Planning a trans-continental move. Who's on my path??

[cfc1016]

Doing DMV hullabaloo tomorrow, to sort out registration of the subaru. Car is being gifted from the shared ownership of 6 will beneficiaries, with title being transferred from decedent party, and title being transferred from one state to another. This is not exactly the kind of stuff that is clearly explained on the DMV website. Should be a fun ordeal. I’ll count myself lucky if I’m able to accomplish a title transfer tomorrow, let alone registering the car into my name. 

Hopefully next week I’ll be able to do a mock run of my packing. Gonna be quite the undertaking to fit my entire life into a stationwagon, and still have room for me, the dog, and a hitchhiker (i always pick up hitchhikers whenever i have room in the car). 

Wish me luck...

[ayepatz]

3 hours ago, cfc1016 said:

Doing DMV hullabaloo tomorrow, to sort out registration of the subaru. Car is being gifted from the shared ownership of 6 will beneficiaries, with title being transferred from decedent party, and title being transferred from one state to another. This is not exactly the kind of stuff that is clearly explained on the DMV website. Should be a fun ordeal. I’ll count myself lucky if I’m able to accomplish a title transfer tomorrow, let alone registering the car into my name. 

Hopefully next week I’ll be able to do a mock run of my packing. Gonna be quite the undertaking to fit my entire life into a stationwagon, and still have room for me, the dog, and a hitchhiker (i always pick up hitchhikers whenever i have room in the car). 

Wish me luck...

You always need less than you think mate.

I’m on the road 9 or 10 months out of every year, and I live out of a single large-ish suitcase.

I might not be the most sartorially elegant man on the face of the planet, but I do alright.

As long as you have your cigars covered, you’ll be golden.

Happy trails!

[cfc1016]

58 minutes ago, ayepatz said:

You always need less than you think mate.

I’m on the road 9 or 10 months out of every year, and I live out of a single large-ish suitcase.

I might not be the most sartorially elegant man on the face of the planet, but I do alright.

As long as you have your cigars covered, you’ll be golden.

Happy trails!

Oh I'm well aware. I used to live out of a 30 litre backpack, lol. The only fudge with this equation is that I'm going specifically to ALASKA. Certain things are not as easily available there as in the lower 48. My king size memory foam ikea mattress, for one, will not be replaceable when I get there. I have back issues, and it's the first mattress since my injury that keeps me from waking up in misery. It'll be rolled up and strapped to the roof, along with my kayaks. Aside from that, the major things that will take up space in the cabin are my tools, hunting/camping equipment (all of what I'm keeping is high value, very useful stuff for life/leisure up there, and very expensive to replace.

Tools; clothes; camping/hunting equipment; clothes; bedding; a few pieces of artwork that I'm not willing to part with - those are the major space takers. I'll make it work, and likely have enough room to shuffle a couple things around so I have space to lay out a sleeping pad in the back for a nights sleep at a rest stop.

[ayepatz]

8 minutes ago, cfc1016 said:

Oh I'm well aware. I used to live out of a 30 litre backpack, lol. The only fudge with this equation is that I'm going specifically to ALASKA. Certain things are not as easily available there as in the lower 48. My king size memory foam ikea mattress, for one, will not be replaceable when I get there. I have back issues, and it's the first mattress since my injury that keeps me from waking up in misery. It'll be rolled up and strapped to the roof, along with my kayaks. Aside from that, the major things that will take up space in the cabin are my tools, hunting/camping equipment (all of what I'm keeping is high value, very useful stuff for life/leisure up there, and very expensive to replace.

Tools; clothes; camping/hunting equipment; clothes; bedding; a few pieces of artwork that I'm not willing to part with - those are the major space takers. I'll make it work, and likely have enough room to shuffle a couple things around so I have space to lay out a sleeping pad in the back for a nights sleep at a rest stop.

? And don’t forget to take your own body weight in mosquito repellent. ?

[cfc1016]

3 hours ago, ayepatz said:

? And don’t forget to take your own body weight in mosquito repellent. ?

HA! I actually considered responding to the mosquitos thread but decided against it. 

I’ve employed a tactic that works quite well for me. I learned from some Colombians that an extremely similar tactic is employed by the river natives there. It’s a bit unorthodox, but it’s worked for me. 

I’ve spent more than my fair share of time in mosquito country (alaska, minnesota, dc, florida) and they no longer bother me. 

You might say the mosquitoes and I have an understanding now. 

[cfc1016]

Woop woop! Titling/registration of the subaru went unfathomably more smothly than expected. Time to start selling, donating, giving, and throwing stuff away...

[cfc1016]

Big day tomorrow! I’m meeting with prospective buyers for both my car and my reef tank. 

These are the 2 biggest items I’ve been dreading selling. The thought of hassling/haggling with people for a month just so i can take many thousands of dollars worth of loss on these two items... has not been an exciting prospect. 

