Now that my taxes are in the mail, I figured that there is no better time to talk about the Tea Party, or better yet, my version of a T-Party. I’m headed to the Mid Atlantic Truck Camper Rally in Sanford, Virginia.

Truck camping, or T-partying is one of my favorite ways to explore. My first exploration of Denali National Park in Alaska was in a fully stocked Lance truck camper. I spent 10 days adventuring in one of the coolest places on earth with my good friend and renowned photographer/videographer Michael Mauro.

From that moment on I was hooked. Unlike other forms of RV’ing, T-Partying allows me to get off the road and off the beaten path. To me, that’s what exploration is all about.

If you are new to the idea, check out Truck Camper Magazine for some great insight into T-Partying. If you’re in the area this weekend, swing over. If not…..

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An additional component in reporting my explorations and interviews falls into the category of both the BuriedLogic Audio blog posts and the BuriedLogic Podcasts. Thanks to the technology from the satellite experts MotoSat Advanced Mobile Satellite Systems I am now able to do so from anywhere I go. The new F2 DataStorm from MotoSat was installed on The Mobile Base Camp yesterday at their facilities in Salt Lake City.

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Keith McCord from KSL TV 5 here in Salt Lake stopped by to cover the installation and learn from Royal Lamb about the company, its people and the professionals that make it all happen.

5 media appearances, 3 personal appearances, 5,000 miles, 15 days

Green RVer Brian Brawdy hit the road again for the first of 2 Summer Media Tours. Starting with an appearance on WGN in Chicago, he stopped in Denver for an appearance on Fox & at Ketelson Campers.

He then traveled to explore National Parks in Utah & Arizona and appeared on ABC & Good Morning Arizona in Phoenix where Brian spoke about the 7 Sins of Summer Safety and the RV lifestyle. He spent the day at Tom’s Camperland, the local Lance dealership, then headed into Joshua Tree National Park. From his interstate equilibrium to honks from fellow RVers that his pesky backdoor swung open, the trip is proving to be quite the adventure!

Spending a few days at Lance Camper headquarters in Lancaster, California, Brian had general maintenance performed on the Green RV and is now headed back across the country to meet up with his friends from Thetford at the Family Motor Coach Association’s Rally (FMCA) in Bowling Green, Ohio.

You can follow Brian’s adventures as he continues to spread the messages of Conservation thru Exploration, Green RVing, Emergency Preparedness and Survival in a variety of ways -

1. Sign up for an RSS Feed to his Blog

2. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@BrianBrawdy) as he sends daily updates from the Road.

3. Log on to his SPOT Adventures Page where he shares his entire route and photos!

For breaking news and commentary on how to survive and thrive in the 21st century, you can also log onto BrianBrawdy.com

Stay tuned as Brian arrives at the FMCA Rally this weekend for a Monday start! He will be sending updates & blogging about his experience in the days ahead!

My schedule puts me in Phoenix, Arizona later today. Tomorrow morning, I’m hanging out with my friends at Good Morning Arizona, Channel 3. The 900 mile drive from Denver took me through Crescent Junction, just north of Arches National Park, Utah where I spent the night. (My SPOT Adventures page has all the details).

This morning, up bright and early, I climbed to the roof of my Lance Camper, closed my eyes and took a seat. It’s been a year or more since I was in the right place, at the right time, with the perfect weather conditions and no geographic or architectural obstructions, just waiting for this natural show to unfold.

One of the last times I “timed it perfectly” was atop Wudang Mountain, at the Golden Temple in China. After days of travel and preparation we climbed to the summit just before sunrise. The full moon lit the hundreds of rocky steps to the beautiful Palace at the pinnacle. The vast distances, punctuated by the lesser mountain peaks and valleys below, spread out before us. Spinning, I could see each of the four horizons.

At 48 years of age, I’ve only witnessed this phenomenon a couple of dozen times in my life,  yet it never fails to move me, cover me with goose bumps while smiling with a sense of reverence. I have never look at a lunar chart, my calendar or in any other way attempted to time my next encounter. I wake up, look around me and think back to Wudang.

Now this morning, transported thousands of miles away in my memory, I sat quietly as the warm Sun broke the desert horizon in the east while the full Moon was equidistantly above the western horizon. Once again the balance of light and dark, of hot and cold, of solar and lunar, the natural equilibrium of the Yin/Yang unfolded before me, one celestial body counter-balancing the other. As the Sun rose for me, I knew it was setting on the other side of the world. As my moon set it was rising for countless others half a globe away.

Throughout life, many of us look at one or the other, no blending, no gray area, common ground, no balance…just polarities. I’m as guilty as any from time to time.  While caught up in “right” vs “wrong”, compromise dies on the vine.  Life IS this and that, both A and B, jointly good and bad, a blend of the opposites. Politicians and priests created the term partisan; it may be normal in our lives but it is most certainly not natural.

Early today the Sun and Moon reminded me that “it is what it is”, neither up or down, it just IS.

