The thing about the campsite in Pisgah National Forest ~ no cell phone coverage! I was absolutely ok with that. It's good to unplug from the external and really allow oneself the silence to self-reflect. It was the morning I was to leave the area and I was wondering where I would be heading to next. That may sound scary or unresponsible (my word) to some but this is the way I was rolling. I say, "Ok, God, where to now?" and my phone makes a chirp sound like it received a message. At some point during my stay here and unaware to myself, I was being sent texts and phone messages. THE very first message I see is an address from Dorothy. She has friends in South Carolina where I might be able to stay for a bit as they also had a camper and 4 acres of land. This really isn't my kind of thing to just call someone up and say "Hey, I'm to southern SC and wondered if I could stop by" to a total stranger. However, because Jesus is our common denominator, in the end, that is exactly what took place. Dorthy, of course, made the initial introduction and Teresa and I took it from there. Off to Sumter, SC, I headed. Can you see the top of their white camper peaking behind my black trailer? God is so good! My hosts are such lovely people :-) I eventually arrived, again in the dark - ugh, and they even had a home-cooked meal prepared that they invited me to eat with them. As we chatted and got to know each other, I was even invited to spend the night in their spare bedroom. I'm not going to lie, flush toilets were very appealing. Don't hear that as complaining; what I am/was doing was working just fine. As the temperature was going to be pretty cold again that night and I hadn't yet settled into the spot you see above [I had arrived in the dark and it's very dark in the country] so I graciously accepted the invite. A warm bed with flush toilets ~ yes please and thank you. Case in point. Nice days but cold nights. The night temperatures have improved a bit (but chiller than I would like them ;-]) and the day temperatures are also warming up. Today it is to reach into the seventies. 90% of the skies have been clear blue ~ with no chem trails in site nor the other 'clouds' that keep God's sun off of us. Vitamin D is very healthy ~ is that why they like to place a few layers between us and health? As a side note, I have now taken up the entire morning composing these blogs so I can share my adventures with you ():-) I've taken advantage of two facts: a washing machine and a warm sunny day by doing a load of laundry. Back in my family-of-five days, I would meticulously sort colors etc. These days? Everything goes into the same load; LOL. The gray tarp is covering my electric assist bicycle. I have been a very excited and proud owner of this new two-wheel invention. I have officially retired from riding one of my favorite loves in life ~ my Fat Boy Lo 2013 Harley Davidson. This was my final motorcycle of the six I had owned over the past twenty years. I've done my time on the road riding hard and long; loving every minute of the approx 200,000 miles traveled ~ well maybe not the snow and rain so much. I've gotten so wet that when I took my boots off, the water just ran out of them. I've also been that wet and kept riding until I was completely dry. While riding in the snow &/or very cold I had only one thought in mind "I hope I can make my hands work so I can shift and brake when I need it." Well, it was time to sell my final HD as I was being prudent of the fact that I had a college loan to pay off ~ I hate debt! I am blessed that I have lived debt-free for over a decade, until the truck came along that is. There was a nice used KYMCO 250 Grand Vista on the show floor which I picked up reasoning that at least getting out for some sun and wind therapy would be beneficial. I had that for about a year and I don't think I even put 1000 miles on it. It's really hard to downsize into something that doesn't roar and rumble under you and willingly flies along at 80 miles an hour for hours on end. I am saddened that this particular season of my life is over yet I relish in the fact that I have 20 years of wonderful memories. In the end, I gifted this scooter to my amazing son who is a delight to my heart ~ I love that boy. When our initial phone connections are made, I say, "Hello favorite son!" This kid floors me by what he knows and can do. I purchased this 6x12 off-road Colarado Trailer and asked him, since he is a wiz at electrical things since this