Pedernales Falls State Park - Texas (Oct 2024)

This is the 3rd weekend of camping in a row. Last weekend was Bastrop SP and the weekend before that was Inks Lake SP.

On Tuesday I was contemplating "what if?" and a ton of campsites came up on Reserve America for Pedernales Falls SP. I was surprised since the park has had limited access all spring & summer due to construction on a water line or sewer line or something. I snagged a spot that was nestled in the trees immediately.

On the way to the park I kept getting a "kerklunk, kerklunk" action every time I slowed down while braking at low speeds. It seems that the trailer brakes were grabbing hard and then releasing as I came up to redlights (or in stop & go traffic). Of course, once I got to the park I only had one-bar of cell service which meant any kind of internet research on the possible causes/solutions was impossible. Naturally I obsessed over the issue all weekend long, but I didn't let it ruin my fun.

Got the park Friday evening just before 5pm and I was happy that the office was still open for check in. In contrast Bastrop SP closes at 4pm(!) which means when you arrive after work (even though you've registered and printed out the passes/receipts) you still have to get up and go the office the next morning and officially check in, which is inconvenient. What's more insulting is that someone comes by bright and early in the morning and leaves a "ticket" on your windshield telling you to come check in as soon as possible... and I'm like you can't check in until 2pm anyway so why not eliminate the morning person and just keep the office open later??

Anyway... got set up in a mostly empty park and grilled some dijon coated chicken breasts for sandwiches along with some black beans, paired with a nice Mexican clara beer (Pacifico).

Got up Saturday morning and went mountain biking, which almost killed me. Egad, I'm out of shape! I was originally planning on riding, then going hiking down to the river to do some exploring. Lol, that would have been ambitious. Instead, after riding Wolf Mountain trail I went back to the camper and took a nap. The park was still pretty empty and I think Reserve America still has a park alert stating that the campsites are closed, yet they are open for reservation. Which is part of the reason I was glad the office was still open when I got there so I could get that added ensurance that I was there legitimately.

Saturday evening I grilled some adult-sized hotdogs (I have a rule that the only time I can eat junk food is when camping), before making use of the camper's outdoor shower, which is frowned upon by the SP, but sometimes you bend the rules.

The interesting thing this time is that there were only 3 RVs on my loop and the rest of the sites that were actually occupied were occupied by people tent-camping, which led to a moral dilemma. My neighbors on each side of me were in tents and with day time temps into the high 80's they had all the flaps open. It cooled down each night into the 60's, but being able to run the AC for the first part of the night was really convenient. So on Saturday with neighbors around should I run the AC, knowing they would be able to hear it droning on very clearly, or should I just open the windows, run an inside fan and be slightly uncomfortable for a couple of hours until the temps dropped? I chose to open the windows and run the inside fan. Next time I might not be so charitable, though. It's like Robert Redford said in the movie Spy Game, "If it comes down to you or them, send flowers."

Sunday morning I broke camp and drove home without using the brake controller. Since my trailer is only like 1,400 lbs dry and probably like 2,000 lbs loaded I think it'd be much of a risk. Wow, the trip home went much smoother. I'm going to research the controller issue, but I'm also leaning towards not using the trailer brakes at all. Thoughts?

Anyway here's some pics:

 

Inks Lake State Park - Burnet, TX (Oct 2024)

 Definitely my most favorite Central Texas State Park, and lots of "firsts" this time out...

First time towing with the new tow vehicle and first time towing where about half of the trip was on an urban freeway. The Frontier pulled the Aliner along without any problem. The speed limit on the toll road was 75 mph and I kept having to slow down to a respectable 70 mph. This was also the first time I got into some of the rolly hills west of Austin. I tried using the tow/haul mode on the frontier but didn't like the way it would downshift and such. Since the Aliner is less than 2,000 pounds, I turned it off. For reference there is a really good youtuber who explains what the tow mode does and when you should use it, etc, and even the Nissan owner's manual refers (vaguely) to it only being necessary when towing/hauling "heavy loads".

