Blog 11 – Loving it on the Road 

The Wanderings of Kit (Do you wander or wonder?
By writing this blog I want to inspire you and show you that–
YES, YOU CAN > >

• Change your life at any time to make it more magnificent!
• Live with little money and still have an excellent life.
• Still be able to live life getting very little sleep.
• Live ANYWHERE in the world and still make your life a fantastic event!
• See experiences that will add to and make your life better.
• Perhaps this is my new “gig”, traveling the world doing the same?

.

REMEMBER, TO READ PAST BLOG POSTS, GO TO >>
https://kitsummers.com/blog/
If you are reading this through Facebook or at my website I can send you the blog by email, which can have more photos. Sent me an email and write “email blog” as the subject.
kitsummers@gmail.com
If you are not my Facebook friend, yet, please befriend me.

The freedom I am experiencing in my travels is a marvelous thing.
Going where I want, when I want and seeing wonderful sites and people.
With this blog, I want to help open your mind to more of the splendor of the world.
I will have places to show you and tales to tell.
I will have secrets to unfold and good news!

===================================================

Do you see life as Mostly Sunny or Partly Cloudy?

For me, always sunny.

HERE WE GO, DAILY DETAILS >>

3-10-19—Stayed last night with Tony Louie in Orlando through couchsurfing.com. He has a magnificent home and often has guests through Couchsurfing. Currently starting a new computer company of companies finding workers, it sounds like it will be very successful.

Tony, as I had suggested, if you had “your own” website I could send people there to learn of you. That will bring you, customers.

While at Tony’s I made some of my famous salsa, he liked, much.
Have you seen >> summerssalsa.com

Last night I slept from about 9:30 to 1am, then up for the day, I am. This reminds me of Tony’s dog. The little dog is 16 years old (that’s like 25,324 in human years.) All day his dog just wonders around Tony’s house. No direction, no sitting, no laying down. Reminds me of me, I get little sleep, but still, function fine, but, I’m wandering so much further.

So, today, I had no idea in what direction to head. Then I remembered I had to have some work done on the van, something simple. Terry at a Pep Boys in Clearwater, FL did some work on the van before and did superbly.

Now it was a matter of getting out of Orlando, much traffic the whole way. As I wrote before, anymore I do not like cities, too much traffic and so many people. After backups and much, finally at the beach.

Many cars here, but driving through the parking lot I found a spot facing the beach, so fantastic. Arrival at about 1:30pm, I have some time to enjoy the beach and the area and to write to you, something I love.

 

As I was out walking around I was looking for a table and chair where I could write. Then I remembered the van has a great seat and table to write you. With the side doors open allowing for a breeze, I could also look out the front window at all the pretty girls walking by in their bikinis.

What a fabulous day.

There are entertainers (including a juggler) who arrive about sunset. So, I have about four or five hours more to wait. Hmm, shall I juggle, or bike, or unicycle, or write, or just sit in the front seat and watch pretty people walk by? That last suggestion will be done either way.

Right now I am going to pour two bottles of beer into my big mug and be in disguise. (please don’t tell anyone.) See my smile??

When I am parked as I am now, I am not incurring any expenses. I do not eat much, so that is minimal. The only expense is when I drive (about 15 miles per gallon.)

When you are renting or have a mortgage, there are continues expenses that are adding up. I like this life. If you can find a way to live out of a van or motor home you will love the life.

Now, would I be a peeping Thomas if I am just looking out the front window of the van and analyzing the pretty ladies? If so, well, arrest me.

About 5pm I started hearing applause, so I knew the performances had begun. I went over to see a very large crowd. They were watching John Norton about to juggle 3 torches on the top of a seven-foot unicycle.

​

Great with comedy, great with the crowd, a pleasure to see. Take a look >>

http://www.theflamingginger.com/

And, watch >>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=6&v=Bj0UU2O2ab4

People bring all those tents to the beach–why do they want to block the sun–they are at the beach.