is his profession, to install some solar panels. I had researched this lifestyle and knew I could make living in there very simple but that I would need an energy source. I was prepared to and preparing for (purchasing a propane camp stove and cyclinders, titan cooler and leakproof plastic containers to store food inside, charcoal and lighter fluid) this type of lifestyle. Before you know it, his creative juices get flowing on overdrive and he has designed, fabricated and installed his mother's mini retirement house on wheels. Isn't he cool?!! I love this kid with all my heart and I am so very terribly proud of him and the man he's become. Thank you, son <3 These flowers were outside the welcome center in South Carolina. They just made my heart happy to see the vibrant colors. I actually have a tattoo of the purple and yellow pansise. Colors are life-giving to me and I appreciate them even more so in their vibrant splendor. I am grateful. My goal is to always stop at these welcome centers for the primary reason of obtaining a hard copy map of the state. Nothing like having a piece of paper in your hand rather than the digital GPS or phone version. I'm never sure what kind of response I will receive because I choose to not live in fear. That means that I walk boldly forward knowing that I am healthy and immune. I was pleasantly surprised to engage in a fairly meaningful conversation with the attendant who is retired law enforcement to which I promptly thanked him for his service. He was very helpful and good at greeting guests and working on accommodating what they were looking for. I think it's because my middle child had her MOS in the Marine corp working on air craft that I have enjoyed seeing them fly overhead; it reminds me of her and her service ~ thank you, Rebecca! <3 And I'm also glad that you found your soulmate there and have given me two beautiful and dear grandchildren whom I love dearly.
I did a job once at an air show in Wichita, Kansas. I was standing on the runway with Boeing's B-1B aircraft. Not only did I get to see it up closer and personal (as close as they would allow the workers to get), I also had the privilege of feeling the roar and rumble and volume when it took off. I can really get into that :-) I just stood there and allowed the vibrations to travel up my feet and into my body. Anyway, this residency here in Sumter, SC, is located not far from Shaw Air Force Base and many of these aircraft fly overhead. And if you can't see them, you can still hear them. Reminds me of when we lived over the flight pattern along Brookpark Rd in Parma. The constant air travel sound can get annoying after a while. The sky is usually crystal blue around here, very enjoyable to see. Sad to see the chem trail here and the other garbage polluting the air. Not sure what I'm talking about? Do some research on HAARP. haarp weather-controlling
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Made it!! PTL [Praise the Lord] Let me tell you ~ you do not want to miss a turn when hauling. And, yes, I can follow GPS; sometimes it's just not that simple always being mindful of surroundings and other moving objects. Speaking of which ~ God totally spared me the other day when an elderly lady started merging right into my lane from the parking lot. With heavy traffic all around there wasn't anywhere to go or stop so I did the next best thing hoping that her ears worked ~ they did and she stopped just inches from hitting me. Whew. Reserving this spot took a lot of work! Since the insanity of 2020 hit full stream it is very difficult to find a live person anywhere. One needs to register on a recreation.gov site which showed all to be taken and it was difficult, not knowing the lay of the land, where a good spot would be anyway. Eventually I was able to connect w a live representative and after a lengthy discussion regarding my dilemma, with me explaining all the attempts I've already tried including calling different phone numbers I had access to, she gave me the direct line to the campground manager. When he returned my call I was able to secure a spot. The next two photos will show that spot. This was a great spot for a few days. It was the first time I would be in one area longer than a night. I had basically kept what I thought I needed from my remaining earthly possessions, toted and loaded them and left. Now was the time to organize and put things in more meaningful order that made sense for this particular lifestyle.