This was also the biggest park I've towed the camper to (approximately 200 campsites).

I got to the park around 2pm, got camp set up and rockin' by 3. I had lucked out earlier in the week and found a spot that came open at the last minute - and it was waterfront!

The spot I reserved was at the far end of the park so I expected it to be kind of quiet. I forgot that that end of the park is also where a popular swimming hole/destination (Devil's Watering Hole) is located. So much for quiet. I've always gone to the swimming hole via kayak so it didn't occur to me how much vehicular traffic there would be. It was a constant stream of cars circling around, dropping people off, picking people up, looking for places to park.

The park is well staffed and well patrolled, lots of restrooms & showers. I like that some of the bathhouses have individual "stand alone" shower rooms which are separate from toilets.

There was a burn ban in effect and I confirmed that I could indeed use my portable propane grill and was told it was no problem.

The park is located along a chain of lakes called the Highland Lakes, and the area that the park surrounds is a "no wake" zone which makes it appealing to swimmers, kayakers, and very slow moving boat traffic. There are also some granite boulders, ridges and outcroppings so you have to be very observant if navigating this part of the lake. It is not unusual to see people literally standing up in the middle of this section of the lake.

Friday evening was burgers, tots & beer (not necessarily in that order).

Saturday was breakfast tacos, reading, fishing, leftover burgers, hiking, replacing a water gauge, beer, listening to a podcast while grilling steak & taters, and more beer (literally in that order). The only "face palm" moment was after I got in the shower and then remembered I didn't bring a towel. Yep, I had to dry off with my dirty shirt - it was either that or the clean undies I brought. Maybe next time it should be "shower first, then beer?"

Sunday morning was coffee, pack up camp, and home by 11:30am.

The park was busy and full of life, in a good way. Just the way I remember state parks as a kid.

Anyway... if you've made it this far, or just skipped to the end, here's some random pics:

 

Bastrop State Park - Sept 2024

Another quick weekend getaway…
 

Booked the last remaining site, took a couple of “personal” breaks during the day as I hooked up the trailer, (working from home), and then snuck out of work at 3pm. Got there around 4pm and was surprised there’s a burn ban since it’s rained pretty much all week - and I really planned on grilling both nights for meals. 

Luckily I brought the portable propane grill “just in case” as I always do. Once I got set up the wind started gusting up to 30 mph and then I understood the fire ban.
Temps during Friday & Saturday were in the low 90’s but the wind, as annoying as it can be, really made it bearable when sitting in the shade. Overnight into Sunday morning it got down into the mid 60’s. And then quickly right back up into the 90’s by the afternoon. But it was still the first teasing of fall in central Texas. It will be exactly one month before it really starts to feel like fall though.

 

Buescher State Park, Smithville TX (May 2024) (Part Deux)

 This was my second trip to Buescher State Park in Smithville, Texas. My first trip to Buescher SP was cut short due to impending thunderstorms (which of course never materialized).

I honestly didn't realize last weekend was Memorial Day weekend until I was checking site availability. I saw a spot come up for Buescher, double checked with boss to confirm that we were indeed off on Monday, and then I reserved Saturday and Sunday nights. I would like to have done three nights but this was the least hassle way of doing it since I still had to pack, run errands and even mow the yard before I could leave.

I left the house around 1pm, got on the freeway, and traffic immediately screeched to a halt. I was concerned about how heavy the holiday traffic was going to be, but this turned out to be an accident instead. It took about 30 minutes to travel a mile or so. If I wasn't towing a trailer I would have exited the freeway and tried an alternate route. Instead I choose to inch along, along with everyone else, until traffic opened up.

