Friday, February 27, 2009
Vacation From Being Homeless...
Key West...taking a break from the grueling life on the road. Vacationing with Laura, Ryan, Maggie and Jason!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
So, you've purchased a Car Top Carrier on craigslist!
So, you’ve purchased a car top carrier (CTC) on craigslist! Congratulations, now let’s get started!
1) It will come with a lock already in place but you won’t have the correct key to open it. That’s fine, it opens on 2 other sides. Just make sure you have 2 people present at all times to open it.
2) Attempt to place the CTC on your car roof. It will not fit on the car rack attached to your roof, no problem – you only have 2 days before you go, so you will have to make it work. Have a person climb onto the roof and put all of their body weight on the CTC forcing it between the sides of the rack.
3) Step 2 will have caused the bottom half of the CTC to be disproportionately smaller than the top. You won’t think this is a problem until you are traveling on the expressway and can see all of you belongings peeking out the side.
4) At that time, pull over and secure ANOTHER lock and an old lanyard to each latch. (From now on, you will have to allow 30 minutes each time you need to open the CTC.)
5) Now you have the CTC the way you feel it should be secure. (you will know it is wrong if the carrier bounces up and down on your car once you hit 75 miles per hour)
6) If it is wrong do not panic
7) Pull over and tighten the straps (this will not do anything)
8) Start to panic a little bit
9) Observe the cars that are passing you as you travel 25 miles per hour, out of fear, in the right hand lane.
10) Once you have located a car with the same CTC as you have, follow them.
11) Observe how they have managed to do a better job of securing theirs than you have. This will be tricky. Feel free to follow as close as necessary in order to get a good look. Observation of all sides will be required. Important note: it is essential that you NEVER make eye contact with the driver of the other car (especially if there are children in the back seat).
12) If need be, feel free to follow that car till they reach their next rest stop. At that rest stop ask them how their CTC is so secure. (You will probably need to explain that this is the reason that you have been following them for the last 75 miles.)
13) Adjust to match theirs exactly.
14) As an additional precaution, purchase three ratchet straps and/or rope and run it over the CTC and through the back doors. (Don’t worry if you are unfamiliar with fastening a ratchet. When its sink or swim, you’ll figure it out.) Please see diagram A below.
1) It will come with a lock already in place but you won’t have the correct key to open it. That’s fine, it opens on 2 other sides. Just make sure you have 2 people present at all times to open it.
2) Attempt to place the CTC on your car roof. It will not fit on the car rack attached to your roof, no problem – you only have 2 days before you go, so you will have to make it work. Have a person climb onto the roof and put all of their body weight on the CTC forcing it between the sides of the rack.
3) Step 2 will have caused the bottom half of the CTC to be disproportionately smaller than the top. You won’t think this is a problem until you are traveling on the expressway and can see all of you belongings peeking out the side.
4) At that time, pull over and secure ANOTHER lock and an old lanyard to each latch. (From now on, you will have to allow 30 minutes each time you need to open the CTC.)
5) Now you have the CTC the way you feel it should be secure. (you will know it is wrong if the carrier bounces up and down on your car once you hit 75 miles per hour)
6) If it is wrong do not panic
7) Pull over and tighten the straps (this will not do anything)
8) Start to panic a little bit
9) Observe the cars that are passing you as you travel 25 miles per hour, out of fear, in the right hand lane.
10) Once you have located a car with the same CTC as you have, follow them.
11) Observe how they have managed to do a better job of securing theirs than you have. This will be tricky. Feel free to follow as close as necessary in order to get a good look. Observation of all sides will be required. Important note: it is essential that you NEVER make eye contact with the driver of the other car (especially if there are children in the back seat).
12) If need be, feel free to follow that car till they reach their next rest stop. At that rest stop ask them how their CTC is so secure. (You will probably need to explain that this is the reason that you have been following them for the last 75 miles.)
13) Adjust to match theirs exactly.
14) As an additional precaution, purchase three ratchet straps and/or rope and run it over the CTC and through the back doors. (Don’t worry if you are unfamiliar with fastening a ratchet. When its sink or swim, you’ll figure it out.) Please see diagram A below.
DIAGRAM A:
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Things We've Learned in the Past 5 Days
No one EVER has need for a cartop carrier. If you have so much stuff that you think you need one – get rid of that stuff
Just because 4 other people ran out of gas yesterday, doesn’t make it ok for you to.
When driving between El Paso and San Antonio on I-10 – fill your tank as soon as you see a working gas station – turns out most gas stations along that route don’t actually carry gas.
When waiting for a tow truck to bring you gas, and they tell you that it will be 45 minutes, do not wait to relieve yourself 30 minutes into it. They may be a little early.
Texans use dogs to sniff for drugs and immigrants, Californians check your fruit.
Just because 4 other people ran out of gas yesterday, doesn’t make it ok for you to.
When driving between El Paso and San Antonio on I-10 – fill your tank as soon as you see a working gas station – turns out most gas stations along that route don’t actually carry gas.
When waiting for a tow truck to bring you gas, and they tell you that it will be 45 minutes, do not wait to relieve yourself 30 minutes into it. They may be a little early.
Texans use dogs to sniff for drugs and immigrants, Californians check your fruit.
Grossest Public Bathroom: the restaurant at the Quality Inn, El Paso, TX
Our favorite businesses we’ve seen in Austin:
Homeslice Pizza, Hey Cupcake! (a cupcake trailer), Caffeine Dealer
Before you travel in Texas, make certain you have an Obama bumper sticker and one that reads, “Choice on Earth.” Also, if you have a cardboard sign leftover from a carnival party you threw that reads, “Enjoy Your Journey,” make sure you display it in the window. You will have become accidental hippies.
Homeslice Pizza, Hey Cupcake! (a cupcake trailer), Caffeine Dealer
Before you travel in Texas, make certain you have an Obama bumper sticker and one that reads, “Choice on Earth.” Also, if you have a cardboard sign leftover from a carnival party you threw that reads, “Enjoy Your Journey,” make sure you display it in the window. You will have become accidental hippies.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Things We've Learned in the Past 24 Hours
If you’ve never been able to leave on time – don’t think you magically will change that when it’s REALLY important.
Don’t assume that if some gives you a padlock and a key that they go together – you should test it first.
Steve Coulter is always right.
If every instinct is telling you not to go tonight, you shouldn’t go.
If you are homeless and someone offers for you to stay in their condo until the 14th, don’t leave on the 10th. You are homeless.
DO’S & DON’TS OF BUYING A CAR TOP CARRIER ON CRAIGSLIST:
Don’t
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