Discovering the deep historical roots and natural beauty of this large and popular state park near Birmingham
The restored blast furnaces of the Tannehill Ironworks rise high above Roupes Creek.
Writing a travel book can be full of surprises. When I set out, I had no inkling that I would be learning about the early iron-making industry. During the Civil War, Alabama played a key role in producing pig iron (more than all of the other Confederate states combined) and making cannons and ammunition. Bars of pig iron were sent to the Selma Arsenal, which produced half of the cannon and two-thirds of the ammunition used by the South in the final two years of fighting. This region is unique in the world for its abundance of all of the resources needed for iron production: iron ore, limestone, and either coal to make coke or forests to produce charcoal.
Hikes in the park at times follow an old stagecoach route or the Iron Road where the pig iron was transported 18 miles by eight team mule wagons to the Alabama & Tennessee Rivers Railroad.Spotted trillium (or perhaps the look-alike Little Sweet Betsy) in a wet swampy spot near Roupes Creek. During my week at Tannehill, the woods began to green up, with flowering dogwood, redbud, and native azaleas adding touches of white, lavender, and pink.Violets bloom in an old slave cemetery, brightening the final resting places of furnace workers and their family members, whose names are long forgotten.
Tannehill is also home to the Alabama Iron and Steel Museum, which surpassed all my expectations. For almost two hours, the story of Tannehill came to life for me. Beginning with the huge seams of brown and red iron ore found locally, to colliers camping in huts to make charcoal to large displays of 1800s household and military items made either here or at the Selma Arsenal.
During the Civil War, over fifty Alabama caves were mined for saltpeter (potassium nitrate), the primary ingredient in gunpowder. In the latter years, the job fell to boys too young to fight. This iron pot, made at the Selma Arsenal, is seven feet in diameter and still contains saltpeter residue.Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park is a mix of the wild, the historical, and the crowded and touristy, but I sure did love a one-dollar Dutch chocolate ice cream after a long hike!r On weekends, this cute train runs from the campground to the pioneer farm, gristmill, and fairgrounds (home to a huge monthly craft show). Just like the ice cream and senior museum admission, a one-way train ride costs just one dollar!Campground 3 offered more privacy and an abundance of gray squirrels exploring the steep hillside behind my campsite. Campgrounds 1 and 2 look more like a crowded RV park.
Right next door to the oh-so-hospitable Mississippi Welcome Center where I stayed overnight coming and going
The first (S-IC) stage of a Saturn V launch vehicle towers above me at the Infinity Science Center. It was intended for the last planned Apollo mission, Apollo 19, canceled due to the Vietnam War. Thirteen other S-IC rocket boosters lie on the ocean floor just off Cape Canaveral, Florida.
I recently read Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book, The Right Stuff, about the military test pilots who became the astronauts of Project Mercury, the first manned space program. The New York Times calls the book “technically accurate, learned, cheeky, risky, touching, tough, compassionate, and nostalgic.” It left me wanting to learn the rest of the story. Then, a couple of weeks ago, I made a discovery. The Mississippi Welcome Center on Interstate 10, where I was staying overnight, was adjacent to the Stennis Space Center, NASA’s premier rocket test facility.
This welcome center in Pearlington, MS takes top prize in hospitality for traveling RVers. Each individual parking spot has its own picnic table, water spigot, and trash can. Oddly, there are posted signs as you enter saying “No Overnight Parking,” but these spaces are for that purpose.
Although it wasn’t open that day, NASA has a first-class, interactive museum there called the Infinity Science Center. Open Thursday through Sunday this time of year, it features a 3-D theater, exhibits on hurricanes, carnivorous plants, the Mississippi Delta, the history of Stennis, and, of course, many artifacts, videos, activities, and displays related to the space program.
Fifteen people at a time can “dive” in this Deep Ocean Explorer simulator, viewing the creatures that inhabit the artificial coral reef that forms on an offshore oil rig. I failed miserably at our emergency mission to make a repair on the structure 1,200 meters down, using the individual joysticks at my station. Not enough video game experience I suppose!
I stayed at the welcome center again yesterday when Infinity was open. A steady downpour followed me from the campground across the Lake Pontchartrain Bridge. Flashes of brilliant lightning warned of worse weather to follow. I was relieved to pull into Infinity’s huge parking lot, which has long rows of RV and bus parking spots. For $21, I spent more than four hours there, including watching two movies, Incredible Predators and Journey to Space. The latter is a must-see introduction to future NASA space exploration and research.
