Periodic accounting

Hello Everyone,

Last night I slept poorly. I was parked at the top of a hill outside a small town in central northern California. I was there because it is a free campsite, but spot itself turned out to be muddy and undesirable. I stayed instead in a turn out on the road above the campsite. But the whole experience was bad.

It was extremely windy, making it impossible to sleep much. I ended up getting up at 4 am and preparing the camper to leave, but had to wait for dawn as I didn't want to drive down the mountain in the dark. The ground was littered with bullet and shotgun shells, so clearly hunters and target shooters used the area, which did not make me feel safe. And lastly, I was parked on an angle, such that if my truck slipped into gear, I would have tumbled down a steep hill. I blocked the wheels, but it added to my unease.

Tonight, I am sleeping in the luxuriously comfortable guest bedroom of the aunt and uncle of a friend. It's quite a turnaround. You may be shocked to hear that Arthur doesn't miss a beat when we return to living in civilization. He may be a street dog, but he likes his creature comforts.

Here though, it is a short summary of stats for my trip so far:

Distance driven:

- Over 11,000 km

Fuel burned:

- Over 2200 L

Things forgotten:

- Expensive turnbuckle (which needs to be detached to access gas cap, then reattached after fill-up): 2 times (both times recovered subsequently.)

- Towel, beard trimmer and scissors in bathroom in Palo Duro State Park. (Not recovered. Only realized days later.)

Number of times attempted to raise roof with one or more latches forgotten still connected: 1

Number of times attempted to lower roof with one or more items obstructing path: 1

Damage to rig:

- Bent running board (from putting the truck up on a rock when turning a corner on dirt road in Mojave)

- Gouged tire (from hitting curb in gas station)

- Scratched camper (from rubbing against an overhanging tree branch)

- Cracked bench in camper (from being a fatass)

Most popular food item:

- Peanuts and derivatives (peanut butter). (By a country mile, it's nutritious and doesn't need refrigeration.)

Item I thought I would use a lot but haven't touched:

- Rubber boots

- Beer

Number of times random strangers have come talk to me about my camper: 4

wes