Adventures

Snapshots from the Blue Ridge

September 24, 2020 | 4 Comments

When I was growing up, the phrase “Blue Ridge Mountains” somehow sounded magical to me. Now that I’ve wandered up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Ridge Mountains, it still makes me smile to see that phrase on a sign. Maybe it’s my personal version of the Magic Kingdom.

Today’s post, then, features images I’ve taken this summer that didn’t make it into any earlier post.

This type of fence is all over the mountains and I haven’t met one yet that I didn’t want to take a picture of. The more weathered the wood, the better. And the lushness of the hillside, even in late August, is definitely magical to someone like me, who grew up with dried brown hillsides and desert landscapes.

I sent this photo to my horse-loving friend, Sue, and then felt it deserved a wider audience. Those horses sure have the life, out in the warm sun on a beautiful day.

When I pulled off the Parkway to visit friends in southern Virginia a few weeks ago, it was haying season. I had fun taking way too many photos of hay bales in the late afternoon sun. In the end this tractor sitting in the field was the one I liked best.

Across from the small post office in Roan Mountain, Tennessee, this old store building stands. Long deserted, it has much lonely company in small towns up and down the parkway. The pandemic has hit those towns hard. I worry what will survive.

One of the places closing down is the old hardware store in Floyd, Virginia. We checked out the remaining goods on offer, but it was this rack of rakes and shovels outside that caught my eye.

Small towns and two-lane roads are the heart of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I’ve been lucky to have spent the last three years driving and exploring it. Despite the economic challenges this area faces, I still think it’s a magical stretch of America.

It is probably a pity that every citizen of each state cannot visit all the others, to see the differences, to learn what we have in common, and come back with a richer, fuller understanding of America – in all its beauty, in all its dignity, in all its strength, in support of moral principles.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Campground Review: Grindstone

September 17, 2020 | 3 Comments

After two stops that were 14 days each, spending a quick four nights at Grindstone Recreation Area was a different experience. No awning, no firepit, and one tank of fresh water lasted me the entire stay. I snagged Site 51 a few months ago, which was a big, semi-private site. It was one of the better sites for socially distanced camping: no neighbors on one side, far off neighbors on the other, and loads of trees out the back window. It was also was a long site, so I could have put another Ridgeline and a half in front of where my Ridgeline is in the photo below.

I’m usually a very healthy person, but 2020 hasn’t been keeping that trend going. The flu shot I got on Sep 1st seems to be kicking my butt as far as muscle soreness goes, so between that and a pissed off hamstring (no idea what happened there…), I limited myself to short walks around the campground and less than 30 minutes hikes on the nature trail loop and the start of the trail up to Mount Rogers.

Even with those constraints, the campground was quite enjoyable. I sat outside reading for a few hours each day and finished off three different library e-books in my four day stay. Not having internet at my beck and call means I read more, apparently 🙂

I also took a fair amount of photos, most of them playing with the light coming through the trees at various times of day. You might see more of this in a different post within the next week…

I did need to get on the Internet one day, so I drove east to Route 58. Found AT&T signal about 10 miles into the jaunt, and parked at Grayson Highlands School to connect. Bonus: the storm came and went while I was sitting inside my pickup, so I didn’t have to drive in the rain.

A few weeks ago, I was at Grayson Highlands State Park, which is due south of Grindstone and on the opposite side of Mount Rogers. Grindstone feels more remote, and quieter because the campsites are more spread out than at Grayson Highlands. Either one, though, makes for a very cool and soothing mountain getaway.

Grindstone Recreation Area (USDA Forest Service)

Site 51 is big, has privacy and close to the bath house. Sites 49 and 47 are also nice, and slightly sunnier spots. If you have dogs, site 52 backs onto a grassy area good for letting them play. Reserve at recreation.gov.
Services: electric/water, one dump station, bath houses with showers and toilets. No recycling 🙁
Zero cell signal, zero wifi. Nearest signal is about 10 miles south.
Groceries: 45 minutes to the Food Lion in Damascas. 60 minutes to the Walmart in Abingdon. Both places have gas station; Abingdon also has a Lowe’s Hardware.

The country does what the city cannot. It quietens the mind and brings simplicity into one’s life. The city does what the country cannot. It enlivens the mind and brings culture into one’s life.

