I have always been a goal setter and believe that we all should have a list of things we want to accomplish in our short time on this planet.  There has been a tremendous change in the quality of my list during my 50 plus years on this earth.  When I was young, I foolishly focused on material things.  As I have aged, my desires are now more experienced based, focusing on travel or learning or leaving the world a better place.  My son has wisely chosen experiences above material accumulation and I believe he will live a richer and more fulfilled life because of it.

The subject came up recently as I watched a movie that focused on the idea that we will more likely accomplish things in our lives, or meet our desires, if we recognize them and write them down.  The movie emphasized that by “naming them” they become, even sub-consciously, part of our personal mantra.   There probably is some truth to this, as I think in my own life when I did “name it”, it usually happened.  I also believe you can have the same result with negative experiences in your life as well. If you focus on them, they seem to manifest themselves, often as badly, or even more badly, than you imagined.  It certainly is an argument for the value and strength of optimism.

My bucket list resides in my phone and I review it at least once a month.  Much of the list, due to expense, or timing, will need to be many years from now.  Some are easier to accomplish because they have a time frame around them.  “Learn to order a beer in 5 languages by April” is an example of an achievable bucket list item.  Some require definition or further life experiences, such as “chose where I live once retired”.   To me, the idea that I write them down is the important thing, because it means my sub conscious is seeing mile markers in my life that it may flag for me to know a critical moment when it happens.

Bucket lists are something we all should have.  They motivate us, reward us and teach us.  They give us an awareness of what is important to us while we journey through life on our daily path.  As importantly, they give us a connection to others.  Try this when you meet someone new the first time, instead of asking “what do you do?”, try “What’s on your bucket list?”

My spouse is much more conservative than I am and over many years has taught me a great deal about being fiscally responsible.  It was not an easy lesson. I see “rich people” on television who drive new cars, live in huge houses, dress in fine clothes and eat at the best restaurants.  I want to be like them and I believe many of us have been conditioned to believe that we work hard so we deserve those things.  We all want the American Dream.

As I have become older I am thinking about retirement in the future and what that will look like.  I am finding that earlier life decisions can come back to haunt you. That luxury car you thought you needed to have? It cost you much more when you consider if you would have bought a car for half the price in 1980, and taken the difference and invested it could have added $50k or more to your retirement savings.  Now add your luxury vacation, your fancy dinners and designer clothing, and you may have impacted your retirement in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars.

We all do it.  We have been trained to be consumers, not savers. If you think I am joking, search the internet for the statistics of the average person’s savings or retirement account and you will see what all this consumerism has done to many American people and their future. Those friends you think are Millionaires?  They probably aren’t.  96% of US households are not.

Believe me when I say I have, over the years, made some poor purchase decisions because I felt I “needed” an item or experience, or just impulsively bought.  My reasoning?  “I could die tomorrow”.  (I could, but statistically, I could also win the lottery and that probably won’t happen either).  I will tell you I still faithfully justify each purchase in my mind as “an experience I could never replace”.  We all need to experience different things, but most of us need to do so in greater moderation.

My point is this, Americans have been trained by companies to believe that we should all spend because we deserve the good life.  We are Americans!  We live in the best country in the world!  We can have the American Dream for only $5000 down and 120 simple monthly payments.  We are conditioned to act on our dreams and wants, not just meet our basic needs. Television and brand leaders have created visual role models that many believe they should imitate.  We have given the almighty dollar so much power over us, that we elevate the wealthy, no matter how they achieved it, honestly or not, as those we should emulate.  We continue to buy things we can’t afford, to impress others doing the same.   Our government does it too, because – they are us.

This all came to me as a light bulb moment recently when I was helping my son determine how much he could afford in a house.  I realized we are all being trained to be poor, but look wealthy while doing it. Here is how I figured this out:

I started at a home buying website when I put in his income and debt and then ran the numbers to see what it told me.  (He had already met with a Banker and I knew how much they would loan him).  According to the website, he can buy a little more house than I expected.  (This is how MOST would buy a house, adding even a bit more because of the amazing raise they could be getting soon enough).

Next, I downloaded a budget worksheet from a bank website and began to add the things required to own a house NOT included in the payment estimate from the home buying website.  Crazy things like heat, electricity, garbage removal, home repairs, cable TV, etc.  His money left for a house payment now was quite a bit lower.  For fun, I added an imaginary car payment because he will always need a car.  I added gas too, and car repairs, insurance, food, because he seems to use those.  I added some occasional fun and travel and a little bit of money for life lesson expenses too.   The house he could really afford now was much lower than the original website recommendation.

Then I went to budget for his future.  In the bank created budgeting worksheet I had downloaded, there was no budget line for savings or retirement.  NONE. ZERO. NADA. NOTHING.  The message was simple – spend it all!  No wonder our savings rate is so bad!  Even the bank forgot it!