Even with the traffic delay I still managed to get the park in pretty good time and had camp set up by about 3:30pm. The park was mostly full when I got there as it seemed everyone else had arrived on Friday, the day before. Interesting enough, when I was checking in at the HQ there was a group of dune buggy enthusiast (like old-school 70's dune buggies) lining up to enter the park. There must have 15 or 20 of queued up. I didn't think to take a picture of them at the time.

It was HOT and HUMID. I was soaking wet all weekend, but I've found that once you accept you are going to sweat it's really not that bad. The high temps were around 98 degrees both days.

On Saturday after setting up camp (this was also my 3rd time backing into a camp site!), I just hung around, did some reading and got the grill going. I don't like the fire pit/grill situation at Buescher since they don't have stand alone grills. The problem with their setup is that the grate on the grill that's part of the fire pit doesn't go low enough to be just above the coals. It's too high, which means you have to put a TON of charcoal in the fire pit, or build a proper fire, just to roast some weenies. Seems like a waste. Fortunately, I happened to have some foil pans and a random grill grate that fit perfectly on one of the pans. I poked some holes in the pan, but a single layer of charcoal down and it made a perfect portable grill.

While the burgers were grilling I made some Velveeta Mac & Cheese (you know, the kind with the liquid cheese packet) and tossed in some diced jalapenos and red onion. I don't normally eat like this, but I've decided that the rules don't apply when camping. After dinner I retreated into the camper (and the AC). Cell reception was much better this time around and I was able to stream some youtube videos before bed.

Sunday morning breakfast was potato, egg & cheese tacos and coffee. BTW, if you like a dark, strong coffee I highly recommend a brand called Mauds and their espresso roast for the Kuerig. Anyway, around mid morning I found my way over to the 25 acre lake and spent a couple of hours fishing. Nothing was happening though. I tried my old faithful tiny torpedo but it was too windy and too weedy for the top water lure, so I switched to a weed-proof plastic worm for less headache but still no luck. My idea of fishing isn't so much about catching stuff as it is just standing by the water, getting bit by bugs and sunburned. Ahh...

After lunch, I decided to break out the mountain bike and go tool around the park. Got in some road miles and some nice woodsy single track miles as well. At one point the single track pops out onto one of the nearby roads and the dialogue in my head goes something like this:
"What a nice landscaped drive, I've never heard of this park before, I wonder what's up here..."
"Oh, wait, is that the theme music from Stranger Things I'm hearing?"
"Run away! Run away!"

So I rode around a bit more, before heading back to camp. This time I used the portable propane grill to heat up the left over Mac & Cheese and grill some hot dogs. I got the really big "man sized" hot dogs that are like $12 a pack and I can honestly say they were worth it. I used hoagie rolls for buns, recommend that as well. The grill can get really hot, but did an awful job on heating up the Mac & Cheese, which was in a skillet. I was trying to use the grill as a grill and as a stove but I just don't think it was made for that as far as the heat distribution goes.

Now that it was getting dark and I certain I was going to be staying inside (and in the AC) I went over to the bath house and used one of the showers there. It was pretty awful. The bath house isn't air conditioned, or even ventilated. The water came out of a pipe in the wall (no shower head) and I stood on a t-shirt the whole time because I didn't want my bare feet touching the floor. It was like something from the movie Midnight Express. Next time, I'm just going to use my camper's outside shower.

Random Pics:

Buescher State Park - 2 trips (May 2024)

Buescher State Park in Smithville, Texas, is only about 10-15 miles away from Bastrop State Park in Bastrop, Texas, yet it is a totally different zone. Bastrop is hilly, sandy terrain with pine forest. Smithville is still hilly, but more gentle hills and in an oak forest. It is more densely wooded. I noted post oaks, live oaks, bois d'arcs, mimosas, and many other tree species around my campsite, including several dead cedar trees (ashe junipers) and the odd hackberry as well.