Donna Goddard

Campground Review: Roan Mountain

September 15, 2020 | 5 Comments

Roan Mountain is one of the jewels of the Tennessee state park system, according to their website. After staying a full 14 days, I’d mostly have to agree with that assessment. A couple hours drive north from Asheville, NC or a an hour south from Bristol (VA or TN), and you’re in the middle of a forested campground with hiking trails, the Doe River, and a short, beautiful drive to Carver’s Gap and the Appalachian Trail.

My favorite trail was the short one down from my campsite and along the Doe River as it ran down from the mountain and through the campground. I hiked it every day just to see the changes in the river, the light, and the leaves at different times of day.

I bounced around the campground, staying in three different spots in one of the upper loops. I wouldn’t normally do that, but when it’s Labor Day weekend, even vagabonds can’t magic the perfect campsite. For that three-day weekend, I perched in a tiny spot with my truck parallel to my trailer. It was probably a van site, but with a 17-foot trailer, I can fit into a lot of small spots and the campground hosts were cool with it.

I did a few longer hikes and was amazed by the amount of rhododendrens. This park is part of the big rhododendren festival in June and I would love to see that some time. Walking the trails then must be like drifting through flower beds.

My friend Scott came up for a couple of days with his (new to him) RV and we had campfire and conversation, along with a bit of a hike along the AT. We ended the day by checking out the visitor center, where I learned that John Muir himself had stayed at a now-gone hotel at Roan Mountain.

There’s lots to do here, from hikes to day trips to Boone, NC, to simply sitting outside and reading away the afternoon. This was my second time at Roan Mountain, and I wasn’t disappointed at all in my return trip. Even the overcrowded Labor Day weekend was worth it.

Roan Mountain STATE PARK (TN STATE PARKS)

Site 50, site 88, site 48. 48 is the best of the three, dark at night and quiet part of the loop. Big rigs and Class A RVs are not suitable for upper loops and should stay in the lower loop. Reserve at TN State Parks.
Services: electric/water, one dump station, bath houses with showers and toilets. Recycling in lower loop.
Zero cell signal, but great FREE campground wifi.
Groceries: 15 minutes to the Dollar General, which has a fair selection of groceries (but no fresh fruit or veg). 30-40 minutes to Elizabethton, where you have Food Lion and Walmart.

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home…

John Muir

VA: Grayson Highlands State Park

August 29, 2020 | 9 Comments

As crazy as it might sound for a full-time vagabond, I really needed a vacation by mid-August. I’m sure we can all agree that 2020 has been a hella weird year. From my own personal drama of the sway accident and aftermath to the worldwide pandemic, it’s been an unpredictable year and a stressful one. I had been aiming for Grayson Highlands State Park all summer, longing for the cooler temperatures and the remoteness of the place. Finally, I had arrived for 14 glorious nights. Yay!

I did some photography while I was here (of course) and decided I’d put this image first because it was my favorite from the time here. The forest here is quite dense, with a lot of underbrush. In this photo, I was trying to capture that density but show it also lets the light in quite well.

After two nights in a smaller spot, I arranged to move to this longer one when the current resident moved out. GH is one of the few remaining VA campgrounds that has non-specific reservations: you reserve a water/electric site and it’s one of a group of 10-12 sites. When you arrive at the campground, you can take any of the available sites in that group. Which meant I moved after two days to a better site. Worth it, both because there was no one on one side and it had the best ATT reception in the park. I could actually do phone calls from here, whee!

I also did campfires and watched the sunlight fade through the trees. And listened to the chorus of cicadas of high in the trees, the nightly lullaby of a Southern summer.

If you look closely in that clearing down the hill, there’s a power pole and I’m pretty sure it has an ATT something on it because the ATT reception is all at this end of the campground.

I did a lot of short hikes and returned over and over to one trail that had so much to look at with camera in hand. The last day, though, I went out to see the ponies and the views from the top of this short hill. You can scramble over those rocks to get some really good panoramas. The cover photo for this post was taken from there, looking east.

The park has wild ponies, originally part of the herd from Chincoteague. There are signs that say “enjoy the ponies from a safe distance.” In the top photo, everyone is doing well with distancing themselves from the ponies. Good job, hikers!

In the bottom photo (directly above), people are NOT doing good. These two groups were literally chasing the ponies, petting them, and posing for photo ops. It seemed indicative of 2020 that it was all about THEIR photos and THEIR need to pet the ponies, rather than what was good for the ponies and colts. I walked away, shaking my head and wondering why people can’t just do the right thing.

