Summer Trip 2023
Map of the Trip
| Day Date This is older stuff getting its time in the 'spotlight' 
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| Monday 07/03/23 It looks like I'll be there tomorrow probably mid-afternoon. I'll let you know tonight |
| Sunday 07/01/23 |
| Saturday 07/01/23 How is the air quality around there? At a rest area in the Smokie Mountains just after a rain so low humidity, 64f, almost heaven. Heading towards Lexington, hopefully in Ohio tomorrow. The car temperature reading was 64f. The weather site says a low of 71f. The truth is somewhere between but after the past 3 days it is damn comfortable. |
| Friday 06/30/23 I can't handle the heat and humidity in South Carolina. I will be heading up North. Are you going to be around? |
 Sunday 06/25/23 I think I'm at Cane Creek Recreation Area, <15 miles off I-40, maybe 100 miles west of Little Rock. I pulled in during a rain/hail downpour and everything is soggy. The faded sign says park closes at 10:00 except for campers and fishermen. Two cars with boat trailers are the only other occupants. I've decided to head for Jason's and get the van checked out before heading to Ohio and Michigan. Going to meet with cousin Ruth then go up to Scott's and contribute what I can to |
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Saturday 06/24/23
This place is a real dirt bath. Maybe I can find access to the Pacos River and rince myself off a bit before I find a nice hot springs.
I'll look for another location tomorrow. I was functioning on 1.5 hours of sleep last night, and a 30 minute nap I took at a National Historical Marker on the way up here.
This looks good for tonight but it's only about 10 yards from the dirt road and every car that goes by envelopes me in a cloud of dirt/dust. And zero cell servivce. |
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Friday 06/23/23 I'm going to be in Chibola National Forest for a few days. Internet coverage is spotty. This is east of Albuquerque New Mexico. Major change of plans. I talked with the guy that man's the lookout tower and now I'm heading north to the Los Vagas NM area. I was within about a 100 yd of the tower or 3/4 of a mile taking the he advised against. It was the rocks that had worn their way through the dirt and created 1 to 2' ledges to climb up. The van might make it but not with the lift on the back. I wish now I had taken a picture of the "road"  |
  Wednesday 06/14/23 Good roads into this area just South of Flagstaff make it easy for large rigs and trailers to get some secluded camping in. Everybody is fairly while spread out. It's like sleeping on an estate it's so devoid of undergrowth. If you try you can see my neighbors from the back of my Van. After several sites with no Internet I chose one specifically because of the Internet. I do have Internet but I can't use my phone for some reason. It appears I have internet connection but I only have 1.5 GB of data left until the 1st at midnight. I'm thinking of switching to Mint Mobile for the 40 GB of data. Anyone have any feedback re: Mint Mobile. |
  Sunday 06/11/23 I'm South of Kingman, west of Flagstaff and NW of Phoenix. On I Overlander its listed as "Griffith Rd BLM" I came through several washes to get here. I hope the rain that seems to be moving in doesn't cut me off back here. |
 Monday 06/05/23 It took me a while to find F Reservoir. I was told it was about 10 miles past the Duncan turn off down the main road (access road 46). Actually it was 4 miles to a right turn, then 6 miles to F Reservoir. I found a nice water view site by turning just before the campground sign. I didn't see but maybe three other sites but I was told it had six, well spread out over a reasonably large area. This is a beautiful location, one of those places you hope doesn't get trashed when more people find out about it. |
 Day Time Date My intention was to spend one night at F Reservoir but I don't think I can find another camping spot that matches what I would be looking for any better. I had returned to the Duncan Reservoir to find a large Class A towing a Jeep filling a third of the area. I only went there to get the a photo of the sign anyway |
 Day Time Date The silence was covered up by a heavy drizzle of rain for the first few hours after darkness moved in. I slept through the entire night, something I haven't done in a long time. Sitting outside my van eating breakfast in the early morning it felt like the area had been enveloped by a 6 to 10 inch blanket of "hush". The quiet was almost visible. I thought it shameful I was the only one appreciating all this raw undisturbed nature. On que campers arrived. I heard 4 vehicles within an hour but I could only see one small camping trailer about 100-150 feet away so I took the opportunity to explore on my lectric bike. The camping trailer werre the only other occupants. He spoke as I rode by (good camping etiquette) and asked how long I'd been there and if anyone else had been around. He and his wife had come to spend the afternoon fishing but after less than an hour, his wife, who isn't a big fan of camping, asked if they could stay for a few days. It was their first outing since he broke his neck in five places. We shared broken neck stories, his ending with a steel plate added to his profile. His white camper is barely visible from here. |
 Day Time Date I added 5 miles to my bike total this morning and experienced more of F Reservoir. Just outside the camp, and to the left, as you're coming in, is a large area with two fire rings inside the loop. Plenty of room for a larger group. A little further, on the same side, is a turnoff that has two turn outs for camping. The area is in the process of being thinned out. However, just past the second cattle guard as you're leaving, or about a half mile past the blue cattle guard as you come in, is another gem of a primitive camping area. Maybe 6 more campsites are spread out along the water. Both this location and the on I'm in on the other side of the water have toilet facilities, no running water. |
 Day Time Date When I returned from my ride, there were three small 1 person fishing boats fishing my coastline. I'm not sure what they are called but they looked like inflatable canoes or kayaks. They are personal sized fishing boats. It has mostly been raining today. I was able to get a hot meal in and the bike covered before it started. I've been able to thumb peck some overdue communication while the ground a was getting good gentle soaking. While closed off inside my van a new arrival has been added to the community. He moved from the large area to the left, somewhere into this section. It's getting crowded but it still has that post-rain blanket of hush all around. I've decided to stay at F Reservoir (Modoc National Forest) for a few days. |
   Day Time Date Sunday 04/09/23 We were about 100 miles down the Natchez Trace and had to go back to South Carolina for repairs. My son replaced a bad RF axel. I'm so fortunate. That set me back about 3 days and I felt rushed the whole trip. Got to places I never would have gone on my own. I intend to put together a trip recap and pictures to go with it. After the next 3 or 4 weeks I will be traveling with no destination or deadline. I hope to provide current location and activities, or lack of, every few days. |
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Tuesday 03/21/23 I slept in the parking lot of the Amtrack station in Columbia S.C. waiting for my friend Mike to arrive from Ohio. He will be my navigator and travel partner for the next month. He arrived at 0430 and after a brief rest at a 24 hour Krogers and a stop at a Verizon store to activate Mike's tablet our trip began. Congree National Park is one of the lesser visited National Parks that was close to our starting point. It has the largest expanse of old growth hardwood trees in the Southeast United States. Being that the waters of Congree and Wateree Rivers flows through this floodplain, and we had no canoe, a stroll on a boardwalk allowed Mike a close-up view of the nutrient rich waters and the remarkable trees that the waters nourish. |
  Thursday 02/16/23 I have 97000 miles on the van and there are few BLM/Forrest Service lands (free camping) east of the Mississippi. Mike is trying to check off as many National Parks as he can. That covers half the gas and any paid campgrounds he wants to stay at. This is an initial rough estimate. I think Mike is doing a map. Will keep you updated |