We didn't DIE but....................

So we made our first trip out trying some dispersed camping close to home. For those unaware of dispersed camping it is camping with "no hookups". In a nutshell all of the Country you will find public land that allows you to camp on it for free, typically no amenities. Now, thru hikers know all about dispersed camping/primitive spots that you find along hiking trails, but there are plenty of sites that you can drive right up to you just have to know where and how to find them. Since we are newbies we don't fully understand the where and the how but we are learning.

So as luck would have it, the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana has tons of dispersed camping spots, so we though perfect place to get our feet wet since it is just a few hours away. So we finish the bus build, pack up our gear and the animals and off we go. A bit nervous but excited at the same time. Hey we watched a YouTube video, how hard can it be.......................

We have built Park-Er for dispersed camping, she has 1200 watts of solar power on the rood and a pretty hefty solar generator . The big question is that enough power to really sustain life for a few weeks at a time. We don't know but we plan on finding out on this trip.

I use an app called The Dyrt to help locate some possible spots, my first choice being Buzzard Roost overlooking the Ohio River. We get to Buzzard Roost pretty smoothly, made one wrong turn (thanks Google), and ended up in someone's driveway. Apparently they are aware of Google's error because there was a sign when we turned that said "Do not turn, Dead End". We did not listen to the sign. But we eventually found Buzzard Roost and it was not what I expected there were about 5 or 6 spots, all had pads to park on, no electric or water but pit toilets were available. We were right on the trail head it was absolutely GORGEOUS, very impressed. There was one other camper on the other end so basically the whole place to ourselves. 

But as you can see it was also very shady, so not much sun to charge the generator. This could be a problem.

 Get camp set up, do a bit of exploring and then it is nightfall. We wake up in the morning and decide to take a hike down to the river. The trail looks steep and says it is a "moderate" trail so we figure we can make it. We grossly overestimated our hiking skills, well we could have probably made it but we were worried it may be a bit much for the dogs. The Cat (TT) on the other hand was fine in the backpack I carry but negotiating steep terrain with and extra 10 lbs on my back was a bit tricky. We decided to turn around about 2/3 of the way down.

We make it back to the camper and realize we are using more power than we are pulling in on the solar panels, so we decide to go for a drive to find some sun and other spots to explore.  It is such a beautiful place we drove along the road that followed the river but we couldn't seem to find a good sun place. We decide to head back to Buzzard Roost and get something to eat because I felt a migraine coming on. We make it back and I take a nap, when I wake up from the nap the headache is gone but I realize that someone (probably me) turned the generator off. So basically we were pulling in no power for a few hours, we are at 40% power, I don't think we will make it through the night. I start searching on my phone for a new spot, there are a few more dispersed options but if they are shady too then we will be in the same boat. So I find a County run campground just up the road so I make reservations (had to do 2 nights) and we leave for there.

The campground, Sycamore Springs Campground in English, Indiana, it wonderful. Not horribly crowded but a lot of people, but they have full hook ups, a shower house and all the firewood you could want. Our spot is right along the "river" it looked more like a creek but they called it Little Blue River. The little part was correct. It is great for us but the dogs can't roam and explore so they aren't happy but it was nice. If you want a cute family campground, this is it. We ate some food and got a nice campfire going it was nice and we were plugged in charging the generator. We watched the stars, may have seen a ufo, there was a star that we swear was moving. Ok probably not a UFO but maybe it was ?

A UFO?