As I told my son, you should only buy what you can really afford.

How many of us wished we had a higher house payment?  I don’t see any hands raised.  How many of us wish our house payment was lower or non-existent? Put your hands down. I rest my case, your honor. (Those of you who have your house paid off, good for you!)   We are told, “Buy as much house as you can afford”, but few are taught how to accurately calculate the real-life number – “This is what you can realistically afford!”

I have a lot of respect for the new generation that has decided to look at “stuff” differently, to not be swayed by the marketing machine.  Many younger people believe in sharing cars or taking public transportation; owning smaller or tiny houses; living with no debt.  They have been watching us Boomers and seeing how well it has worked for us.  Many of them are making a decision to not follow us in our footsteps.  Their world will be different, with many more challenges, not less.  But hopefully, in the long run, they will be prepared and most importantly, be happy.  Hopefully, they will live within their means, in a way which is meaningful.

I do know this – American dream poverty is not the answer – no matter how pretty it is packaged to appear to others.

 

There is no worse feeling while on a vacation than the reality that you cannot take a “real one”. Even with a notice on your email telling everyone you are gone, you know if you don’t check it at least a few times, you might come back to the office with a fire to put out.

Vacations used to be a place where you spent your time decompressing.  You could use vacation time to reconnect with your family; remind yourself your middle child’s name; hark back to why after a few days with your family you like short vacations over long ones.  Perhaps you reinvigorate your barbeque skills; show off behind the ski boat or spend your time in quiet reflection.

Before my “smart phone” I had a Blackberry or what many people called even back then a “Crackberry” because looking at it was an addiction.  I decided that I wasn’t that important and traded my Blackberry for a flip phone and refused to learn how to text.  Life was perfect, I called those I wanted to when I wanted and answered the phone when the number looked like it might be from someone I knew and wanted to talk to.  Then, as work started asking why I hadn’t responded to my email at 2 am, I was told that I needed a “smart phone”.  I am on my 2^nd of these vacation hating contraptions.

I have learned that my smart phone is great for some things.  As a camera it is amazing and even my good SLR camera is now looking like a dinosaur compared to it.  I enjoy applications that tell me what others experienced when they visited an attraction I think looks interesting.  Podcasts that can entertain me through my car speakers has become a favorite past time as I travel the back roads on the way to my next gig.  The app that gets me across Washington DC on the metro has probably saved my life many times, or at kept least from ending up in another state.  My smart phone does have some valuable attributes.

However, it has also become my electronic leash, the businessman’s version of a criminal’s ankle bracelet.  It automatically located me to make sure I know I have a signal so that the warden can find me.  If the prison calls, I must answer in three rings or it is back to incarceration (the office) I go!

We need laws about this!  Honolulu Hawaii understands.  It now has made it illegal to navigate a cross-walk texting while walking.  The first offense is a fine of $15-35, second offense? $35-75!  Third or more, get ready to dole out a Benjamin.  Other cities are soon to follow. To put some teeth into the law though, it must include a “no checking emails during vacation” clause.  This must include hard-time for bosses who demand you check your email.  I might recommend life sentences with no possibility of parole.  I know this sounds harsh, but that is how strong I feel about vacations.

Perhaps it is just wishful thinking from a man who would like to be back on vacation without a phone.

When I became a public speaker my life took a fairly dramatic change, where some days can be peppered with interviews on radio and television for upcoming events.  I have adapted to this as part of the requirement for my work and each experience proves to be different and memorable.

One morning in Montana I was outside of the television station pounding on the door as I watched the local anchors fill time waiting for me to arrive.  Apparently, the station doesn’t book many 5:30 am guests so they had failed to tell me how to alert them I was there and ready to go.  Once they figured out I might outside they let me in and we quickly re-arranged the chairs.  Within moments I was on the air giving the morning co-anchor a full TR experience!  Early morning interviews can be entertaining depending on how much coffee I was able to gulp down at the hotel. Too much, and Roosevelt can become a 45 record played at 78 (old timey reference for you to explain to your kids and grandkids.)

One time, at a local Minnesota radio station, the host started our interview asking about the Civilian Conversation Corps. I can say with confidence I would have been very knowledgeable about if I didn’t portray that “other” President Roosevelt that served 24 years prior to Franklin.  “My goodness, that sounds like a Bully idea, who did that?” was all I could muster.