I publicly listed both for sale a few days ago. If I can get both smoothly sold tomorrow, I will be a very happy camper. The rest, as they say, is small stuff. 

Subaru will be paid off and a few $thousand will be contributed to the nestegg for the move. 

Wish me luck!

[Bagman]

Have to ask.  Why would anyone on earth want to move to Alaska?  Endless dark winter, freezing cold miserable 9 months of the year.  Crazy expensive. Former senator thought the internet was a series of tubes that "get backed up".  You can't smoke cigars 9 months of the year.

Glad you are happy, just curious.

[cfc1016]

16 minutes ago, Monterey said:

Have to ask.  Why would anyone on earth want to move to Alaska?  Endless dark winter, freezing cold miserable 9 months of the year.  Crazy expensive. Former senator thought the internet was a series of tubes that "get backed up".  You can't smoke cigars 9 months of the year.

Glad you are happy, just curious.

You just keep yourself busy in winter and use 10,000K light bulbs. 

It’s really not as cold as you might think - not in Anchorage anyway. Thanks, climate change. 

You get up to 23.9 hours of sun at the peak of summer. Everything’s a trade off. 

It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise. You couldn’t ask for better hiking, boating, hunting and fishing. 

In anchorage, you get all the trappings of a normal city (which it very much is) yet you can drive 20 minutes and be on top of a mountain, able to see the curviture of the earth on the horizon. 

It’s just plain beautiful. 

[Bagman]

23 hours of sunlight in the summer and 1 in the winter is not a tradeoff.  Both scenarios are horrible!

The high stays below freezing for 5 straight months.  As far as outdoorsman, Bend Oregon offers all of what you describe but with the weather to actually go out and enjoy it!  Ditto for city/non city life.

Glad you are happy and it was not my intention to give you a hard time.  You just have to wonder about a state that produced Ted Stevens and Sarah Palin

Good luck and be safe brother.

[cfc1016]

2 hours ago, Monterey said:

23 hours of sunlight in the summer and 1 in the winter is not a tradeoff.  Both scenarios are horrible!

I’d have to disagree. The summer sun was awesome when I went to visit. I started a 9 mile hike at 9pm. It never got dark. It’s pretty awesome to have the ability to enjoy the outdoors in perfect daylight... at all hours. 

You should go visit! See it for yourself. ?

[SCgarman]

3 hours ago, cfc1016 said:

You just keep yourself busy in winter and use 10,000K light bulbs. 

It’s really not as cold as you might think - not in Anchorage anyway. Thanks, climate change. 

You get up to 23.9 hours of sun at the peak of summer. Everything’s a trade off. 

It’s an outdoorsman’s paradise. You couldn’t ask for better hiking, boating, hunting and fishing. 

In anchorage, you get all the trappings of a normal city (which it very much is) yet you can drive 20 minutes and be on top of a mountain, able to see the curviture of the earth on the horizon. 

It’s just plain beautiful. 

If you happen to be a single man, Alaska is horrible for the dating scene. I read somewhere men outnumber women 10:1 or some similar horrible ratio! Now if you aren't interested in a female companion, Alaska is perfect. 

[cfc1016]

11 hours ago, NYgarman said:

If you happen to be a single man, Alaska is horrible for the dating scene. I read somewhere men outnumber women 10:1 or some similar horrible ratio! Now if you aren't interested in a female companion, Alaska is perfect. 

Sheesh. When i went to anchorage there were smokin hot babes with awesome personalities as far as the eye could see. I’m sure that’s different once you get out into the bush, but anchorage seemed like a very dating-friendly place

15 minutes ago, Weaponiz'd1 said:

Colin, see if you can swing a visit through Warren Texas on your way

Would love to, but I’ll be on the high route (90/93). I cannot fathom the degree of my misery would I travel the 10 in august...

[topdiesel]

Alaska is awesome.  I spent 1.5 years exploring and living all over the state.  I prefer southeast Alaska, but Alaska in its entirety is an amazing place. It is true that men seriously outnumber the women.  The locals said "you don't lose your girlfriend, you lose your turn".  A lot of breaking up for someone better, then back to you when you are better again.  If you are the fresh meat up there, you should do fine with the ladies. 

It is a little strange coming out of a concert or bar at 2am to bright sunlight.  If you stay for the winter the cold dark sucks, but the northern lights make up for it.  If you spend the entire winter in anchorage or fairbanks I think you will change your mind about how cold it gets, especially on the windy days.  Have a great adventure.

[cfc1016]

Just got the jetta sold for an acceptable price, to the first buyer I showed it to, ~48 hours after posting it for sale. I’m officially in the subaru now. 

I think Chille likes his new car. It’s got a bigger back seat than the jetta ?

Now I’m sneaking in an OR 2011 RG perlas to celebrate, before my next appointment today to show the fishtank. 

I just might get the 2 biggest hurdles crossed in one weekend. ?

[PrairieSmoke]

We have friends in anchorage and they regularly comment on how much colder our winters are in MN. The ocean moderates the temperature more than you think along the water. We don’t have the sunlight issue though.