The next morning we went exploring we went to an area in the Hoosier Forest called Indian-Celina Lake recreation area, great place as well did some hiking and let the dogs stretch their legs. Checked out the camping areas in the area and met the camp hosts, they were great. I wish we would have just went there and camped there was a small fee but they had hook-ups, next trip. So the camp hosts tell us to check out the Tipsaw recreation area just up the road, so we headed that way, it was nice as well. This area had a swimming beach which was closed but we decided to let the dogs go for a swim (even though it said no dogs) but the beach was closed so really no harm. So the dogs are enjoying the beach and I am holding  the cat who does not have her harness or leash on (this is a very bad decision on my part). Keith says "there is a drain pipe right here you better watch her". Now we are pretty far from the pipe so I'm kind of watching but not really and sure enough off she goes right to the drain pipe. It is a good size pipe so I can see light from the other end so I run down to that side which is like a pit so if she makes it to that end she could get out and get into the woods, this would be bad. So I'm trying to get her to come out, I see her eye shine but she isn't coming out. Finally she decides to come closer to my end and I think she is going to come all the way out but she turns around and shoots toward the other side. At this point Keith has returned from putting the dogs in the bus and I say stay on this end and I will try to get her to come out. If she comes out grab her. So I go to the pit side, "it says do not enter", as you may realize by now I don't really follow signs to well. So I jump down in the pit and pick up a rock to toss inside thinking the noise will scare her out, it doesn't. So after a little bit I figure the only way to get her is to crawl in an get her, so I start crawling. I want to say it was about 3 feet tall inside so I have to crawl. It is filled with rocks and debris and lord knows what else because it is pitch black and I'm feeling my way along the sides so if she runs by me I can catch her. I am praying there is nothing else in there. So I make it to the half-way point and I see eye shine, I grab her and pray it is her and not something else. So I drag her out by the neck scruff and emerge into daylight and Keith says "dumbass". He has a point, so we decide to head back to the campground I have had enough adventure for the day.

The tiny village at the campground

We get to the campground and get settled in, later Keith decides to go take a shower at the shower house. I am going to get the fire going but instead of leaving to shower Keith starts messing with the fire. I said you should take a shower, it was getting dark. He finally leaves and he is gone forever, I was actually worried about him. He makes it back and is madder than a hornet, I said what happened, he got lost. He said he was walking across the field to come back and fell in a ditch 4x's ( I wanted to laugh but I didn't). So after the 4th fall he thought I should go down the road so he said he made his was to the little play village and must have turned the wrong way. He didn't have a flashlight and couldn't see anything, I couldn't believe he didn't take a flashlight since he is kind of obsessed with them. So I had to laugh because it was funny. I said you didn't take a flashlight, "dumbass". We sat by the fire for a bit then called it a night, clouds were rolling in couldn't see any stars.

The next morning we explored a bit more but decided to head home because rain was moving in and we were done. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we learned a little bit. Can't wait to get back there it was a beautiful place and so much more to explore there.

We were all glad to be back home. 

On to the next adventure!

We didn't DIE but....................

So we made our first trip out trying some dispersed camping close to home. For those unaware of dispersed camping it is camping with "no hookups". In a nutshell all of the Country you will find public land that allows you to camp on it for free, typically no amenities. Now, thru hikers know all about dispersed camping/primitive spots that you find along hiking trails, but there are plenty of sites that you can drive right up to you just have to know where and how to find them. Since we are newbies we don't fully understand the where and the how but we are learning.

So as luck would have it, the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana has tons of dispersed camping spots, so we though perfect place to get our feet wet since it is just a few hours away. So we finish the bus build, pack up our gear and the animals and off we go. A bit nervous but excited at the same time. Hey we watched a YouTube video, how hard can it be.......................

We have built Park-Er for dispersed camping, she has 1200 watts of solar power on the rood and a pretty hefty solar generator . The big question is that enough power to really sustain life for a few weeks at a time. We don't know but we plan on finding out on this trip.

I use an app called The Dyrt to help locate some possible spots, my first choice being Buzzard Roost overlooking the Ohio River. We get to Buzzard Roost pretty smoothly, made one wrong turn (thanks Google), and ended up in someone's driveway. Apparently they are aware of Google's error because there was a sign when we turned that said "Do not turn, Dead End". We did not listen to the sign. But we eventually found Buzzard Roost and it was not what I expected there were about 5 or 6 spots, all had pads to park on, no electric or water but pit toilets were available. We were right on the trail head it was absolutely GORGEOUS, very impressed. There was one other camper on the other end so basically the whole place to ourselves. 

But as you can see it was also very shady, so not much sun to charge the generator. This could be a problem.

 Get camp set up, do a bit of exploring and then it is nightfall. We wake up in the morning and decide to take a hike down to the river. The trail looks steep and says it is a "moderate" trail so we figure we can make it. We grossly overestimated our hiking skills, well we could have probably made it but we were worried it may be a bit much for the dogs. The Cat (TT) on the other hand was fine in the backpack I carry but negotiating steep terrain with and extra 10 lbs on my back was a bit tricky. We decided to turn around about 2/3 of the way down.

