Change #53

[Ed Hurst]

People who don't know me think I'm flighty. The way I look at it, God keeps me on my toes with changes in the mission. Surprises are good for my soul. From the outside, it might look like He's jerking me around, if indeed I'm hearing from God at all. For me, it's a matter of having a broader vision of how God does things. The way I see it, if something with someone somewhere else doesn't quite work out, He calls me for backup. I'm always on standby for Him. I have quite honestly prayed that God would make me so reliable to Him that He could use me that way.

Anyway, I have another crazy idea. Things have changed a lot in the past calendar year, and my hobbies must shift to match the needs of the Lord's glory. What was possible and likely back in January ain't happening now. I'm not going to do any bikepacking across the country any time soon. However, that 11 mile hike I took a couple of weeks ago showed me that my hiking days are not over yet; I just need to wear my compression knee braces. And I'm still convinced that my camping gear is not going to rot in the closet.

I'm praying I can get a usable motor vehicle that will allow me to schlep that bicycle out to places that feature good cycling routes. And where they don't exist (some of our parks are actually off-limits to bicycles), maybe I can hike instead. But I want to get to places all over the state, so camping is still in order. And I'll drag that new tablet out there and do some communicating with all you folks in the meantime.

So I'm praying for something small and cheap to operate. Granted, I'll take what I can get, but I currently feel the ideal is a small-ish car or pickup. Yes, I want to avoid sounding too extravagant here, but I have this burning desire to visit natural sites because I believe the Spirit is promising to show me things that require I get out alone and in a quiet place for more than a few minutes at a time. The wilderness is calling my name.

[jaybreak]

Would this be called "drivepacking?" If not, it should be.

Praying for this pivot, regardless.

If it helps at all, I've been using this for a long time now:
https://www.amazon.com/Allen-Sports-Delu...B000ELUXFC

It works well with our sedan, but it obviously not compatible with a compact/hatchback. Used it on a few long roadtrips with no issues.

[Ed Hurst]

I have something from the same company, just a little different design. It has fit nicely on three different vehicle and four different bikes so far.

I confess that, if this idea works out at all, I would eventually like to have an RV of some sort. This isn't just a hobby, but I believe it would turn into a ministry opportunity out there.

[jaybreak]

RVs are nice. My grandmother had one as far back as I can remember. As I recall very murkily, they were big in the early eighties, possibly before, but that could just be my perception.

[Ed Hurst]

Several writers have offered a history of the RV industry. At one time, it was "the bigger, the better." You can still get homes built on massive bus frames, but the new "tiny home" movement has spawned a who series of businesses building compact versions of everything that goes into an RV. There are an endless stream of videos on YouTube about all the different ways you can lay out a complete residence in vans and bus conversions of various sizes. One of my favorites is "Foresty Forest".

I'm not interested in building my own setup. I'm trusting the Lord to provide something in the mid-range, but I'd be quite comfortable sleeping in a pickup with a camper shell. After my time in a military specialty that spent at least half our time out in the field, I can relax and enjoy the outdoors in almost any conditions.