[cfc1016]

2 hours ago, PrairieSmoke said:

We have friends in anchorage and they regularly comment on how much colder our winters are in MN. The ocean moderates the temperature more than you think along the water. We don’t have the sunlight issue though.

I wasn’t speaking euphemistically about climate change. They’ve had to truck in snow for the start of the Iditarod for the past couple years. Things are changing. Glaciers are melting. I’m gonna see em while I can...

yeah dude MN winters are no joke. Atleast in Alaska you have mountains and the aurora. Also I’m really *hoping* for lots of snow. Hard to XC ski without it...

[cfc1016]

Well... selling a fishtank is officially innumerably harder than selling a car. I've been stood up and low-balled by every single potential buyer, suffering countless opportunity cost (missed work) from the time I've wasted on them. Sold some coral and rock tonight. Put up an ad on my local aquarists club to try and get the rest of the rock sold, open house style, on saturday, and have a few friends lined up to come buy the rest of the corals. Wish me luck. The goal is to get everything out of the tank on saturday so it can be drained. Last major hurdle in the process of minimizing my belongings.

Have decided to get a trailer hitch and rent a uhaul trailer for the rest of the stuff I do plan to keep. I'll be sleeping in the car some nights, and it would really nice to have an open back to stretch out with the dog and be comfy, rather than just crashing in the driver seat.

Progress is being made...

Definitely looking forward to a big blowout 'last herf before the border' celebration with @awkwardPause when I make it to seattle. We'll be closing the boxpass with a bang, and smoking some fantastic cigars. 03 des dieuxs, 01 psd3s, 09 lusis, 08 898s, 83 especiale no 1s. It's gonna be a bash.

[cfc1016]

On 6/25/2018 at 1:47 AM, crking3 said:

Wait so I just caught up....how many cigars are you traveling with ??? How are you going to really manage that with the border issue ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'll have a few hundred cigars in tow until I get to seattle. Can't cross through canada with more than 50 cigars without being outrageously taxed (~300% of total assessed value, so I would be taxed $300 for a $100 box of cigars...). I will take a large traveldor-worth of cigars across canada with me (about 20 or so) and mail the rest ahead to myself in alaska, from seattle.

update: holding an open house today to get the fish tank broken down. People in this (reefkeeping) hobby disgust me. They have been such an utter pain in the ass about this. Everyone wants special treatment, or to stand you up (causing you to miss work), or to rake you over the coals. I despise these people.

My car sold in 48 hours with virtually no hassle. This has taken weeks and has been nothing BUT hassle. All for less than 1/3 of the money that the car brought me. Such a pain.

Once this is over, atleast I will have the biggest hurdle over and done. After this it's all small stuff. Just packing, throwing stuff away, giving stuff away, and enjoying my last few weeks on this side of the mississippi.

[Bagman]

After you move there please send us a 1 year update.  I can't figure out why anyone would want to move to that place!  Prove me wrong  

[cfc1016]

5 minutes ago, Monterey said:

After you move there please send us a 1 year update.  I can't figure out why anyone would want to move to that place!  Prove me wrong  

Deal!

ps i got the tank sold today. Gonna celebrate tonight with something special...

[cfc1016]

Successfully and amicably quit my [primary] job today. Feels so good. I’m gonna have to smoke something really good tonight...

[Bagman]

Smoke up now, your smoking days are about to come to an abrupt end!

[cfc1016]

BOOMSHAKALAKA!!! My tow hitch came in today. This thing’s a beast. Doing the install tomorrow. Lookin forward to towing!

[cfc1016]

I’ve been BUSY the past couple days. Drove ~200 miles. Bought a trailer. Powerwashed the exterior. Buff cleaned the exterior. Cleaned/vacuumed the interior. Primed the interior. Partially through with painting the interior. Paint/rustproofed the frame and fenders. Ordered new wheels and tires. Ordered new sealant for roof seams. Ordered spare tire mount. Wired my car’s trailer lights harness. Wiring the trailer’s lighting harness. Removed and replaced stripped lug studs/nuts on one wheel. 

 

Still have to finish painting. Seal roof seams. Caulk interior seams. Install new wheels/tires. Install spare tire mount. Get new title/registration (and maybe inspection?). 

 

Few days’ work, but this baby will be totally ready for the 6,000 mile journey and keep my belongings clean and dry over the winter. 

 

I think I might do a fun project with it next spring. Convert it into a no-frills camper. Install fan-vented roof vent. Install large window and 2 way (inside and out) door handle on the rear door. Install a modular storage/bench/shelf/bed structure on the interior. Wire it for 110volt power. Install a few LED interior lights. Make it into a mini cigar lounge that will double as a no frills-rv (no running water or kitchen accoutrements. 

 

Can’t you see a couple homies smokin cheap partagas’ in that baby? ?

 

@luv2fly this is the big photo-dump i was promising lol