We make it back to the camper and realize we are using more power than we are pulling in on the solar panels, so we decide to go for a drive to find some sun and other spots to explore.  It is such a beautiful place we drove along the road that followed the river but we couldn't seem to find a good sun place. We decide to head back to Buzzard Roost and get something to eat because I felt a migraine coming on. We make it back and I take a nap, when I wake up from the nap the headache is gone but I realize that someone (probably me) turned the generator off. So basically we were pulling in no power for a few hours, we are at 40% power, I don't think we will make it through the night. I start searching on my phone for a new spot, there are a few more dispersed options but if they are shady too then we will be in the same boat. So I find a County run campground just up the road so I make reservations (had to do 2 nights) and we leave for there.

The campground, Sycamore Springs Campground in English, Indiana, it wonderful. Not horribly crowded but a lot of people, but they have full hook ups, a shower house and all the firewood you could want. Our spot is right along the "river" it looked more like a creek but they called it Little Blue River. The little part was correct. It is great for us but the dogs can't roam and explore so they aren't happy but it was nice. If you want a cute family campground, this is it. We ate some food and got a nice campfire going it was nice and we were plugged in charging the generator. We watched the stars, may have seen a ufo, there was a star that we swear was moving. Ok probably not a UFO but maybe it was ?

A UFO?

The next morning we went exploring we went to an area in the Hoosier Forest called Indian-Celina Lake recreation area, great place as well did some hiking and let the dogs stretch their legs. Checked out the camping areas in the area and met the camp hosts, they were great. I wish we would have just went there and camped there was a small fee but they had hook-ups, next trip. So the camp hosts tell us to check out the Tipsaw recreation area just up the road, so we headed that way, it was nice as well. This area had a swimming beach which was closed but we decided to let the dogs go for a swim (even though it said no dogs) but the beach was closed so really no harm. So the dogs are enjoying the beach and I am holding  the cat who does not have her harness or leash on (this is a very bad decision on my part). Keith says "there is a drain pipe right here you better watch her". Now we are pretty far from the pipe so I'm kind of watching but not really and sure enough off she goes right to the drain pipe. It is a good size pipe so I can see light from the other end so I run down to that side which is like a pit so if she makes it to that end she could get out and get into the woods, this would be bad. So I'm trying to get her to come out, I see her eye shine but she isn't coming out. Finally she decides to come closer to my end and I think she is going to come all the way out but she turns around and shoots toward the other side. At this point Keith has returned from putting the dogs in the bus and I say stay on this end and I will try to get her to come out. If she comes out grab her. So I go to the pit side, "it says do not enter", as you may realize by now I don't really follow signs to well. So I jump down in the pit and pick up a rock to toss inside thinking the noise will scare her out, it doesn't. So after a little bit I figure the only way to get her is to crawl in an get her, so I start crawling. I want to say it was about 3 feet tall inside so I have to crawl. It is filled with rocks and debris and lord knows what else because it is pitch black and I'm feeling my way along the sides so if she runs by me I can catch her. I am praying there is nothing else in there. So I make it to the half-way point and I see eye shine, I grab her and pray it is her and not something else. So I drag her out by the neck scruff and emerge into daylight and Keith says "dumbass". He has a point, so we decide to head back to the campground I have had enough adventure for the day.

The tiny village at the campground

We get to the campground and get settled in, later Keith decides to go take a shower at the shower house. I am going to get the fire going but instead of leaving to shower Keith starts messing with the fire. I said you should take a shower, it was getting dark. He finally leaves and he is gone forever, I was actually worried about him. He makes it back and is madder than a hornet, I said what happened, he got lost. He said he was walking across the field to come back and fell in a ditch 4x's ( I wanted to laugh but I didn't). So after the 4th fall he thought I should go down the road so he said he made his was to the little play village and must have turned the wrong way. He didn't have a flashlight and couldn't see anything, I couldn't believe he didn't take a flashlight since he is kind of obsessed with them. So I had to laugh because it was funny. I said you didn't take a flashlight, "dumbass". We sat by the fire for a bit then called it a night, clouds were rolling in couldn't see any stars.

The next morning we explored a bit more but decided to head home because rain was moving in and we were done. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we learned a little bit. Can't wait to get back there it was a beautiful place and so much more to explore there.

We were all glad to be back home. 

On to the next adventure!

Park-Er

In 2020 we purchased an old church shuttle bus to convert to an RV, this is our retirement plan. We spent 3 years (we are slow) converting her and are just beginning our travel adventures. 

