Vladimir

It isn't a Wild and Scenic River. It doesn't have any legal protections from dam building. I do have a background in Wild and Scenic Rivers. Even wrote a management plan years ago for a Wild and Scenic River in Idaho. I always viewed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act as basically worthless, EXCEPT the Act does protect the free flowing characteristics of the river and therefore banning dams. There are also water quality standards that do help protect the water quality. Full disclosure, not a fan of dams. But I do benefit from the damning of the Columbia River system in Washington state. I did search the management of the Consumnes River system. Pretty interesting, with lots of agencies involved. Lots of reasons to protect one of the last free flowing rivers in the Central Valley. Yes, rivers and natural landscapes are wild, and nature is not Bambi. But there is real value in wild places, particularly in California which has a horrible environmental record. But to me what this flood shows is that the "preserve" area needs to be expanded. Let the Consumnes River system run wild, by purchasing the entire flood plain. That would be cheaper and the right ecological thing to do I would like to see a RV campground, so I can camp within the preserve on my trip south and explore it on a more normal year. At some point, we are responsible for the a land ethic that protects both humans and natural landscapes. Here is a good book to read. Yeah, I know it was written by a forester prior to 1950. But it provides perspective on the land and our relationship to it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sand_County_Almanac

Been watching the weather. The storms are alternating between hitting the Pacific Northwest and California. I am trying to time it so the storms flip and I get decent towing weather. For those wondering how bad it can get this is some sobering reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Flood_of_1862 Oh, and it did follow a couple of years of real severe drought in Calfornia.

Heading southbound on I-5 from Wenatchee to Bakersfield and beyond. But right now, given the weather conditions I am curious about the weather and travel situation in California along I-5. Right now, the plan is to leave Sunday and hopefully the weather improves in California as it gets worse in Washington. My "normal" travel is stay a couple of nights in Eugene, at Armitage County Park, to dewinterize and visit friends. Then a "long" day down to Black Butte Lake just west of Orland, CA. The backup option is the Forest Service campground on the Sacramento River in downtown Red Bluff. Last day is a long trip down to Orange Grove RV Park outside of Bakersfield. They suggested reservations due to huge demand this year. Looking at the One-Stop Shop Travel Information Site, there are plenty of highway signs along I-5 suggesting to avoid travel. Looking at the travel camera's it looks to be clear sailing along parts of I-5 and slow travel primarily north of the Bay Area. I see that the California state parks have closed to the public. But wondering about other boondocking sites, for example is Harris Ranch still open for boondocking?? I suspect that I might have to spend a couple of nights boondocking due to slower travel speeds along I-5. Any other suggestions?? I might need a couple of spots along I-5. Anybody in California right now, I would appreciate your observations and advice before I stick the Allman Brothers and Southbound into the CD slot.

When Fiat had the ownership transferred to it from the US government the CEO of FIAT said that the RAM truck division of Chrysler was the ONLY viable part of the company. I have no problem with the rest of your statement. BTW....who in their right mind would buy a FIAT designed truck?? Full disclosure I own a 2010 one-ton FIAT diesel truck.

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/12/an-eagle-cap-camper-snapped-a-ram-3500-dually-in-half-to-the-tune-of-17000/ Vladimir

Remember it is more important to LOOK GOOD than DO GOOD.....oh wait........this is not about California. Remember it is more important to PREDICT the IMPOSSIBLE than to focus on why it won't work. It has only been 65 years, but I KNOW Tinkerbell is for real and she will come back to me.

Well, at least they mailed the RMD to you. Nothing at my end. No communication at all. I ended up taking the RMD from the TSP from my other IRA. TSP is a disaster.

The only way to deal with pack rats is to change the habitat so they move on to greener pastures. At Quartzite, I don't think BLM would approve of habitat modification to eliminate pack rats. At my SKP lot the park maintained the landscaping directly in front of the lot. They had a large prickly pear cactus preferred nesting habitat for pack rats. BUT WAIT there MORE!! Jumping Cholla's are the preferred food for pack rats. The Jumping Cholla's were interwoven with the prickly pear cactus. What more could a pack rat want or need? The Park provided perfect habitat for pack rats. I would literally trap and kill eight pack rats out of the "pack rat condo". Set up a wildlife camera and have ANOTHER pack rat family move into the Condo's within two or three days!!! Finally, the Park decided to do a "urban renewal" project and remove the pack rat condo's. That solved the pack rat problem. Pack rats breed so frequently and raise so many young, that killing them becomes a full-time occupation. The solution is habitat modification or pop the hood to eliminate hiding places. Cats and Jack Russel terriers also help in controlling pack rats. Cats are natural born killers.

False. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOdt4G2uVAQ They like a place to hide. Pop the hood on your truck.

Update six days later. TWO letters from TSP and the Federal government telling me they have changed my contact information. Nothing on my required minimum distribution. NOTHING. I didn't call them to change my contact information, I called them to have them mail me a check. Oh, also in the mail, six days later after I called them was my check from the "other" IRA trustee. I also included the required amount from TSP in that check. Don't know if I will ever see my RMD check from TSP. Yeah, I can call my Congresswoman, but we have used her the past two years to get our income tax refund from the IRS. She does have better things to do than trying to get our money back from the Federal government.

Update 2. Just got my new insurance cards in the mail today. And the insurer in the letter mentioned the No Surprises Act which was passed by Congress in 2020 and went into effect 2022. It all starts to make sense, when you read the following information from the Federal government on the No Surprises Act. I can see why GEHA had a non-prefered provider billing address and a prefered provider billing address for the SAME provider. I suspect that the changes are all due to the No Surprises Act. Just reading the following it seems that the split between prefered provider and non-prefered provider was a significant money source for the insurance companies. The key point is that the facility now has to tell you upfront which service is outside the preferred network. Which is my case, would have caused an uproar on the FRONT end and a loss of business for the clinic. Again, I suspect my claims had nothing to do with the change in my coverage, but the No Surprises Act given its emphasis on non-preferred provider billing probably did. Anyway here is some text from the government on the Act. What are surprise medical bills? Before the No Surprises Act, if you had health insurance and received care from an out-of-network provider or an out-of-network facility, even unknowingly, your health plan may not have covered the entire out-of-network cost. This could have left you with higher costs than if you got care from an in-network provider or facility. In addition to any out-of-network cost sharing you might have owed, the out-of-network provider or facility could bill you for the difference between the billed charge and the amount your health plan paid, unless banned by state law. This is called “balance billing.” An unexpected balance bill from an out-of-network provider is also called a surprise medical bill. People with Medicare and Medicaid already enjoy these protections and are not at risk for surprise billing. What are the new protections if I have health insurance? If you get health coverage through your employer, a Health Insurance Marketplace®,[1] or an individual health insurance plan you purchase directly from an insurance company, these new rules will: Ban surprise bills for most emergency services, even if you get them out-of-network and without approval beforehand (prior authorization). Ban out-of-network cost-sharing (like out-of-network coinsurance or copayments) for most emergency and some non-emergency services. You can’t be charged more than in-network cost-sharing for these services. Ban out-of-network charges and balance bills for certain additional services (like anesthesiology or radiology) furnished by out-of-network providers as part of a patient’s visit to an in-network facility. Require that health care providers and facilities give you an easy-to-understand notice explaining the applicable billing protections, who to contact if you have concerns that a provider or facility has violated the protections, and that patient consent is required to waive billing protections (i.e., you must receive notice of and consent to being balance billed by an out-of-network provider).

The regen cycle is also an issue. I had mine go into derate mode in the middle of somewhere. I suspect EPA has probably killed several people in the backcountry of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming when their vehicles went into derate mode during season ending snowstorm at the end of elk season. Almost a decade ago, it cost 5,000 dollars to replace the system. Fortunately, it was covered under the emission warranty, which has long since expired. A diesel mechanic showed me two bolts in front of the catalytic converter that when loosened will add air and restore the vehicle to full power so you can save your life. You might want to ask a diesel mechanic about that quick fix in case your stuck in the middle of somewhere. Not sure if it is still applicable today. I am not a mechanic. The derating of diesel trucks is one of the dumbest things ever thought up by EPA. I do hope they deal with the regen issue for those of us with older trucks.

Oh, I know what the laws were.....I had a securities license at one time. Nowadays, I have to check to make sure they have not changed. But to have a financial services company (even if it is run by the Federal government) refuse to process a request to redeem funds and even worse a legally required Required Minimum Distribution would get somebody a jail sentence if it was a private securities firm. TSP has low fees, but more importantly it has the G fund. A unique mutual fund open ONLY to members of Congress and Federal employees. The G fund pays long-term interest rates on a daily basis with NO RISK to the underlying bond value. It is a god-send for high net worth individuals. In high inflationary economic environments it is a real good investment. I remember on Bob Brinkers financial show somebody tried to explain to him how the G fund worked and Bob could NOT believe it. When Allan Greenspan was head of the Federal Reserve he kept all his investments in the G fund. He wife had plenty of money to invest in other areas. As Bob Brinker said...."we have the best government money can buy". I just called my other IRA trustee to get the minimum distribution amount from them instead of TSP. At least, that way I can avoid the IRS penalties. They answered the phone quickly with a human being and it took 45 seconds for them to process my Required Minimum Distribution. It took three minutes to set up a money market fund within my IRA account. This is where the TSP money is headed in the near future. Even those great G fund returns are not worth the pain and suffering at this point in my life. They also said they would handle the trustee to trustee transfer of funds from TSP. Yippeee, no more dealing with TSP.

