Driving In …

I drove in this morning, with relatively few problems and generally light traffic. I did not look at fuel economy screen on my SuperDuty, as it’s something I shouldn’t care about because the truck is mine, and it’s fun to drive. Still I am not a fan of driving to work. I get it most people drive to work. It might be quicker and more practical with the suburban office with acres of parking, but I still prefer biking and busing it work most days when I can do it that way. Beats the stress and headaches of driving, he cost of gas, especially for a big SuperDuty truck, the risk of accidents and tickets.

I really do like my big truck, and it will be great once I get the camper shell and get all wired up. I am thinking about it more, I do need to get a spray-in bedliner, that really is way for durable, safe camping surface for years to come, even if that does add another $1,000 to the build cost that I am kind of loathe to spend at this point after the camper shell itself came in over costs. Bed liner insulates me from the steel bed in thunderstorms, keeps gear from sliding around more. Makes it less cold in winter for camping. I thought it would be fine without the cost of a spray-in bed liner but I really should just get it done. It will make campiing so much better.

But beyond that there is the cost miscellaneous hardware – antenna mount, connectors, wire, for moving equipment over to the SuperDuty, and maybe the cellphone booster and diesel heater come the autumn. But I can dip deeper into my savings account, and maybe slow my non-retirement additional investments over the next few months. Even if my camper rig with all equipment comes out closer to $70k then $60k, it’s still $5,000 a year for 14 solid years of adventures. I am not planning to lift this truck or add too much additional equipment beyond the cap and now maybe the spray in bed liner. I really enjoy traveling, I like the big truck, but maybe not so much all the front-loaded costs, from the truck, to the cap, and now the bedliner. I got to call shops about this sooner then later, before the cap arrives. I keep reminding myself how I make good money, but it seems like I am only digging deeper with the SuperDuty, as gas prices go up every gas station I drive by.

And certainly not rack up many miles – the only reason I drove in today is deal with the the bike shop selling me the wrong, hopefully more expensive tubless tire when I needed a tube tire. Regardless, I didn’t get to Wally World over the weekend, so I need to go to Walmart too on the way home, and stay off Old Glenmont Road, which I can’t legally drive anymore with commercial plates or cut over Murray Avenue with it’s 3 ton limit, as my truck is registered with a 3.5 ton GVWR.