President Donald Trump’s recent remarks suggesting that people leave Upstate New York got me thinking about my own plans to eventually get out of New York, buy land, and have my off-grid property in 10-20 years. Not that I totally agree with Trump’s remarks — Upstate New York’s economy struggles as much as virtually any old industrial and rural area — but because I like the idea of living in a state that is lower cost and has more freedom to enjoy my life as I so wish.
Save and Invest
Money can’t buy happiness, but it can keep you from being trapped into debt and poverty. Spent not on things but on land and experience, can make your life much better. Probably my top priority for figuring out my plan to get out of New York is to have the money to live a decent life, have options, even if it means taking a lower income job going forward. I don’t want to jump until I know I have a sound landing place.
Learn
I am pretty comfortable with being in the wilderness, building fires, working with low-voltage electricity. I understand energy doesn’t come from God, it’s not unlimited. I am willing to conserve. But I still have a lot to learn. I don’t know much about building maintenance or codes. I understand the basics of batteries and solar but are no expert. I need to become a much better hunter and fisherman. I need to read, need to travel, need to read more.
Nail Down Places to Move To
I want to move out of New York State so I can have lower taxes, cheaper living, more freedom. That’s a given. But where to? The rest of the nation, except for the short time I’ve spent in parts of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Vermont and New Hampshire. I like Pennsylvania, but it’s still kind of cold and snowy, and the taxes are high. But Pennsylvania has good gun laws, they respect the second amendment. They allow open burning, they are pretty relaxed out in the country. There is some pretty nice country in the Pennsylvania wilds for sure, and it’s a reasonable distance. West Virigina is also beautiful but the state’s politics are a bit troubling to me, but in general it’s a wonderful state, especially out in the hills and hollers around the National Forests.
Find Work
It’s hard to relocate without a job. I have some skills from the past decade, maybe two decades by the time I leave New York, but I’m not exactly sure what kind of jobs they would directly translate into. Maybe I could go back to school or continue to learn new skills on my own. I think though doing my best at my current job and building a solid work history is key to me figuring out what I can do next when I get out of New York. Obviously, I might have to a long drive, for interviews, or even take a plane. At the same time, it’s a bit hard to judge a piece of land without going there and seeing it in person — the Internet is great — but it doesn’t give you answers overnight.
Move
When I finally get my ducks in a row, the big thing wil be the move. I will probably have a truck at that point, and I can probably buy or rent a trailer, or maybe just use something like a U-Haul. It would be quite the adventure, but fortunately I don’t have that much stuff, and i probably could move it relatively easily and inexpensively. Nothing is really tied up.
Rent a Place
As much as my goal is to eventually live off-grid, I think I’ll probably end up renting first before I buy land and a cabin. Renting gives me a place closer to where I work, and lets me have some time to find the best land and property around to buy. Try before you buy say the TV commericals. And if for some reason I don’t like the area I end up in I’m not tied down it.
Buy Land/Home
The final step is to buy land and a home. I am still thinking I like the idea of a small cabin, up in the middle of nowhere, away from the road, far away enough from neighbors so I won’t bother them and they won’t bother me on my land. I want to have as low expenses as possible, I want to have land where I can generate my own electricity, manage my own waste, minimize my consumption of natural resources. Land where I can hobby farm, hunt, and enjoy without anybody else bothering me.
It’s a Process. A Journey.
It’s important to have a vision for one’s future, and work to build for it. I am in no rush to leave New York or get on to my next step in my life. My focus is building my investments, learning, and enjoying the life I have right now. Tomorrow will come, and it will be a better life if I prepare for it appropiately.
Many people are warning that R. F. K. Jr. poses a clear and present threat to public health with his use of conspiracy theories and vaccine skepticism. They are alarmed that he now oversees the federal health bureaucracy, that is going to take government in dangerous directions. He’s part of President Trump’s many initiatives to move quickly, break things, try new ideas to fix an already seriously broken system.
Lynne Jackson the other night was saying to me she can’t believe anybody voted for Donald Trump. I bit my lip and nodded along. But let’s be honest, many things have been broken for a long time in our country, people are dying prematurely from unhealthy eating, lack of exercise, while our cities get surrounded by ever growing mounds of waste, our cities smoggy, burn and flooded because of the vast amounts of energy we are dumping into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide which is changing the climate. And don’t get me started how fucked up societial institutions are with their high taxes and poor quality of services provided by government at all levels. Not to mention how blacks and others are getting the shit beat out of them by cops and robbed by the government and scammers alike.
