Big O isn’t just for tires, but for a moderately broad range of general mechanical stuff.

They have a place in Prettytown, another 2 hours further west at Kingman, and a third less than a hundred miles after that near Gibson and 215 in Henderson.

In a worst case scenario, that gives me a place to get towed to, for free, from almost anywhere on the trip from here to Sin City.

Also, I do need a tire or two or four anyway.

So if I can get them to give me a card, I can get the tire(s), and have basic coverage against trouble, and be able to budget all that at six months same-as-cash.

Given all that, I’ll apply. We’ll see.

If it works, then a trip is just a matter of having two hundred for a round trip’s worth of gas, and I’d be bringing the sleeping shelter with me besides–no motel or camping in someone else’s house necessary.

The same could apply, more or less, to shorter trips (the ice caves/ABQ) and potentially longer ones (Colorado).

That’s the van.

***

The pickup just needs suspension looked at next, nice and eventual-like.

The bike needs a new rear valve stem and I’m working on a trip to Pinetop for that, and a bunch of other things while I’m there.

In the meantime I’ve set all the vehicles up with a basic kit of tools, first aid, and the like, and that means the front room is emptied out and looking very neat and clean.

It’s all feeling both savvy and precarious.

I’m trying to pull it all off without stress of any kind.

It’s harder than it looks, but I doubt it’s impossible.