Another station I visited resided in a building called “Radio Row”.  Row after row of doors shared a hallway, with each door opening to a different radio station studio.  As news spread I was in the building, I was soon shepherded to the next station by a helpful intern. One minute I was on the air with Rock and Roll legends “Mutt, Jeff and the Troll’ and the next “News Talk with James M.” and then “The Morning Zoo on country XM”.  This was a problem for me, as I can be a bit sarcastic, and that means inside my head TR is taking on the persona of his audience.  Imagine “Rocker Roosevelt”– “Dude, we created an awesome park over here – check it out!”  I promise it didn’t get any better with the country station as my brain began writing TR’s experience of moving to Medora as a sad and poetic country western song. “Lost my Momma and my wife……was a new time…… for a new life……”  I can imagine hearing the dog howling in the background as Cletus stomps his foot in time even as I write this.

It is my contention that interviews should be fun and engaging and make the audience laugh or at a minimum stop and think.  Often, the few minutes I am originally scheduled to be on-air becomes 20 or 30 minutes as the interviewer gets enthralled in the conversation.  I know if when I arrive they say “I am a huge Roosevelt fan”, we are going to have a lot of fun and end up going well over the allotted time.  One interview I did in a small town became so enjoyable I had to keep the two DJ’s interviewing me on task.  I would tell a story or two and we would all be laughing and I would look up to see their faces in an open stupor.  Thinking on my feet, I  would quickly chime: “Don’t we need a commercial here?”  Again, with my sarcastic side adding “To sell something to both listeners?”

From what I have written here you might suspect that I am an extrovert, but those who know me well can tell you that I could easily live a Thoreau like life in a cabin in the woods, reading and writing in quiet solitude.  I have learned to engage an “extrovert” switch each time I am interviewed or go on stage.  Apparently, this is not uncommon, as I have heard of many entertainers who are great in a crowd can be somewhat awkward when you meet them one-on-one.

As a historian of Roosevelt’s life, I have appreciated in him more than anything his ability to reinvent.  Each time he came upon a challenge, he adapted himself to the task, pulled up his boot straps and went to work.   My first time on TV I honestly looked like a deer frozen in the headlights.  Scared. To. Death.   But I have adapted and reinvented myself to do it.  I took Roosevelt’s approach and became what I imagined I could be: comfortable, confident and assured as Roosevelt.

We all have those moments of sheer panic where we are asked to do something outside of our comfort zone.  But, when pressed to do so, we pull up our boot straps and move boldly forward.  The more we do it, the less frightening it becomes, until one day, it is just part of what we do.  I encourage you to do it.  Join the church choir and listen to your voice crack that first time. or stand up at a local council meeting and let your voice ring out on something you are passionate.  Push your comfort zone so you have that experience of feeling yourself grow.  The worst you can do is fail, but at least you failed while daring greatly. (Google “The man in the Arena speech”)

Do as Roosevelt preached: “Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster!”

Before we left for our vacation, we had arranged for a friend to stay at our home to keep our cat company and the home occupied.  One of the things we have learned living in the country is that people who live in cities love to visit us for the peace and quiet.  One time, my twin brother-in-laws and I were sitting on our deck drinking a beer when they asked in unison ”What is all that racket?” – “Frogs” I happily replied.

For a retired person, our home can become Shangri-La.  Thankfully we are at the age where we know quite a few of those, so one of my wife’s friends graciously offered to stay at our home.  We were grateful and taught her all about the house and how to do various things, including how to operate the television.

Of course, Murphy’s Law follows us as it does most people, so our TV decided to die the same week we were scheduled to leave.  For me, a deceased TV was a god send, but for most, it is the end of civilization.   Off we went to buy a new one with our travel savings before we left.

Once we returned I was reminded of the purchase now sitting in our living room.  I developed a new appreciation for what I could do with this new TV.  I call it Me TV. I am not referring to the station that promotes itself with all the classic television offerings. I mean I have created a real, Me TV.  I plugged a flash drive into the back loaded with our vacation photos and when I come home to write for my TR programs, Me TV does not blare bad new or reality shows.  Me TV is a background of colorful mountains, fresh prairie flowers or deep blue lakes that slowly flip by.  Me TV has no bad news.  The only “jam-up” is a mountain goat pushing his buddy for a better grazing position.  I see my wife smiling, or a clear mountain stream spraying the camera – taken while on a rafting trip.  I see happy memories that flip by gently as they make me lift my head and smile and ponder and reflect.

For two weeks I had no negative airwaves telling me how I should think of this or that. I yearn for a day when good news is not at the end of the program as quick “pick-me-up-feel-good” piece that is patronizing.  The day I look forward to is the day when there is an entire news day of the real people who help each other: the cop who buys a coat for a homeless person; the old woman who has the door held open by the young boy with blue hair; the girl who is given a band-aid and an ice cream by stranger when she falls and skins her knee.  These are things I have seen in my real life.  From my experience, the people I meet are good, honest and hard working and willing to help someone else.   It might be the Midwestern in me that thinks this, but the majority of people I meet are good people.