3/11—At this point, I am only getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep each night, it’s like I do not know how to sleep. I lay down about 9, my mind clicks on at 1am and I am up for the day. Limited sleep, but I seem to function fine.

Headed back to my favorite—Alexander Springs Campground, in Ocala National Park. Last night I enjoyed a big fire, this morning, also, a roaring fire is before me. 

I wish I had seen a bear. 

3/12—Awoke about 3am, at this point brief sleep for me does not really matter, so I will not bring it up again. Laptop on the picnic table, a big mug of tea drunken slowly, being able to write to you—a good life I am having.

I’ve thought about how I want to write to you, to tell you my plans for upcoming, or let you know as and when things happen. Future always changes, so I decided to write you after experiences.

Warm enough to be how I like it—barefoot, in running shorts and a Hawaiian shirt on. They don’t make “real” shorts anymore. All I find a the store, are, what I call “long shorts” (or short longs.)

These are shorts that go down below your knee. I like my shorts be above my knee, how real shorts are. I usually have to resort to buying nylon running shorts, which have pockets and are above the knee.

Went to a Walmart at 4pm. I usually like to get settled before the sun goes down. Yet, I looked on the map and saw there was a national forest about ten miles down the road. So I went for it, I will take a forest over a Walmart any day. Then I saw a sign about the campground, and here I am.

The sites are nice, grass covered with trees all around. Out my back door is a lake in the woods, peaceful and wonderful. Cannot see any neighbors. Here I am for the night, and some of tomorrow, I think.

 

Didn’t stop to get firewood, since I wasn’t sure where I would be for the night. So, I went out for a walk looking around here. After gathering a bunch of firewood, I looked around, yikes, I did not know which way back to the van.

I dropped the wood and remembered hearing the sounds of cars on a road behind me as I walked, so I headed toward the sound of cars. Then, in the distance, I saw the top of a van driving past. So, off I went to this road. I talked to some people and let them know my predicament, they didn’t know what to do.

They did say there were a few campsites in the area – OH BOY. I started walking and walking, not even sure if I was going in the right direction. Then, after walking some more, I came upon another person sitting by their tent and reading.

He asked if I was parked at the campground we were currently at, I said I didn’t think so, because I did not recognize anything. Well, he drove me back in anyway—I felt so great when I saw my home—the van.

I the future I will always make sure I have site of the van when I go out looking for carbon (wood, that is.) I had gathered some wood before I went out, so I do have a nice little fire this evening.

How does smoke follow you? I was sitting at the picnic table typing, the smoke for the fire started going in my face. So, I stood up and walked a quarter turn around the fire, the smoke decided to start going in my face over there, too. I went back to type and the smoke has been staying away.

 

Hearing birdies doing their calls, so delightful.

I am so glad I found this place, instead of staying at Walmart.

Talked to my friend, Jules, on the phone, today. He tells me he loves reading my blogs; nice to hear. I told him, as I am telling you, please, write to me, it gets lonely out here and I’d love to hear from you.

Jules is in the same boat as me, he receives disability monies to live. He says he wants to start living like I do, traveling and living in a van. I told him I will gladly give advice on building the van and the life, as I will for you.

Then I said to Jules, why don’t you take a bus to a future city I am going to, then you can travel with me for a week or two to see how it is, before I take you back to another big city where you can take a bus home. He loved the idea, so it will be happening.

I built my van so that it has one small bed for me, or two small beds, one on each side with a one-foot wide path between, or I can put a board between the two small beds, and, with my inflatable mattress, one big bed for two.

How about you, want to do some traveling and adventure with me? We could do like I will be doing with Jules. We will have a great ol’ time. Please, let me know.

Starting to get cool, think I’ll be going inside the van soon to work.

3/13—Forced myself to lay there and semi-sleep until 5am, and then I watched the sun come up over the lush trees in this wonderful forest.

The fire is started and growing. It ended up that I did have enough firewood for last night and this morning, yet I did go out and scavenge some fuel for the fire.

