Skip to the content

Ocean to Idaho

Behind the Scenes: Hat & Stool

I'm off-grid on a section of the salmon migration route that has sketchy internet service so updates are limited. I'll catch up on responses July 13, but for now, here's a look behind the scenes at two personal things I use on the road daily.

1: The Grizz Hat - Hats hide the terrible hair you have while living/working on the road, but I wear my grizz hat for another reason. It’s my lucky hat. I once went nose-to-nose with a grizzly and lived to tell about it. Grizzly bears are protected by the Endangered Species Act. The population is rebounding where I live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Salmon are protected by the same Act.

2: The Pee Stool - My Toyota/Four Wheel Camper rig is big and I am small. I raise the roof solo, but need a pee stool to do it. Yes, pee stool. That’s what it’s called in my house. Its original purpose was putting my boys at bowl height when they were potty training, thus the name pee stool. Its second purpose was to keep my limb, broken in three places, out of the tub while I learned to live with a rod in my right leg. And now its most recent purpose, adding a few inches to my short stature so I can reach the 6 latches that lock and unlock the roof on my pop up camper.