I fear that without promoting this and the idea of making your own version of Me TV, we might fall into a trap of spending far too much time watching the bad news and thinking that is the reality.  Reality TV is not reality.  It is meant to be entertainment and a way to slot in commercials for products most of us don’t need.

Make your own Me TV and you will have your reality TV that you can enjoy every day.

For 45 years I dreamed of owning a Porsche 911.  What you should read between the lines is that I could never justify the purchase and usually not afford one. With the cost of a used Porsche 996 version hovering around the cost of a new Ford Focus, I finally had the opportunity to fulfill a dream. My wife was agreeable since we were celebrating 25 years of marriage and she knew how long I had wanted one.

The 2001 Carrera 4 Cabriolet (convertible) I found from a dealer in Chicago had both the soft and hard top. With a home in the country, having another vehicle that can get through snow is important, so a third “play car” needed the ability to serve us if something happened to one of our daily vehicles. A 911 with all-wheel drive and a winter friendly hard top was non-negotiable.

My son and I flew out and drove the car the 400 miles home on Black Friday of 2016.  I had the chance to enjoy it a few times before the snow flew, but only very short trips to work and back. Once it flurried, the car took the coveted garage space my truck had possessed. With the new cover carefully secured, the car and I both waited for spring.

During the winter I visited the forums learning more about my purchase and what I might expect. I also began to float the idea of a two-week Porsche camping adventure to my wife for our 25^th anniversary.

In my internet search for “How to camp out of a Porsche 911,” I was disappointed to find only a handful of people who had ever written about it. All who had done so owned coupes, which allowed them to strap bicycles and sometimes even hard carriers to the roof. This was not an option with our convertible so I took careful measurements and began test-packing to see how my current backpacking/kayaking gear would fit. While much of my old gear would work I found to my surprise that my kayak has more volume than the “Frunk” (front trunk) of my Porsche. I figured with the back seat, I could accommodate the rest. This was a bad assumption because if you use the wind deflector (like I do) when the top is down, it means that the rear seats must remain folded down.  Unlike a normal car, Porsche 911 seats do not fold flat against the bottom cushion. They fold halfway against the transmission hump, giving you about 7” of space below the folded seat and 10” of height on top of the seat before the bottom edge of the wind deflector. The seats themselves are not deep, meaning skillful packing is essential.

As I wrote previously, as I have aged I appreciate comfort. What this means for me is a thick mattress to sleep upon and a real chair to sit in. In the test packing of the Porsche, our good backpacking sleeping pads proved far too big and my camping chair that fit in my kayak was also too large for the backseat. After some shopping, I found a mattress and chairs that would fit in the car and do the job.

The trip taught us a lot and had some great Porsche lessons:

Lesson One – Think like a Minimalist. You have a small space to fill with gear and that means choices.  Every choice is a trade for something else, so make sure you know what you can and can’t live without.  Here is an example: Shoes take a lot of space.  My wife brought four pairs and I brought three. When we do it again the same shoes will be going along because they proved essential.  In our case they were: Hiking boots, tennis shoes, sandals and water shoes.  Combined, they took up over 2 square feet of space.  That’s a lot in a Porsche 911. The good news is they don’t have to pack together and can squish or fill in spaces.

Lesson two – You save money traveling in a Porsche.  I know it sounds odd, but hear me out.  You know that souvenir you couldn’t live without?  Yes, you can and you will because it won’t fit in the car.  Sure, you could ship it home, but my wife and I made an agreement before we left that it needed to be very special if we were going to buy it and ship it and nothing proved that dear to us.  One of the things both my wife and I learned from this trip is that less is more.  The things we brought we used and cleaned often to use again.

Gas also proved to be a money saver we hadn’t expected.  We are used to driving a large F150 Ford pickup.  Even though my truck is a deluxe model, the Porsche is much more comfortable and less expensive to drive.

Lesson three – Be comfortable with people staring at you. As we drove through the campground the first day looking for our site, two little girls stared at us with a look like “What the heck?”  It didn’t change elsewhere.  You get a lot of positive head nods and often people are curious and want to visit, so the car becomes a real ice breaker.

Lesson four – You feel safe driving a Porsche.  These are small and safe cars.  On winding roads, the car sticks to the road providing you with a feeling of added security.  The ability to quickly maneuver means you can avoid many obstacles others will hit and on the open road in places like Montana where the speed limit is 80, your car is just humming while others are panting.  I found that my car hummed a happy tune at 85 and loved that as a cruising speed. It added comfort for me to know my tires were designed to go much faster, and my brakes were the best of any car on the road.  I knew we were safe as long as I drove sensibly.

