It’s is actually a large state forest, 200,000 acres—although much of what we’ve seen is pine plantations, which doesn’t feel very forest-like to me because the trees are in rows. Still, the sense of isolation is strong here because Tate’s Hell is in the middle of the Apalachicola National Forest, which puts us smack dab […]
Month: October 2020
The Best Design Yet for a Wooded Campground
Oh, but we’re here for only one night! I’ve written before about the 2-2-2 rule of thumb for camping: that you’re making your life much easier if you stay at a site for at least two nights (and arrive by 2 pm, plus travel no more than 200 miles a day). We’re breaking that rule […]
Banjo’s Day at the Beach
Yep, here on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi Banjo encountered the beach for the first time (as far as we know). First she ran around like a maniac. So did Tracy. Then she walked out in the water (actually, waded like a lady) but thought swimming might take more effort than it’s worth. Finally, she […]
How Long Would It Take You to Get to the Beach?
Say you quit your job and could go anywhere you wanted. How long would it take you to get to the beach? Two days? That’s the way Tracy and I feel, normally. But of course last March when we quit wasn’t normal in any way. So here we are, in late October, and we finally […]
Beer on the Bayou
Or: The only place in this country where your brewery taproom bartender responds cheerfully, “How do you say in English? Live in that parking lot there!” Quick, Colorful Drive across Louisiana This is the first time in Louisiana for both of us, and, within the first few minutes of driving east right above I10, we […]
Where to Next?
Now that we’ve accomplished all we’ve been needing to get done in Texas since we first started out—HURRAH!—what’s next? Well, we have about a month before we need to be in Florida for our appointment at the Tampa Airstream dealer where we hope they’ll fix the awning. (More on our Florida plans, below). I’d been […]
Texas, the Big Caricature
A friend told me that Texans are caricatures of themselves, and they don’t even know it. We keep saying that over and over here. It’s brilliant. What does this caricature look like? Texans: don’t wave. Not even when their arm is resting on the truck door as they’re passing you slowly down a narrow dirt […]
How Would You Rather Die—and Tamales!
We’ve had just two adventures outside the campground here in Livingston, and they both make decent stories. First, the Tamales You guys know that original Star Trek episode when the tiny alien guy insists that Kirk and his landing party drink with him before he’ll fess up to all the trouble he’s caused them? He […]
In Defense of Weirdos Like Us
While I walk Banjo in the early mornings (and then walk myself in the afternoons), I’ve been thinking more about the people here in this strangest of campgrounds at the Escapees national headquarters. I’ve broken them down into these categories to the best of my seven-days-here knowledge. Temporary Campers Many people in the campsites that […]
Seven Months: What I’ve Learned about Living in a Small Space
Yep, we’ve been in the Airstream for seven months now. We’ve been stuck in one campground for two of those, and for the rest we’ve traveled up and down the Midwest. I’ve learned so much about how to enjoy daily life outside, how to help hitch the trailer more efficiently, how to dump tanks, all kinds […]