Not a fan of a "self-powered" trailer for towing.....BUT I would buy one for the ability to disconnect and back into a camping spot by myself. Yeah, no FSR radios, no wife or friend on the other end telling me which way to turn the wheel!! Towing? My one-ton diesel does that really well...backing up a big trailer.....no so good.

I am not sure...they promised to send me a email today. No email. How do you withdraw money when the TSP will NOT process your request?? I will start my RMD in Jan for next year!!

New meaning to the phrase I am from the government and here to help.....phone conversation with TSP today. Truly unbelievable. Last November after talking to agent I filled out my RMD form and sent it in return receipt requested. I did get confirmation that they got my form. Having heard nothing from TSP. I called today. Me: Can you tell the status of my RMD request. TSP: Oh, we closed your RMD request. ME: I didn't get a check. TSP: No, we closed your RMD request. We decided not to process it. ME: Why? TSP: The notes don't say why? ME:Why didn't you contact me?? TSP: Why should we contact you? The case is closed. I think this is clearly illegal, but if the government decides it fine does that make it legal??? Would NOT forward my call to the Department that closed my request. They do not talk to the account holders. Meanwhile, I suspect the IRS will NOT be as "understanding".

Here is the update as of December 1st. I paid the $51 with the Clinic, after I told them the Attorney General of the state of Washington was willing to take my case. I would pay the $51, but expected restitution when the case settled. I found the Health Fraud Line for Federal employees to report health care fraud. I called the 800 number and was interviewed by para-legal for about a half hour. She then sent her report to the Inspector Generals office where it was reviewed by a government lawyer. I got a TWO page letter saying go ahead and file the appeal with GEHA and see what they do with it. Then call us again. Right, I really don't care of the $51, but I am looking at somebody committing systematic fraud on the taxpayers and you refuse to even look into the issue further!!! At this point we are looking at mid-August, so I decided to go through the physical routine again. Just got my bill for my physical. The cost to me is ZERO. The address used was that for the hospital which is in network for GEHA, unlike the clinic address which is out of network for GEHA. It does show that the amount billed was $251 for the doctor and the amount allowed was $174. But my responsibility is ZERO. The procedure code is NOT listed a physical, but instead as medical services. THIS Explanation of benefits actually had the explanation codes. They were not clear, but better than nothing. So the story is paused. I got the health benefits that I and the taxpayers pay for myself. Don't know what happened. Don't know who fixed it. But I am still curious are other retired Federal employees still being billed for the physical exams??

I had a collegue that took a job with the Forest Service for the Land between the Lakes area. Not sure if the Forest Service still manages the area, but he got the job to deal with dispersed camping issues. Here is a link on the area: https://www.campendium.com/land-between-the-lakes-national-recreation-area That is all I know of the area....never been there.

If you haven't spent much time out west my recommendation is head west with your current rig. Most of the major attractions are somewhat big rig friendly. After that you can look at buying a new rig. BTW up in Canada loots of folks buy a small fiberglass trailer AND a pop-up truck camper and end up with a two bedroom two bath RV!!! I am looking real hard at getting a basic 4-Wheel pop-up to use as a "office" on my truck camper and use the Casita trailer for living. The National Forests are great lands to explore. But out west there are state Fish and Wildlife areas, state managed lands, COE lands, even county sites that allow boondocking. I love the National Forests for hiking, but much of my time boondocking is spent on state lands simply because that is where the better hunting and fishing is found. Do look at the "flatland" National Forests. Those are big rig friendly.

There are some National Forests that are "better" for boondocking with a large rig. Here is a brief write-up on how to find those National Forests. https://usbackroads.blogspot.com/2010/05/how-to-find-boondock-locations-using.html One issue to be aware of is the height of the 5th wheel. Sometimes, the most difficult problem will not be the road, but the trees with branches that hang below 14 feet. The problem of washboard roads destroying the interior of 5th wheels is significant. I fish a lake every spring and a fly club shows up sometimes with all their trailers and members. The road is county road to the lake. Paved until five miles from the lake and then a good two lane road that has a bad case of washboard. I looked inside the 5th wheels after five miles of gravel road and they were a total mess on the insides. Broken glass lampshades lying on the floor, drawers emptied, the entire interior covered with dust. I don't know if it was just the people driving the 5th wheels had no clue on how slow they had to go on a washboard road to avoid damage to the trailer or that the trailers were never designed for off-pavement travel.