Lesson five – You don’t need to suffer, but you do need to plan. Comfort comes at the cost of space.  Our tent was a little smaller than I would have liked, but the bug screen tent we brought proved to be an evening life saver. If I had brought a bigger tent, then the bug screen would have been left behind. I hate bug spray and the residue it leaves on everything, so that was a comfort I was willing to accept at the cost of space.  Think about how you camp and what you are willing to accept and not accept and plan accordingly.  When planning, think backpacking size without the needed weight restrictions and you can bring more than you think.

Lesson six – Everything must be soft and squishable.  There is no place for hard sided items (except a cooler). Suitcases need to become soft sided gym bags and items that can be squished and formed into tight spaces like down jackets become valued.  My nemesis on this trip was a box of crackers.  Yes, honest – a hard sided box of crackers caused me to curse under my breath each time I tried to find a place to put it.  My mouth proved the best punishment for this particular item.

Lesson seven – Being small is wonderful.  We found ourselves able to quickly pull into tight parking spaces in mountain pull offs that others had to pass by.  This proved to be one of our favorite things about the car and allowed us to park for photos and hikes that we would have missed with our big truck.

Lesson eight – 63 to 79.  This was for us the perfect temperature range to put the top down.  I like breeze and my wife doesn’t enjoy it as much so if I was driving and closed my window, it gave me a nice breeze while mostly bypassing my wife.  It was the opposite of what we thought but kept both of us happy. Both of us prefer fresh air to conditioned air, so the top was down as often as we could.

Lesson nine – Know your fuel.  Before we left I called the local Porsche dealer to ask about any tips and what I should do if we broke down.  The man I spoke with was a fuel expert who had tested fuels across the country on his drives and told me what brands to use and those to avoid.  We didn’t have any fuel issues because of it and I was glad I had called ahead and learned what I needed to know.

Lesson ten – It’s hard to give up the driver’s seat. I have never owned a car I hated to share driving duty until now. You can read about the Porsche driving experience, but 4100+ miles gives you a true appreciation of what the “hoopla” is all about.  I would do another 4100 tomorrow.

Some packing list essentials and my opinions.

RULE 1: If you are not an experienced camper, don’t use a Porsche as your test ground!

Nothing replaces good camping skills so if you are not a camper and considering doing this, please watch some online videos or read a book or two well before you go.  REI and many State Parks give classes to encourage and develop camping skills.  I still do research to hone my skills even though I have over 45 years of backpacking, bicycle & canoe camping and sea kayak touring experience. My gear was chosen for those pursuits over the years.

Smaller gear is typically more expensive because it is designed to be light weight.  It is not designed as the best approach to do something in most cases, but rather as a smaller alternative.  If at the end of this you are still interested in camping out of your 911 and don’t have this kind of gear ask a friend who you know has it and see if you can borrow or rent it from them.  Many high-end outfitters rent quality gear and could outfit you perfectly.  If you prefer owning your gear visit REI or another quality outfitter/retailer and speak to their experts.  Bring your car along and demand a test pack before you actually buy anything! Always, Always, Always buy the smallest size that will work as your guide.  A flat item is better than round, squishable is better than hard, etc. Good gear is expensive and worth it, don’t penny pinch.  Most of the gear I own is 20+ years old – and has had plenty of use.

A personal note: I used to work for a high-end outfitter and many popular brands support the sales people with gear so that they will push it on customers.  Just like with any hobby there are a lot of “gear heads” who love to talk the latest trends.  Many of them have very little time outside actually using it.  Look for the old guy or gal who looks like they would repair anything with duct tape and ask their opinion.  As an example, the Eureka Timberline tent has been around at least 40 years and they still make it because it works great.  (My 4 man Timberline was too big for the car or it would have made the trip)  With that said, there is some better newer gear – My MSR stove cooks much better than my old technology Optimus Svea stove.

Don’t get sucked into gimmicks.  Many years ago I bought a stove that I loved from Coleman but it used special gas bottles that only they produced for this product.  They are now are impossible to find.  Stick to the MSR type stoves that have become standard and you’ll be happier than buying the latest gimmick that becomes an expensive paperweight.

My point is: Don’t buy trends, buy on other’s experiences.  Don’t just ask what gear the sales person has, ask where they personally have used it and what they like and don’t like. Look at reviews on Youtube or on websites.  A dry tent, quality mattress, warm sleeping bag and reliable stove will make or break your trip.

Here is what we brought and my experience:

Tent – Eureka Apex XT.  I have a secret – you need to divide in half the number of people any manufacturer claims a tent holds.  I have used my Apex tent kayak camping for 15+ years and it is a great one person tent.  They call it a “two man” but with two you have to cuddle. I am needing to replace my tent because it is now becoming duct tape supported and I will probably look for three man to replace it.  The packed size is perfect for the frunk though so I will take that measurement as my requirement for any new one I consider.  The Apex XT fits in the frunk perfectly and I highly recommend this tent if you don’t use the mattress I used.