After fourteen quiet and relaxing nights, it was time to move on to the next spot. But before I go, I have to feature one of my favorite trees in the whole of Virginia.

Yes, the tree has grown up around a huge rock. It used to be one solid rock but over time, the tree has split it into four different sections. There’s something about that tree: the persistence of growing exactly where it wants to and doing its level best to ignore that rock.

Go, tree! You might be just the symbol we need for 2020.

Grayson Highlands State Park (VA State Parks)

Site 63 for 2 nights then site 29 for 12 nights. Reserve through reserveamerica.com website.
Services: electric/water, one dump station, two bath houses with showers and toilets. No recycling 🙁
Cell service: Verizon (none), ATT (decent signal around sites 25-29.
Groceries: 15 minutes to the local general store. It has a decent selection of food and drink, including some fresh produce in season. 45 minutes to Walmart or other stores in West Jefferson (south, in NC) or Abington (north, in VA).

Traveling is like flirting with life. It’s like saying, “I would stay and love you, but I have to go; this is my station.”

Lisa St. Aubin de Teran

VA: Warrior Creek Campground

August 18, 2020 | 6 Comments

One of the best kept secrets in camping is that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (or USACE, as my friend, Francis, pointed out) has a whole network of campgrounds, mostly located near or on reservoirs created by dam projects they’ve run. Almost all of them feature big sites, electric and water hookups, and easy access to watersports. I’ve camped in USACE campgrounds from Idaho to Virginia and every single one of them has been a nice experience. For those interested, you can make reservations at them through the recreation.gov website.

I bring this up because last week my campground was indeed a USACE spot, next to the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir (not to be confused with Kerr Lake farther east along the VA/NC border). There are actually three USACE campgrounds around the reservoir, but this one, Warrior Creek, was the only one that had a Saturday night opening. That was my only requirement, to be honest. I had gotten canceled out of my original five nights at Pisgah campground near Asheville, so I needed a Saturday spot PRONTO because August camping is cutthroat when it comes to weekend reservations.

I arrived Saturday mid-day, and got a little surprise. The spot described as “shady” was actually shady only in the early morning and late afternoon. In between, the sun was merciless, beating down on my tin can of a trailer with a vengeance. I survived one hot afternoon and then switched sites on Sunday to a shady little spot across the road. It was definitely worth the packing up and hitching up to move 200 yards!

I did have the awning up but the rain was coming so I took it down before I remembered to take the photo of my site.

There’s always surprises in the vagabond life, some pleasant, like a shady site, and some not so pleasant, like a slight case of food poisoning. Let’s just say it will be a long time before I buy another onion… I was kind of wiped out most of the week, so although there was a nice boat ramp and kayak potential, I didn’t engage in paddling at this stop.

The other surprise was the heat and humidity. Coming down from the cool mountains back to semi-flatlands country had not been my original plan. Daily highs here at Warrior Creek were in the low 90s and I was not thrilled with this development. But, sometimes, the vagabond has to go where there’s room, not where there are cooler temps.

I did fit in some short trail hikes and took full advantage of the paved roads to get my morning constiutional in before I started feeling nauseous and feeling the heat and humidity.

At the end of the loop was a bit of water that made for some nice views. Not sure if it was some of the reservoir or a separate lake, but it was enjoyable regardless.

With only five nights here, I didn’t actually take a lot of photos. But I did have a favorite one…

Warrior Creek USACE Campground

Site 30, then site 24. Mostly level, loose rock surfacing. The campground has two RV-specific loops, from #22 on up. Site 53 and then 54 would be my choices in the one loop. Site 25 is definitely the first prize spot in the other loop. Reserve through recreation.gov website.
Services: electric/water, two dump stations, one bath house in the upper loop, vault toilets in both loops.
Cell service: Verizon (two bars without any antenna), ATT (none, not even voice).
Groceries: All the stores are in Wilkesboro, about a 15 minute drive east.
Boat launch in the campground.

Improvisation is the power of spontaneous observation.