Well, another way to say it....there are few Forest Service or BLM roads that you would want to tow a RV for twenty miles, for months on end for 20 years. It really depends on how much time you want to spend repairing your RV. I do like the comment about driving slow. That might mean 5 mph in many cases. When I had a blog, I did wrote several articles on taking large rigs on Forest Service roads. But the basic are: Step 1. Get a Forest Service map and highlight all the paved roads. Step 2. On the same map highlight all the high standard gravel roads. Step 3. On the same map highlight all the areas you want to camp. And check out the dirt roads leading to the areas. Step 4. Decide if its worth it. If your going to drive a large trailer be sure you know all about inter-visible turnouts. That said there are LOTS of areas on National Forest land that are accessible by large RV's. When the Forest Service had an active timber program, the timber sales payed for the roads and their maintenance with many of the major roads being paved or high standard gravel. Those days are gone. The one panic is finding a turn around stop for a large rig. I remember we were doing a campground inspection one spring and a member of the public walked up to me with a complaint. It seems that we had opened the road. But like most Forest Service roads, that was all the information on the sign. Road closed four miles ahead. He, alone, backed up his trailer for FOUR miles. He was not a happy camper. But it can be done. Myself, I just bought a very small trailer.

It was my choice for a 5th wheel. But I ended up with a used Carriage 30 footer simply because it fitted my truck. That was a good deal as it is a nice trailer. I am not sure that your going to gain much downsizing to a 27 footer. I assume you mean driving Forest Service and BLM roads instead of off-road. Forest Service roads were built and designed for logging trucks. I thought that I could easily tow a 5th wheel on those roads, especially since I worked for the Forest Service for 30 years. You can tow a vehicle, but your 5th wheel is quickly going to come apart, even one as well built as the Arctic Fox. I finally bought a small Casita for running on Forest Service roads and after seven years, just got it back from replacing some the rivets that hold the thing together. I don't think even as well made as the Carriage 5th wheel is that it would have survived the same journeys. I see that your full-timing. Have you thought about a trailer AND a pop-up camper on the truck?? That way you can drop the trailer and use the pop-up camper to go further into the back-country. Years ago I went to a Life on Wheels and met a guy that owned TWO RV's . I thought he was nuts. I now own TWO.

In the past few years we have ended up with a "homeless" problem. People are buying very old RV's and camping on the street. So the city of Wenatchee has set up two "campgrounds" for the RV homeless. I drive past one of them on a regular basis. The RV's are old, but the cars associated with those old RV's are fairly new. Which surprised me, since it means most of those folks are working. I suspect they owned the car before the RV. Wenatchee is a expensive place with the median home price pushing $600,000 and a rental vacancy rate well below 1% and it has been there for decades. The Forest Service has a homeless problem in tourist destination National Forests. That has limited the dispersed camping areas on those National Forests. For Kirk, it is more difficult to find dispersed camping RV's these days. I have two friends that just recently purchased brand new RV's. They are not into RV'ing. Both of them were shocked to discover that there was NOT a way of easily putting water into the water tank!!! The RV's was designed to be parked in a RV campground with a water hookup!! In my travels, lots more "homeless" folks in dispersed areas. Worst yet, lots of folks with mental health issues are moving on to the public lands. Last year, I made a swing through my favorite hunting and fishing areas and was surprised at the numbers of people camping on fishing and hunting areas, that were NOT fishing or hunting. Just looking for a cheap place to stay.

There are bags made that "neutralize" everything and are actually made for disposal in regular garbage. I think I will line the toilet with those and then throw them away. https://www.rei.com/product/823665/reliance-double-doodie-waste-bags-with-bio-gel?CAWELAID=120217890000757498&CAGPSPN=pla&CAAGID=100913262957&CATCI=pla-432048331126&cm_mmc=PLA_Google|21700000001700551_8236650001|92700053582162093|TOF|71700000066692708&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjsjqzouV-wIVWxqtBh068g74EAQYASABEgKHN_D_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds Great idea, thanks. The forecast for next week is 14 degrees. The hunting should be better, but oh that camping will be interesting.

Good point. The tanks are fine, but the pipes are totally exposed!! Forgot about the waste pipes filling up and freezing. That makes the suggestion of pouring a gallon of antifreeze into the black tank and gray tank very important. Guess I will use the generator to run the hair dryer to defrost the pipes!!! Hmm, this got a little more complicated