This was my first time camping overnight at Buescher SP, although I've been fishing/kayaking and biking here many times. The lake at Buescher is downstream from the creek that feeds the lake at Bastrop SP (not to be confused with Lake Bastrop). Both SP's had the dams on their lakes severely damaged during a flood several years ago. The dams have been rebuilt, which took a few years to complete construction and now the lake at Smithville is open to the public once again, which means I am now interested in Buescher SP once again.

I was watching the state park system reservations page and the weather for the past several weeks, if not months, to get a weekend with stable weather and where my schedule cooperated. An opening came up for Smithville this weekend, so I booked it. The forecast had been for an occasional shower at the most, and the rain chances for Friday and Saturday were basically none, with Sunday at a 20% chance of rain. In the few days since I booked the spot, I watched the rain chances for Sunday go from 20% to 40% to 60% and then finally 90%. WTF!?

At first I thought about canceling because the forecast called for storms developing Sunday morning starting around 3am, and I did not want to be packing up in the pouring rain, and just on Wednesday some in our area (central Texas) received softball-sized hail. Then I decided to keep the reservation, keep an eye on the hourly forecast for Saturday and Sunday, and remember that I can pack up and leave the SP any time I want. Just because I paid for Saturday night ($18) didn't mean I had to stay. So I went for it...

I left Austin around 1pm on Friday (traffic wasn't as heavy as it was last time I went camping) and got to Buescher SP right at 2pm. I had camp set up in 45 minutes and was practically the only one in park. It was eerily quite. I was proud of myself since this was the second time I've had to back the camper in and the first time the spot was at a 90 degree angle to the road.

After getting everything squared away I grabbed the Zebco 404 (you know the one) and a couple of lures and walked around to the lake. I spent a couple of hours fishing, although not really trying - just more like enjoying being outside and not at work. Then I headed back to the campsite as other campers started tricking into the park.

I debated on setting up the gas grill or busting out the charcoal. There was no charcoal grill per se, instead there was a combo firepit/grill. I didn't really like the location of the firepit since it was behind the campsite, in the brush and looked like a mosquito haven. However, I had been at the park for about 3 hours and had only seen one mesquite, so I decided to "man up", spray on some Off, and go the charcoal route. Once I got the coals going I threw on a hobo pack of potatoes, onions & peppers. I left the pack on grill long enough to drink a beer (and eat an entire can of Pringles) before tossing on some brats. I found the secluded grilling area agreeable enough that after gnoshing on some brats, I piled some split wood on the coals and got a fire going. It was hot & humid but there's something about sitting around poking at a fire that is entertaining.

The fire died down right at dark so I retired the camper and watched some youtube videos until time to go to bed.

Saturday morning was a lazy morning in that I slept until 8am, before finally putting my feet on the floor around 9am. I made breakfast tacos (bacon, potato, egg & cheese) and coffee, of course. I had a weird 12 volt power issue (I made a separate post for that) and tried to track it down. I also got out the square-bit driver and went around the camper tightening loose screws and doing general maintenance. I finally decided to slowly starting packing up and getting ready to leave, albeit a day early.

Anyway, here are some of my observations about Buescher SP:
The lake is finally open again! It's small, but sparsely used, calm and great for learning to canoe or kayak without motorized boat traffic. They also rent canoes and provide "loaner" fishing gear.
The park is smaller and therefore less crowded, which means a bit quieter. The downside is there is a rural airstrip nearby so during the day there are small planes and helicopters passing overhead.
The camper spots vary, all are level concrete pads, but some are longer (easily accommodating a bus) some are much shorter (barely accommodating a popup) which means everyone has a chance of finding a reservation that suits them.
The location of the picnic tables and firepits also vary in relation to the camping spots. Some are tucked away, some are right next to the pads, etc.
Cell signal is "iffy" going anywhere from 3 bars to none, and not particularly reliable.
The bathhouse (in my loop) was clean and stocked, but needs some TLC or refurbishing.
The staff is super friendly and courteous.
There is hiking & mountain biking trails, as well as road cycling opportunities.
They also have guided hikes and tours every so often.

