It’s just my opinion; but, I haven’t really done enough videos to warrant a new blog post, but I guess it’s been so long since my last one I should probably do one. And besides, I’m procrastinating from doing the video I’m supposed to be doing, so this seems like a good idea. In case you aren’t aware, procrastination requires quite an elaborate plan to be successful. First of all you have to have a lot of things that are really unnecessary to do, that you can do instead of what you’re supposed to do. So I was going to spend the day doing a video on basic dog commands and basic dog training of those commands. And we even got up early and went to the dog training club to get a little bit of video there. However I decided it was too crowded so we decided to take a Saturday morning drive. After the Sunday morning drive I got the camera ready to do the video but then the procrastination plan popped up again and so instead I decided to let the boys play outside while I cut down all the shrubbery around the outside of the house. I’ve been procrastinating from doing that since last spring. So I figured it was no longer necessary to do it at all so it fit into the procrastination plan almost perfectly. And then I thought what I really should be doing is straightening up and cleaning the house. It has gotten quite muddy from the boys running around the muddy yard. But rather than doing that my procrastination plan said let’s get ready for taxes. So we did that instead of cleaning the house. And then we ate and it was time to clean the kitchen. So at that point I decided maybe I’ll do a blog, and so here I am. See how this procrastination action requires such a well woven web of plans and actions. Some people are better than others, that’s all I can say.

So actually we have been working on the webpage for about the last 2 hours. I’ve added some new things to buy that I thought were interesting, and I added a map that shows some of the places we’ve been and links to the videos. So now if you’re interested in a particular area to go camping or visiting to, you can just look at the map. You can find it using the menu at the top of the page “Where We’ve Been….”. Since I have over 300 videos and probably half of them are reviews of places to go, it’s going to take me a while to get them on the map. But I think I will keep it up as I add videos in the coming summer when I do some traveling. It’s a pretty neat program and supposedly it does not cost much.  I’m using a free version, but will probably upgrade to a pay version. Many programs now cost that do maps. In researching maps on webpages I read that 98% of all maps are linked to Google maps. Which sounds like a really good idea, since Google maps is so complete. However, Google just recently decided that if you’re using their maps on a webpage you need to pay for it and is charging a rather obnoxious fee. It would definitely cost me more than I would want to pay if it was more than $1 a month.  Thats about what I earn from the Google ads that run on the pages. So I’m glad I don’t have a Google maps based map program. Because I would probably just have to take it off, which is never good to reduce your webpage once you’ve published things.

Speaking about maps, I’ve been playing with a couple of tablet programs for finding routes on digital maps. I think Apple maps or Google maps on the cell phone can get you from here to there, but I don’t think they’re very helpful for finding a good road or place to camp or something like that. I’m a very big fan of the National Geographic Trails Illustrated map collection. If you’ve never seen these maps they are full size foldout maps that are printed on a waterproof paper material that shows all the trails in an area and campgrounds and water sources and everything you’d want to see if you were hiking, camping, or hunting in an area. They show dirt roads, not quite logging roads, but a lot of the roads that no other map would ever show. They’re more accurate on trails and streams than any map I’ve ever used. And of course they don’t need electricity or a signal from anything. I would never go into a area bigger than one or 2 mi.² without my GPS that tells me how to get back to my car if I get totally lost, and the National Geographic trails illustrated maps almost guarantee you can’t get lost. Often times you can go to a local sports shop, or outdoor sports shop, like a fishing store or a camping store, or a hiking store, and they will have either the National Geo. maps or they will have very similar map that was licensed from the National Geographic. Often times the locally licensed maps have a little more detail on them and are really good if you can find them. They usually run around $12-$15, and I’ve seen them as high as $19.95 plus tax. But as I said they last quite a long time because they are printed on very heavy waterproof paper, almost like a shower curtain. Anyways I don’t know why I’m telling you this because I’m probably going to do a quick video on the maps I carry and some of the new software I’ve been using.

Well I guess that’s kind of an update. The boys are doing well. Dakota seems to have a more or less permanent limp that doesn’t seem to slow him down too much. It seems to be in his front shoulder or maybe elbow. I no longer let him jump out of the car. Which at 100 pounds he’s a little much for me to grab and take out of the car while Aquila is jumping on me trying to figure out what I’m doing. So for the most part I don’t take them with us on a lot of adventures, like just going to the store or running around town. On the several hikes we’ve gone on with him recently he has opted to go back to the car after a half to three quarters of a mile. He is 13 years old, so he has the right to be slow and picky about how much effort he puts in the things. And nothing really good ever lasts forever. So I’m trying to tell Akela someday it will be just he and I. But no sad thoughts, no teary eyes, let’s move on to some other subject.

I’m trying to figure out how to modify the trailer and the 4Runner without going broke at the same time. I have found a welding operation that will modify the trailer by fixing the bumper and putting on a spare tire and bike rack on the rear bumper that will actually stay there. I’m going to have them reinforce most of the frame since I take this over some pretty nasty roads and, I’m going to have them lift the trailer another 4 inches. That will keep the tail from dragging when we go out of steep driveways or down steep hills. It may also allow me to put on much larger tires, which will be a smoother ride for the contents, and look so cool. New tires for the car and trailer and rims for the trailer to match the car all comes to around $1500. The frame and bumper work is going to cost somewhere around a thousand dollars. And then of course there is the front bumper and winch I want to get which would go around $2000 and with the extra weight of the winch on a new all steal front bumper I would need to upgrade the suspension, which of course would lift the car up 3 inches higher. So it’s all going to be fairly expensive. I haven’t determined what suspension I want yet. The best is an ICON suspension which goes at almost $3000 installed. But I could probably go with a ToyTek suspension for half that. But before I do all that I have to get the trailer fixed up because it still has a mysterious leak in the front roof, and a mysterious warp in the back aluminum side extrusions when the roof is down.

Okay I think I’ve babbled enough. Please leave a comment so I know that there are people reading this. I always reply to all  comments, but I must admit that I don’t get into my webpage here more than about once a week. But it still helps the webpage and my wallet if you leave a comment. And Motivates me to post more often. So, if you got this far,  thank you so much for reading my blog and I hope you’re having a great month, winter, and nobody has frozen to death who would normally read my blog. Those who never read my blog I don’t care, it’s okay for them to freeze to death. 🙂  (just kidding)

Stay happy folks, be good, I will see you on the Internet.

Rick, Dakota, Akela
GoingNoWhereFast