I've never accepted any awards for my work. I don't want any. For me the art of telling a story, doing a blog, or taking a photo goes much deeper than getting recognized by clicks that stroke each other's ego. My work is about the people and place. It is about the problems, how they are and how I see them. It is about taking you into a real part of the world beyond the one that you know. That is the real reward.
The city could be nice but THE PEOPLE ARE! They're proud to be "Corpitos" and "hood" and "street". They're fat uneducated, and proud to be that way. The city spent a lot of money redoing the bus system and improving the waterfront, only for them to be vandalized, and grafitti'd within 2 months.
Lol. Trump does. Yiure just told he doesn't. You clearky dont pay attention. The poor don't vote? Guess you cant complain then. People lived better under Trump. Youre not smart. 😂
A nitpick (without disagreeing), the system is oligarchic and technocratic. Turning "communist" into a boogeyman has been just another distraction. To paraphrase you from yesterday, "A working class American, Russian and Chinese citizen have more in common than they don't." The Overton window is laughably skewed - Joe Biden is centre-right on most things, and pure centrist on everything else. Bernie (left-centre-left) respects the poor... although even he has bowed to the system in many ways.
"A real redneck and a hood-rat have more in common than they don't", Love it! If only that were more widely known! A sad sad truth about the voting issue though... (Never heard "hood-rat" before - I can't tell, is that similar to a "gang-banger"? Maybe all gang-bangers are hood-rats, but not all hood-rats are gang-bangers?)
Actually, yeah. Let me tell you a bit about that, smart ass. It was my family that brought one of the earliest refineries to Corpus Christi. In fact, they were part of the monopoly that created the city and, alongside Oscar Wyatt, decided it was a dead end place and not going to ever catch the train of progress. So, yeah....my roots run deeper in the goddamned septic tank than most. It's where I learned what bad visions can do to a place. I'm kind of proud of the fact.
Good luck driving your car without those refineries. They are way out of town! I’ve lived here most of my life I love this town. Most other places you go are the exact same way.
Good luck on the project. If you have time, can I ask a few questions (from a purely cultural perspective): How great is the cultural difference between the two coastal regions of the US, and what is the nature of that difference? What is the culture of the American (Mid?)West (in as few words as possible, excluding freedom which I see as a political aspect)? Culturally (not politically), how many "countries" is the US really? (Preferably less than 10 - it would be too easy to say "Fifty" 😉 - although, of course, not necessarily inaccurate) And finally, what is wrong with the questions I have asked? What misunderstandings do they show?
Ok.... So that's a FAIR set of questions and I'm going to say this....I am having to erase as much of that from my head as possible. I mean sure, we all have our ideas, thoughts and opinions but like with any story I've ever worked, I have to compartmentalize my personal thoughts. But I really appreciate you taking the time to ask them. It's the basis of the story.... Ask these questions and try to answer them objectively and accurately. I know people don't think of us that the media people really think this way but some of us do.... Especially those of us beyond the MSM.
I cut my teeth on Louis L'More, John Wayne and Charlie Russell. Cowboys horses and cattle, pioneers, gold miners, Little House on the Prairie, they will find that in my DNA when they dig up my bones a thousand yesrs from now. ❤ Your project sounds exciting!
Actually, I'm not trying to talk myself out of it at all. I'm just looking at the various ideas to accomplish the same end--differently. That's what photojournalists do everyday.
i think it should be illegal to drive aimlessly and waste gas and pollute and crowd our parks and natural camping areas. Vacations are great and usually last a couple weeks once or twice a year. not for 6 months.
You are right. I agree, to a point. I figure the vacationers are the ones causing most of the problems from my observations. Because they only go out a week or so at a time they have less skin in the game and often leave the biggest footprint. Certainly, they are causing traffic congestion. But that's not to say full timers get a free pass. We all have our cross to bear and unfortunately there isn't a viable solution to the pollution issue. EVs and fossil fuel vehicles are equally as horrible solutions. I figure if it bothers someone that bad then stay at home and watch the world on a screen.