The first use of a Saturn V launch vehicle in 1967 was for the unmanned Apollo 4 mission. This command module is one of many artifacts at Infinity. Some of the most fascinating were an Apollo Lunar Lander used in training; exhibits on spacesuit construction, the critically important space shuttle heat resistant tiles, and astronaut food; and lots of video footage from over the years.An astronaut’s living space inside the International Space Station’s Destiny Module includes a zippered bag to sleep in, a “pillow” you strap your head to, laptop for emailing home, and velcro and elastic to hold everything from highlighters to underwear. A good supply of clean socks is valuable, as the astronauts do not wear shoes on the ISS.
There was no doubt that I was getting the rest of the story. In particular, the story of the future and Space Launch System (SLS), NASA’s new heavy-lift rocket. I spent a lot of time studying a display on RS-25 engines, which are assembled and tested at Stennis. These are the engines that powered space shuttles for three decades. Now they will launch the 4-person Orion spacecraft on Artemis missions, first returning to the moon and later journeying to Mars. The four astronauts of the Artemis II mission, who will “venture around the Moon,” have already been chosen.
Four RS-25 engines fire non-stop for 8.5 minutes and, along with two solid rocket boosters, make the Space Launch System the most powerful rocket in the world.Older kids will love all the interactive displays. Here’s what I look like to a pit viper!Construction of the Stennis Space Center began in the Mississippi swamps in 1961. The museum honors the stories of the five small communities that were sacrificed. A large ledger records the names of all 2,202 displaced individuals, including old “Aunt Blue” Davis, who rode along as they moved her home to a nearby town, never once leaving her back porch rocking chair!
This campground, a wildlife paradise near New Orleans, was the turning around point for my journey.
Spiderwort burst into bloom during my 12-day sojourn.
I left Louisiana this morning, to begin my long journey back to Maine. It was sad. For this “62-plus” solo RVer, St. Bernard State Park was the perfect campground (except for the fire ants). With the senior discount, the cost for my water and electric site was just $14 per night. I also lucked out with a long green space that led back to a busy wetland full of wildlife. There were hot showers, an on-site laundry, and it was an easy 18-mile drive to the French Quarter. The main road near the campground goes straight into New Orleans and becomes Rampart St., with parking readily available.
My backyard wildlife list included a red-eared slider, little blue heron, alligator, raccoon, and a pair of yellow-crowned night herons, as well as the almost hourly call of the barred owls.
Best of all was time with friends – Sue and Roy, my camping neighbors from Blythe Island in Georgia, and Al and Ingrid, who I met here in the manner I often do, when Al came over to guide my backing up. I am improving, but I don’t want to get so skilled that I no longer make wonderful friends this way!
Al’s smoked chicken quarters and deer wraps with bacon made for a fine picnic!Roy provided much needed moral support for my refrigerator repair. I miraculously discovered the problem (a blown thermal fuse), thanks to advice on the Grand Design owners’ forum. Young alligators in the lagoon beside the state park’s nature trail. There were seven that day, all the same size, in one small area. Later, I would return with Sue to find a huge mother alligator in the same spot, with foot-long babies sunning on her back.Sue, Roy, and I took a four-hour guided kayak tour of the Manchac SwampA non-venomous Mississippi green water snakeRoy and Sue in their canoe, with shrimping boats in the background. We explored the salt marshes of Bayou Bienvenue yesterday. After all the meals and rides and campfires they’ve shared with me, it was fun to show them the abundant birdlife, especially a gorgeous pink roseate spoonbill.
Experiencing the French Quarter and Garden District through sight, sound, smell, taste and feel.
My kayak and I have early morning plans, so I thought…why not give you the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feel of the Big Easy through some of my favorite photos. It won’t be difficult to accomplish. This city puts herself out there; she’s gregarious and flamboyant, yet with deep and meaningful roots.