I took out a four foot table and using the existing picnic table began going through what I had. BTW, all my earthly possessions that I've freely donated I've prayed over and asked that God would bless the person who is now able to enjoy what once I held as valuable. Some items were attempted to be sold on FB Marketplace through a business that I had hired (so everything that did sell that money was used to foot their bill; I just needed help really downsizing and getting out of current residency and this was their speciality to which I am eternally grateful). One story in particular: a 30 something man came to pick up a purchase and during the discourse of our conversation I learned many things about his choices and sacrifices he's made for his family. They have younger children and recently moved into the area from out of state and attempting to settle house. I had showed him the $900 custom piece of furniture that I had the Amish had built for me and he really fell in love with it even taking pictures to show his wife. Long story short ~ I practically gave that piece away because I knew they would be blessed with it and I verbally told her that I was blessing that piece of furniture in the name of Jesus and to be used as a remembrance as she enjoyed that piece of furniture. As I am being released of many things that I held as valuable, I wonder at the esteem we might tend to place on earthly possessions that are here today and gone tomorrow. We are called to be stewards of what God has allowed in our lives ~ was I being a good steward when I over-accumulated? I confessed and repented and purposed to ask prior to purchasing to see if this item fulfilled a need or a desire. When I took this photo, the sun was shining brilliantly and the fall colors of reds still showed their magnificence. Obviously this photo does not translate what my natural eyes beheld. I remain in awe of God's handiwork and how He chooses to provide us with colors when He could have created the world in black and white. Northeast section of the Smokey Mountains taking the round-about rather than going up and over the Smokey Mountains. I have taken the only road that goes through the Smokey Mountains several times already and I didn't want to add the stress to truck/trailer with the up and down and braking. Between the cap on the truck and the longer tongue on the trailer, there is a lot of drag and fuel efficient it is not. On that note, I've asked around to see what I could do to alleviate this drag but to date no resolution has been discovered. That Passport America waterless campground that I still paid a good buck for is just 'down the road a piece' from this photo. Douglas Lake, TN. Larger bodies of water and trees are my grounding source. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for what You spoke into being. Again, 2 dimensional just can't capture what my natural eye sees in three dimensional. Fun fact on the note on my window. My dear friend N sat in that seat and wanted to leave that behind for me. It's a few months old now. Thanks N <3! Another observation in this picture that I'd like to point out is the fact that the trailer sits exactly aligned with the truck (except the wheel wells) so I didn't need to get the extended mirrors. I highly recommend 'A Better Cap' located on Rte 18 just west of Rte 94 in Medina. Rick and Lori are extremely helpful. View from my window in the morning. Quiet serenity.
It had rained a lot during the previous day (as I was retreated ground back into Knoxville and back again) and even in the night, hence a previous statement of "things being wet that needed to dry off" was posted in a previous blog. The night sky had also been covered so I was unable to observe the large moon event. Hope someone else was able to observe it. It would have been nice to see, however, just the night before I was able to stand in front of a lunar rainbow and be in awe. God is good ~ all the time <3 From here I left and headed to North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest. I've made it to Cumberland Falls! This has been my ultimate destination when I left Ohio. There would be a full moon tonight and therefore a moonbow. This phenomenal occurs regularly in only three areas of the world and Corbin, KY is one of them. But before I ever reach this point, and mind you, without realizing it, as I stopped to take this picture, the cars behind me were beginning to back up ~ oops! I find the correct road the nice lady at the district office told me about for boon docking near the falls and turn off. I suppose for a national forest off-road road that this was a decent one. Gravel and not too many potholes. Nothing but trees all around. Only one way to go and that is forward; so forward I went. I hadn't decided yet if this area was something I was sold on and the deeper I went in, the more I thought I didn't want to be here. Mainly for the reason of finding the spot, unhitching, driving back out again and then back in again once the moonbow event was over in whatever light the sky had to offer. So, five miles in and a crossroad presented itself, I managed to turn the rig around and back again I traversed. It would have been nice to have grabbed a picture from that drive but just like the Daniel Boone National Forest sign came and went without a photo, so this road was left in my rear mirrors. Here's my spot in the parking lot at Cumberland Falls. I've been here before and the lot has been full so I was grateful for this space. When I would be ready to leave I would just pull forward and onto to the road there as seen in the right corner. There really wasn't a place to stay around there so after the moonbow event I started heading towards to TN. Here's an opportunity for mining. The buildings were already closed by the time I started walking around this area. Not sure if this is seasonal or not but apparently it's a big hit with the tourists and probably pretty lucrative for the park. Good to know ~ roger that ~ I'll keep my eyes open. There are so many trails that branch off that without a good map of them, one could easily become an endless wanderer. Here is the scene that I referenced in my 'lost' blog. Around 7 PM it filled up. I was cold and got colder as the evening progressed. This is dusk as there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we were all excited that the moon would be visible. This lady in the blue coat reminded me of my dear friend Elisha and her sweet photography skills. Thank you, E <3 The moon is beginning to peak over the tree line and eastern sky as seen in the middle of the picture and not the 'street' light lamp on the right. Some disappointment was mounting as clouds were beginning to roll through. The moon rays did illuminate the falls and the rocky wall. Did the best I could with my little phone camera. Starring hard into the center of the photo one can see the moonbow. It reminded me of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow as it just ended there.