Seriously? This is America and we are free to travel as we please. You want to regulate our movement because of crowds at parks? How about the pollution of a few million people commuting in LA everyday? Go hug a tree in Canada.
Hey Matt what’s good I was born and raised in Corpus Christi born September 1998 I left this city when I was 20 I’ll be 26 soon currently live in Phoenix Arizona planning on moving to Jacksonville in the future but yeah the reason why Corpus Christi looks the way it does economically socially because it reflects the dumb ass ignorant medievalist mindset that people have in the country side of Texas and that’s in Corpus Christi just in a City form and the reason to that it’s a small city I only like to visit it’s nice to visit it’s only good for tourism but I’ll never live there again hell no and I can’t stand how religious most of everyone is I’m secular and believe in individual pro choice politically I’m independent libertarian but Corpus Christi doesn’t even think like that it’s 1500S religious conservative mindset that’s why it’s been rank one the one stupid and uneducated in the United States 🇺🇸
How remote do you guys want to be? I am an astrophotographer, and do a two week cycle in the western deserts at a dark spot when the moon is gone, then two weeks near a town with a Walmart for the two weeks that the moon washes out the sky. I am seriously equipped for living long periods in comfort on BLM land. I converted a new 16 ft cargo trailer to a boondocking machine for myself and my Golden Retriever. I have a ton of solar power and batteries, shower with on demand water heater, a compost toilet, and a 100 gallon fresh water tank in the bed of the truck that hooks up to a water inlet in the nose of the trailer in seconds. I have a big 120 volt home fridge. Your obstacles are going to be electricity, water, and getting your tanks emptied when needed. Without building a boondocking rig, you might want to check out places like the LTVA's near Quartzsite, Arizona. These long term visitor's areas charge I think around $180 for a 7 month permit. This gives you easy access to water and a dump station, but you still have to figure out a source of power. If you have a way to carry several solar panels to mount on the ground at your campsite, that can provide some basic electricity for charging devices, Starlink, etc. I am not a fan of factory built RV's, and think the quality is usually really terrible these days. A brand new rig can instantly become an unusable money pit. I have often seen people buy a new rig only to have it spend months and months in the repair shop, causing them to have to cancel their vacation plans. If you want something built right, you really do have to do it yourself. Nothing has broken on my homebuilt RV in three years, and I have all the comforts of home (microwave, fridge, toaster, coffee maker, deep fryer, etc., no matter how far I am from civilization.
I really appreciate this! So, to give you a little BTS on the project it is going to be a social project for a major magazine publication that focuses on the human element but also have a strong natural resources component to it as well. The idea is a blend of rural people of the American West and the modern rural western US landscape. I don't envision anything too far out in the backcountry...but with any project like this it is surely subject to change. I know my in-laws bought a factory built 5th wheel from some company in Indiana and they've had nothing but shit problems with it. They are full-time campers and have been doing it for 3 or 4 years now. They've had nothing but Hell with it. Pure Hell. In fact, they are in Indiana now getting it fixed and are constantly fussing with the manufacturer about if this or that is a warranty issue. There is without a doubt a huge quality issue there these days. My basic needs here are for sure a fridge, coffee maker, and Starlink connection. I was told to stay way from the KOAs and that they were a huge drain on the budget. Is that kind of your take on it? I mean, they seem like they have all of the comforts of home that you could possibly need, but they also seem to come at a HIGH premium. Those LTVAs are your suggestion if we make some pretty self contained, is that right? Thanks again for your help!
