May by the Numbers

When I was recently traveling out west I came across an old Indian Site. I may have mentioned this before but one of the trail side signs talked about "Persistance Place".  A location that the people would return to frequently or occupy regularly. It was usually a location that had many of the resources that met their needs. It would seem I've found some persistance here on the farm and no need to move around this month. 

May:

Miles Driven: 0

Gallons of gas: 0

Cost of Gas: $0

Camping Fees: $0

Food: $184

Rocks: A whole lot picked out of the garden.

Trip to Date ( May - May)

Miles driven: 22,011

Gallons of gas: 2,935

Cost of gas: $11,313

Camping fees: $3,912

States: 38 

Days worked: 6 (as a PA)

Days missing work: 0

Time under water: 9 hours 36 minutes

Times across the continental divide:  3

Always some interesting clouds and weather. The farm is on a hill facing SW and oncoming storms. While its relatively hilly it's not to far to Oklahoma, Nebraska and tornado ally so lots of thunder storms rolling through. 

Bee Time

The other day we were out working in the garden and I looked over to the horses and saw a large swam of insects. Turns out it wasn't just any insects but a swam of honey bees from the hive in the garden. We had added another box to the hive only last week and had noticed there were tons of bees crowded in the box. Seems in the spring time with a healthy thriving colony they are increase in numbers, run out of room, and so start making new queens. The old queen takes off with a bunch of the bees to start a new hive. The swam is the bees way to find a new home. They moved in cloud of buzzing for about 20 minutes and started settling on a branch about 50' up in a tree. The queen picks a spot to camp out with the group while the scout bees go and look for a new home. After consulting with the family bee keeper and some books/internet we decided to try and "capture" the swam and make a new hive.

A little hard to see but the bees are starting to form a mass.

 There was a new box ready to go from a colony that hadn't survive last years drought. One problem was how to get them out of the tree? To high to reach with a ladder. So by standing on top of the horse trailer and multiple attempts with the brick tied to the end of a rope (and tried the arrow on a string trick) we got a line over the branch they had lighted on. The mass of bees was about as big as a good size watermelon. The tree wouldn't bend enough to bring them closer to the ground so I shook the branch enough to get them to take flight again.

That's a lot of bees flying around!

One good thing is the bees are not aggressive when they are swarming even though they look and sound intimidating. Off they went again in a cloud of buzz. This time they stopped in a different smaller tree closer to the ground.

If the swam had happened while we were on a different part of the farm or a day when everyone was gone they would have taken off and no one would have known. Looking at the original hive there were still lots of bees left and ones in the swam wouldn't have been missed.

A comb from the original hive after the swarm.

In the new tree they were now almost accessible from a ladder but to far out on a branch. I cut the limbs out from below them and with an extension ladder could reach the one they were on. I got a rope up and over a higher brach and tied it to the bee limb. With one person on the ground holding tension on the rope and another with a box below the bees I slowly cut through the branch. As is started to give way tension on the rope controlled the branch and slowly lowered it to the waiting contained below. A quick cut of the small branch they hung on and we had them contained.

Just about captured!

The mass of bees surrounding their queen stayed mostly intact with only a few flying around. Spraying the bees with sugar water kept them happy and branch and all they went into the waiting new hive.  The new hive box which had a pollen patty and more sugar water to help entice them to make this their new home.

First Swarm in it's new home.

10 days later the new colony has stayed put and seems to be doing fine.

Then yesterday the original hive swarmed again!  Still mostly taken as a sign of a healthy colony the "Afterswarm" is usually a smaller mass of bees accompanied by one or more new virgin queens also looking to start a new hive.  Luckily this time they stopped on a low hanging branch next to an open space in the yard. In about an hour we had them captured and in box. Time will tell if they like it and stay. It was still amazing to see it again.