Second day of driving. Wayne National Forest covers a large area and I was still driving in it after being on the road for a bit. I was enjoying the sky view and just being out and heading south to warmer climates. < Ha, wait to you hear that 'find'. Carl Perkins Bridge. Crossing from Ohio into Kentucky. 11-16-21 Not being sure of where the next fuel station would be, I filled up in Ohio. Big mistake! It was .30 cents a gallon cheaper in Kentucky. Lesson learned. And, yes, I am now using the gas app. ;-] I just felt like some bakery and this was back in Ohio before I crossed into Kentucky. I passed the Piggly Wiggly on one of the back roads I was on and decided to stop. They didn't really offer much; I became intrigued with this 'pound' cake. I asked the employee why this cake costs $14.49 and she couldn't say. The packaging certainly didn't say. Nevertheless, I purchased this cake, it literally felt like a pound, and enjoyed it for many days with some berries and my dandy blend 'coffee.' It paired well with the rotisserie chicken I had purchased back home. I really don't like finding new places, especially hauling a trailer, in the dark. It wouldn't have been dark had I veered right as GPS wanted me to instead of remaining on the road and continuing straight. This was no ordinary straight. This was basically a one lane street that went up a mountain for 2 miles and nowhere to turn around. The next two miles were down. I come to the end and turn right hoping I was basically on the same trajectory before I went over the mountain instead of around it. This road was even more narrow so when another vehicle approached me, I just stopped and allowed them to figure out how they wanted to maneuver around me. All was well until I arrive at a most hated sign 'road closed' ahead. Are you even kidding me?! At least there was a turn around there so back I traversed over the same path I had just covered. Finally I'm back on course and I call the campground to let them know it'll still be another hour or two as I got lost on a mountain ;-} This was my spot; not much about anything but I was grateful for the electricity to heat the trailer as the night air was cold-e! I also took advantage of the shower and laundry facilities and then off on my merry way I went. Prior to leaving the area, I called the District Office for Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky. Cumberland Falls is relatively near by. I got directions to an area for boondocking near the Falls. Windshield time! [term used when one spend copious hours behind the steering wheel].
Time to leave ~ 11-14-21 Goodbye to snowy Ohio 11-15-21 John Barker Springhouse in Canton, OH. 11-15-21. I wasn't traveling w water in my tanks so I thought I'd take some along for 'just-in-case'. Great place to get free water; healthier than city water. Many thanks to Cesli for the "findaspring.com" info :-) <3 First stop ~ Wayne National Forest, OH 11-15-21. Ohio has only one National Forest. This one is just southeast of Columbus. 11-15-21 and my first official experience of boon docking. No water, electricity, sewer, flush toilets or people! I was by myself the entire time here. This isn't how I'd want to spend the allotted 14 days one has in a National Forest but it sure was acceptable for my first time out there doing this crazy adventure! I did say no flush toilets; I conveniently parked in front of this outhouse ;-) which I did not use during the night. Last view of my first boon docking campsite. I arrived at dusk so I had just enough time to set up and then honker down for the evening. The night air was chilly. Up early and back on the road again. Day Two begins...
