Texas-Grit-Road-Trip-Bob Davis Podcast 1166

Texas Grit Road Trip

Firstly, I’ve always wanted to take the Texas Grit Road Trip. A more than thousand mile romp through Texas from the Gulf to the West Texas Oil Fields. It’s all in Texas-Grit-Road-Trip-Bob Davis Podcast 1166.

New Rig

Secondly I’ve got a great new rig that needs a shakedown cruise.

Tennessee

Weirdly enough the Texas Grit Road Trip starts as a matter of fact our trip starts in Tennessee, of all places.

Natchez Trace Trail

That is to say I got a great suggestion from a friend to hit the Natchez Trail.

Analogous to great scenic routes like Skyline Drive along the Blue Ridge the Natchez Trace trail runs from Tennessee all the way to Natchez, Mississippi.

Louisiana and The Gulf Coast

Henceforth I headed into Louisiana and then on down to Corpus Christie Texas. And now we’re getting into the core of the Texas-Grit-Road-Trip-Bob Davis Podcast 1166

Beach Camping

Accordingly this podcast highlights some of the beach camping options as well as a few truck stops along the way.

Texas-Mexico Border

Thereafter all along the Texas-Mexico Border on up to Del Rio.

Pecos

Afterward to the best part of the trip, the road North to Pecos, Texas.

Oil Fields and West Texas

And out to the oil fields in West Texas.

Guadalupe Mountains

Finally following the route through the Guadalupe Mountains back down to the border across New Mexico to Arizona.

Lots To Talk About

Above all there’s a lot to this podcast.

Traffic

To emphasize the working nature of this part of the United States the traffic out in the oil fields is as intense as any major city.

Heavy Trucks and Heavy Work

Notwithstanding the fact that all the vehicles were heavy trucks carrying all kinds of cargo to and from the fields.

At length the so called ‘man-camps’, truck stops and pull off points with everyone seeming to be on a mission.

Covering Ground

Certainly it’s true I love to cover ground in my travels.

Seeing and Learning

Most importantly it’s a chance to see people doing what they do.

Work Work Work

And this part of the world seems to be focused on work.

History

In light of the nature of the places I got to see there’s also a ton of history here.

Texas Weather

At the present time you might see a place like Sanderson, Texas that looks a little worn down…

But not know that a tornado a few years ago nearly destroyed the place.

Harsh Conditions

But stories like that are common in a part of the world where harsh conditions prevail.

All things considered these places live up to the reputation.

True Grit

That is to say this part of the country was forged by true grit.

Finally I use the term ‘Grit’ in as positive a manner as I can express.

All things considered Texas itself has never been an ‘easy’ place to live.

It’s Not Big City Life

On the whole these days life in the big cities can be pretty cushy.

Ranching Farming Oil and Small Towns

In truth though, whether it’s ranching, farming or oil West Texas is a place that values and embodies hard work.

Texas-Grit-Road-Trip-Bob Davis Podcast 1166

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New-Rig-Roadtrip-Ready-Bob Davis Podcast 1165

New Rig RoadTrip Ready

New Rig Roadtrip Ready. Firstly, got a new rig and a big announcement for long time listeners and subscribers to The Bob Davis Podcasts.

Difficulties

Secondly getting these two things done this summer proved to be difficult. One of the reasons there hasn’t been a new podcast in awhile.

Roadblocks

In other words sometimes it felt like there were roadblocks at every corner.

Tough Times Require Determination

When things get tough it’s important to realize it’s one step after another.

Follow Through

By all means follow through became the order of the day.

School Bus Anyone?

To begin with I wanted a School Bus.

However searching for a ‘Skoolie’ proved to be disappointing to the point of becoming depressing.

Asking For Help

At length I decided I needed help.

Enter my old friend Ed Johnson. Afterward things got easier and more fun.

In reality Ed couldn’t understand why I wanted a school bus.

Fire Rescue

In the long run I ended up with a decommissioned Fire Rescue truck.

Best Thing

All in all this turned out to be the best thing that could have happened.