So, although I spent a little less than 24 hours camping, would I do such a short trip again? Yes, absolutely! As I get older I am trying to pay more attention to the old adage "life is what happens while we are busy making plans". I'd rather go camping for day than sit around waiting for the "perfect" camping week to come about.

And in that vein, what is your "bare minimum" for camping? One day, two days, etc.? What makes you say "thanks, but no thanks" when it comes to scheduling?

 

Turning Camper Table into Counter Space

 In November 2022 I bought an Aliner Ranger 10. It came with two "beds". The bed on the left side is also the dinette and is 40". The bed on the right side is 32". Since no one will actually use the 32" bed for sleeping, and I'll never use the dinette function, I decided to remove the top from the folding table, cut it down to make some additional counter & storage space and place it at the end of what was the 32" bed (next to the stove).

I wanted to keep it as light weight as possible so instead of using plywood I used Spruce, which is what I believe is what is used in the popups for framing of cabinets and stuff. I didn't even know Lowes had a section of this stuff. It's light, strong, easy to cut & drill.

So I made a three-sided box with a lip along the fourth side and attached it to the underside of the cut-down table top with 3 "L" brackets. I put rubber "feet" on the bottom at the corners so the box wouldn't slide around. Then I disassembled a sliding soft-close drawer I got on Amazon (this was the most expensive part of the whole thing) and flipped the brackets upside down so the drawer would hang under something instead of sitting on top of something. Apparently you cannot get an under-mounted drawer if you want something more than a keyboard tray. They just don't make such a thing.

Anyway, once I got the drawer mounted I set the box in place in the corner of the trailer and ran an extension cord along one side so I can plug in appliances and I have a gap on the other side for storing things like a roll of paper towels and a solar battery and such. Too bad the coffee maker wouldn't fit in that spot when traveling. The drawer holds kitchen utensils (spoons, spatula, etc.) and underneath the in big opening I keep paper plates, bowls, cups. So far, everything has stayed in place while under way.

I took the bed cushions out and put two of the dinette cushions on what was the remainder of the bed space to make a bench seat, and I got a Zinus mattress for the other, now permanent, bed.

The best part is that nothing is permanent. I can pick the new counter up and move it, converting this back into a bed on-the-fly if I should ever have to accommodate a guest.

 

First Time Camping in the Aliner (Bastop State Park - March 2022)

 It's hard to believe it has been over 30 years since I've gone camping... how did that happen? Anyway, this was my first trip in a really long time and the first time I've had my own camper. I bought an A-liner at the beginning of November and it has been sitting in the drive way taunting me for the past 4 months. I got to play with it some: outfitting, stocking, learning how to use everything, etc., but nothing beats actually using it. A week ago I just randomly checked the state park web portal for Texas (they use Reserve America) and I noticed a link "go camping this weekend" that lists all of the available spots in various parks for the upcoming weekend. Has that always been there? So, I noticed a park within 30 miles of the house had one spot open and out of my peripheral vision I spotted the words that make any newbie camper owner jump with joy: Pull Through! Needless to say, I reserved that spot as fast as I could.

Getting there went somewhat smoothly, there were a couple of brief moments of panic when I couldn't get the trailer unlocked at first (turns out the Master lock I bought has a non-standard place to line up the numbers for the combo, seriously!?) and then a couple of "am I supposed to turn here, or did I miss it already?" types of things.

Getting set up was much less stressful since I've had practice leveling and setting up the camper, but this was the first time I've hooked it up to Shore Power and water. My space was on the Piney Hill loop and overlooked a ravine of pine trees and scrub.