The grand houses of the Garden District, like the Buckner Mansion on Jackson Street, feature ornate wrought iron fences and railings, as well as exquisite landscaping.Derby Pottery makes the official letter tiles that spell out street names on NOLA sidewalks.Street bands abound. The Dirty Rotten Vipers drew quite a crowd after a tune or two.Ingrid and Al were camped next to me and kindly invited me for an evening at the Tropical Isle on Bourbon Street, where their son Jack was the drummer in the band. What fun to request Ingrid’s favorite song (Brown-eyed Girl) for her birthday and even try a signature Hand Grenade!Why did I take only one photo of this special moment, and a blurry one at that? This bamboula drum, of the type played in Congo Square in the early 1800s, was made to be played by visitors to the New Orleans Jazz Museum. The rich and varied tones of my novice drumming gave me a small sense of how it must have been to drum there, where New Orleans music all began.You’ve got to stop to smell the flowers when you’re fortunate enough to be in the South in March!Beignets and cafe americano in an early morning courtyard with all the day before me. Light, airy, still warm, and covered in powdered sugar, they became an instant favorite.This Stein’s Deli “muphaletta,” on fresh ciabatta bread, features mortadella, soppressata, Tuscan ham, aged provolone, olive salad (key to a muffaletta), and garlic vinaigrette. Definitely try one the next time you are in New Orleans. Stein’s is on Magazine St. in the Garden District.Rocking along to the Garden District on a Green Line historic streetcar. An all-day pass for unlimited rides, including buses and ferries, is only three dollars!Oh, my weary feet, but it was worth every hour of walking!My dream house, if ever I move to the charming Garden District!
Meeting aome intriguing inhabitants of a tributary of the Conecuh River
After anxiously stalking back and forth in the woods with a repetitive clicking call, this limpkin decided I was alright and strutted and posed for quite a while.
I love stumbling upon an experience purely by chance. In searching for a laundromat, I noticed a sizable body of water north of Andalusia, Alabama. Certainly, it was more substantial than the tiny, mostly spring-fed sinkhole ponds of the nearby Conecuh (cuh-NECK-uh) National Forest where I was camping. After laundry and worship at the Southside Baptist Church, I found the boat launch and a friendly bass fisherman also launching. “That way, it’s all river,” he pointed out, “just watch out for moccasins. There are plenty of them up that way.”
It felt refreshing to be on moving water again. I assumed this was the Conecuh River, which was impounded to create Point A Reservoir, just below. Turns out I was on a tributary of the Conecuh.
I calculated the current at about half a mile an hour, upstream first, just the way I like it. The limpkin called my attention with a strange, unfamiliar, piercing call that no one could miss, then segued to the clicking sound while walking. There were also many turtles out in the on again, off again sun.
I’m still working on identifying this small map turtle. I saw many of these individuals with two distinctive bumps on their peaked shells, often clinging to steeply slanted branches.The friendly bass fisherman mentioned duck hunting up a little side creek, so I ventured up into this cypress swamp, where I quickly reached a dead end guarded by hungry mosquitoes.
I’ve been using my Garmin Etrex 30 handheld GPS on these paddles to measure distance. This out and back was a little over four miles total, with an average moving speed of 2.0 mph. I’m naturally a slow paddler who spends a lot of time drifting to look at and photograph my surroundings. For those of you keeping track, I now have about thirty-five miles on my new Oru Lake kayak.
One of many flowering trees announcing the start of spring in Alabama. This one was a species of serviceberry or shadbush, perhaps downy serviceberry. This is the map I had to work with, an example of the drawbacks of embracing a spur-of-the-moment adventure. I launched at the upper #1, and the creek that I paddled up is not labeled.
A Civil War battlefield, The Florida National Scenic Trail, and kayaking Ocean Pond among giant cypress
Paddling among giant cypress on Ocean Pond
Before sharing about Florida, I have to tell you that I have now astoundingly joined the ranks of DIY travel trailer fixer-uppers. (Although nothing is fixed yet). Much of this cold and rainy Alabama day has been devoted to trying to figure out why my refrigerator is not working. From the simple checks-breakers, fuses and plugs-I moved on to trying to secure a dealership repair appointment (impossible) or a visit from a mobile RV tech.
The closest tech turned out not to be close anymore as he now lives in Arkansas. But Ron was the best of trail angels, spending hours helping me over the phone. There I was with my multimeter, in the land of circuit boards, colored wires, and hidden fuses. Finally, through a Grand Design owners forum, I discovered a blown thermal fuse that I will soon try to repair. What a learning day!