Wyatt Pringle

NC: Lake Powhatan Campground

August 11, 2020 | 14 Comments

I love Asheville as a place to visit. It’s got all the big-name stores, an independent bookseller, some fun shops to wander around downtown, and ton of great restaurants. When I booked Powhatan for a week, I was thinking of all these things. I definitely wasn’t thinking of how it would be to visit when COVID-19 was in the picture. But here we are…

So I mostly hiked around, took photos, and read books. I did get to Barnes and Noble for a brief sojourn into normalcy, if everyone wearing masks and working hard to stay 6 feet apart is normal. I guess it is these days. Less normal was the restriction against campground visitors, so I had to improvise to meet up with a few friends in the area. Lunch at a local park, dinner at their house, it all worked out okay.

This time, my fourth at Powhatan, I was on Site 43 in the lakeside loop. Technically, the loop isn’t really lakeside at all, it’s about a five minute walk to the actual lake but this is the loop closest to the lake so maybe that’s what they meant.

My site was, to put it politely, seriously sloped. And it was narrow. So narrow that if I had backed in, my front door would be less than 2 feet from the wall of bushes and trees that defined the edge of the campsite. So this became one of those times I was really happy to have my little Caravan Mover on the Alto. It lets me drive the trailer anywhere I want, and putting it sideways was what worked best for this challenging site. Check out the number of plastic stabilizer pads (those orange things under the trailer wheel) that I had to use to get “level enough” that the water would drain out of the sink and shower!

This was also the first test for the new Gazelle shelter I bought a few months ago. It’s lighter and slightly smaller than my previous Clam shelter, so it fits down the side of the truck bed perfectly. Just as easy to set up and take down as the Clam, so I’m pretty happy with it.

One of the best things about being at Powhatan was the cooler temperatures. I actually wore a sweatshirt for about ten minutes of one morning walk, which felt wonderful. Fog also gave things a different look and discouraged swimmers from showing up too early in the day. Yes, there is a swimming beach and it was quite popular with both kids and mountain bikers.

The other end of the lake has a beautiful waterfall going over the concrete dam, and I was quite obsessed with the contrast of streaming water and still lake. My morning walks usually took me on the Lakeside trail loop so I’d take a few minutes and stand above the waterfall trying to get a good shot.

One of the challenges of being a full-timer is getting physical mail delivered. I enrolled in Medicare last month and the card arrived in the mail at my box in Tallahassee. I had it forwarded to my friend, Holly, who lived close enough to Asheville to come up for lunch twice. The first time, she delivered the card. The second time, she brought her laminator and generator and fired them up to provide me with a nicely laminated Medicare card. Doesn’t everyone keep a generator in their pickup? I know I do, and Holly does too 🙂

Holly’s mobile laminating service in action

While this time around at Powhatan was definitely different thanks to the pandemic, I still enjoyed my week. Cool temps, some good thunderstorms, excellent hiking trails, and lots of photography opportunities. What’s not to like about all that?

Lake Powhatan Campground (recreation.gov)

Site 43. Not at all level any way I tried, but I managed. All sites in the Lakeside loop have full hookups, but you may need more than 1 hose to reach the sewer hookup.
Services: electric/water/sewer, dump station, individual toilets and showers.
Cell service: Verizon (very weak, required hotspot and Weboost antenna), ATT (none)
Groceries: Ingles 10 minutes up Hwy 191. Lots of stores in Asheville!
Boat launch on French Broad River down Hwy 191. (I didn’t go, just noticed it was there.)

I have not quite come to terms with the brevity that people crave as they dash through life, flitting from one thing to another.

Mala Naidoo

SC: Table Rock State Park

August 5, 2020 | 2 Comments

This round of the vagabond life, I’m trying to stay longer in places. Move less, drive less, relax more. The first few stays were 2-4 nights, just getting up to the mountains without rushing it. With this stop, I’m officially in the mountains, on the southern edge of the Blue Ridge mountains. Hard up against the border between South and North Carolina, I’m staying at popular Table Rock State Park.

The campground has an lower loop open to anyone and an upper loop, where the sign warns against big rigs. Some people know their limits, and others drive their school bus right up that narrow road and make it into a spot. Some clever (and not so clever) backing up is required if you’re longer than 28 feet and want to get into a spot on the upper loop and make the narrow, winding turns. No problem with my 17-foot Alto, though!

My stay was in two different campsites since I reserved late enough beggars couldn’t be choosers. I lucked out with my first spot, a pull-through (no backing!) that was one of the more private sites in the campground. I ended up trading a few nights at the other spot for a few more nights here since someone had canceled out at the last minute.