It was a beautiful weekend. Friday started out blustery with wind gusts up to 30mph and I was very nervous about towing & setting up under those conditions, but by the time I got loaded up and spent an inordinate amount of time futzing with the combo lock the wind had died down completely. I got there around 3pm and had a couple of hours to unwind/unpack and generally figure out how things were going to work. Around 5pm a pack of coyotes start howling, at first I thought it was hikers in the hollow below me messing around, but it was legit. It sounded like quite a few and they seemed closer than I expected them to be (but probably not). Around dark I started the bbq going and cracked open a beer while waiting for the coals to catch. Made some grilled chicken and couscous for supper. That night it got down into the 40's, but the camper was comfortable and only around 4am did I get up and turn on the radiator (I have a 500 watt oil-filled radiator that sits neatly on the counter top and warms the place up nicely.)

Saturday morning was bit chilly, but not cold. I got up and made the obligatory trip to the bath house, dropping the garbage off at the dumpster while I was at it. The spots are arranged so that they are all within easy walking distance of the facilities. I did some easy hiking and actually took the time to hunt for a geocache (first time in 10 years that I've logged a find). I even took a nap later in the day, something I never do. The camper was very comfortable with the windows open and the "fantastic fan" helping to circulate the air. Saturday afternoon I found a shady spot to sit and do some reading, then fired up the charcoal grill again and grilled a steak. I heated up some baked beans inside the camper (because it seemed like the thing to have when camping and eating steak.) The propane stove is hard to finesse and will have things boiling in no time if you aren't paying attention. Saturday night was a repeat of Friday night and when I woke up Sunday morning it was very foggy (and soggy.) I slowly began packing things up and getting ready to leave, deliberately taking about 2 hours to do it while waiting for the fog to burn off. Then I headed home. Only one minor panic situation on the way home when the tire pressure light in my truck started flashing (it's never done that before) on a stretch of road, uphill, under construction, no shoulder - you get the point. So, I just ignored it and it went away. Turns out, I think a sensor battery is dying or something.

Anyway, here are my observations as a complete first time camper owner newbie (in no particular order):
Be prepared to be overwhelmed by the smell of smoke in the evenings (when everyone starts a fire or fires up the charcoal).
My 6 gallon gray water tank filled up a lot faster than I expected, like more than daily.
Why did A-line put the water hookup almost right above the electrical hookup, couldn't a foot or two of separation been a bad thing?
I was too paranoid to leave the water to the camper turned on overnight, and after discovering a small leak under the sink the next day I'm glad I didn't.
Constantly rearranging things to get to other things means my organizational skills need work.
A foot stool with storage came in handy as additional seating, and it was nice to just be able to prop my feet up when chilling out inside.
I need more than two cargo-net-pocket thingies for stuff like remotes, keys, phone, glasses.
Glad I downloaded some podcast and couple of movies to my tablet for some variety during down time (after I already read the bike magazine and a copy of the Austin Chronicle that I brought with me).
Glad I bought a real mattress for the bed instead of trying to sleep on the cushions that came with the camper.
Clip on battery motion lights came in handy when entering/exiting the trailer at night - much more than I had anticipated (it was really dark out there). Same thing can be said the headlight thingy that you strap around your forehead! (Hands free lighting where ever you are looking is incredible).
Get individual boxes of plastic silver ware instead of the combo box. I spent a crazy amount of time fishing around for a fork and coming up with a spoon. I guess I could have taken them out of the box, but then where am I going to put them?
I went thru more towels and washcloths than I thought I'd use in a given day. Ditto for paper towels.
I was amazed at how quiet the campground was. It was full, but there was not any raucous parties, slamming of car doors, loud talking or anything.
I couldn't stop smiling all weekend.

Well, that's it. That was my first trip as a responsible adult. Attached are some of the random things I took pics of.

 

So, I Bought a Camper...

 I've always like camping. We camped in screen shelters and an ancient pop-up camper as kids with the family. We camped in tents and pooped in the woods as boy scouts. Camped at Big Bend in high school. Even camped as a young adult from time to time, but then life has a way of happening and suddenly one day you realize that it has been years since you've gone camping...

