Probably Should’ve Checked The Propane Tank Before The Trip

Probably should’ve checked the propane tank before the trip. Or at least looked at gauge we had installed two years ago. Got up this morning to make coffee & we had no propane. So the coffee pot went on the grill on the campfire ring. Crisis avoided. We camped so little last year, I thought we had a pretty full tank.

2024 maiden voyage to Sadlers Creek State Park where we usually start our camping season. It’s local so if we have problems we are close to home. Never left the campsite except to walk the dogs on our weekend trip, so it was good weekend. A little windy on Saturday with the wind coming across Lake Hartwell. Nice temps & lots of pollen. (See roof of camper in pic).

Hopefully , we get to camp more this year. We had had not camped since last June. My return to coaching track and cross country ate up a lot of our time. Also, my dad’s sickness & death last summer kept us around home more than usual. And we got a new Corgi last year, and breaking Archie in to doing things on a leash was a challenge, although it was mostly life stuff that kept us from camping. So this was his first camping trip & he did great. Although, we are going to have to figure out how to keep him from laying across us to look out of the window while we are trying to sleep. Lol.

Nine years ago today, we left Necedah with Jeremiah in tow. The last pic is from that day. That is right around the time we told Cary neither one of us had towed anything before. He had concerns since we had to get back to SC. Been a lot fun & hope we have a lot more camping in front of us.

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No coffee? No COFFEE?! NO COFFEE!?!?!?!? Perish the thought!

Do you have a "steak saver"? It adapts the onboard propane to a 1 lb cylinder, which is adequate for emergency use....I've never "stress tested" how long a tank lasts. But these have saved my bacon more than one. I believe CI actually includes on with the camper.

This weekend would have been a great time. For us in Indiana it was sunny and pretty nice both Saturday and Sunday. This is probably my favorite time of year. The weekend warriors are just barely coming out of their winter slumber, the night time temperatures make a campfire a joy, and the days aren't so hot you just want shade and a fan or air conditioning. Not leaving the camp site, I like those trips a lot. My past life has been so hectic and stressfull just sitting and doing nothing except enjoying time with loved ones, perhaps a pipe or cigar, and/or an adult beverage as the sun is setting...priceless.

Sorry to hear about you Dad. I've got recent experience in this. As my parents were beginning their descent into skilled care, I was allowed one of the years with the most camping use.

I effectively lived at a state park near them for days and weeks at a time. It was not quite as enjoyable as a staycation weekend, but even with the busy days as a caregiver, I was able to find quiet times to relax. Frankly, I doubt I would have "made it" through that time if it weren't for the quiet moments. My Dad passed away in March, and my Mom is in skilled care at this point. I need to visit frequently, but the day-to-day is not as much my problem at more, so I'm in a "wait and see" summer. New job, less caregiver responsibility...we'll see how it goes.

Cute corgi Our "Junebug" is a corgi mix -- full size dog, with the tiniest little legs

 

I left for the mothership with an empty can and awoke to a cabin I couldn’t heat before crawling out of the sleeping bag.

 

Depending on the temps (20 degrees for example) “Well, that’s how L.A. coped with that surprise low of 58 degrees that turned the weekend into a real weenie-shrinker!" -Harris K. Telemacher

If you haven't seen it....you should, L.A. Story is one of the funniest films made in the last 10...no...20...no no...33...no! 33 years. Once I'll watch at least every year and still get a laugh out of it.

 

Thanks & sorry to hear about Dad. My father’s health had been bad for years & crashed pretty quickly at the end. We did a lot with my mother from help get adjusted to her new existence.

 

it was 34F in the cabin when I crawled out of bed.

 

Thanks, its life. My Dad was on a slow trajectory --- a year ago, you could have a conversation with him, though he was very confused about who "that woman" is and was forgetful of details. We realized how "hazy" he was when he would forget conversations like "Dad, you have cancer..." in a few days.

