It's official! I'm retired. Hasn't sunk in yet, but I've already noticed that I've been doing little projects around the house. Declutterring, and general organization work that I normally wouldn't bother with because Weekend & downtime was so precious when working. Now I have so much more time, it changes how you prioritize things.
Anyway, on Sunday we traveled up to Vermont to free camping around Somerset on a small spur road called fr83. First time I went to Somerset reservoir too. Just did a short paddle Sunday because we needed time to go find camp. Slept in my GFC camper for the first time Sunday night. Other than forgetting my mouthguard (I always forget something), it was an uneventful night. The mouthguard helps prevent snoring and teeth grinding btw. I slept on an air mattress in the GFC. It comes with 2inch foam but I wouldn't recommend trying to sleep on just that. I partly chose the GFC approach because I already have all the camping gear, might as well use it.
Monday was a rainy day, but I still went paddling on the Reservoir. An 8+ mile trip. Saw an eagle catch a fish, and a loon popped up out of the water only 10 ft from me. I was the only kayak on the water, but I did see one other motorboat fishing. On the way to the reservoir, I met the host of a youtube channel I follow. Venture4wd. Chris Shontz and his girlfriend Shannon were very nice, and I got to thank Chris in person for the inspiration to retire early. Dumb luck to get to meet one of the people that inspired me on my actual retirement celebration trip.
Monday night was one heck of a storm, pretty much all night long. I slept well except a couple times when the wind kicked up. Huge gusts of wind and torrential downpours, but I stayed dry in the GFC tent, and my awnings shed the rain and the guylines held firm against the wind. Success IMHO. super happy with how well things went. The GFC roof does a weird thing of being pushed down briefly in huge wind gusts. the roof wedge is only held up by gas struts, but I think it's smart design. Trees that don't bend to the wind are far more likely to break.
Tuesday we left Somerset area and drove towards Londonderry Vt and to camp on FR10 by Utley brook. On the way we saw the olympic nordic ski team out training on roller skis. Humbling to see what prime human specimens actually look like in real life. Gods & Godesses in all their spandex glory.
In Londonderry we did a resupply, just some snacks, and then we went off to find camp. We lucked out and got our favorite site, so we mostly hung out after setting up. Enjoyed the Summer heat in the shade, and I occasionally walked into the brook in my sandals to cool off in the cold mountain water. In the mountains it's 5-10 degrees cooler than at lower elevations, but it was still very humid. I did squeeze in a short ride and hike, but nothing major Tuesday. Just enjoyed being in the woods and chatting with Jeff.
Wednesday we did a 5 mile hike with only about 600ft of elevation gain. Just going up and doubling back on a snowmobile trail that follows a brook. Only took a couple hours, but Jeff and I had fun. Good to know we can just do a sane hike together and not push each other into a death hike over mountains until we want to just collapse. Maybe we're getting old, idk. Later in the day I did do a tough bike up a side road. Only a 45 minute, 5 mile trip, but I spent most of that time biking uphill. About 35 minutes going up, 10 minutes zooming back down. A fun way to burn off dinner though.
Except for Monday night, I used the Ranger SoloStove each night to make a fire. Before leaving Thermofisher, I'd earn enough award points to get the stove, and I'm glad I did. It's also a nice way to remember my time there. Anyway, I love that it greatly reduces the smoke. It's easier to start a fire too, and I got the ember/spark shield, so I don't have to put it out before going to bed. In the morning there's very little ash to dump out, and everything fits in a nice storage bag, which helps keep the Truck clean.
Last but not least, our vehicles performed really well. I got about 18mpg towing the mini camper, and Jeff got about the same in his diesel Sprinter van. I used a handset radio to communicate with Jeff while driving. I bought a radio, but haven't installed it yet. It's on the list of projects this Summer. I also had a cheap rear view camera thing that fits in the license plate bracket on the mini camper. Made backing up the trailer much easier because I could see what was behind it.
On the drive home, we swung by Yankee Candle in Deerfield Mass, so I could get Jacqui a gift for our first date anniversary (July 21, 1995....I want credit for time served! lol) . After that we swung by the truck shop, Built for the East, so they could change the rear diff fluid on my Ford Ranger. Part of the work i had them do was add a rear air locker on the rear diff, so they were changing the diff fluid after the break in period. Between the recent Maine and Vermont trips, I'd definitely driven the 500-800 miles they recommend before inspecting the rear diff for any problems.
Anyway, that's all for now. I've been working on the electrical components for the Ford Ranger truck bed camper stuff. More on that later.
