Since my companion and I moved into our vehicles full time, there is really nothing more for us to do than travel. This was a fluke, we weren’t intending to drive very far let alone travel out of state and certainly not this far from South Carolina. We’ve slowed down a bit before heading back. This was not and is not going to be a long trip. We both have too much waiting for us back in SC. I just found out I will get to live on a boat on Lake Keowee but the boat needs a lot of work and the marina doesn’t have water or amenities until April and before I move on to it I want to take stock of all the repairs it needs and get an estimate of how long these repairs are going to take before moving on to it. Those posts are here: https://xie-qi.blogspot.com/2024/02/moving-to-lake-keowee-south.html and https://xie-qi.blogspot.com/2024/02/moving-to-lake-keowee-on-rundown-boat.html. Yep, you heard right, moving on to a rundown boat to avoid living in my car and Malachi gets free work, work that would cost him considerably more if he paid contractor(s) for it but who am I to complain? I need a place to live and he’s offering.
As for our current trip, the vehicle we are in caught fire. We got it put out (wasn’t terribly bad), called AAA to tow it to a repair shop (we’re not dumb enough to attempt to drive it) and when the tow driver started it to get it on the flatbed (we explained that even starting it was a bad idea, we’d rather put new tires on it or even do suspension work as opposed to facing another fire but he ignored us and said he needed to get it on the bed and this was better than dragging it) it caught fire again. Now we’re pretty sure, the vehicle is toast and we’re going to be looking for another one. We won’t be looking at any Kia Sorento’s (what we have now). I would like to know what caused the fire. I’m sure the mechanic is going to say he can’t repair it and even if he said he could I’d be afraid to drive it from California to South Carolina. That’s five or six days in it. Five or six days we are unwilling to spend in it. We’ve already called the insurance company and they’re sending an insurance appraiser out to the repair shop in a couple of days.
We got the rental car and decided to just take a drive to try and calm ourselves and we took some great photos along the way before heading back to our motel room. We will find out in a couple of days what they’re going to do and we will have to start looking for another vehicle. That’s never fun especially when you’re three thousand miles from home. If you can call living in a vehicle home. I’m not sure what people that live in vehicles call it. I’ve heard it called homebase, basecamp, homeiswhereyouparkit and a few others. The place where you spend the majority of your time sleeping or where you park your vehicle, which for us, is mostly at truck stops and rest areas.
In just a few days, I have to be back to work so this couldn’t have come at a worse time. I thought I was going to get more time than I did.
Anyway, amidst all of this drama and everything coming at us at once, we ended up at Lake Shasta for some great photos, relaxation and for some much needed rest.
Until next time……..My story-page……..UPDATE: I’m moving to a marina on Lake Keowee in Oconee County, only in a smaller boat, a 1981 Yukon Delta 28 that needs a ton of work (I’m doing it)…………….I’m Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones BlackHeart and this is my story/page: living in Iva, South Carolina (Anderson County), part time in Hartwell, Georgia on my boyfriend’s boat, a 1986 Chris-Craft Catalina 381. I was at the Hartwell Marina which doesn’t allow liveaboards so I left. He purchased a 1996 Holiday Mansion 39 Barracuda, 1977 CHB Trawler 34 (I’m remodeling), 1986 Marine Trader 54 Sunliner that I’m updating, 2018 Sunseeker Manhattan 52, 2001 Nordic Tug 37 and a 1983 Fishcraft 28 (similar to the AdventureCraft 28 I lived on and still call home). I’m also camping at various places, mostly lake campgrounds.