Pickup truck and trailer in campsite — Luna and Breeze enjoying Site 40 for five nights

Being back in the mountains means thunderstorms in the afternoon or evening. It can be blue skies and white puffy clouds at 10AM but by 5 or 6PM, the sky grew darker and then the clouds opened up on us. One afternoon, I was reorganizing stuff in the back of the pickup and noticed the light disappearing. I heard what I thought was wind coming from over the ridge towards me and started for the trailer. The sound made its way through the trees, slowly enough I stopped and looked up the mountain at it. Just before it got to me, I realized that sound was rain, not wind! I’d never heard rain sweeping through a forest before. It was a magical moment!

Forest scene — The view out my front door for five nights

There’s a lot to do at Table Rock, from rented kayaks at the little lake nearest the campground to a boat launch for us “bring your own” kayakers across Highway 11. Lake Oolenoy had a gentle breeze and a backwater to explore, where I surprised a blue heron who then surprised me. Hereons are skittish things and I never manage to get a good shot of them. So just imaging a big blue bird taking flight about 20 feet away in the photo below, and that’s what happened.

Trails abound, from short strolls to day-long ventures up Table Mountain or along the Palmetto Trail. There were no bear warning signs, either at check-in or at the trailheads, in case you worry about that sort of thing.

My favorite trail was the two-mile CCC Lakeside Loop, which winds around Carrick Creek, past a concrete dam with a waterfall on the other side of it, and opens out into some beautiful water vistas, including one of Table Mountain. There are even benches along the way so you can sit and enjoy the views.

This was my last stop in South Carolina for a long while, and my fellow campers made it a memorable one. They were mostly locals from the looks of the license plates so they knew about the daily, pelting rain. Almost every tent sported some kind of tarp over it. Blue, red, yellow or white, tarps were creatively strung from trees, truck beds, and poles. The people next to me in two tents didn’t have tarps at all. After heavy rainfall throughout the night, they were gone when I looked out at 6AM.

Because of the humidity, box fans were a popular item to cool off people as they sat in front of their campfires. Yes, campfires. It might have been over 80F every afternoon, but South Carolina people apparently believe it’s not camping without a fire. I’ve noticed this at most of the SC parks I’ve visited. I can’t figure out if this campfire thing is genetic or it’s a mandatory lesson in schools to get ‘em while they’re young.

Table Rock State Park (South Carolina State Parks)

Sites 40 and 32. One of the most unlevel set of sites I’ve ever seen, and that’s saying something. Throw the 2×4 chunks in the back, you’ll need them to level out the trailer here. While you’re at it, you might as well throw in a box fan or two if it’s summertime 🙂
Services: electric, water, dump station, bath houses, laundry machines (free!) at the camp store
Cell service: Verizon (very weak, but hotspot-doable), ATT (nada)
Groceries: Ingles and Walmart down in Pickens, about a 15 minute drive one-way.
Boat launch across the highway

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.

Matsuo Basho

SC: Modoc Campground

July 28, 2020 | 3 Comments

This is my second visit to Modoc and I’m almost afraid to share this gem of a campground. Situated on the east bank of Lake Strom Thurmond (no, I’m not kidding, they really named a lake after a segregationist), there are 60+ sites, all except one with electric and water hookups. And if you get lucky, your site will be a gentle slope or set of steps down to the water…

…meaning you can launch a kayak right from your site. For me, this is the best feature of any campsite. This was me the first evening, after dinner, just before sunset.

The sad part of this trip was that it was 94F in the shade around these parts, so I only stayed two nights before continuing my northward journey to the mountains. Still, Modoc is a lovely place to get away from it all.

Four separate loops to walk around, which is good because there aren’t any hiking trails to speak of. If you’re at Modoc, you’re here because of the lake: fishing, powerboats, jet skis, and the occasional kayak or canoe. If you don’t have some kind of watercraft here, people will probably look at you as an oddball. Me, I set up my kayak as soon as I made camp so I had my “lake credentials” on display.

Someday, I’ll stay at Site 11 in cool weather and feel like I’m at the end of world. It is the only site with water, but no electric hookups. And it’s usually booked months in advance. It was empty this trip so I got to walk around and see the views. This site is definitely on my bucket list.

So, in summary: middle of nowhere, great lakeside sites, hot and humid in summer. Still worth the trip.