R. F. K. Jr. is most known these days as a vaccine skeptic. But I also remember him from years ago back when he had a mid-morning progressive radio show on WPRI and other stations. Back when he was known as the crusading environmental lawyer, maybe always prone towards sueing polluters with an eye for cash but also helping to fight against some of the worse cases of dumping and abuse of the Hudson River. Our river is a lot better off because of the precedence he help set out in law.
Things are changing in America, in many ways a lot quicker then one might expect. But the old system and way of doing things was broken, and needed to change. And honestly, I think he has some interesting ideas – we should be looking more to harness the power of psychedelics both recreationally and to treat mental illness – and old thinking about fats, especially as it relates to minimally processed foods like whole milk and meats enjoyed in moderation, do need to be reconsidered based on contemporary science. Sorry Greenies, there are no healthy granola bars, even if the label says they are organic oats and cane sugar and packaging is to be recycled at least in your mind. An apple or orange is far healthier option.
A field fire, while potentially destructive and costly to a farm’s crops in a first year, usually leads to much greener fields as new grass grows into the nutrient-rich ash left by the fire. Often communities grow stronger after a fire, flood or hurricane, even if there is initially a lot of destruction and loss. Indeed, there is a lot of evidence that is what is needed.
The old way of doing things was failing. We needed a reimagination, not just an automatic rejection of all new ideas as being dangerous and foolish. Are all of the unconventional policies of the Trump administration a good idea? Probably not, but only time will tell. Yet, when an old idea fails it’s important to try a new idea, which was too often lacking in liberal society, that was too addicted to defending the status quo. If all things are failing around you, shouldn’t you try something new, even if the experts believe the new idea is risky or potentially harmful?
When you are in a hole, you really should stop digging. At least for a few minutes to see where all the digging is leading to. Even when the experts say you should continue to dig. And maybe you should reconsider the advice of the experts, as even smart, well-researched people make mistakes and get overly bought into an idea even if it turns out to be wrong. And maybe it is time to try something new.
What's cool about it is you can make the switches either engine switched on or off based on the fuse position AND it includes a power harnass back to the cab for radios and other switched loads like dash cam. Saves a lot of manual wiring. And you have the 40 amp loads for a plow or the camper and usually get that with the upgraded alternator and sometimes the dual alternator and battery for plows or camper loads.
Continuing my exploration into camping in Michigan next summer, I asked Google AI for some ideas. “Do you have suggestions for places to disperse camp at Huron-Manistee National Forest with a truck camper that are quiet and near many miles of dirt road good for mountain bike riding?”
For quiet dispersed camping with a truck camper and easy access to extensive dirt road networks for mountain biking, the Manistee portion of the forest—specifically near the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness and the Big M Trail System—offers the best opportunities. Truck campers are well-suited for these areas as the forest roads often feature large dips or sandy sections that require higher clearance.
Recommended Dispersed Camping Areas
These locations are known for their seclusion and proximity to unpaved road networks.
Green Road (Forest Road 5356): Located south of Manistee near the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, this is a premier spot for boondocking. The area is surrounded by numerous side roads and spur trails with large, spread-out sites that offer excellent privacy.
Biking Access: The road itself and the intersecting forest service roads provide miles of gravel and dirt riding through dense woods.
Truck Camper Tip: Use the east side of Green Road for legal car camping; some deeper sites may require 4WD depending on recent weather.
Forest Road 4103: This road stretches nearly 9 miles through the forest and provides access to over a dozen additional dirt roads.
Biking Access: It serves as a central hub for exploring spur trails on a mountain bike. While there are no “designated” campsites here, there are ample opportunities for dispersed camping along the various spur trails.
Biking Access: This area provides direct access to the rugged and hilly sections of the NCT that are open to biking.
Key Biking Destinations Nearby
If you base your camp near these systems, you will have access to both formal trails and endless forest service roads.Destination Miles of TrailTerrain TypeBig M Trail System37.9 milesChallenging loops through hardwood canopy.Hungerford Recreation Area50+ milesMulti-use trails for mountain biking and hiking.NCT (Timber Creek)12 milesOpen to biking with roughly 675 ft of vertical gain.NCT (Dillings to Marilla)15 milesRugged, hilly, and rarely busy; great for a workout.
