West Virginia, perhaps I establish a new homebase in the west, but it is true but I am never going back to exactly the life that I had before, although one could argue that there was never any coherent pattern for me to go back to Hill. What has bound me to the northeast binds me no longer. I am the most free that I have ever been assistant I have ever been to truly knowing myself.

Today? The Klondike Highway, to the top of the world highway. Tomorrow back to the United States, then Denali and the river.

First, some of the basics:

Solar charge controller – GoPower GP-PWM-30-SQ https://gopowersolar.com/products/gp-pwm-30-sq/ Pretty run of the mill device, OEM only, I don’t see any present need to mess with it at all.

Converter (main electrical distribution panel): WFCO WF-8955-AD https://wfcoelectronics.com/product/wf-8955-ad-mba-main-board-assembly/

Inside behind the converter is a fairly intimidating mess of wires but there is no need to mess with the mess. If you are upgrading to a lithium bank and adding an inverter, you could do all that on the battery side of the converter and don’t need to mess with any of it but the front plugs. Now, the AC side may be a little more work but it’s still a handful of simple screw terminals as per the manual linked above.

AC is a Dometic Penguin II 13500 BTU with heat strip https://www.dometic.com/en-us/outdoor/rv-and-van/rv-air-conditioners/dometic-penguin-ii-13.5k-w-heat-strip-74970

Vent fan is a Ventline, I can’t figure out the model but it’s crappy, I’m gonna upgrade it asap. The fan is pretty pathetic at around six inches across. Amazon suggests to me that a unit like this is only around $60 new. But of course a quality Maxx or Fantastic is gonna be $200+ plus labor.

The battery mine came with is an Interstate HD24-DP 505mca, not even AGM, all of 64 AH. https://www.interstatebatteries.com/products/hd24-dp However with the solar assist and no inverter, it does seem basically adequate for casual use.

Battery disconnect is a Seaflow SFCBS-300-202, not much to say about it. Located under the sink about as out of the way as it could be, manual switch with no remote.

The wiring from the battery remains a bit odd to me. After the detour to the disconnect switch, it seems to come up into the covered underbelly right near the front door. I would assume it cuts across from there to the converter but no idea why it goes that way around, basically resulting in at least an extra six feet of wire. Still, the disconnect switch should be a viable alternative location to connect an internally mounted battery bank. I am also considering moving my batteries rearward for tongue weight considerations and it should be viable to connect them directly to the converter which is further aft under the wardrobe.

The wheel lugs, stabilizer jacks, and spare tire lift are all standardized at 17mm. The trailer comes with an unlabeled pile of three fairly wrenches for these, two of which are uselessly flimsy. I suppose I will ditch all of these as I have a superior wrench in my roadside kit anyway.

The stove is a regular consumer unit from Suburban https://suburbanrv.com/kitchen-galley/cooktops/induction-cooktops/single-element-induction-cooktop/ I don’t really expect to use this much of ever and I’m frankly a little puzzled by why Winnebago wasted my money on it. If it’s not attached I’d frankly rather just choose my own. Same for the JBL Bluetooth speaker that was missing from my unit. I think that an outdoor propane grill to plug into the quick connect would have been a much better stove to include. So far I’m just using my Jetboil.

The loft bed is a Cass Hudson Sleep & Store. https://casshudson.com/pages/sleep-store

I’m not really 100% happy with it. The height from platform to ceiling is only 28” which isn’t much once you add a mattress and some bedding. Mine got jammed the one and only time I tried to operate it so far. I’m dabbling with just removing it altogether but I do think it has potential as a storage unit. I ditched the loft mattress, it doesn’t suit my needs. I’ll be screwing some divider boards down to create safe storage up there for gear. I’ll probably screw it all in for now but eventually I want to make it quickly swappable for a mattress.

The outdoor fender storage cabinets are terrific. The door side one is really brilliant as an outdoor kitchen area. There is a propane quick connect nearby but so far I’ve just used it with my Jetboil. It’s got great little organized storage and a perfectly adequate working surface. Any weight you put in these boxes is directly over the axles for neutral balance. I’m thinking of using one for kitchen and the other for tools.

The power awning is by Carefree. Oddly mine isn’t showing up in their database by serial number which is very weird. It has a QR code on it but just takes me to a search page that doesn’t work. Mine may be defective as it will “coast” past the recommended extension after I let off the switch. But it’s been raining off and on today and it has worked fine. It’s basically made of billboard vinyl which has me pondering a custom print for it one day. The LED strip under the awning is also quite nice.

The tires are Goodyear Wranglers, basically quality SUV tires with an 85mph speed rating, size 225/75r16. The suspension I am not quite sure of the details but it’s independent and badass with more ground clearance than most trucks.

My plans moving forward at this point are as follows:

Install a large inverter. This will essentially go between the converter panel and the power sources, both battery and shore AC, so that the inverter can handle switching between shore power and supplying AC power off the batteries. I bought a unit that seems to be a good value at Harbor Freight, but I may just order a Renogy instead based on reputation.

I am not sure whether the Penguin II has soft start built in or if I’d need to add that. But on paper, a 3000w inverter *should* be able to handle even a 19A (2500w) starting surge, and the breaker is only 20A. Just don’t try to turn the AC on while also running the microwave or stove.