From this morning on when I wake and look up, I will think back to Crescent Junction, Utah.

My Lance Truck Camper allowed me to be independent, nomadic and experience my wanderlust (and wonderlust) to the fullest. I once wrote that “AWE” for me was Adventure and Wilderness Exploration. This past 14 months has certainly proved it to me. As a “Green RV” it provided me with the opportunity to be as self-reliant and independent as I liked. It was addictive; chasing sunlight, wind and rainwater well off the beaten path.

Of late though, I’ve tried to pinpoint the actual addiction, to plainly and comprehensibly figure out what I love about RVing in general and exploration, self reliance and survival specifically.

Humans are explorers and as such, survivors. We look to find ways of existing, of thriving within the boundaries of our first breath and our final days. We were born to pull through to the end, to flourish in the face of life itself, to struggle, to progress, to wander and wonder about the hours just ahead. I have so enjoyed the last year for this very reason.

Sadly today, so many of us seemingly forget just how important liberty and self reliance are to the human soul. Of late, conformity seems to be gaining the edge as a popular survival tactic.

I started a new blog today. My goal in this endeavor, is to reawaken in others the intimate understanding that we, by nature, are very fragile beings and as such, vulnerable at every turn. To combat this vulnerability, we look to be coddled by our parents, our cliques, our community, our government and our religion. Growing comfortable within this cocoon, our confidence, self-reliance and resilience soon atrophies. This ailment is killing you and, in turn, killing us as a people and a planet. Your only chance of surviving and helping the rest of us to do the same in this uncertain age is to recover your own Buried Logic.

We thrive when we listen to that inner voice and simply march towards death when we choose not to.

The computer generated voice announced  “strong thunderstorms approaching, severe levels with large hail, damaging winds and brief, locally heavy rains will be possible.” With the winds picking up and the temperature sliding slightly (by the time the storm hit the temperature dropped a full 30 degrees), I checked the radar and decided to make it another 20 miles or so before pulling over and riding the storm out.

When I hit the parking area just off 40, I cranked my Eton radio one more time to get the final report, “Rain totals could approach one to one and one half inches per hour.” Within seconds the thunder hit and the show began. Huge bolts of crisp, white lightning slammed the ground as thinner fingers of electricity spread across the sky above me. The winds rocked the Mobile Base Camp from side to side as my windshield wipers (at their highest speed) did little to move the rain fast enough for me to see out. Over the next half an hour dozens of cars, trucks and one RV packed into the spaces around me. I finished my Gatorade as the storm subsided.

The first shot at surviving any severe weather, while backpacking, biking, kayaking or RVing is to know that the storm is on the way. With all the features of the Eton Microlink (solar, crank and USB battery rechargeable, AM/FM/Weather Band radio, flashlight, and the amazing cell phone charger) giving me advanced warning of what lies ahead and ample time to prepare is it’s greatest benefit.

The American Red Cross Microlink FR150 and the SolarLink FR360 by Eton absolutely make my pick of Gear To Get. I suspect you may see these innovative pieces of survival gear in one of my upcoming videos on emergency preparedness and survival.

RV West Magazine features Green RVer Brian Brawdy in their March/April issue. Read the entire article courtesy of RV West or view online starting April 07 – Green Machine

Green RVing with Brian Brawdy – RV West Magazine

We talked about the Survivor mindset, emergency preparedness and some great gear that will increase your chances of survival in any mishap, be it man made or driven by mother nature. We talked about SPOT, Adventure Medical Kits, (two of the most important pieces of gear you and I should own) and the absolute necessity of preparation and planning.

On a lighter side, we talked about the Green RV and the new technologies from Xantrex, Jensen and Voyager. We also managed to invite viewers to the National Western Complex for the Colorado RV Sports, Boat and Travel Show here in Denver, where just one year ago last week, I purchased my Lance Camper from Ketelsen Campers. Randy, Bill, Bob and Nancy are some of the best in the business.

If you are in the area, please stop over and say hello.

Green RVer Brian Brawdy worked with Truck Camper Magazine Editor Gordon White to report from the Earlybird RV Show, January 29 – February 01 in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Read Brian’s entire report on TruckCamperMagazine.com

The drive north to Vancouver was a blast. 6.5 hours to go 135 miles. The connecting link that held the driver-side-rear snow chains snapped leaving me only one chain to travel on for about 25 miles. Even so, having the opportunity to meet Matthew Campbell from Xantrex at their corporate offices was well worth the effort and the drive. His passion for his products and his desire to help folks to literally empower themselves is written all over his face. Like Steven and Don, Matthew knows his stuff and is glad to help with those of us that need a bit of coaching.

Soon the Mobile Base Camp will be outfitted with both a Xantrex 3000 Inverter and a Xantrex Charge Controller. This state of the art system will allow all the natural energies of the sun and wind to be controlled and distributed by Xantrex. More powerful and more light weight than my current setup, the new system will be integrated into the Green RV around the first of the year. VERY COOL.