@@mattpierceblog Hi Matt, It sounds like the Quartzsite area would be a great place to start. If you stay very close to town the desert is busy. Lots of dust from RVs constanly driving past. Yuck. Fortunately, the desert is a huge place, and you can pick how crowded you want it to be by just driving a few more miles out into the desert away from others. It will be literally as busy or as quiet as you want it to be. And if you don't like it, you move a mile or two the next day. Having easy access to water and a dump station at the LTVAs would be very nice. Electricity is the big thing left. I have a total of 1800 watts of solar panels with 1300 watts on the roof laying flat and 2 - 250 watt panels that I set out on frames that can be pointed straight at the sun, making them more efficient than the flat panels on the roof. I have 900 amp hours of lithium iron phosphate batteries. But even with all that solar, I still carry a generator. The will be times when it is cloudy for days, even in the desert. A full sized 120 volt fridge is a huge electricty hog. I figure my fridge uses half of my electricity consumption. But since I am full timing for years, it is worth it. For heat like many RVers I use a Mr Buddy portable propane heater. It uses a fraction of the propane of an RV furnace, and it has no big blower fan to suck electricity. One night of a typical RV furnace fan running on a cold night will likely take a 100 AH battery down below 50%. Eliminating that huge electricity draw means you need less solar power, or generator hours, etc.
I live in a 16ft box truck I like what bob wells said, its about freedom vs comfort If you want more freedom, you'll have to sacrifice comfort. If you want more comfort, you'll have to sacrifice freedom. I suppose it would relate to your project and how much you want to be able to park in the city, how easily you want to be able to navigate cities in towns, how stealthy you want to be etc If you're just going to be going on big roads and being in BLM land you could probably get away with having a larger rig, but if you plan on maneuvering in the city or parking in the city having a large rig will not work I think a ram ProMaster a Ford Transit is probably the best combination of both, you can stand up, have a queen size bed with storage underneath, a tv, cooking, sync sink For toilet, most people who decide to do something fancy end up going to the bucket bag method. It's cheap and easy and not really much different from using a regular toilet. Instead of water there is sawdust, instead of flushing there is tying plastic. Gym memberships for the easiest for showering, but if you're going to be out in the wilderness you'll need to decide on a method to stay clean. There's a lot of different options from shower tents to specially designed wet wipes, good old-fashioned sponge baths, or a built-in shower
Nice! Yeah! I mean if it works, it works! I totally like the idea of thinking freedom vs. comfort. That sounds like good advice. Really good. Thanks for giving some food for thought!
You don't have to commit to anything. There is no right way or wrong way, just what works for you and what doesn't. I know a guy that lives out of a jeep. Travels and camps out under the stars of in a tent and has been doing it for years. I live in a jeep cherokee, stealth camping or Walmart lot docking.
OHHHH, great idea! IDK this could happen. I saw those Cruise America things or whatever but I did not know they had different sizes and stuff. I may check that out. Thanks!
I have been a part-time van dweller since 2018. I travel solo, or with my wife, or with my adult son. I'm also 6'3". Yes, a van is possible, but I can't say it is right for you. You should test out various options. I would suggest that you rent a Class C for a week (long before your project) to test that out. Additionally, go to camping shows to see how you fit into various rigs, like truck campers or trailers. You will have a much better idea of what works for you. The most important thing to have is a bed that you feel comfortable in. This is especially important when you are traveling with 2 people, as you double your space requirements. What is your budget? Motor homes can be very expensive and many won't go down a rough road, but they are fancy. A truck camper with a 4 wheel drive truck can go many places. A van is a great in between solution as it drives almost like a car and it can go down some dirt roads, but not as well as a 4 wheel drive truck. Are you mechanical or not? If not, do not buy an old van, high mileage truck or vintage camper, which can be constant sources of headaches. I considered a trailer, mini school bus, and a van. I went with a van and had some of the basics installed professionally in 2018. However, I have since greatly modified much of the interior with the help of a friend. I camped in a SUV for a while, and it is possible to do so with very little and a very simple no-build build. In my case I used an air mattress and a sleeping bag. I had a basket with basics like a hiking stove, flashlight, and hiking cook set. It worked, but it wouldn't be great for long periods (at least not for me). People live in everything from compact cars to giant school busses, so it is hard to give you good advice, with the exception of trying options out before you commit. You may find that you like a Jeep with a roof tent, or maybe you will feel that you need a fancy RV. it is also important to realize that you will not only have an adjustment period, but living on the road may initially feel rough as so many of the day to day things that you do are different (like washing dishes or keeping clean). However, if you commit you can adjust and these new things