We might be crazy, 2 old people traveling with 2 large dogs and a cat but we think we have it all under control we will see. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking since we have built Park-Er to be totally self sufficient for at least 2 weeks at a time. She has 1200 watts of solar on the roof, a solar generator to power everything, toilet/shower, kitchen, living space and a bedroom. Our own retirement home on wheels.

Wish us luck and make sure you check the website, blog, youtube, facebook and instagram for all of our updates.

Park-Er

In 2020 we purchased an old church shuttle bus to convert to an RV, this is our retirement plan. We spent 3 years (we are slow) converting her and are just beginning our travel adventures. 

We might be crazy, 2 old people traveling with 2 large dogs and a cat but we think we have it all under control we will see. We plan on doing a lot of boondocking since we have built Park-Er to be totally self sufficient for at least 2 weeks at a time. She has 1200 watts of solar on the roof, a solar generator to power everything, toilet/shower, kitchen, living space and a bedroom. Our own retirement home on wheels.

Wish us luck and make sure you check the website, blog, youtube, facebook and instagram for all of our updates.

Keep the Stories

Returning to the blog.

Wow it has been almost 2 years since I even looked at this. So, I guess I'm going on 2 years as being an orphan as well. The Holidays have passed, a bit easier than last year but still not the same. Especially Thanksgiving, that is a tough one, Halloween, they loved to dress up and go to Halloween parties. The 4th of July, Mom loved the 4th - Parades, Family, Fireworks what could be better.

When I stop to think about the last 4 years, it all seems so overwhelming. The loss of a Parent is tough but to lose both in just 2 years and find yourself suddenly orphaned is life altering. The entire family dynamics change. In addition to my Parent's our family has also lost Aunts and Uncles, we only have 1 Uncle left.  What was once a plethora of Aunts and Uncles now is limited to just 1. I do try to keep it in perspective, I am a grown woman with a husband, a grown child and grandchildren. It is the natural progression that you parents pass away and you become the elder of the family. Elder, so weird, I don't even adult well so me being the elder is laughable.  I can't even imagine how a younger person deals with this, my parents both lost their parents when they were young. My Mother lost her Father when she was a teen and her Mother when she was in her 30's. My Dad was in his early 20's when he lost his Father and 30's when he lost his Mother. I can't help but think that altered them somehow. Then of course I know people who have lost both parents when they were children, so I do feel blessed that my parents were around until I was in my 50's. 

I like talking about them, looking at their pictures, remembering the stories.  I am trying to find a way to keep them around in memory. I don't want my Grandchildren to forget them, they were to special. I need to start writing down the stories, the stories that make our family our family. You know not only who, what and where’s but the stories that show the personalities. They were larger than life. I try and somehow the words just don't do them justice but I need to do it so they are recorded for future generations. I obsess about remembering the stories, that is what I do, I guess that is why Mom called me the keeper or the papers.  Somewhere is a past life I must have been a story teller or maybe that is what I yearn to be. Those that know me know I always have a story, and those that know me often wish I would just shut up for once, seriously. I guess I know where my Granddaughter Chloe gets it from, well I for one hope she never loses that. I try to share the stories with Chloe, but for the moment, she really only cares about her own stories. 

I have my Grandmother's old postcards, and the ones I love the most are not the ones she collected that are blank but the ones that were sent either from her or to her because they capture the personality of the person in about 5 lines. Wish you were here, we had the best beer at this restaurant. Wish you were here, caught the biggest fish. I guess some would look at them and say it is a postcard, but when I read them I imagine the person in my head and those 5 lives give be a small glimpse of them. You can tell the ones that were real cards, the ones that were way to serious, the ones that loved beer and those that just loved the adventure. Even the card they sent tells about them, the ones that loved off colored jokes always pick that type of post card to send. See there I go, a story about postcards.

Well 2019 is just around the corner. I am going to really make an effort to write down the stories. I am also going to work on making new stories.

Happy New Year to all, make it the best year ever.

Keep the Stories

Returning to the blog.

Wow it has been almost 2 years since I even looked at this. So, I guess I'm going on 2 years as being an orphan as well. The Holidays have passed, a bit easier than last year but still not the same. Especially Thanksgiving, that is a tough one, Halloween, they loved to dress up and go to Halloween parties. The 4th of July, Mom loved the 4th - Parades, Family, Fireworks what could be better.