Install lithium batteries. I happen to already have a bank of 3 12v100ah lifepo batteries at home that I had bought for a golf cart project I hadn’t finished, so for now I’ll use those. It looks like the bottom below the sink is just barely too tight for all three but I could put two on the bottom and one above. I also haven’t ruled out mounting them along the wall under the driver side bench. I will be removing the backrest from that bench to offset some of the weight as well as to be able to have the loft down with the bench folded for cargo storage.

Finally I expect to need to add a DC-DC charger to make sure that my full lithium bank gets charged off the hitch wiring while I’m on the road. This would also go on the battery side of the existing converter box and is a job I need to read up on more.

I’ll be posting this and much more over time to my personal blog at whitewaterlawyer.com. The version posted there should be a bit easier to read with the pictures in line with the text.

My mattress is a fully custom Park Meadow from Mattress Insider, sized to my car but it fits well on the curb-side bench with a bit of an overhang. I’m looking into putting it on the loft platform for storage on the road, and debating whether an extended support is needed. If my head is toward the back it’s not really any weight on the foot end anyway. My thought is a simple piece of 1/2” plywood should do for support. I can’t recommend this mattress enthusiastically enough, especially as a big guy with sleep problems.

It is a 2006 RV (2005 van) built in Canada by Roadtrek, on a van built by Mercedes in Germany and sold as a Freightliner in the US.  About a year ago, I had a new engine put in by Mercedes.

The van has 128,120 miles on it as of this post, and will likely have a few more by the time it is sold, although maybe not too many.  There are fewer than 5,000 miles on the rebuilt engine, which was installed last September (13 months ago) and has a warranty for 11 more months.

It is a full-featured RV with all the goodies.  It has a full kitchen and bathroom, with a “wet bath” consisting of a sink, toilet, and shower in one enclosed space.  It has a bed in the back which converts to a dinette where four people can sit down for a meal or a game.  Roadtrek calls it a “king” bed but it’s really about the size of a standard queen.  There are ample storage cabinets lining the roof of the van along the driver’s side and wrapping around over the bed area.  I replaced the old TV with a lightweight 20″ LCD computer monitor (widescreen HD) which can be used with a Chromecast or Fire Stick (not included, but I’d be happy to throw one in if you need it).  There is installed a WeBoost cell signal amplifier which, when powered on, usually adds about two bars of cell service for faster data and clearer calls, often from places where you can’t otherwise get a usable signal at all.

It has a ladder on the back and six roof-rack crossbars.  However, to accommodate the roof rack I had to remove the awning, which is included; you can take off the roof rack to put it back on, or if you’re creative you can probably figure out how to mount the awning on top of the rack.

There is no rooftop air conditioner.  A prior owner swapped it for a second vent fan, and I prefer this configuration as it allows me to have two DC-powered fans running on battery while parked, which you can’t do with an air conditioner that requires AC power.

The generator is present, but does not work.  I don’t know what is wrong with it.  It never mattered to me because it makes little difference to my style of camping. You can buy a new one for about $2500 online, or bring it to any Cummins/Onan dealer to see what’s wrong with it.

The stereo system has been upgraded to a Pioneer digital media unit with Bluetooth, USB, and aux input.  The speakers are upgraded front and rear.  It is pre-wired for a subwoofer, which I had previously mounted under a rear seat; I am open to negotiating it back into the deal but expect that most buyers won’t value it.

I am asking $30,000 for it, and willing to negotiate including what is included for a lower price; for example, I am willing to discount for removing the roof rack or the cellular booster, or reinstall the subwoofer for my asking price.  

2/11/18 – After this Yosemite experience, it’s clear to me that I need to make some adjustments for my 37th year.  The first is that I definitely need to follow through and buy the RV, because it will enable me to take more trips like this and explore the national parks and forests.  Maybe it will help me meet new exciting people, too… maybe even women.

2/13/18 – I’m doing this!  On the plane right now to pick up a 2006 Roadtrek RS Adventurous class B RV!  It should be perfect for me and Jackson, and after some small modifications (roof rack and ladder) it’ll make a great shuttle vehicle.

(later that day) Mine!

2/15/18 – First trip in the RV, sort of.  Just the drive home from PA to Buffalo.  It’s an adequate experience so far, but boy is this thing scary to drive fast in.

3/12/18 Fuck it, I’m driving to Alabama.

3/15 Okay, first business trip in the RV has been an interesting experience.  The drive down was way slower than expected.  I definitely need a roof rack as the two kayaks in the back are really killing the interior space.

Turns out there’s virtually no chance of finding parking for even a class B anywhere near the work site, and the plumbing is still winterized, so the plan ended up being to stay at a hotel, board Jackson at a local vet, and take Uber rides to the hearing site from the hotel and back.  It worked out reasonably, except some issues with the Uber being late and more expensive than I’d hoped.  So was the bottle of bourbon I realized I should have in the van.  Note to self, don’t wait until Alabama to buy liquor.

3/16 The Ocoee is great!  But maybe I should’ve planned a little better.  Running out of propane in Birmingham en route to Tellico turned out to be terrible timing.  Thankfully it turns out Roadtrek installed an electric heater, and the campground had a power outlet available.  New rearview camera is a nice little upgrade.

3/19 I probably should’ve planned better.  Not enough paddling so far this trip, and it’s extra frustrating traveling around with two boats when I haven’t even used the bigger one.

3/21 Snow.  Ready to call the trip a bit of a bust after three days in a row of paddling plans falling through.  Electrical problems are mounting in the van, for some reason the rear battery isn’t charging even after installing the new battery.  Heading north.

3/22 Top Yough!  Yay!