The Afterswarm

Bee note:  When the bees are swarming they are reported to be the most docile.  The are full of food and with no hive to protect they are not aggressive (even after I shook them out of a tree).  Over the years I had become more allergic after having been stung a few times.  I have an EpiPen just in case.  But no one was stung during the captures.

A Year Later

A year ago today (May 21, 2012) is the day I left Seattle and started this journey. Many things occurred that led up to that day and the opportunity for it to happen.  Some good things and some not so good things.  I still feel lucky to have the chance to be out here traveling. Before I left I said I could be gone three months to three years.  The first months went fast and now looking back so did the first year.  I didn't have a hugh agenda but I did accomplish some goals. I wanted some time off. Check. I wanted to  go out to Cape Cod. Check.  I wanted to kayak on the coast of Maine and see the Florida Keys. Check and Check. I wanted to live in a RV.  Check.  Many unplanned and unforeseen adventures had in-between.  I am a little poorer in cash but far richer in memories and experience.

I spent the day going through all the pictures I've taken.  If I had to pick one that sums up the year it's from being on the rock farm in Key Largo.  By random connections of time, location and people I ended up carrying buckets of rocks along the ocean floor 4 miles out to sea and 3500 miles from Seattle.  You just never know where life will take you.

 Of the places I've visited near the top goes to hiking the Knife Edge on Mt. Katahdin (the end of the Appalachian Trail in Maine).  It was one of the most amazing, strenuous, rewarding hikes/climbs I've done.  Nothing focuses your attention like 2000 feet of exposure.

A very close second goes to Angels Landing in Zion National Park.  An awe inspiring place.

  The RV feels like home and home is where I park it. I have almost everything I need in 160 sq ft of space.  There is something about being able to move one's home around on the road.  Others that have done this before me have said you'll know when it's time to get off the road.  I'm going with the saying."  Everything will be okay in the end.  If it's not okay, it's not the end."

April By The Numbers

April was about staying in one place.  After having been moving about it was time to park.  It's springtime in Missouri and on the farm it's about babies:  goats, pigs and chicks!  Most days are filled with fixing, building, diggings and no two days alike.  In other words: Fun!

I'm looking at few other outings coming up in June.

April:

Miles Driven: 0

Gallons of gas: 0

Cost of Gas: $0

Camping Fees: $0

Food: $473

Rocks: 1,051 pounds

Trip to Date ( May - April)

Miles driven: 22,011

Gallons of gas: 2,935

Cost of gas: $11,313

Camping fees: $3,912

States: 38 

Days worked: 6 (as a PA)

Days missing work: 0

Time under water: 9 hours 36 minutes

Times crossed the continental divide:  3

March by the numbers

March turned out to be a month of many new experiences and milestones.  It started with spending time on a Missouri farm. I really enjoyed my time there and I'm heading back for more.  From Missouri I took a new route to me on I-40 west.  I went south to avoid the last winter storms.  Despite some challenges with the RV things went well.  Driving through the middle of the country gives you a different appreciation for how big the US really is.  Lots of amazing beautiful scenery.  Highlights certainly being Zion and Arches National Parks.  A got two of the top three memorable hikes:  Angels Landing and Delicate Arch (the third being Knife Edge in Maine).  Part of the inspiration to get moving and head west was the hunt for rocks.  Mission accomplished I picked up 1000 pounds. The RV crossed over 100,000 miles. Leaving Utah I headed east on I-70.  I think I-70 has to be the most diverse Interstate in the country.  Starting in Utah with 110 miles of mountains, canyons, mesas then climbing over two 11,000 foot passes in Colorado and across the bread belt of Kansas you couldn't have different terrain.  (The best I could do over the passes was 25 mph but I made it.)  April looks to be time spent in a persistent place back at the farm and Orb.