Mattress / Pad – Intex – This was the hardest item to decide on and I am still looking for a better option.  This statement could get me banished from the backpacking community, but I hate self-inflating backpacking mattresses because for me they just don’t give enough back support. Others swear by them, so it really is a personal preference.  (If you are backpacker, don’t read this next part) I ended up buying one of those home inflatable mattresses you have for guests, an Intex, 4 inches thick, full-size air mattress with built-in electric pump.  In my test, it fit the tent, but in field use, it stretched the Apex tent and proved bigger to store in the car than I had hoped.

Pros: The built in pump inflates the whole thing in less than 3 minutes.  It is electric which means you need to bring an inverter.  Make sure it is at least 300 watts. Mine stores next to the spare tire.  Make sure you bring an extension cord which can fit inside the spare tire rim.

Cons: When inflated it made the sides of the tent taut.  It is too tall for my tent and takes up a lot of space in the car.  I would buy the full-size mattress again but in a 2” thick.  Mine fits under the back folded seat but takes more room than I had hoped.  Of all your decisions, this one should be your most thought out and carefully measured. Fits under back seat barely.

NOTE: I have many hiking sleeping pads and all required more car space than the air mattress.

Camp tarp and screen tent combo – Nemo Bugout 12×12.  I stumbled upon this product by accident preparing for this trip and my wife and I now consider it essential camping equipment.  It is a well-designed rain tarp that has built-in drop walls of bug screen. It zips closed and keeps bugs totally out.  I hate biting bugs and they can ruin a trip, so this was awesome! They also make a 9×9 size which I think is big enough for most people and I would buy that size if I were to do it again.  Get the poles, you’ll want them. Backseat fit only.

Sleeping bag – Didn’t use one.  We actually brought a down comforter and put it in a compression sack.  This gave us both ample covering and warmth at half the packing size of one traditional sleeping bag. Fits in backseat or frunk.

BBQ Grill – The Ecoque Grill – You could get away bringing a grill grate and putting it on top of the campfire ring and accomplish the same thing with much less space use.  I am debating if I would bring it again.  The Ecoque grill is a fully self-contained table top grill that folds to 3 inches thick. It uses only 9 charcoal briquettes so it is very efficient to cook upon. Fits in frunk.

Cooler – Oscar by Coleman. The main advantage of car camping over backpacking is the opportunity to have a cooler to keep fresh ingredients and cold beverages.  Our “Oscar” by Coleman is an old cooler that fits perfectly in the frunk.  I am sure you can find other coolers that would work as well, but measure carefully! This is the one item I personally demand to be hard sided.  Coolers that leak or sweat suck and most soft sided do both.  Fits in frunk.

Stove and Cook Set.  I use an MSR style backpacking stove and this along with backpacking sized boiling pots work great.  If you outfit yourself like any good backpacker cooking for two would, you should be fine.  I have a 5-gallon clear dry bag that I put dry food that works great. Clear is the best choice so you can see what you have and grab it easily.  Fits in frunk.

Chairs.  Ahh, chairs. After a day of hiking, nothing beats a comfortable chair!  I had borrowed a chair from a friend to see how it fit in the car and while the packed size was perfect, the chair itself seemed fragile.  The design was right, so we bought the sturdier version from REI called the Flexlight Macro Chair. My wife liked it so much she got one for herself before we left.  Both chairs fit in frunk.

What else did we bring?

IPad (for photo taking)

Camera

Charge cords

Solar charger

Hiking staffs

Clothing for the conditions. (Warm to cold mountain night down jackets)

Collapsible water bottles

Head lamps

There are only two items we did not use on the entire trip!  A deck of cards and my camp axe.  I would bring both again though.

Our trip broken down

Leg one – Getting a feel for distance.  We started near Minneapolis and drove to Medora, North Dakota (590 miles) and found the car much more comfortable for touring than either of us expected.  The seats support well and passing is a joy.  Our destination was Theodore Roosevelt National Park where we were hosted by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation to attend the 4^th “Gathering of TR’s”.  My friends and I who portray TR meet there annually to sharpen our skills and share stories and ideas.  I am sure my fellow TR’s wondered why I was zipping around this important Roosevelt footprint in a fancy German sports car, but hopefully, they will read this and understand!  Unpacking the car for our hotel room overnights meant we didn’t have to disturb any camping gear in the Frunk.  Repacking proved to be much more difficult and required some terse words until I figured out that the item that was causing all the trouble was supposed to go “under the back seat”, not above it.