Site #28 in the Ocean Pond Campground only had a water hookup. However, the generator and solar panel kept me up and running, all but the refrigerator. I sure was looking forward to having cold and frozen food in the campsites ahead, all of which have electricity.
The largest Civil War battle to take place in Florida was fought nearby. The Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park was seven miles from camp. Interpretive panels along a one-mile trail told the story of the evenly matched battle through photographs, primary sources, and a clear narrative. The terrain of open pine woods and palmettos, interspersed with impassable swampy areas, helped me visualize the drama of that tragic day. Just over five thousand soldiers on each side-the Union hoping to cut off food supplies from Florida at the Suwanee River railroad bridge and the Confederates handing them a costly defeat.
“Grape and canister swept by with hideous music, and shell after shell tore through our ranks and burst amid heaps of our wounded heroes,” remembered a soldier of the 115th New York.Huge crowds attend the re-enactment of the battle every Presidents Day weekend.Boardwalks are becoming a favorite haunt of mine. This one, through a cypress swamp on the Florida National Scenic Trail, enticed me to sit and write and study the verdant plant life.A native green anole (I think) at the edge of the cypress swamp. Anoles, like chameleons, can change color. In Florida, over two-thirds of the lizard species are invasives, including the brown anole, which arrived on cargo ships in the late 1800s. Females of both species look like this one.
Ocean Pond is the roundest body of water I have ever seen. One day, I kayaked around its almost 7-mile shoreline. The shallows near shore are picturesque, with turtles and water lilies among the cypress. I studied one patient great egret who was fishing there, swallowing his catch with bounces of his very long, thin neck. There were patches of pickerel weed, not yet in bloom, and cow lily (spatterdock) just beginning to show its bright yellow, spherical flowers. I love the touches of home to balance out all that is new and unusual.
The border of grass behind me was present almost all the way around the lake and often prevented me from accessing the shallows, except where there were openings. Knowing that there were alligators around and it was a warm day made me cautious to plow through the grass and reeds.
I’ll finish with a shout out to the federal government for their America the Beautiful Lifetime Senior Pass, available to those 62 and older. For a one-time cost of $80, mine has already paid for itself two times over since I purchased it on January 5th. How grateful I am to be experiencing all these natural wonders at such an affordable price!
The highs and lows of the culinary journey after two months on the road
Lake view from my campsite in a Florida national forest
How much are you spending on groceries and eating out?
One goal of this journey is to discover how much it costs me to live a full-time nomadic RV lifestyle. I have budgeted $300 for groceries and $75 for restaurant meals monthly. Both line items have benefited from the hospitality of family and friends and by rural camping locations. There is not much temptation to go out to eat when there is nowhere close by to go. On the other hand, I went all out on meals in Savannah during our three-generation girls weekend. (While baby Emilia enjoyed her bottle, Megan was introducing me to the espresso martini!).
After two months, I believe that the grocery amount is doable, the restaurant amount is not. I want to be free to experience regional specialties and go out to eat with family and friends along the way.
How does your food differ on-grid and 0ff-grid?
So far, on this journey, I have never been able to use both electric and water hookups at the same time. In fact, the trailer stayed winterized until arriving at my current campground in northeast Florida. Thank goodness, you will agree, given those cold and challenging nights in the Carolinas.
Several mornings have started out in the low 40s here in northeast Florida
All of the electric & water sites were taken when I arrived last Thursday. I was grateful to get one with a water hookup, lake view, and paved parking pad. I’ve made a couple of runs to convenience stores and a Family Dollar within six to ten miles, but there is no grocery store. I am not running my refrigerator so I can prioritize lights and heat. The generator (whose carburetor was replaced under warranty) and the solar panel are keeping the battery charged fine.
Lunch on my campsite patio yesterday while I was having my F150 windshield replaced by a mobile repair service! Chicken salad from the leftover chicken tenders was quite tasty.
Here’s what I found: For dinner one, a frozen Mexican bowl that I ate with tortilla chips from the pantry. For dinner two, a two-serving bag of no-longer-frozen brocolli with one of those microwaveable white cheese pasta cups. (My microwave works when the generator is running). For dinner three, chicken tenders from the closest convenience store with green pepper strips and fruit salad. For dinner four: avocado and the rest of the tortilla chips. Family Dollar also provided a can of hearty beef and vegetable soup and a bag of non-refrigerated meatballs in Italian sauce that are still on hand.