will become routine. As others have said, watch CheapRVlining on RU-vid. Bob Wells is an amazing resource. As far as power is concerned, you need to determine your needs. If you want a fridge, and are using a powerful editing computer, plus recharging many cameras and drones, you will need more. Most van dwellers don't have AC as it uses too much electricity, they use fans and vents which are more energy efficient. Are you going to be in sunny areas? Then consider solar panels. Are you going to be doing a lot of daily driving, perhaps a DC to DC charger can top you house battery off. Are you going to need a generator? (most don't use one). Are you planning to only boon dock, or will you sometimes use a campground? If it is the latter you can use the campground's AC to charge your batteries up. I can charge my house batteries both with solar panels on my roof and from the car's alternator. I have a small generator, but I have never used it. However, if I lived in Canada I it might be needed due to the long low light winters. What about the internet. Will you need it to upload you photos to the cloud? If you do there are videos on the best options. Some use several cell carriers on their phones or their hotspots. Others, are into Starlink (a newer option). Still others, work in coffee shops and public libraries where they can plug in their computers and use free wifi. Again, I would urge you to try before you buy. Some people get by with almost nothing, others need a Vitamix and an espresso machine and a full on shower. Good luck on your adventure.
Thank you so much! This is good information. I don't think we'll need the espresso machine, but a coffee pot would be nice for sure! The internet is going to be a big issue because I will be sending these photos to my photo editor at the home office and doing a lot of cloud based work. I was thinking just using my Starlink but I am open to other ideas if you know of any. I just don't know how much time we will be spending in a campground. That might good for me to think through lol.
@@mattpierceblog I think many who have mission critical work will have both Starlink as well as decent cell plans as a backup. If you have your living basics you can always add extras as you go. For instance, I started with a collapsible pour over coffee funnel, then went to instant coffee, then coffee "tea bags," and now I use a Keurig clone. I don't even like Keurig coffee and don't have one at home, but it is the best combination of ease of use and reasonable taste (although I find it a bit weak) when I'm on the road. I have the battery power and using it is super simple so for now it is the best option. You may want to start a list of the essential things that you use in your apartment, and then come up with another list of what you will need to for your job. This could allow you to hit the road running. Sorry, if I'm offering too much advice... my kids remind me regularly that I am too willing to offer my sometimes too strong opinion. BTW, what kind of camera gear do you use?
Thank you! On that note are all of the cell networks fairly equal out west these days? Do you know? My experiences in Colorado and NM have been fairly good so far. But how do you think overall?
@@mattpierceblog Generally, Verizon has has been the most comprehensive, but not necessarily the fastest. However, T-mobile used to be the worst, but is now pretty good and sometimes the best. ATT can be faster that Verizon, but may not be as available. I know that is very confusing... because it is. The bottom line is that the best network varies from place to place. If you are going with just one service the old suggestion was to go with Verizon. However, I'm finding that the former worst service (T-mobile) now often beats Verizon in many places where I travel. Anyway, this is why a lot of Nomads have more than one service. My phone has both Verizon and T-mobile service and a MVNO for ATT. I almost never have to use ATT.
I’m sorry if you’re a liberal my friend. Small towns, with small town people are the best. They are the life blood of America. We are simple, honest, hard working, America loving American Citizens. God bless America. 👍🏻❤️🇺🇸
@@mattpierceblog 😅well, it’s good to know you’re not a true leftist at least. I am a die hard Conservative, Not a die hard Republican. Yes, there is a difference. I wish you good luck in your small town. You’ll love it after a bit. 👍🏻
I certainly agree...just like there is a big difference between a liberal and democrat. I myself am a true centrist. For the most part always have been...except in my high-school and college years when I was a die-hard member of the Limbaugh nation. I will admit that I do still listen to Michel Savage a lot these days even though I don't exactly agree with him. I do find him an intelligent guy with a lot of valid points. I believe in LIMITED government involvement across the board. People have become far too dependent upon the government--left and right. Left for social programs, right for laws. My thought is if America is "The Land of The Free," then on matters of social science the government should have ZERO influence or control...zero. A free people governs themselves accordingly, but as we've proven that just can't be done. Sadly, the conservatives haven't taken the course of protecting the freedom of citizens to decide for themselves on most issues--except guns. Everything else they've taken a very "pro-law" stance and I totally disagree with more laws of any type. Once I went to work inside the Capital for both GOP and Democrat officials, I realized pretty quick that the government is incapable of governing itself so they attempt to govern the people. It is a very bad situation.