****************I still care for my aunt in West Virginia sometimes and hoping not to have to return to Memphis, Tennessee. We are scheduled to move my aunt to Dead Women Crossing, Oklahoma but first it’s to Georgia for the winter & Michigan in the summer. I’m still traveling for work and have been to my Uncle’s ranch in Alpine, Texas to oversee it and the cattle he retitled in both of our names, Texas Longhorns, Scottish Highlands, Brangus and show horses. He’s also added Bison and Beefalo to his ranch. **************************** For my work travels my uncle purchased a 1995 Ford E-150 Econoline GT Starquest Campervan. I wasn’t sure about an older van like this but the man that owned it had completely converted it with solar power and electrical, it was a good deal. It only has 112k miles. It only has a sealed portable toilet but it is okay because I prefer a public toilet and only use a camper toilet if I’m dispersed camping, at a Walmart or Cracker Barrel. I prefer rest areas and truck stops. For short trips, I drive a car or SUV. *************************** I have an avid love for photography and capturing the essence of old, abandoned houses, allegedly haunted places, classic, antique vehicles, lakes, rivers, nature, museums, art galleries, antique shops, car shows and historical places. I’m not a ghosthunter or paranormal investigator although I’ve had people request me to lead their groups, I’m a legend hunter. I love scary podcasts and spend more time on YouTube or Audible than Peacock or Tubi. I used to watch TV or movies when I stopped for the night but now I usually go right to sleep when I stop and prefer the podcasts of Darkness Prevails, What Lurks Beneath, Swamp Dweller or Red Owl. I like to listen to scary trucker stories too, occasionally grizzly/polar bear attacks, audiobooks & Dateline Podcasts. I like google scholar, casetext, medium, wordpress, livejournal, blogger, unsplash, pexels, pixabay, pinterest, instagram, facebook, X, tumblr, amazon, eBay, shadowlands (for places that are haunted), reading, greek mythology, animal shows, National Geographic, the metaphysical, food, camping, fitness, weightlifting, nutrition, health, gua sha, face rollers, beauty, fashion, tai chi, yoga, YouTube (listening to van lifers and people living in their vehicles), road tripping, computers, internet and creating videos. I also like long drives & deserted back roads. Work consists of scouting for investment properties and rehabbing/remodeling those properties for my employer. We also remodel old boats and restore classic cars. ******Visit my blogs at https://rachelholbertjonespage.com (Diverse & Wickedly Crazed Diary) that I’m changing to revolve around mostly haunted, abandoned places and occasionally focus on personal posts having to do with my homeless situation; https://xie-qi.blogspot.com (Rachel X’s Secret Diary) focused on my homeless situation; https://sassygrrl32x.blogspot.com is social media type posts in a blog format; https://medium.com/@sassygrrl32a is mostly reviews; https://sassygrrl32.livejournal.com is a social media type blog; https://rachelholbertjones10.blogspot.com has some links to YT videos and personal posts; https://rachelholbertjones.wordpress.com is my business blog, https://rachelholbertjones.weebly.com is my crazy and contentious blog and https://youtube.com/sassygrrl32 ……………..By Rachel Xie Qi Holbert-Jones BlackHeart AKA sassygrrl32 & Haunted Legendhunter & Bourbon Street Blogger **********************************************Alot of people have asked me the story of my homeless situation and I’ve removed it for now and will discuss it in my blog posts. ***********************************#rachelxieqiholbertjonespage #sassygrrl32 #Iva #Keowee #SouthCarolina #Hartwell #Georgia #andersoncounty #Michigan #livinginacar #vanlife #nomadlifestyle #carcamping #roadtripping #boondocking #carlife #livingoffgrid #vandwelling #vanliving #legendhunter #haunted #abandoned #xieqi #sassyaftersixty #deadwomencrossing #oklahoma #westvirginia #memphis #tennessee #bourbonstreetblogger #bepositive #prayer #GodBless #rebranding #westernzhoudynasty #daxie #nanyang #mandarin #xiemei #lowbow #vitallifeforce #flowingvitalenergy #unseenenergy #taichi #davisislandersllc #rizzoreipartners #crazyandcontentious #blackheart #rachelxieqiholbertjonesblackheartpage #rachelxieqiholbertjonespageblackheart #rachelxieqiholbertjonesblackheart