Important Regulations for Dispersed Camping
The 200/100 Foot Rule: You must camp at least 200 feet away from any body of water (rivers, lakes, streams) and typically at least 100 feet from designated trails unless at a marked site.
Stay Limits: Camping is limited to 14 days within a 30-day period.
Permits: No fee or permit is required for dispersed camping in the National Forest, though you should check for local fire restrictions before starting a campfire.
Self-Sufficiency: These sites provide no water, trash, or toilet facilities. You must pack out all waste and follow Leave No Trace principles.
Nothing like a few giggles to start out the morning with some homemade bread, coffee and frozen fruit. In a little bit I am going to ride over to Glenmont on my mountain bike to get a few more groceries and supplies at Wally World. Probably go through the suburban sprawl neighborhoods and then out Bender Lane.
Supposed to have some sun and milder temperatures,☀️ but if it’s anything like yesterday, the sun will be little and far in between. It’s fine, it’s February and there is still a lot of snow around, so no big plans besides riding down to Glenmont today – and more reading and studying. Yesterday, did a few more hours in exploring the auto buying process, I think I have my stragety down for next week, make an appointment to look at three SuperDuty trucks I’m interested in, leave with the proposed buyer’s order with all fees, dealer add ons and taxes included, and then study that and make comparisons to what other dealers are offering by reaching out to Internet Sales Managers. I don’t want to negotiate on sales floor, I would rather do the talking over email or the phone. 📞 This gives me time to study and know exactly what I am getting at what price. And I just don’t want to sit down, waste time in dealerships while the stall for bathroom and smoke breaks while the salesman is talking to sales manager.
I thought about going out to Five Rivers yesterday, 🐦 but the snow is so deep and I got reading and hanging out. Made black beans in the morning, then later on followed it up with brown rice, onions and beans. Later in the afternoon I needed some bread 🍞 up and let that rise overnight. 📚 Books and even more YouTube yesterday, mostly just hanging out and trying to stay reasonably warm in the cold. ❄️ It’s just a few more weeks of this winter crap, in another month things should be moderating significantly. Today promises to be sunny and warmer, so I might go down later today. But first going to smoke some weed, as my neighbor is gone, and then hang out before heading over to Walmart. The way I look at it, it’s good exercise to ride at least a little bit each day. 🦵🏻Breaks up the bordum too.
I mean if I had Big Red 🛻 still on the road, I might have done Rensselearville State Forest this weekend but yesterday was kind of cold and gray, and while more sun is expected today, ☀️ hardly going to be a banner day weather wise. And same thing with Monday. I’m just kind of ready for winter to be done, to build the new rig and move on with life. Maybe I should be in more of a rush, as time is short, but winter is long, and honestly I don’t love it. Maybe when I have that off-grid cabin with the wood stove I’ll feel different about winter, but now it’s just kind of something to plow through and get it, maybe save money by staying home.
One of the most peculiar beliefs of man kind is that life should be prolonged as long as possible, anything less than that is considered to be mentally ill or at least tragic.
Hunter S. Thompson planned to live until age 50 before blowing his brains out. He ended up prolonging his life until age 67 when his declining health made him decide to end his life. But I would argue that is too young to die, as one can be of excellent physical shape and mental acuity well into one’s seventies, especially if one eats healthy and doesn’t have a life of hard labor or abuses rather than uses drugs.
Seventy seems like a good goal to live to. Like Hunter S. Thompson the year doesn’t have to be ultimatum but a goal to live in maximum health and experience, not so worried about trying to prolong every final year of life. Knowing you are shooting for a reasonable goal in life – is liberating as you can have some fun and risk – without worrying about the consequences in advanced age. And that you are in power, not hospital or person listed in a medical decision directive.
But I’m planning to at least somewhat retire by age 55 or at least do something with my life meaningful and worthwhile – long before age 70. A decade to discover who I am before it’s over on my own terms, turned to mush on the floor, my off grid cabin turned to ash and unburnable rubble soon to be overgrown in the wilderness. To become food for the coyotes, raccoons and other scavengers in the woods rather wrapped in plastic at some hospital a few meaningless decades later.
But what do I know…. Those days are 27 years from now. Things can change. And I could decide to rack up a few more years like Dr. Thompson did. But you got to live life, even if there are some costs to longevity.