It was about 10 years ago that I got the camping bug again. I made plans for a very late Spring weekend trip and started gathering supplies, as I pretty much needed "one of everything".  I got a truck tent (the kind that assembles and attaches to the bed of a pickup truck), an air mattress, sleeping bag, chairs, fan, table, etc. By the time I spent several hundred dollars and several days acquiring everything I needed, the weather had turned and I lost interest. That, and I was embarrassed by the fact that I snored - loudly. There was no way I could have camped at a state park in a tent, mere feet away from others, and not have gotten ran out of town on a rail, or tarred and feathered.

Oddly enough, I didn't know that I snored. In fact, I would have bet money (real money) that I didn't. It wasn't until someone help up a phone and played back a recording of what sounded like a tornado, saying "that is you, snoring" (literally a recording of me) that I began to accept it. After that intervention I made an appointment with a sleep doctor and got tested. Now with the use of a CPAP machine I can once again claim that I don't snore.

However, being tied to a CPAP at night makes camping a bit for difficult logistically. And, at that time portable power stations and solar panels were not around. If you wanted portable power 10 years ago you had to lug a car battery around and have some way to charge it as well. So eventually I got busy with life, and forgot all about camping.

Fast forward to 2022 and I really started getting interested in camping again. I decided I wanted a camper, especially one with air conditioning. My budget and truck towing capacity pretty much limited me to a popup camper. 

I started poking around on Craigslist and other sites looking at used popups, but all of the ones that caught my eye (size, price, location) seemed to have a fundamental flaw in some way or another. Usually it was "selling for friend so I don't have the title" or "everything works except for that big giant hole in the roof" or "yeah there's a couple of rats living in it, but they're really nice rats". 

Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and just get a new one. That way I'd know that everything worked, and I wouldn't be pondering various mystery stains or wondering just how much mold you can inhale and not die.

After checking out various popup campers I stumbled across the A-Frame style of camper. I liked that it folds up, like a popup, but has solid walls instead of canvass. This makes it a lot more insulated, sound proofer-er, and sturdy. Of course, that also means it's twice as expensive as a popup too.

Anyway, I went ahead and purchased a 2022 Aliner Ranger 10 (at the end of 2022) since it was on year-end closeout and discounted by about $5,000 or so. I figured I'd put some money down, finance the rest, keep it a couple of years and then sell it before it lost too much value. Basically, I saw it as a long term rental. (Interesting fact: you cannot purchase a camper with a credit card for some reason.)

I will probably keep it for another year, but I've already started looking into some of the light weight campers that have more room (and a dedicated bathroom!). Of course that would mean buying a bigger truck since I don't think my four cylinder Nissan would be up to the task.

I'll back-post some of my camping trips shortly, but in the meantime here is tour of my 2022 Aliner Ranger 10, lemme know what you think:

Dynamic Pricing (How Not to Get Screwed)

   Have you ever been asked to enter your zipcode before you can see the price of an item online? It has nothing to do with availability, or shipping costs. It determines how much you are going to pay for an item compared to your coworker sitting in the next cubicle.  Read on...

   It all started with a sluggish browser and Amazon. I seemed that every time I tried to visit Amazon.com using the Firefox web browser my system would slow to a crawl, like the horrid dial-up days of AOL and CompuServe. Initially I chocked it up a Linux weirdness and moved on. Finally, on a slow Saturday morning (today) I googled the issue and found a discussion thread on the topic. While reading about the various solutions, tips and tricks, I noticed a post by a user complaining about getting different prices on Amazon from the same seller, for the same product, at the same time. It seems he was using two different computers and noticed the discrepancy. The term "dynamic pricing" was used and that piqued my curiosity.

   Just yesterday one my coworkers mentioned that he had bought a pair of shoes on Amazon.com, got them two days later and liked them so much he decided to buy another pair. However, when he went back to purchase the second pair he said the price had gone up by roughly $20, so he decided they weren't such a good deal after all. I didn't think much about what he said until now as I started reading up on this trend.

