Wednesday, November 28, 2007

craigslist giveth, and craigslist taketh away

About a year ago, I was separating from my ex and I needed a place to live. I did not really want a place to live in Salida, since winter's hammer was coming down and I wanted to be getting ready for my first 24 hour solo, not shoveling snow and shivering the long nights away. So I went out onto craigslist, and soon the legend of the tPOD was born.

I lived in that little sucker for 10 months. We were down in Arizona during January and February, then squatting rent-free for the rest of '07 here in the upper Arkansas River Valley.



I hauled her out to Moab for the 24 hours, but then on the first of November I rented an apartment and she was mothballed. Today my craigslist ad brought me a willing buyer. And officially, the era of the tPOD has come to a close.

Once I'd spent a week in a dwelling with no wheels under it, I knew I would never be able to live for a long term in that little box again. And it's quite a chunk of weight for my T100 to haul just for vacations. And then there's the fact that $3/gallon now seems like a good price for gas.

So that's that.

I haven't posted for a little over a month. What's been going on with me? Well, I decided to spend the winter in Salida. And my decision was re-enforced by the sweetest riding November I can remember up here. I rode a ton until about a week ago when Old Man Winter rolled into town to make life chilly.

I'm going to learn how to tele ski if we ever get any actual snow (it's cold, but not snowy at all yet). I'm going to keep plugging at the trails effort I started here, Salida Mountain Trails. And I'm going to have the luxury of staying connected with the close friends I have here in Salida. Right now I'm missing Arizona, but home ain't that bad either.

4 comments:

Ed said...

Glad you're sticking around Tom but I'll miss the winter road trip reports from the tPod.

Ed

FixieDave said...

I can't call yah Hobo Tom now =)

I've been told i'll be taken up and tought/ pushed down a hill with tele skis this winter....

always welcome to cruise down to denver this winter as well =)

Dave said...

Welcome back!

I'm glad I got to see the refugee camp while it was still in action.

See ya in a week. I'm still contemplating bike choice: the monkey may be resurrected in time for some rigid SS action.

Matt said...

Have a great winter, Tom! Parting with the TPOD had to be bittersweet I'm sure, but you are right - having a homebase without wheels is better.