Winter Is Coming

Because my deadline for leaving Wisconsin around Labor Day…

Even More Determination To Get Ready

And due to the fact we took possession of the truck on Labor Day…

Lots Of Work

In reality I had a lot of work to do in the next few weeks to get the new rig road trip ready.

Details in New-Rig-Roadtrip-Ready-Bob Davis Podcast 1165

CDL Required

With this in mind when we bought the new rig we didn’t realize the weight and air brakes required a CDL to drive it.

So I had to go get a CDL.

Solar, Heat and Living Space

In addition there was the issue of Solar Power, creating a living space in a different space, and getting heat in there.

Fall

As a result as fall drew its veil over the fields and lake I went to work.

Before The First Snows

At the end of the day I managed to get out of dodge just before the first snows in early November.

Manifesting

As I have noted I learned a lot about manifesting what one might want.

Better Than I Could Have Imagined

On the whole I was surprised at how what I wanted and what I ended up with turned out to be better than I could have imagined.

Thanks

Finally there’s a lot of people to thank…

New Story

All of the sudden I have a new story to tell.

In time I’ll also share how doing a bunch of stuff I didn’t think I could gave me a new confidence.

Back On The Road

In conclusion I am already back out on the road in the new Unit 11.

YouTube

Join me on the podcasts here as well as on my YouTube channel to see the new rig.

Now that all of this is out of the way I can announce the creation of a non profit.

Details in the podcast and video.

New-Rig-Roadtrip-Ready-Bob Davis Podcast 1165

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Monsoon-Musings-Bob Davis Podcast 1066

Monsoon Musings

Late summer means the Monsoon season out west and that means it’s time for some Monsoon Musings. In my case that means midnight between downpours. Up in the mountains in Monsoon-Musings-Bob Davis Podcast 1066.

Monsoons Are Not Created Equal

Firstly every year out here is different when it comes to the Monsoon.

Bad Monsoon

Secondly this is a bad Monsoon.

Above all it seems like every afternoon the thunderheads come up and the downpours start.

Spectacular Storms

Certainly the storms are more spectacular in the deserts down toward Phoenix.

Utah Monsoon

However I am in Utah.

And Utah has its share of summer storms.

Flooding

For example it doesn’t take much rain to produce flooding and a lot of mud.

Campsite Flooded

In fact my campsite was flooded when I recorded Monsoon-Musings-Bob Davis Podcast 1066.

Stay On The Black Top

On the other hand that is why nomads avoid sandy and dirt roads this time of year and park on the black top.

Reflections

But it’s a great time for reflections.

Musings

Monsoon Musings.

In the same vein I have been up in Salt Lake for a lot longer than I would have liked.

Consequently I have a few stories from my truck stop and Walmart parking lot stays.

In addition I had a chance to scout the whole area for great campgrounds.

Bryce Canyon

Finally I headed up to the Bryce Canyon area and camping at King’s Creek in the Dixie National Forest.

[Editor’s Note: Of course I called it King’s Crossing in the podcast!)

Dixie National Forest

To clarify this campground is about nine thousand feet up. When it rains there it’s cold.

Fog!

And foggy.

Red Rock Road

Therefore I was happy to get back down to the desert near Red Rock.

Two Takeaways

To clarify there’s two takeaways from this podcast.

Desperation In The Truck Stops and Parking Lots

Firstly I don’t think I have seen this many homeless and desperate people in the truck stops and parking lots in my travels.

And Utah has services and plenty of room for broken down car dwellers.

Nomads Have A Dream

Secondly it’s been my experience that nomads have a dream.

That is to say many nomads dream of a piece of land somewhere in the mountains.

Or beaches.

Forests too.

In short we talk a lot about what one would need for the perfect off grid ‘cabin in the woods’.

My Heart Is On The Road

But on the other hand my heart is not in those discussions although I don’t mind having them over a fireside steak and a piping hot cup of coffee.

My Cabin In The Woods

In conclusion Mobile Podcast Command is my cabin in the woods, mountain or beach.

Gratitude

And I am very grateful to stay on the move.

Sponsored by the Independently Owned And Operated Refueling Station in South Minneapolis 36/Lyn

Monsoon-Musings-Bob Davis Podcast 1066

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