I have spent most of today mulling over more details of the trip and searching far and wide across the net for resources. There are so many aspects yet to be decided! It is so exciting, and yet almost overwhelming at times. So I thought it was time to post some of these thoughts to get them out of my head!
I had previously been looking for solely Gyspy (aka Vardo) wagon designs and possible places to buy a finished wagon. It quickly became apparent that the Vardo is European to the point that it is almost impossible to find them in the U.S., and even those are imported. Until recently - recently being two days ago - I had no idea how I was going to solve this issue besides building a Vardo entirely from scratch! I'm no woodworker, though I am willing to learn what I can, so this realization was quite upsetting.
However, the EUREKA! moment came yesterday when I realized that there is a Western equivalent of the Gypsy Vardo: the Sheepherder's Wagon! YAY! Can't say I wasn't a little more than over-the-top thrilled with this discovery... because this was a game changer for me! (Okay, I think that paragraph used up my allotment of exclamation points for this post, ha ha).
Now down to business. During my process of searching for places that build and sell sheep wagons, I discovered my other dilemma: Price. Some people might be able to drop $30,000 on a wagon, but I don't have that kind of budget. Well, I don't have a budget at all at the moment, but that will be something I get to in later posts several months from now. However, I also discovered a company in Oregon that sells wagon running gears. This is a great start if I do indeed need to build a wagon from the ground up.
I guess this is all in the design process category... so in addition to wagons and running gears, I have been contemplating what newer technology I would like to include. Solar panels, as might be guessed from my blog title, are at the top of my list. I am also considering a composting toilet, a modern camping stove, and a small outlet for charging the device I will be writing and posting to this blog with.
My other thoughts are to the animals that will be joining me on this journey. Two horses, yes, of a breed that is yet to be decided, though I am leaning towards the traditional Gypsy Vanner horses or Haflingers: http://gypsyvannerhorsemagazine.com/2010/05/gypsy-vanner-horses/ and http://www.haflingerhorses.com/
I also plan on having a working guard dog, but I have a lot of research to do in that area still. There is also the possibility of having milking goats or miniature cows along as well. Maybe even chickens? We'll see I guess.
