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Freezing my ass in Big Bear California. Not really. From Los Angeles to Big Bear in Freezing-My-Ass-Big-Bear-California-Bob Davis Podcast 1152. It’s a little cooler at seven thousand feet than it is down in the desert.
Firstly after trying several mechanics in LA I discovered no one wants to take the big old ambulance on for an oil change..
Secondly I called in an audible.
As a matter of fact my Brother and Sister in Law have a place in Big Bear. We came up last week after Thanksgiving.
And we planned to come back up this weekend anyway.
So I decided to take a chance and find someone to do an oil change up at Big Bear.
By the same token it is not only fun but really good for me to spend some time with family up here.
Furthermore the mooch-docking continues.
Basically what’s not to like.
To begin with Freezing-My-Ass-Big-Bear-California-Bob Davis Podcast 1152 takes a very surface look at the history of this area.
From Native Americans to Miners and later Settlers. And Grizzlies.
In fact I am fascinated these days with the history of the American West.
Even more one of my conclusions is that the history of the settlement of the American West is in many ways the real history of the United States.
That is to say that the real test of the legal institutions of the new country back in the day was the push west starting with the Ohio River Valley.
Significantly I think it’s fair too suggest that the people led the way during the decades before the Continental United States became a reality.
Of course controversy is and has always been a factor in this part of the country.
Therefore I am not taking a position on any of these historical realities.
In addition California continues to amaze me with its natural beauty.
Accordingly the drive up to Big Bear from LA starts with the usual traffic jams.
Giving way to breathtaking mountain views afterward.
All in all there is a lot to talk about in this podcast.
in like manner I take a little time to talk about future plans.
Equally impressive was the experience of getting buzzed by my pilot nephew and the audio I was able to capture.
To sum up being able to travel short distances and have a complete change of point of view is just what the doctor ordered for this nomad.
Details in Freezing-My-Ass-Big-Bear-California-Bob Davis Podcast 1152.
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MoochDocking Thanksgiving in LA has been a lot of fun. When we hang out at someone’s house and use their electric we call it ‘Moochdocking‘. Details in MoochDocking-Thanksgiving-LA-Bob Davis Podcast 1151.
Firstly most of the time we nomads don’t go home for the holidays.
Certainly distance is usually an issue.
Secondly for many family is also an issue.
However I was 100 miles away from my brother in law’s house in LA.
So what the hell.
Accordingly the driveway with an electric hookup is a far cry from the dry lake bed at Joshua Tree…
Or Joshua Tree National Park.
Another key point is the fact that we nomads have judgements about life “back in the world”.
Although the longer I do this the less judgmental I become.
After all some people prefer a house and a car…
and some people prefer the road.
All in all it has been great to see my nieces and watch TV on a big screen.
By all means the group effort Thanksgiving Dinner was also a hit.
In addition I must say having electricity 24/7 is pure luxury.
To begin with when I hit the road I did not realize the lessons I would learn in the next four years.
But sometimes I think we judge too harshly when it comes to life ‘back in the world’.
While this may be true I certainly am not about to go back to my old life.
Up against one or the other I would choose the road for sure.
For example I don’t think too much about the day of the week.
And am therefore free to spend as much time as I want in a place like Joshua Tree National Park …
To enumerate this is the gift we nomads give ourselves when we take the plunge.
As a result as I begin the fifth year of this adventure I have learned to appreciate my friends and family ‘back in the world’.
While that may be true I also don’t lean as much on friends and family across the country to stay in their driveways.
After all they aren’t running campgrounds,
However when I do it is a great glimpse at another life.
MoochDocking-Thanksgiving-LA-Bob Davis Podcast 1151 is a free wheeling podcast about the differences between nomad life and so called ‘normal’ life.
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Joshua Tree National Park is certainly one of the best National Parks in the US. Some rate it the best. I am live from Joshua Tree in Joshua-Tree-National-Park-Bob Davis Podcast 1150.
Of course it is a far dry from the dry lake bed I’ve been staying at for over a month.
Although the dry lake bed has its charms.
Equally important is the fact that I am growing partial to National Parks.
Of course getting stuck for a month in the Grand Canyon is pretty great. Listen to the Grand Canyon Podcast here.