March:
Miles Driven: 3,003
Gallons of gas: 481
Cost of Gas: $1,559
Camping Fees: $448
Food: $485
Rocks: 1,051 pounds


Trip to Date ( May - Mar)
Miles driven: 22,011
Gallons of gas: 2,935
Cost of gas: $11,313
Camping fees: $3,912

States: 38 (added TX,OK,NM,AZ,UT,CO,KS)
Days worked: 6 (as a PA)
Days missing work: 0
Time under water: 9 hours 36 minutes
Times crossed the continental divide:  3

Sunset over Kansas.

Flying Winnebago

April 1, 2013

"In the 1970s, the Itasca Division of Winnebago Industries actually built, certified, and sold the flying and floating Heli-Camper, advertised as “the most dramatic, comfortable, convenient and unique RV in the world.” (Floats were optional, though, and the porch was more of a screened awning that scrolled out for use with lawn chairs.) In the late 1970s, the lumbering offspring of a joint effort by Winnebago and Orlando Helicopter Airways, renamed Heli-Home, appeared on TV, starred in an RV trade show, and fluttered onto the pages of Time, Popular Mechanics, and Popular Science."

An actual flying Winnebago.

So not to be out done I decided to take what money I had left and buy a helicopter for the RV.  Who needs to tow a car around when you can just fly!

Helicopter lands on RV.

Sun rise over the Colorado River Scenic Byway, Utah.

Canyon-Arch-Bike Lands

I camped in Moab overnight and got an early start in the morning. The city of Moab felt a bit like Key Largo (except no ocean) it that its a tourist town feel with lots of locals "work'n it.  I didn't spend much time there except at get maps at the visitor center. With so much to see and do I had to pick and choose so this is what I ended up doing.  It was Easter Sunday morning so there wasn't much traffic to start and I headed up to Canyonlands National Park (only 30 mile away).  It was similar to Bryce Canyon in that it's a drive along the plateau above the canyons.  The payoff is Grand View Lookout.  It's the point where the Colorado and Green Rivers meet.

Grand View Point Canyonlands road end.

Edge of the plateau and looking towards the Colorado River.

The other side and looking over the edge to the Green River.

After checking out a few other lookouts I left the park and headed towards Arches National Park (10 miles back towards town).  Moab is down in the valley and the road into the park climbs up onto the plateau again.

The "Courthouse" entrance to Arches.

Arches NP had a very 'other world" feel.

By this time it was noon and traffic was picking up.  The 'arches" in Arches are spread out in different areas.  Some site were more popular and the lots full.  So I drove past to an almost empty lot, parked and went for a short hike to the lookout.  After the first place you can see the arch people turned around.  I kept going and walked up the ridge line. As I got further up you could begin to see though the arch more and more.  What's hard to see in the picture is that at the arch there had to 50-100 people around and under it.  Maybe next time I hike over there but I was having fun not being with the crowd.

Delicate Arch from across the canyon.

Spring wildflower.  It was 70 degrees.

I hiked up the ridge as far as I could go and went a little further.  A little scramble on the rock.

A little different angle view to the arch and a view up the canyon.

The little spire in almost the center of the photo is where I was standing for the precious picture.

I couldn't go to Arches and not get up close to one.

Crazy rock formations everywhere.

I wandered around Arches for most of the afternoon and headed back into Moab.  Just up out of town is another BLM area with hiking,  camping, 4x4 trails and home of the Slickrock Bicycle Trail.  What would Moab be without mountain biking so off I go.

An easy part of the trail.

I quickly learned many things.  Luckily not the hard way.  Bicycling on rock is different.  I took the two mile "practice" loop instead of the 10 mile real trail.  Overall it was fun and as I went along some spots were fun.  I also walked some steep areas up and down.  I like having my bones intact and lack the reckless abandon that seems to be require to get through parts of the trail.  My $400 Seattle Hybrid hardtail bike was probably not the right gear for this either but it was fun to try.

The view out into the main area of the bike trail.

I felt like I got to see and do a lot without being rushed.  I left some things undone for another visit.  Time to head east.