Let’s shoot those varmits, the Ground Hogs, the Whisle Pigs, the Woodchucks. Not only do they brake cattle legs, they deliver terrible weather news or so I’m told. As they say, one more day before the cold and the snow. Hello, January my old friend. Where have you been? While statistically the coldest time of the year in Albany used to be mid-January it seems to get pushed later and later. Will we get a foot of snow on Sunday into Monday? How cold will it? Questions to be answered by the Weathermen of America, and if it’s like my experience riding in the past few days, they’ll probably be wrong.
All I know is next week I think it will involve busing it in, 🚌 or at least using Corning’s Hill. But today and probably tomorrow I can take the bike path in. I do need to decide if after work I should run down to the store and get groceries on my bike, 🛒 as Saturday looks to be mad cold and Sunday not just cold but also quite snowy. 🌨️ Middle of the night I woke up sweating, ♨️ I ended up turning off the heated blanket and the heat downstairs, as it warmed up last night and the heat really started to catch up and then go beyond what it should be. I am so used to sleeping in cold, that warm was uncomfortable. Didn’t sleep well at all last night, ended up listening to radio, then podcasts with endless hours of “Can’t sleep?! See What You Need is BETTER HELP and a SO-FAT Mattarress!” 🛏️ Ended up watching more videos on SuperDuties and the car buying process. I get so many ads on my social media now for 20-year old Hondas now. And extended car warranties, which aren’t warranties but actually insurance contracts misbranded. No, insurance is a scam, only insure for risks you can’t afford to pay out of pocket. Those Ford 7.3 gasser engines are some of most reliable out there these days, and the newest generation 10-speed trannies are supposed to be better. And, no I have zero interest in Audis or Lexis-Nexis automobiles, just big pickups. Ads trigger me.
I started putting in for a few quotes for car insurance yesterday, ⚖️ based on a Ford F-350 Extended Cab FX4. Looks like it will add about $200 to my six-month bill. Been trying to figure out what insurance levels I need and want – I really want to maximize my deductibles, do the $1,000 or maybe more deductible, just because I’d rather pay less for insurance, and a $1,000 surprise bill doesn’t have sting it once did, it certainly would not be ruinous. I mean if I’m buying a SuperDuty, I can afford that deducatable. Really shouldn’t insure losses that you can pay out of pocket for because that’s a waste of money, as self-insurance (paying cash) is always cheaper and encourages you to engage in less risky behavior. 💰 It’s both psychological and monetary, a fact insurers know. I mean, I wouldn’t love a $1,000 collision bill, but that’s a good reason to drive less and always drive safely. Also planning to sign up for the driver monitoring program, because it’s a good way to both save and make sure I’m always driving safe, because I know my insurance company is alway watching. 🔎
I want to get better coverage beyound 100/300k liability, 💰 but it gets expensive to go to 250/500k if insurers offer it all. I think the higher liability is bait for trial lawyers, but I would like additional protection as I don’t have money locked away from creditors in a homestead yet. I was going to also do $1,000 deducatable comphrensive, but maybe I’ll reconsider getting glass coverage, as I certainly do throw a lot of stones on the dirt roads I drive, and usually if you get glass coverage it also means you’re getting a lower deducatable comphrensive which covers deer strikes and floods, the maximum deducatable glass is $50 with $500 comphrensive. How much is glass to replace? Obviously less then $1,000 – otherwise it would fall under comphrensive except in a crash or my parked F-350 being struck by a hit and run. 💥 I heard comphrensive coverage (with or without a lower glass limit) not only covers the glass in the truck but also a permanently attached truck cap. I don’t know, it’s just one of many financial decisions I want to make responsibly while still ending up with a F-250 or F-350 on my driveway by spring time and a camper shell by summer.
Truth is I want to feel somewhat financially responsible when buying such a big-assed Ford truck. 🛻 That’s going to drink fuel ⛽ like no tomorrow but will provide hopefully for many nights in wilderness 🏕️ and good travels. These days though, I like to go up to camp, and set up for multiple days parked and do everything out of camp with my mountain bike 🚲 so I don’t drive the miles I once did. I will have solar set up, and probably a cell phone booster, so my hope is I can frequently just drive straight to camp, and not run my engine much. I know there is nothing financially responsible about buying such a big truck, but at least if big pickup trucks is my big vice, I do everything else right in life. 🤷♂️ With my 43rd birthday a week away, I keep watching the stock market like a hawk, because I want my net worth to be a certain round number, and I’m so damn close after getting payed next Tuesday but it all depends a lot on the underlying value of assets that fluctuate day by day. 📊 Shit I don’t control, and it’s all imaginary as many of them I can’t touch for another 16 1/2 years, but I was not happy to say the least about the President’s stupid this week messing up my little log book.