Greetings! Currently I'm sitting (ready to roll out as soon as I post this blog) on the outskirts of TN. I'll be driving around the Smoky Mountains and into North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest where, God willing, I'll honker down for a few days as I'm assured a spot with electric, sewer and water ~ ah, the finer points of living ;-)
I was wet yesterday and and some of my outside stuff got wet. Currently it's sitting in the sunshine, albeit the 'feels like 41' instead of the 43 degree reading. I'm sitting with a view of a mountain range and peak and it is very pleasing to my soul; even if background traffic mars the surroundings. I left Ohio Monday morning and after my few stops of business I had to complete, decided to spend the night in Wayne National Forest; Ohio has only one. It was pleasant enough and I was the only human being there. Remember, dear reader, that the safest place is always in the hands of God, despite one's external surroundings. This truth kept my sanity as my daughter served her time in Iraq over a decade ago. I moved on from Ohio and into Kentucky and stopped in a campground off the freeway in order to plug in for electric; decided not to hook up the water as I was living in the morning. I just filled my pitcher and still have some of that left. ;-) One learns quickly how to best economize. Tonight I am looking forward to a shower & shampoo in the awesome shower that my amazing son built for me. 💞 After leaving that campsite, I travelled to Cumberland Falls in Corbin, KY. I had spoken to and taken good notes on an excellent spot for boondocking near the Falls but after traveling 5 miles into the mountain area on bumpy gravel road with no space to turn around, I decided at the next viable spot to do so and just headed to the Falls. I missed the day rainbow which didn't sadden me too much as I've had the privilege of seeing a few in my lifetime. I spoke with a few other dispersed campers, a couple from CA who built out their own driving travel rig and another couple from Germany who shipped theirs across the ocean. I was able to see the lunar rainbow and with the naked eye, I could not detect color, however, the woman next to me with her extremely fancy camera could see some reds and greens; her exposure time to capture this phenomenon was two minutes! See reminded me of a very dear friend back in Ohio <3 As there really wasn't a spot to safely bunk down for the night, I decided to continue driving towards TN and made it to Gatlinburg or Seiverville, TN. To my extreme dismay, a door & lock that had functioned fine in KY would not now open. I opened the toy door and investigated that way but I still couldn't get the man door to open nor could I stay in the trailer as I couldn't close the toy door from within. I spent the night curled up on the driver's half of the front seat; thankfully I had a small blanket in the truck cab. In my hand-written journal I documented a few trials of the night so as not to forget that event. I waited until 6 am or so to reach out to my son (I'm still pretty brain dead from driving and not really sleeping) and he provided some suggestions. In the end I found a trailer place and although they couldn't resolve the issue there, they were able to notify their Knoxville location that I was on my way and what the issue was. Five hours and rain later, I'm back in the general area I had vacated that morning. Again from my son and per his suggestion, I joined Passport America and found a campground for 1/2 the regular fee. They had already winterized which translate as "no water anywhere to be found" but I took the spot as I need the electricity for the heater. It dropped to 30 degrees last night and was mighty chilly. Heading out now. Enjoy some of these photos. :-) Well it looks like I had to forgo the photos for now. There wasn't enough juice from my phone's hotspot to upload them. Sorry about that. This will follow... ...mini house on wheels is loaded 🎉 ...departure day has arrived 👏🏼 ...getting a blog posted 🤓 Here are the much awaited photos (next photos will hopefully be sized & spaced better; getting used to working inside this format) ~ and thank you for your patience. And a huge shout out to all of you for your tireless efforts in helping me get to this point. This includes packing up my stuff and moving out of Wadsworth back in the summer (doesn't that seem so long ago already?). For fear of inadvertently leaving off a name and thereby causing unintentional opportunity for slight, I'm just sending out a blanketed group hug to all. Blessings😇🤗🥰 I contemplated how I felt when I saw actual snow falling. Should it be dismay or excitement? I think a bit of both. Dismay because it's been very cold working fervently for six days straight trying to condense a life-time of remaining accumulations into a 