Modoc Campground (Corps of Engineers)

Site 58. Many sites have slopes down to the water. Half pull-through sites, half back-in sites. Well-spaced except for some double-type sites. Choose wisely.
Services: electric, water, dump station, bath houses, laundry machines
Cell service: Verizon (tower next to campground), ATT (nada)
Groceries: Dollar General less than a mile north. Closest gas is about 5 miles south. Augusta, GA is about 30 minutes away.
Boat launch on site
Discounts: Use the National Parks senior pass for 50% off site reservations.

South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.

James L. Petigru

GA: Skidaway Island State Park

July 23, 2020 | 14 Comments

This is my fourth visit to Skidaway Island State Park, and I had grand plans to visit the long lane of live oaks at Wormslow, kayak along the backside of the park and look for birds, and pick up some BBQ at the local joint I like so much. But — and this is a huge but here — I had never visited Skidaway in high summer. It’s actually hella hot and humid and I was completely disincented to go much of anywhere, to be honest. The daily highs are low 90s and the low on Tuesday morning (THE LOW) was 79F. This is not weather meant for human existence, and I will die on that hill if I have to.

Looks pretty. Does not look hot. But it is.

Glamper Girl

Just walking a half hour on the campground roads on Saturday afternoon got me a bit woozy so I adjusted my plans accordingly. Which essentially meant sucking up to the wonderful A/C unit in my trailer and taking care of inside business. Blog posts, some contract work — you know, the stuff you can do inside sitting in lovely air-conditioned comfort. That’s what I’m talking about. Call me a glamper, I’ll cop to that every single day it’s over 90F in the shade.

This dude was not social distancing himself from my back window. But he was masked so I’ll give him a B for effort.

Skidaway is lovely: live oaks and spanish moss, beautiful blue skies with white puffy clouds. Not a hint of rain in the four days I was here. I kind of wished for some, hoping it would break the humidity but apparently we’re all under the “humidity dome” on the east coast and that means sweltering in place.

My favorite view: inside, enjoying the outside through my big front window.

Campground Report

The campground has large, well-spaced sites, most of them pull-throughs, so easy in and out. And far away from the other spots, which is just the way I like it right now. By Tuesday, the last of the long weekenders had left and there were exactly 2 spots out of 5 occupied in my corner of the campground. Very quiet, which is just the way I like my campgrounds.

Nice site, pull-through, no one within 100 feet. Perfect for social distancing.

Mask Report

The mask situation here was a mixed bag. The rangers and campground workers all wore masks. The people at the local gas station did not. The shoppers at the Publix did, because there’s now a chain-wide requirement to wear them. I carried a mask in my pocket as I walked around, and I saw some others doing the same. With the park only about half full, I rarely run into other walkers though, so I walked mask-free in the mornings and evenings.

A deer illustrating correct social distancing.

Onward!

After four sweltering nights, it was time to pack up and move on. I have to admit, my routine is easier without the weight distribution bars (which won’t mean anything to you if you’re not a trailer owner, but that’s OK). I still sweated up a storm getting hitched up though, so my new strategy is to turn on the truck AC as soon as I start the hitching up. That way it’s cold when I hop inside, and I can spend a minute drying off and taking a cold drink before I put it in gear and head off to the dump station and then to new adventures.

But not before I stopped by the P.O. and mailed my absentee ballot. Register to vote, register to vote by mail (also called absentee ballot voting), and VOTE.

Skidaway Island State Park

Site 61. Most sites on the outside of the loops are well-spaced with good privacy; 66 and 56 would be my first choices. Most sites are heavily shaded, which is a bonus in hot weather. 2020 note: construction noise in the lowest numbered loop, so might want to avoid those spots!
Services: electric, water, dump station, laundry machines ($3.50 for wash + dry)
Cell service: Verizon (strong), ATT (almost useless)
Groceries: Publix 3 min, Gas 3 min, Post Office drop and several banks, 3 mins (all at the Village shopping center next to the state park).
Boat launch, 8 minutes away on the other side of the high bridge. Kayaks are also available to rent, at least on weekends.

Summer in the deep South is not only a season, a climate, it’s a dimension. Floating in it, one must either be proud or submerged.

Eugene F. Walter

FL: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

July 20, 2020 | 8 Comments

Note: When I started this vagabond life, I wrote weekly updates. After a few years, I moved on to occasional posts but they became pretty random. I’m trying something new this time around, borrowing the format my friend, Alissa, uses. She posts by campground, with details — good and bad — of the campground, the campsite, and the surrounding area. Seems like a good time to start doing new things, so here’s the first one of its kind. Oh, and here’s a link to Alissa’s travel blog.