To sum up, I need to plan ahead better on groceries. I expected to have electricity here, to be running the fridge, to be able to buy what I needed after I set up camp. Instead, I found myself wandering Family Dollar in search of meals that would be healthy and tasty enough.
You will find Hawg Heaven in Prosperity, South Carolina
Have you been sampling the local cuisine?
Readers of my canoe tripping books know how much I love a cheeseburger and fries, especially with a fresh salad. The El Dorado near the Arrowhead Campground did not disappoint in that regard. By South Carolina, I was determined to have some BBQ and found it on Hawg Heaven’s all-you-can-eat buffet, along with corn bread, ribs, homemade mac and cheese, green beans, butter beans, and peach cobbler. Yessir, I was eating well in the South now!
Georgia’s Golden Isles shrimp were sweetly flavorful, delicately battered, and fresh as can be. I ate them seven different ways, including this taco salad with shrimp at Tortuga Jack’s on Jekyll Island, courtesy of my friends Christine and Bob. Bob and I were high school classmates!
In my imagination, in the planning stages, I was going to be grilling steaks and making homemade pizza. Whirling some smoothies around with my new immersion blender and reaching into the fridge for a cold beverage whenever the mood struck me. So far, I haven’t even come close. Tomorrow, though, I move on to new possibilities. The next place has electric & water at every campsite., and you can trust that the pantry will be much better provisioned.
Roaming Savannah’s most iconic and photogenic cemetery
Memories of those long gone live on in emotive statuary
For decades, the book and movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, have drawn visitors to Savannah’s Bonaventure Cemetery. Arriving there yesterday with only 45 minutes until the gates would close, we found it mostly empty. Just driving the sandy roads from section to section gave us a deep sense of its spirit and mystique. We parked near the river, strapped Emilia into her carrier, and set out to absorb the aura of this legendary place. Its most famous statue, by Sylvia Shaw Judson, is called the Bird Girl. After gracing the cover of the bestseller, it was moved to the Telfair Academy Museum in the city. However, we would have no trouble discovering many of our own favorites.
The cemetery’s character draws from its compact layout and juxtaposition of manmade and natural elements. The weather and time of day added to the ambiance.My daughter Megan discovered this sweet spot of flowers and Spanish moss.Many examples of intricate raised carvings indicate the wealth of those buried here
Just by chance, we happened upon one of the more famous and poignant gravesites. A worn stone plaque told the story of Little Gracie Watson. The “beautiful and charming” six-year-old died of pneumonia two days before Easter 1890. She was very well loved, a favorite of guests at Savannah’s Pulaski House Hotel, where her father was the manager. Today, visitors leave gifts outside the fence that surrounds her plot. Her moving, but solemn, likeness is an early work of sculptor John Walz, who would go on to create over 100 sculptures in Bonaventure.
Some say that Little Gracie’s joyful laugh can still be heard in the bank that currently stands on the site of the former Pulaski House Hotel on Johnson Square.
A community service opportunity for me and my folding Oru kayak
My folding kayak and I had tiny Macedonia Lake all to ourselves
The people of South Carolina were warm and friendly, helpful and welcoming, but they were also few and far between. The trail angel prize goes to an empathetic guy at a local YMCA, who must have sensed my desperation over the phone. Although there was no day pass option there, he generously offered to let me shower if I showed up before his shift ended. The copious hot water was the best! The congregation at the Fairview Baptist Church, several propane tank fillers, a waitress, and a highway worker ensuring I wasn’t lost rounded out the list of human contact for an entire week. (Unfortunately, the highway worker did not appear on the occasion that I was actually lost).
Consequently, the young man who cruised into the Brick House Campground on Sunday afternoon was a welcome visitor. His question about my solar setup soon evolved into a lengthy chat covering everything from local seafood specialties to the benefits of solitude. When I asked if he did any fishing (still thinking about those giant catfish), he recommended a visit to Macedonia Lake. This small waterbody, located about seventeen miles north of the campground along the Palmetto Trail, is also accessible by road.
Ready to explore tiny Macedonia Lake
As I was planning this winter’s journey, I thought a lot about how to interact with communities along the way. One thought was to participate in some community service events. I almost connected with one at the Fairview Baptist Church. They had an ambitious Brunswick stew fundraiser coming up, but I would be already gone when the day came to peel all those potatoes.