Leg two, the open road.  We bid our farewells and drove to Haver, Montana (370 miles) where we started finding nuances of the car, like if we hit the window button with one quick “tap”, it would go all the way up or down.  The drive was fun, with a mix of interstate and back roads which allowed us to stretch the car out a bit.  Along the way, we saw many bicycling tourists with full packs peddling hard.  With so many on the road, we were careful to give them wide berth, which slowed our progress at times but also made us appreciate that adventure can be interpreted and appreciated in many ways.

Leg three, exploring the speed.  After an overnight in Haver, we ventured straight north to the Canadian Border on our way to Canmore, Alberta.  (388 miles) The Border agents were friendly and asked the usual questions about our visit and what we might be carrying.  I wasn’t worried if they decided to search us as we are mostly law abiding, but the concept of unpacking and repacking at that time would have created an International incident. They were very nice and sent us on our way and encouraged places to visit.

The road was open, straight and desolate – you could see for miles.  We patted our detector and opened it up to experience what the car felt like at speed.

Not far from the Canadian border is the town of Elkwater Alberta.  It is inside the Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park and was a hidden treasure on our adventure.  It was stunning scenery and I would have planned to stay there rather than Haver if we had known about it.

Not much long after we made the connection to the Trans-Canada highway. We drove with the flow of traffic to avoid any unneeded violations and to get a sense of the Canadian “Interstate”.  We reached Canmore in mid-afternoon but could not see the mountains.  The mountains are right next to the town but they were hidden by a thick cloud of smoke from nearby forest fires.  When we got up the next morning, our little car was covered in a fine dust of ashes.

Leg four, mountain driving.  The smoke had abated some and the drive from Canmore to Banff is short and beautiful.  (28 KM)  As you climb into Banff, you begin to find the roads that make driving a Porsche special. Curves become a place to feel the tires grab.  I compare it to downhill skiing, where you find your groove and carve down the mountain.  The feeling was the same to me when we found a winding road.

We spent many days in Banff driving and hiking, adding miles to the car as we explored this amazing area.  When the camper in front of us was too slow, a gentle push of the throttle propelled us safely past in quick time.

As we progressed, we found that distance driving was no longer the chore it had been in the past, it was part of the adventure and a welcome one.

Leg five, Bumpy roads.  Banff to Waterton National Park (361 KM) included many miles of road repairs and taught us a valuable lesson on carefully watching the road. The low profile tires are great for smooth roads and cornering, but when you hit a rough road, they can cause the wheel to dance in your hand and make the ride unsettling.

Leg six, painfully slow. The road from Waterton NP, Alberta to West Glacier, Montana (124 KM) sends you across the famous “Going-to-the-sun” road that climbs the mountains in Glacier National Park.  This would be dream Porsche driving.  Due to traffic and conditions, you get a nice feel for the switchbacks and sharp turns and still have fun, and with all the people you wouldn’t and shouldn’t performance drive this.  Better to enjoy the amazing views and take your time while you fantasize how amazing it would be at speed.

Leg seven, backroads fun.  Glacier NP, Montana to Yellowstone NP, Wyoming (390 miles) was a surprising drive of back roads and mountains.  With the top down, we soaked up the sun as we enjoyed the amazing scenery and winding mountain roads.  Once on the Interstate we cruised along with a few rabbits ahead of us and the Escort alerting us to any issues we might face.

Leg eight, the fun of switchbacks.  Yellowstone NP Wyoming to Custer State Park, South Dakota (418 miles) Both Yellowstone NP and Custer State Park have wonderful hill climbs and switchbacks which are a joy to drive.  You can play with the car even at low speed and enjoy the responsive driving experience.  The needles highway in the Black Hills of South Dakota is a must drive for any Porsche enthusiast.  Along with amazing scenery are a few 10 mph switchbacks that will have you smiling from ear to ear.

Leg nine – Being the rabbit. Beep. Beep. Beep.  Slow down, look for him.  Yep there he is.  The radar detector is a god send on long trips and being the leader or trading it with someone else is great fun.  The leader is called the rabbit and the rest of us are turtles.  Rabbist risk taking the speeding ticket for the benefit of the turtles. We traded off following the rabbits and being the rabbit as we cruised back home.  The drive was long (566 miles) and flat, but traffic was as eager to get home as we were, so the car was able to punch some good speeds as we made it back.

The final analysis

When our son was little we decided to buy a motorhome (It was one of 4 times I went to buy a Porsche and came home with something more practical).  My wife at the end of this trip said: “I liked this so much more than the Motorhome, where should we go next?”

What more analysis do you need?