   Then I remembered my own experience with a big box home improvement store and a Dyson vacuum cleaner. The difference in price was $50 depending whether I was looking at it my cell phone vs. my desktop PC at the office. After a trip to the store I could not find the vacuum cleaner listed at the lower price. I sent feedback online complaining about the two different versions of pricing and I assumed that their system was operating two different databases with one be out of date. Little did I know I was being manipulated.

"Mobile users might see a higher price than desktop users."

   If you shop online you may be presented with different prices for the same item (by the same retailer) depending on how you are shopping. Mobile users might see a higher price than desktop users. Same thing goes for Mac users. Retailers use a combination of your IP address/zipcode, GPS location, operating system (Macs are more expensive, therefore you have more money) and browsing history (did you just look at the same item on a competitor's website?) to manipulate the price you presented with. Entering a zipcode for a more affluent part of town could result in a higher price, than entering a zipcode for the area across the tracks. And, it's not limited to online retailers only. The big name "brick and mortar" companies do it too. Some of the names I read online were the likes of Staples and Best Buy to name a few.

   The most interesting thing is that it is no longer a "dirty little secret". Google the term "dynamic pricing" (here, I'll do it for you: https://www.google.com/#q=dynamic+pricing) and what you see should infuriate you, or at least it did me.  However, as they say "knowledge is power", and with a little online reading you can probably find some clever ways to manipulate the manipulators such as disabling cookies, set browser to clear history on exit, using an ad blocker, etc. Of course, it may not always be a bad thing. I recently purchased some security cameras from Best Buy online and when I went to pick them up at the local store (same day) the clerk pointed out that the actual charge to my credit card was $20 less due to "cheaper in store pricing" or something. I was happy and didn't make the connection until now. But what if I had opted to pay for shipping and had it sent to my house? Would I have been aware of the difference?  In college economics one of the things we learned that an item's value, or worth, is whatever someone is willing to pay for it.  Why else would the same house, made from the same materials, sell for $50k in one state and $500k in another?

   Feel free to share your experiences below. I'd love to know if anyone else has noticed this.

Everyone Poops (even spiders)

  

   Sometimes it's easy to overlook the obvious. Things, like the fact that even spiders poop. When you stop and think about it, it does become logical. I mean, if spiders eat then what's left over has to go "somewhere". And that somewhere is poop. I now know this thanks to the power of Google. 

   It all started last weekend when I moved the entertainment center away from the wall so I could clean behind it and get rid of some obsolete equipment that was taking up space and collecting dust. While vacuuming I noticed a patch of white spots on the floor that I mistakenly thought was sheet rock dust (I had run some cables through the wall a while back). However, the white spots simply wouldn't come up. I really didn't give it much more thought, and honestly didn't care since it was behind the TV cabinet anyway. I knew a spider lived back there because next to the white spots was a pile of dead pill bugs and the occasional fly. I don't mind spiders per se. As long as they are not something that is going to hurt me such as Black Widows or Brown Recluses then I don't care if a Wolf or Jumping Spider takes up residence amongst the speaker wires and power cables. 

   It wasn't until last night that I thought about the spots again. As part II of purging obsolete crap from my life I slid a cabinet over and noticed similar white spots and consequently another pill bug graveyard. However, I still did not make the connection. I was thinking it might be some kind of mold or floor cleaner residue. I could easily rule out floor cleaner residue since I've never actually "cleaned" the floors. Oh, I might sweep, or vacuum, or even damp mop the floors every so often, but I don't use any kind of official cleaning product. 

   Once again, I really didn't give it much more thought - until just now. I have no idea why, although I'm pretty sure it was sheer boredom, but I googled "wood floor white spots" and discovered the wonderful world of spider poop. I guess the Poop Book was right, we all do poop.