When I finally got back on the road after 4.5 months, I didn’t go far. My first destination in this new round of adventures was a local one: Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, just south of Gainesville, in Micanopy (pronounced “MIK-i-NOH-pee” in case you’re wondering). My plan was to pull the trailer out of my friends’ side yard, get new trailer tires, and check in to the campground after a Walmart run. I figured that was enough activity for one day, considering the 90F inferno that is summer in Florida.

Hitching up the trailer to the Ridgeline is a bit different than hitching up to the Outback. It’s actually easier, since I don’t have weight distribution bars any more. The routine was just enough different that I worried I might forget something so I made a checklist on my iPhone. After all, it had been weeks since I had done what used to be second nature. Little mistakes can have big effects when towing, so I wanted to start off right.

Stocking Up

The new tires were on by 9:30AM so I had a few hours before I could show up at Paynes Prairie. Off to the local Walmart, then, to stock up on groceries. Every single person at Walmart was wearing a mask, 95% of them with nose and mouth both covered. Fear is a powerful motivator with infection and death rates on the rise here in Florida.

With a cart full of paper goods, staples, and perishables, it was time to figure out where to put everything. Oh, the joys of the Ridgeline! It holds three storage bins in the back seat and two in the truck bed, so stowing staples was a pleasure. The little fridge in the Alto, on the other hand, was stuffed to the brim. Closing the door involved a little dance of holding stuff in place till I could secure the door latch.

While the Alto was sitting in the parking lot with its solar panels exposed to the sun, I fired up the Victron solar controller app on my iPhone. I hadn’t done this since February, so I faced the inevitable software and firmware updates. Worth it, though, to see the panels were generating good wattage. Solar power was a GO.

I’m Back!

Paynes Prairie offers about 30 trailer/RV sites with water and electric and a dozen tent sites. While the park has two bath houses, I chose to use my own bathroom and shower in this time of pandemic.

I was pleased that I hadn’t forgotten my hard-won skill at backing into a site. I turned off the engine and stepped out to survey my home for the next three nights. After months of staying in a city, I was back in my element, surrounded by tall trees and bird singing. I grinned all afternoon, despite dripping sweat as I set up my campsite. I was so happy to back in my vagabond life, even if it was only 10 miles away from where I’d been.

I left the back window shade open that first night because there was thunder and lightning. (Yes, you can fall asleep during a thunderstorm. Well, I can.) The next morning, this was my view as I woke up. No more houses blocking the trees and central air units humming away. Just me forest bathing to start the day. Ahhhhh.

My morning walk took me down to the end of the road by the boat dock. I turned right onto a little path that led to an observation deck where I could survey the whole of the lake.

Oh, look, a gator having a morning swim. I knew from kayaking here earlier in the year that there were gators; you just don’t see them most of the time. The gator sighting combined with the oppressive heat made kayaking a zero-possibility activity for me this trip. I’ll wait till I’m out of gator country to do my paddling, thank you very much.

Lake Wauberg is a pretty spot if you don’t think about the gators…

Prep Time

Let’s be honest, I just threw stuff in the Alto when I moved out of the airbnb, so things were a mess. The truck has a huge amount of space compared to the Outback, so I wanted to figure out how best to store things in the bed and back seat. I’m an organizer at heart, so it was happy time for me getting everything sorted.

Remember those new tires? Before I did my first long stretch of towing, I wanted to check tire pressure and lug nuts. I unearthed my torque wrench and air compressor from the in-bed trunk and got to work. Lug nuts good, tire pressure a bit low so I pumped them up to spec. I also fixed up the hose tube that got crushed back in February. My main dump hose is stored on the back of the tongue; having a second hose is a “nice to have” for sites where the sewer hookup is far away. Trailer life is really just one long unending series of little maintenence tasks.

After three nights and a lot of prep work, Luna, Breeze, and I are ready to get out of Florida. Onward to Georgia, aiming for cooler climes in the next week or so.

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Site 8. Most sites on the outside of the loop are well-spaced with good privacy.
Services: electric, water, dump station
Cell service: Verizon (stronger), ATT (weaker)
Groceries: Publix 10 min (off I-75), Walmart 15 minutes (Gainesville)

The beginning is always today.

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

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