@@mattpierceblog I agree wholeheartedly. The ONLY thing our government should do is keep us safe from other countries and not let America be invaded. Well, we see how that’s working out. 🥴
Whew. So much to consider. As someone who has been going through the same sort of research lately, here are few of the things you might want to consider. There are so many options besides commercial RVs. The upside to vans is that they get the best mileage, they can be stealthy, and they can go a lot of places. I am one person - a larger size old woman -- who knows myself well enough to know that I would be miserable in a van. I prefer something that I can stand up in and walk around without feeling cramped. Some of the options for something with more space might me a box truck, an ambulance or a bus (from humongous school or transit buses to small shuttles the size of a class C RV). Of course, if you get something that wasn't an RV to start with, you will either need to have it built out so that it's livable or need to find one that someone else has already done the work on. One big heads up, though -- make sure that you find insurance coverage before you commit. A lot of people with bus and ambo conversions are having insurance cancelled these days. (That's another plus for choosing a van -- you just call them a van and there is no problem with insurance or registration.) If you need a 4x4 to get to the places you want to go, there are people who have been able to convert their vehicles to 4x4. Bob Wells (cheapRVLiving) did it to his ambulance. Sorry this is so long but there is so much. Good luck.
if you get a van are an rv make the engine is 100% it is the most important, with a trailer you can swap vehicles with a van are rv if that engine go's the whole thing is a bust
I was affected by the outage two days ago. Thankfully I didn't have to work that day. All Internet and cable TV and WiFi were out for about 7 hours. They tried to blame it on hurricane Beryl but that had already gone through Texas two days earlier as a category 1 storm. I still think it was more than the weather causing an almost nationwide outage of Internet service. More like a test run? Just glad my cell phone service is with another carrier.. I'm in Texas also.
I totally agree with you. I feel like Spectrum is just downplaying this event. Hurricane Beryl seemed like a likely excuse for something else. I know the MSM is referring to these ideas as conspiracy theories but I think that is the excuse they give when they just take the world of these officials. I am not buying it was just random.
@@mattpierceblog Yep. It's just been happening way too often over the past several years with other internet providers and cell phone carriers, not to mention airlines and power grids. They can only use the "random incident" excuse only so much as a smoke screen. 👍🤔
I live in Rochester, New York. The Wi-Fi is garbage for spectrum. I have to unplug and reset daily, and it still works subpar. Constantly have to reconnect with my phone.
I have an ATT cell tower on my property near Paris TX and it has gone down 3 times in the last 2 weeks and stayed down for whole days at a time. No maintenance people come to the tower to get it running again, so I presume it is a backhaul problem.
That is interesting. I had AT&T for years and never had a problem with them. BTW, there is a little cafe up there....I forget the name of it though. I want to say it was like Irene's or something. I will look it up. I am a fan of small town cafe's and that one scored a pretty solid 7 or 8 on the old school vibes scale!
@@mattpierceblog you would be surprised how dependent spectrum is on power.... All of their hubs all the important stuff runs on power not just to cool the circuits or cool the boxes. But to keep it running... They do have generators and special ones for these situations. But it can't beat all of the circumstances
Not sure if its related but a few of my family memebers when the make phone calls, the caller id lets say for Walgreens, it shows the caller ID is in Chinese
Thanks! I studied a lot of history in college and let's just say I had firsthand of knowledge of the LBJ era from someone who was VERY CLOSE to the situation. :)