For breakfast, some of my salsa I made last week when I made some for Tony. I had a 16oz container that I had filled. I had tortilla chips I got at Costco—organic and healthy, a great breakfast.

I walked ten feet out the back of the van to see my personal lake/pond, that also made for a beautiful morning. I will be cleaning and organizing the van, once again. For the van, as for my life, I like to keep everything in its place and cleaned up. I see so many vehicles and homes that things are just randomly placed, I cannot live like that, I don’t think you should, either.

Of course, I am typing to you right now offline on battery power. When the battery runs down I have a charger that will give it much more juice, as well as start my van battery, if I need.

Clear skies, bright sun, in the forest—I love it.

3/14—Had pulled into another Walmart for the night, but, my mind said, “NO”. I looked for a local park, but that didn’t look right. I headed down the road toward Tallahassee, my destination for tomorrow.

I took some back roads and found a pull-off in which I backed in for a rest for the night; tall grass concealing the van. No one around, hear some cars on the road, but that will subside as the night comes. So, reading, some typing to you, joys of life.

The next day it was off to Tallahassee.

What a superb day I had yesterday, I am so happy. Yet, I have developed a cold or something that my body does not like.

In the morning I was at Costco buying some gas, there also happened to be a Walmart near in the area, so I popped in there to use their free wifi. As I was doing some cleaning/organizing to the van, a person asked questions and said she and her husband wanted to do traveling and living in a van.

I gave her a short tour of my van and how I do things (it is a short tour, of course, being a van.) Then I showed Fran my book, “Accident”, and she liked it much. She did not have the cash right then and said she would go to Costco and get some cash. I waited for a time, thought she had changed her mind, and started out on my way again.

As I was heading out I heard someone honking near me, Fran had returned! We met up and she told me she had called Ron, her husband, and I was invited for lunch, superb. Fran and Ron lived about five miles away. As we got closer it got more and more to be in wilderness, my kind of area.

Their magnificent house was in the trees and bushes, how I like it. They don’t have much of a lawn, you know how I think lawns are a waste of space, all natural is much better. They showed me the orange tree area, where there is a beehive within the tree.

As I was walking I reached out to feel a plant leaf, Fran said, “Don’t touch that, it’s poison ivy.” I went right in and washed my hands thoroughly. But, today my knee has the poison ivy itch, darn. I hope my body heals soon and gets rid of the toxic of the ivy.

I took Ron on the short tour of the van, too, he likes. We talked about how they could sell their home and get on the road like I am.

After a delicious vegan lunch, time to throw stuff in the air. I taught Ron and Fran to juggle using scarves, they each marveled at their new skill.

After hugs, I was on my way again. I have something to tell you I am embarrassed about. You know from my writings it happened before.

At a campsite recently I was backing into a site, but, I did not check first on what might be in the way. At each campsite, there is a box to put food to keep bears from getting to your goodies. This was just below the back window.

As I heard the bike and unicycle being mushed, I said to myself, of no, not again. The handlebar and two wheels on the bike where beyond repair, as well as the wheel and frame on my one-wheeled transportation.

Someone told me about “Bicycle House” in Tallahassee. Luis greeted me and took a look. There was hope, a good thing. Bicycle House uses many good used parts and gets donations to keep them going; such a wonderful thing they are doing.

I was able to give a small donation. If you are able to support them in any way, please do. Also, if you live in or anywhere near Tallahassee, and need work on or need to buy a bike, go to Bicycle House, they will do you well.

Also, if you can make any financial donation to help keep them going, please do. Or, if you have bikes you are not using, donate them to a good cause, Bike House.

Learn more at their website >>
http://www.bicyclehouse.org/

From now on, I do not put the van in reverse until I check behind first and look for any obstacles that might be in the way.

Today I returned to see my friend Greg at http://www.loftypursuits.com/. Greg was short a person (no, Greg is not a short person) so I help in packaging candy that needed to be shipped out. Happy to help I was.  

Like I wrote before, it can be lonely out here, please send me some words — kitsummers@gail.com