When I stop to think about the last 4 years, it all seems so overwhelming. The loss of a Parent is tough but to lose both in just 2 years and find yourself suddenly orphaned is life altering. The entire family dynamics change. In addition to my Parent's our family has also lost Aunts and Uncles, we only have 1 Uncle left.  What was once a plethora of Aunts and Uncles now is limited to just 1. I do try to keep it in perspective, I am a grown woman with a husband, a grown child and grandchildren. It is the natural progression that you parents pass away and you become the elder of the family. Elder, so weird, I don't even adult well so me being the elder is laughable.  I can't even imagine how a younger person deals with this, my parents both lost their parents when they were young. My Mother lost her Father when she was a teen and her Mother when she was in her 30's. My Dad was in his early 20's when he lost his Father and 30's when he lost his Mother. I can't help but think that altered them somehow. Then of course I know people who have lost both parents when they were children, so I do feel blessed that my parents were around until I was in my 50's. 

I like talking about them, looking at their pictures, remembering the stories.  I am trying to find a way to keep them around in memory. I don't want my Grandchildren to forget them, they were to special. I need to start writing down the stories, the stories that make our family our family. You know not only who, what and where’s but the stories that show the personalities. They were larger than life. I try and somehow the words just don't do them justice but I need to do it so they are recorded for future generations. I obsess about remembering the stories, that is what I do, I guess that is why Mom called me the keeper or the papers.  Somewhere is a past life I must have been a story teller or maybe that is what I yearn to be. Those that know me know I always have a story, and those that know me often wish I would just shut up for once, seriously. I guess I know where my Granddaughter Chloe gets it from, well I for one hope she never loses that. I try to share the stories with Chloe, but for the moment, she really only cares about her own stories. 

I have my Grandmother's old postcards, and the ones I love the most are not the ones she collected that are blank but the ones that were sent either from her or to her because they capture the personality of the person in about 5 lines. Wish you were here, we had the best beer at this restaurant. Wish you were here, caught the biggest fish. I guess some would look at them and say it is a postcard, but when I read them I imagine the person in my head and those 5 lives give be a small glimpse of them. You can tell the ones that were real cards, the ones that were way to serious, the ones that loved beer and those that just loved the adventure. Even the card they sent tells about them, the ones that loved off colored jokes always pick that type of post card to send. See there I go, a story about postcards.

Well 2019 is just around the corner. I am going to really make an effort to write down the stories. I am also going to work on making new stories.

Happy New Year to all, make it the best year ever.

Mom's Battle

Where to begin ? My Mom she was an incredible person. Mom was diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in May of 2015, she put up an amazing fight for over a year but in the end it was just to much to overcome and she passed away on June 16, 2016. I kept saying it was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because we had a year with her and even though the possibilities were slim, there was a possibility that she would beat it. If anyone could do it Mom could. It was a curse because in the end, when we knew that the fight was over, we had to face the facts that this was the end and as hard as it was we quietly asked Mom to stop fighting, be at peace, and move on.

Good-Bye, it is time to go, those are very hard words to say. What you really want to scream is please stay I'm not ready to give you up yet.

I hope that in the end Mom realized how loved she was by so many. Mom drove a school bus for 30 years, her kids loved her. She retired 20 years ago and even after all that time there are kids that still remember her when she drove their bus, some of these kids are 50+ but they remember her and reached out at the end of her life to tell her they had fond memories of her. That is pretty special.

Mom, the life of the party, ready for an adventure. She was a very social person, if there was a group to belong too she belonged. We were asked by the Preacher for one word to describe Mom, well that is hard just one, there are so many to choose from. Funny, loving, social, memorable, where do you begin. One world "altruistic" for as long as I remember Mom was always doing something for somebody it may be a small thing or a big thing but she was always doing something. She belonged to many organizations, all of which did something for others. Even her camping club did something for others. As a kid it would drive me crazy but looking back it was just who she was, it is what made her happy.

I will end this on a final story, one that epitomizes my Mom's nature. On my birthday this year we all went out to eat and I picked a restaurant that served chicken and dumplings, a dish I love. Well the chicken and dumplings were not all that fabulous, not bad, just not great. I was a little disappointed. So my Mom who really was not feeling well at all made me chicken and dumplings, it took her like a whole week to make them but she did it. So she calls me up to come eat dinner with her and she happily spoons the chicken an dumplings on my plate and in that one moment everything was good, we didn't think about cancer or her feeling bad we just enjoyed the chicken and dumplings. It was a good day.