Living The RV Life

Over the past few months I've been living/vanaboding full-time. It has been an exciting learning experience. What I learned has taught me how to survive on only a little bit of "stuff." By stuff I mean I went from being a normal person living in a crackerbox apartment to being independent and free to travel whenever and wherever I chose. I also learned that living in my van was pretty uncomfortable most of the time. I've never been really concerned about "stealth" so I parked where I wanted and enjoyed meeting many new people all over the nation. Well, I decided that I wanted to be a little more comfortable while remaining mobile so about two weeks ago I bought a 19 foot RV. Now I have all the comfort of home but am still able to travel at my leisure. I've settled in quite nicely and am enjoying my new life. Some would say that I've chickened out or that I have gone away from the prepper mentality but I would have to disagree with that. I'm still traveling, learning and enjoying life. Now however I am just a little bit more comfortable. It's nice to actually own my own home and at the same time be able to travel without having to pay rent, utilities etc. I'll keep you posted on my travels as I go. I hope you stay with me and enjoy my travels. My goal for you though is to get out there and do it yourself. Life is great! Lets go see what is just around the next bend in the road.

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Awesome Day At The Detroit Zoo

We made it to the zoo just in time to watch 28 buses unload far too many children to count.  But, they were all so excited to be there that we just had to smile and remember when we also were that age and how excited we would have been.

The Detroit Zoo is quite the amazing place.  Filled with any type of animal you can imagine and all without cages to confine them.

Zoo Volunteers are so very helpful there too.  They guide small groups and stop once in a while to explain what you're seeing and how the animal came to be at the Detroit Zoo.  We listened to a couple of the short presentations and you could tell that the guides really enjoyed sharing.

Here's a short video of our little trip.  Hope you enjoy it.
http://youtu.be/yCOnw49yPNc

Detroit Zoo

I've always been a big fan of the zoo.  Since I haven't been to a great one in many years I've decided that on Tuesday next I'm going to take a friend with me and we're going to go discover the Detroit Zoo.  I've been there only one time and that was over 50 years ago.  I'm sure they've updated it some.  The only thing I remember about it was that it was big, took a long time to walk it and I got really tired.

Of course, like always, I'll be posting some awesome photographs of this outing when we return.  Stay tuned.

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Shipshewana, Indiana Road Trip

Well, I made it to Shipshewana again.  This time I spent nearly 5 hours wondering the isles of this world-famous flea market.  And, just like last time I visited, I was disappointed.  The vendors are still trying to look as though they are small-time operators but it is evident that they are simply ordering product from overseas through wholesalers and passing it off at a greatly increased profit margin.  I won't be going back anytime soon.

The trip was nice though.  Weather was beautiful with clear sky greeting me upon my arrival.  People were friendly and best of all parking was FREE as it hasn't yet gotten to the "gauge the tourist" season time of year.

I'm thinking that Michigan's UP will be my next trip.  This time of year the black flies are not yet very active and the temperatures are good.  I'll keep you posted.

Safe Travels to everyone.

Shipshewana, Indiana and flea market deals

I love flea markets.  They offer a sort of atmosphere that just says "back home."  Well, they used to anyway.  The last time I visited Shipshewana in Indiana and their world-famous flea market I was a little disappointed.  It seems that rather than being the old down-home atmosphere it is now more commercial.  I didn't like it.


But, as a person that is willing to give second chances, I'm going to return on Wednesday and take another look.   I'll let you know what great deals I find and share them with you.

Tips on researching and finding the bargain...

• Make a list of what you are looking for and prioritize it. The sheer volume of stuff for sale can be overwhelming, so you will need to stay focused.
  
• Become an expert on what you want to buy. Who are the reputable manufacturers? Make sure you can tell the difference between the genuine article and a knockoff.
  
• Do your research before the event. Know what similar items are going for on eBay or Craigslist.
  
• Decide whether you are buying for your personal enjoyment or for resale. If the idea is just to enjoy it, it might be worth a little more to you than an item you see solely as a business transaction.
  
• If you are looking at an item to put into use in your home - a record player or microwave, for example - make sure it works before you lay down the cash.
  
• If you don't see what you want, ask a vendor. Vendors can tell you about items you might not have seen, and they often know what their neighbor vendors are selling.
  
• The final day of the yard sale or the end of a flea market is the time for the best bargains. You can get a lot for half off or more because vendors don't want to load up the trucks for the round trip. To that end, the bigger the item, the better chance you have for negotiating a good price on the sale's last day. Because big items take the most effort and storage space to pack up, vendors are motivated to unload them.

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The Need To Be Famous

I found these two young guys strutting their stuff at the local park in Rockford, MI. I was to say the least amused so after a while I told them that if they'd let me video them I'd "Make Them Famous." Well, they liked that idea so here you go guys...you're now famous. Actually, they were pretty good. You could tell that they spent a lot of time practicing and really enjoyed what they were doing. I wish them well.

Beauty Right In Your Own Backyard

I shot this short video about a year ago and forgot to post it to the blog. Ooops. Anyway, here is what I found right in my own backyard (almost anyway.) This is VanRaltee Nature Park in Holland, Michigan. One of my favorite places to go and gather my thoughts, relax and enjoy nature. I hope you like it.