Continue reading “The Anatomy of Adventure” →

Adventure is a personal term.  For some, just leaving their town to the one next door might be classified as one.  I thought my wife and I were on a great adventure.  As we travel and speak to others, ours is only a shooting star in a galaxy of adventures.  At rest stops we speak to those like us who are taking a few weeks to explore our great country through their windshields and hiking boots.  We share camping tips, places to see and things to explore as they travel the direction from which we came and vice versa.

Ours is a “beat the clock” adventure, cramming exploration into a time frame that meets our hectic lives.  Most we speak to are doing the same.  “We have to be back on xxxx date” is as much of the story as the places they have seen.

Along our path, we have shared the road with long distance bicycle tourers.  They are moving across the country one down and up stroke at a time, enjoying the scenery as our forefathers did on horseback.  A slow trip will always allow you to see more and a open aired adventure means all of your senses work in harmony to give you a greater appreciation of your trip.  The cold air of a mountain pass, the rich earth of a farm, the sulfur and rock of eastern Montana.  The unwelcomed wind from your front unless it cools, and the glorious wind at your back to help move you forward.

As we were checking into our hotel for the night, there was a young woman on a bicycle who was given the news that her hotel was the other one at the other edge of the town, up the “big hill”.  I felt bad for her but she just smiled and said thank you. This morning at coffee was another woman enjoying some well earned calories before she began her day towards Seattle.  “Indiana and Illinois were tough, but eastern Iowa was beautiful.”  She had started her adventure in May at Bar Harbor, Maine and now in middle July we met in Harve Montana.  Tomorrow, she will be 70 miles further west, and we will be 360 miles north as we see sleep at the base of the Canadian Rockies.

Life is meant to be a rollercoaster, not a merry-go-round.  No matter how you get there, the adventure is riding along the hills and valleys.  Best to enjoy the ride.

 

This past weekend I enjoyed working for the Army Corp of Engineers in far southern Illinois, almost 600 miles from my home.  My work provides me with the opportunity to be a road warrior from time to time and these long trips are often taken on the roads I usually loath: Interstates.    I understand the importance of them.  Many years ago my lovely wife and I were run off the road on the Interstate by another car as they day-dreamed-drove.  It was by excellent driving skills of my wife and a large degree of luck that I am here to write about it.  As the years have gone by, I have realized it’s an easy thing to do on the Interstate.  The benefit of the Interstate is speed.  The negative of the Interstate is monotony, with a drive broken up only by the occasional billboard or promised rest area sign, or the dreaded gasoline stop you are forced to make as you try desperately to get from point A to B in the allotted Mapquest calculation.

This past weekend I saw a firetruck attempting to merge from one Interstate to another only to be run off the road by a large over-the-road truck.  I had to slam on my breaks to avoid collision as the large truck over-corrected into my lane.  The monotony must be even worse for someone in the saddle for many more hours than I, perhaps so used to the route that they no longer pay any attention at all.  When I passed the men in the firetruck as they merged back onto the roadway, they looked perplexed but calmer than I ever would have been.

Podcasts have become an essential part of my travels and have given me the ability to learn facts, laugh and even cry as I listen to well written and shared stories.  They remind me of the importance of story, how we all connect to them, not on the facts themselves, but how those facts affect us.  They have reminded me of the importance of charity and hope and love.  These long drives have given me a chance to contemplate and challenge my thoughts, to test ideas and resolve them in my mind.  They have given me the chance to observe a moment and then reflect on it for hours as I drive.

Such a thing happened in a small town in Illinois.  It was the hour of “blue highways”, those small town roads on maps that used to be the only route.   These are the ones that traverse the real fabric of America, the well kept small towns where Sunday church bells call the locals out from their family breakfast.   These are the roads that take you past the large brick courthouse on the main square declaring itself the county seat, the benches freshly painted with flowers planted nearby.  Awnings with the name of the proprietor proudly imprinted on the front, with hand written signs in the windows.  These are not images from a bygone era in Norman Rockwell paintings.  They are alive and real and honest and today.  These are towns unencumbered by modern vanity of fancy cars and custom license plates.  These are places where the dirt under your fingernails is the measure of your importance – the dirty, the better.

It was only after I passed the sign that I smiled and wished I would have stopped. Unfortunately, my real driving skills are limited to small cars, and this rig I drive to events with truck and trailer measures over 45 feet.  It is not, or should I say, I am not, nimble with threading it into tight situations.  As I passed the sign, all I could do was log it into memory to share with you.

Population 951.  The sign would not seem important other that the fact that the “1” was hand painted in fresh white paint over the zero.  Large enough to make sure it replaced the entire width and height of the “0”.    At first I thought it was grafitti, but soon determined it was a declaration from proud parents who had thoughtfully made sure the entire world knew that their little town had added a new, very important resident.

Normal Rockwell would have been proud.