MOFO 3!
off track, off grid, and off the map.
Our third MOFO is in the books. We've traveled just shy of 15,000 miles in our first three months. You still get the “where’s Waldo” track picture, but rather than detailing the eaches (let's just say we did lots and lots of hiking, some mountain biking, smatterin o’kayak, and a road bike or two) - we’re going to do a quick recap of the tools we’re using to help us keep FO-ing along. This will mostly be tech tools related, but there’s some decidedly low key things in here too. Also, since we’re tech challenged, you don't get links, but really, that's what the googles are for…
Twin Falls in YOHO NP, Canada. Figured MOFO3 needed a YOHO.
The good:
* WEBoost - it’s an antenna amplification system for cell signals. It ain't cheap, but when you're trying to find out what the heck is around the next bend, it can be key. We got the mobile/truck version and just move it back and forth to the YOFOHome as needed. That's the low tech part. The good news: it really works. Some folks buy these for their homes but since Verizon's coverage maps are notional at best, we are very happy with the purchase. And related to that...
* Phones - seriously, does anyone doubt the power of a ‘puter in your pocket? While you may argue that it’s nice to not have signals sometimes - our phones are the brains of the operations and do everything from the obvious such as navigation to scouting cheap campsites, making reservations, checking places and restaurants to visit, getting trail beta, settling fact-based discussions, …. you name it. Not to mention it is our only comms in an emergency.
* Apps we like: "GasBuddy" (but it is not kept up to date out west); some of the National Park Service Apps (the Geyser one is cool), "Outbound" (super cool app that finds trails and activities based on your preferences and your location), "AllTrails" (we keep debating the paid version), "GoodSam" and KOA apps are functional. Dean found a good journaling app called "Day One" that helps us keep track of where we've been and what we've been up to. Might sound crazy but it's easy to lose track of what day it is, so you can imagine our trouble remembering particular hikes...even if we only did them a few days ago!
* Podcasts and Audiobooks ("Audible" app) - pick your topic, download when you have a signal, and take a break from ether “classic rock” or “country” which seem to be the only options in great swathes of the open road.
* publiclands.org - if you camp at all out west, do yourself a favor and check it out. Not sure if they plan to extend east.
* ICE - image composite editor - free “stitcher” program by Microsoft. Let’s you put together multiple pictures into a panoramic image. Think vertical for waterfalls or horizontal for mountain / horizon vistas. Super cool and easy to use. And again, free!
* Solar panels - seriously, how cool is solar tech? We had a couple close calls with running down the YOFOHome batteries while testing out boondocking. Since we've had the panels installed, we've done a lot of 2 and 3-day unconnected camping adventures without issue. Now our only limiter is whether water is available, or how much water we want to drag around. And since one of us sweats like a hungover wildebeest...cutting down on showers isn't a viable solution.
* Water - ok, so it's not like we don't trust the holding tank and assorted garden hose connections around the country, but, uh….we draw the line at drinking it. So we have severa plastic gallon jugs that we refill at grocery stores and use for drinking water. Not going to lie, we occasionally spat over who gets to operate the filling machine. And there is definitely smack talk about who can fill it fullest on first go without overflowing. Like reusable shopping bags - they're easy, cheap (36 cents a gal most places), convenient, and you're not filling up landfills. Separate drinking water also helps with the aforementioned shower water deal.
* "Waze" App for navigation. Oddly well populated with points of interest. And, if you get a bit of a signal, it’ll download your path and store the map graphics a little better than Apple Maps (hello grid pattern) or Google Maps.
* Some airport hotels (Marriott) have a park-n-fly deal. If you stay the night before/after you fly, they only charge about $10/night parking - much better than most airport lots and if you call ahead they sometimes have room for the trailer. Oh, and they'll drop you and pick you up at the airport.
The bad:
* Apple Music. Really any streaming music service would go here. Just not enough reliable signal to really use it. Even with the booster.
* Squarespace - this is an incredibly powerful platform to establish your website. For us, though, it’s been a source of frustration since we don't have either a desktop or a constant wifi. It’s oddly easier to update the blog via phone than laptop, but forget uploading serious photos to the gallery with no mobile option. Again - great platform, but not if you're mobile and wifi challenged. We are over three posts being completely lost and having to be restarted and redone. Not acceptable.
* Campgrounds advertising wifi - seriously if you have a home router and maybe a repeater / extender and that's your definition of “we have wifi?!?!” Well, Dante has a circle of hell reserved for you. On the plus side, assuming you're in the lucky campsite - it'll work at three in the morning meaning the phone will vibrate you awake as it gets a data dump. At that point, the stars are usually lovely through our bedroom skylight and you can check out the Milky Way until you fall back asleep.
the trees. They are so large.
The meh:
* Video streaming. We've watched a total of three tv episodes (thank you Amazon Prime Video) in the past three months. Similar challenge as the music streaming, but if you plan ahead you can download whilst in signal range (and/or at laundromat) if allowed. Unfortunately you cannot download HBO episodes so we're behind a season of GoT!
elk drove it straight down the middle of the fairway.
* Suunto Ambit 2S - this GPS watch is great (although we need to change the hiking settings to record every 3 seconds so we don't run it out of juice). It gives us our mileage and altitude change as we hike/bike/kayak, and records it. The software and web platform is good. Our two gripes - battery life is somewhat limiting (especially when we take all-day hikes), and you need the 'puter on the internet to download and sync via Movescount. So, on some of our jaunts through the land of awesome scenery/bad service - we've struggled and nearly lost data. Otherwise - it's cool seeing the tracks and the data and keeping a digital log of the chaos.