Around Christmas, he had COVID and a horrible fall -- that was the beginning of the end. He became exit seeking, and uncooperative with staff. They told he needed to go to a nursing home, or hire a full time nurse. No good options there. We had to choose the best of what we could.

Regardless, his cancer was untreatable with surgery or chemo at his age, and health. My wife is an oncology nurse, and she was convinced that treatment would kill him surely. So we went into hospice....We THINK he had metastasis into his brain since his change in behavior was so very abrupt. But we'll never know for sure.

Mom is so far into her dementia at this point she doesn't know where she is. If I walk out of the room and come back in 5 minutes, its like I was never there at all. But, at least she remembers me, and sometimes confuses me with her husband of 65 years. It's truly heartbreaking.

So, we do our best...whatever that means.

That's pretty chilly, but not terrible. I went camping last week in about the same conditions. It isn't too bad as long as the bath/shower/toilet is close. I carried my porta-potty in a side tent, so I was okay. Get back inside, turn on the furnace for a few minutes, and read until the temperatures rise. I actually find that really relaxing.

The only down side is packing up on that morning...that's a little challenging.

----

On a more fun note, I am planning with dates heading west. Either leaving the morning of the 9'th or tomorrow

I'm seriously considering just going and dealing with it. Finding campgrounds along an indefinite timeline is a pain, and I wonder if I'd just be better relying on Hipcamp, and making calls the morning before I leave for the days travels....not being entirely sure where I'll even be that night...

Thought?

 

Good luck. Not sure what my plans are yet, I'm in the path of totality at home --- probably just say here, listen to a little pink floyd...

 

Sorry for your loss, Sweeney.

 

I do appreciate it, from all who said anything. Its actually kind of a relief -- seeing them both suffer has been difficult. No my Mom....

KOA's have gotten crazy pricy!!! I was looking for a quick overnighter and some of the Travel, not even Holiday's, were like $70 a night!!!

I'd love to swing through for a visit...but I'm sure that is a crazy, and probably not even possible. Not far from there, you'll find "Bear Wallow Distillery", it may be worth the trip if that's your thing. I find Indiana wines and flavored liquors far too sweet for my taste.

Also, The Brown County Winery makes a cranberry wine which is really good. I have a bottle or two around during the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. It goes very nicely with turkey They have tasting roomin the village as well as their main location on 46.

If ice cream is your thing, have you been to Zaharenko's in Columbus? Hopefully, you can catch a performance if they aren't playing ... ask

 

Sweeney, sounds like a wise plan...
you may be interested in this:

Statewide Emergency Declared in Indiana Ahead of Solar Eclipse

Oh yeah ...another fan!

 

I saw that article too. This combined with the "black swan" event in Baltimore, has one of my friends pretty spun up. I've been a proud member of the tinfoil hat club for a long time, but these 2 events have him spun up completely!

The reality is -- I'm kind of worried about it, at least I would have been if we had blue-sky forecasts. The statistics of the number of people coming here would dwarf the SuperBowl. Not to mention the pile-ups on 70, 65, and 69, the 3 interstates that go through Indianapolis. Then, just for fun, the people flooding the parks, schools, fairgounds....all that have no idea how to manage traffic on a normal day --- let alone if 5000 cars are vying for a parking space.

I'm a child of the 80s. How is it possible NOT to be a floyd fan?

Not to mention, it has one of the best engineers of all time that worked on the album....Alan Parsons.

I'll have to give this a listen next time I have an hour and a good headset. My Harman Kardon and telephone booth sized speakers are long gone, and my soundbar on the TV just isn't up to the task of room-filling sound.

I'll need to find an hour, and my Bose headset (ya ya ya) and immerse myself in this

I wanted to do a side by side, but found my iTunes library. (which I just re-ripped to higher quality) is missing Dark Side....makes me wonder what else I lost

 

If you've never been there, Zaharenkos is unique. I hope they play the big Orchestron for you. Hearing it for the first time is quite an experience, and well worth the stop.