At Macedonia Lake, I discovered a project just as beneficial.
Evidence of an active beaver population
So, let’s talk trash…garbage, refuse, litter. With special emphasis on bottles, cans, fishing line, foam cups, bait containers, bobbers, and empty chip bags. Although cleanup crews are making a valiant effort along the highways of the South, the amount of trash in the water is appalling. It makes me sad, and also reinforces my gratitude for the cleanliness of our northern waters. At home, I might snag one wayward beer can or water bottle in hours of canoeing.
In the south, the sheer volume of trash I had seen so far was overwhelming. Macedonia Lake was no exception. After cruising the shoreline (a quarter hour of slow paddling) and sitting for a while to listen for birds, it didn’t seem like much of an accomplishment. Until I thought of trying to pick up all the trash that I could reach from the kayak, counting items as I went. Luckily, I found a trash bag and plastic gloves in my pickup.
The black bag was already full and had been left at the boat launch.
I did not by any means get all the trash. Despite some tight maneuvering and teasing bottles and cans towards me with the paddle, I left a fair amount behind. Plus, the far shore had its own boat ramp peppered with trash that I did not have room for in the kayak. My count stood at 45 items when I’d made the shoreline circuit once again. Some bottles had obviously been there for years. Long enough for countless people to have done what I was doing. To round out the day, I gathered more than 55 more items from the boat ramp area in just a few minutes. What were people thinking?
A week later, at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island, a display would remind me of the time it would take for some of this trash to degrade: monofilament fishing line (600 years), the wine bottle I found floating in the lake (undetermined), foam cups (50 years), plastic bottles (450 years), and aluminum cans (80 to 200 years).
Usually, I try to end my posts with a pretty picture or a positive thought. Today, I just want to encourage each and every person who sees trash like this to pick up some of it. Simply that. Leave our natural world cleaner than you found it.
The challenges and discoveries of January off-grid camping
Sunset bathes my campsite at the spacious Brick House Campground
Hmmm, it’s hard to say which was scarier. The nights where it went down to lows of 13 and 16, and the generator was running rough. Or the last night, where the temperature hovered around freezing, but the generator was gone, gone, gone. This campground, which did have vault toilets, gave me a true test of off-grid winter camping without electricity or water. My few neighbors, hardy souls, were all in tents, cars, or amazingly, a hammock! With the generator needing some warranty repairs, I ended up cutting my stay short, but managed to pack a lot into six days.
The mysterious, uninhabited brick house from which the campground takes its name
I’d been camping there for a couple of days before I put the pieces together. The grand, obviously historic, brick house across the road must have inspired the campground name. After that, it took some research to learn more. Locals were undecided if it dated to the Revolutionary or Civil War era. From the road, almost shrouded from view by tangled vegetation, it had an aura that spoke of untold stories. I’ve uncovered a few of them already. The house dates to the early 1800s and was built by Dr. Francis Fielding Calmes, using bricks made on a nearby creek. To me, its double chimneys and simple decorative brickwork give it timeless class. It seems a true loss that no one lives there now.
The Palmetto Trail runs right along the edge of the campground
Still a work in progress, the Palmetto Trail for hikers and bikers will eventually connect the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Intracoastal Waterway. According to USFS literature, 380 of its eventual 500 miles are finished. I explored it to the north, pleasant hiking on old woods roads and soft forest paths. Highlights were the small, white sandy streams and areas of steep gullies and huge pines that I could only halfway hug. My goal was a bog bridge across a beaver pond, some four or five miles from the campground. It was a goal that took three days to attain: one quick scouting trip, one long and hungry try where I got turned around in an area of intersecting OHV trails, and then eventual success.
The elusive beaver pond late one golden afternoon. The peaceful hour I spent writing there, in the company of a host of swooping red-headed woodpeckers, was memorable indeed.
I hope to write one more post about South Carolina as I wrap up a brief visit back to Maine. Life does go on, with taxes, medical appointments, and author business to attend to, even when a trailer is your home! It has been wonderful to reconnect with friends and family, while my generator gets a new carburetor and my truck and trailer wait patiently in Georgia.
Nimblewill Nomad kept me company by the campfire on the warmer afternoonsA more wintery walk a few days ago to the beaver swamp in our backwoods
Laurie Apgar Chandler 