The bike basket 🚲 tightened up and the front brakes bled, I think it’s time to shower 🚿 and head off to work. I should leave a bit earlier as taking the bike path is a bit slower due to the ice and snow, then it would be if it was snow-free. I guess I could take Corning’s Hill but the bike path isn’t that awful right now but you do have to go a bit slow and cautious ⚠️. Winter won’t last forever and the bike ride is always great for the mental health, 😀 especially after a rough night’s sleep. I think studying weighting insurance policies gets you thinking about awful things, you know like having liability insurance to cover when you slam into that toddler on the highway, and the baby is burned 🤱 over 85% of their body. 🏛️ I tell you the news these days is all so bad in the era of Trumpster, 📰 though I did hear he was making some refinements to gun regulations and past illicit drug use restrictions which make a lot of sense, recognizing the modern science of addiction. 🔫 And just with my birthday 🎂 coming up next week, trying to figure out what is the best way to manage money, and get to life goals like that off-grid homestead – be it in retirement or whenever. 🐐 And I just wish I could be up in the woods and have a fire, 🔥 but I know that’s not really an option at this point as even if I did lay the cash down for that SuperDuty I like up in Latham, I wouldn’t have a camper shell until spring time, and I would have a salt-encrusted truck that sits mostly parked for the next two months, rusting while I pay insurance on it. 🏕️
The internet recommends DOT 5.1 Fluid for extreme cold in mountain bikes rather then mineral oil. I currently run a blend of mineral oil and DOT 3, as ran out of mineral oil last winter due to cold weather leaks (and worn pads which I replaced).
It wasn’t particularly low this time when I did a lever bleed, just air bubbles were causing the front brake to be mushy. Doesn’t help brake preformance that I tend to get grease on the rotators, as I use extra grease on the hubs to help keep the bearings free of water and salt in winter. I actually had CRC Brakeleen out this morning to clean off the basket latch and cleaned the rotators at the same time…
I don’t think that caused the issue, they were soft yesterday too in the was cold, if anything the Brakeleen helped strip off the grease and improve stopping. I tell you though, the Brakeleen sure makes you light headed at 7 AM.
That was the conclusion I came to looking at the Ford website and pricing models out. The difference between a MSRP $53k and a $60k truck ain’t going to break the bank. It’s just a number that will be deducted from my savings account that has been earmarked for specifically this purpose, and getting the right truck will both make me happy and ensure I have a reliable ride. It’s not like I’m going to have a car payment, unless they force me to finance it, but then I’ll retire the note soon after it clears the bank and have the bank charge it back to dealer.
I tell myself, just bite the bullet, and pay the extra for the extended cab, 7.3L Godzilla gasser (for reliability over the 6.8L) and the FX4 off-road package (for the skid plates and rear locker so I don’t break stuff or get stuck in the snow). I know it’s not a real off-road package, but those adds I think are essential for winter camping, and I’m not going to off-road a SuperDuty — beyond the state truck trails. Going to do gasser, just because the gasser will be better for cold starting while camping, better on the hills, more reliable for shorter trips, and cheaper to maintain. Diesel is more desirable if you do regular, long towing. For the most part, most of the trucks I’ve looked at 3.73 axles so fuel economy is going to be same on 3/4 ton or 1 ton. But I really do not want the fancy trims, as they get expensive and it’s just more crap to break or get muddy. I like dashboards with needle gauges and small screens. Hopefully, I work the dealers, based on all the research I’ve done on how to get the best deal, and it will become out to be mostly a wash, and be a hell of a lot nicer once I get a cap then a 20-year old Honda Civic or for that the now retired Big Red.
God willing, it will be my truck for the next 10 to 15 years, which makes the difference a few hundred dollars a year. And it will be nice, even if it does have a bit of thirst. But that’s an excuse to not drive it too much, keep the miles off it, and keep riding my mountain bike and city bus to work. And if I do need a commuter vehicle, I am sure I can find a ratty old 20-year old Honda somewhere that is good on the gas, while my big-assed SuperDuty sits parked burning no gas.
Felt so good riding in, that sun and the cold on my face. Not the least amount of wind, just raw cold and crisp sun. I know everybody must think I’m nuts riding in on the snow-covered bike path and the ice roads, but it feels so good and saves a $1.30 bus fare at least one way, that is until we get enough sun in the evening to ride through the South End and bike trail mostly not in the pitch blackness. I know saving a bus fare won’t buy the SuperDuty or the off-grid homestead on it’s own, but it sure leaves me feeling pumped when I get in the office – and when I can ride home – feeling great in evening. I like the rawness of cold and sunshine on my face. It connects me back to the woods, even if it’s just a commute to work. Frees me from the bus, much less driving. And it’s great.
I do like this truck a lot, maybe too much ... it has everything I want at a price that seems good for what I want to pay, of course it's not the final out-the-door price, but several dealers have SuperDuties in this configuration - Extended Cab, FX4, with the 7.3 gasser, so I have some negotiation. If I could do this for around $60k for this truck, I'd leave a very happy man at least until I had to put gas in it, lol.