It’s important to realize the difference between the Bureau Of Land Management ‘camp’ sites…
As well as the National Forests, State Parks and of course the National Parks.
Although you have to pay in a national park…and most forests and of course state parks.
And you have a fourteen day limited stay…
Altogether it’s worth it.
Especially if you take the time to investigate various discount passes you can get.
To be sure free is good.
However balanced against the state of some ‘free’ campgrounds I wonder whether ‘free’ is actually worth it.
Furthermore Joshua Tree National Park has a special vibe.
For one thing two deserts come together in the park.
Therefore one part of a stay in the park might be completely different from another part.
Equally important are the hiking options throughout the park.
Finally I don’t really do travel tips and I talk about this a fair amount in this podcast.
Presently there are plenty of travel tip and advice videos available on YouTube.
But I think the real juice of travel is discovering it on our own.
Now I have certainly gotten myself into more than one mess with this attitude,
On the other hand in the end, it has been worth it.
Grateful for the sponsorship of 36/LYN
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Firstly this is a personal and heartfelt podcast about Values and Principles and It’s All In The Family. Details in Values-Principles-All In The Family-Bob Davis Podcast 1149.
Secondly the idea for this podcast came from a YouTube viewer.
Of course I don’t follow someone else’s principles. I follow my own.
But where do they come from.
So that’s a great idea for a podcast.
Accordingly I delve deeply into my own family for clues.
Therefore this became a rather personal and heartfelt podcast.
Because I went back four generations sharing what I know about my ancestors and what they were like.
That is to say what they might have believed in when it came to principles…
And how they lived their lives.
Because I’m going so far back you might wonder about the source.
With this is mind much of the stories come from my Grandfather.
All in all my mom as well.
Not only these…
But my own memories too.
Above all I think people confuse values with principles.
Of course principles can come from values.
On the other hand I find principles more like hard and fast rules…
And values to be more flexible.
Given these points it’s difficult to see how this nomad could have adapted or adopted the principles of an historical figure.
In spite of the feeling you might get from watching a movie about some figure or character that results in a feeling like you can almost channel the them…
Eventually you’re left with your own history and family story.
Lastly of course these are different for everyone.
Certainly some of us would rather not follow principles of certain family members.
Nevertheless we learn our family’s principles in early childhoods.
Accordingly that makes Values-Principles-All In The Family-Bob Davis Podcast 1149 a very personal and emotional podcast.
In conclusion it’s my hope the listener will follow along as I tell my story.
And accordingly remember your own childhood for ideas that apply.
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Four years on the road full time as a nomad is pretty hard for me to believe. Details in Four-Years-On-The-Road-The-Bob Davis Podcast 1148.
Four Years ago on Halloween I left my emptied duplex in Minnesota for a life on the road.
In nomad and RV parlance it’s called ‘full time’.
I certainly put my time in as a part time nomad from 2015 until 2020.
But full time is something else again.
By all means I am grateful for the support friends, family, listeners and subscribers have given me.
However there won’t be a lot of thank you’s in this podcast because I usually save that for New Year’s Eve.
Additionally this fourth year was a year of change.
In fact I did not know my ideas about nomad life were changing at the same time Nomad Life in general was changing.
For one thing while I love Quartzsite and have enjoyed at least two years there in the winter.
There has been a change in the air and I feel it is time to seek out new adventures.
I’ll explain in Four-Years-On-The-Road-The-Bob Davis Podcast 1148.
Equally important to me is the idea of new adventure.
Now, adventure means different things to different people.
Instead of climbing mountains and jumping out of airplanes just the idea of movement and seeing new places is adventure for me.
For example following my departure from Quartzsite this fall I am now in Joshua Tree.
Although by the time you read this I might be somewhere else in the Southwest.
All in all one of the great things about these Halloween Anniversary podcasts is a chance to do a little travelogue.
First thing to remember about nomad life is we’re on a different timeline.
Given that we travel around a lot sometimes it’s hard to remember where we were and when we were in one place or another.
After all life is about the experience. Not always the dates and times.
As a result I often have to go back and consult the list at The Bob Davis Podcasts to see where I was and when I was! You can do the same thing by clicking here.
Henceforth we begin the fifth year.
At this point it’s all about figuring out just want I want from this experience.
One thing’s for sure.
I don’t think I could ever go back to the old life.
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