6x12 trailer and the back of a 5 1/2 foot pick up bed. Also excitement of seeing the beauty of snow fall, especially the first fall of the season. I like to see the snow on the branches of pine trees. Well, it's either very late or very early ~ either way, the actual journey begins today, Monday, November 15, 2021. To start my day, I'll be getting both the truck and trailer weighed and then heading south on 71 with Corbin, Kentucky as the first official 'fun' part of my new adventure; I'll attempt to take pictures of the lunar rainbow but no promises as I don't have the correct equipment to that type of photography and there is no guarantee for clear skies. More verbiage in next blog 😉 "This is the day the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it, " Psalms 118:24 Godspeed Well...here it is ~ my travel blog page. If you are here at my website and inside the travel blog page, you are aware that I will be leaving the snowy cold area of Ohio to chase the sun and warmth with no specific end destination in mind. After all, isn't that the beauty of being free from/of constraints? Explorations without timeframes 👏🏼 I have very dear and near friends, my tribe as I like to refer to them, that strongly encouraged me to write about my adventures and keep them updated. What better way to do that than inside my very own website. So, here it is. 📖🖌
Exactly how did this opportunity come about, you ask? Well, I knew my days as live-in elder care was coming to an end and needed to come up with what my next season in life looked like. My sisters and I sold the family estate with a final move-out date of October 31, 2019 [coincidentally two years ago today 😊]. As I no longer owned a physical house or property, I wasn't sure what the next direction would look like. The summer of 2020 I had the fortune of being in Nevada's Las Vegas valley which allowed me the opportunity to travel to the Grand Canyon. Long story short, I discovered Escape Campervans. I rented a vehicle that was outfitted to basically sustain myself regarding sleeping and eating. The little fridge was powered off solar panel and the one burner stove was fueled with a propane cylinder. It even had a mini sink w running water! It was during this trip that I was introduced to boondocking. This type of lifestyle was very appealing to me. I did some research and discovered that I wanted a unit that I could park and leave and still have the freedom to drive without breaking camp. Hence, the F150 purchase and a 6x12 off-road trailer. This unit sits up high enough to safely traverse across rougher terrain and even ford some shallow water ways. Are you familiar with the words 'boondooking' or 'dispersed camping'? Basically, it's camping for free on public land such as National Forests, Bureau of Land Management and some federal and state lands. As long as one can sustain themselves and leave the land as they found it, it's a wide open area for exploration. I am eager to begin 🎒🥾👣🧍🏼♀️[I must interject here to inform that there are not any good emojis for hiking or explorer‼️]. I have a very dear friend who graciously agreed to take some photos of this unit that I will be happy to share/post here soon. I say for now that I had only requested some solar panels installed and wait until you see the finished product ~ wow🥳I have an absolutely amazing son who created an entire mini-house within this 6x12 enclosure that is completely self-sustaining. I am so very proud of the man he has become 👩❤️👨 If you would like to be kept up-to-date of when I post, please click the RSS Feed somewhere included on this page and follow the instructions. Then, when I do post, you will be notified. Please note that I won't always have reception or access to posting, however, I promise to post when and where I can. This will allow those of you interested in vicariously traveling along, to follow my adventures. Please feel free to leave comments and if you need to directly contact me, just ask me to do so in the comment section. When I get the opportunity, I'll get back with you. First point of interest will be Cumberland Falls near Corbin, Kentucky. This is THE only place in the Northern Hemisphere to witness a moonbow (a rainbow during a full moon under clear skies). I have personally witnessed this in the past and I confess that it is truly breathtaking. So much so that I even purchased the t-shirt 😉🤣 Here's to clear skies and safe travels. 🛐🌅🌌 Be in good health III John 2 Godspeed PS ~ which is really best mentioned as an introduction or prologue, is that none of this would be possible if it weren't for Jesus in my life. "Thank you, Father, for calling me unto Yourself. May I use my story and this adventure for Your glory💘✝️" |
AuthorHelen ~ who is on a journey discovering. Archives
February 2022
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