You're on Your Own

I came home from work on Wednesday afternoon, and they put a gate up across the road right after my site. I knew there weren't many people in the campground, but this was confirmation that I was the only one. There were only five sites now that weren't closed off.

The campground itself is creepy quiet. There aren't even crickets making noise that my ears can hear. I never had a problem being out by myself before, but there was always a dog at my side. The dogs were my eyes and ears.

There was one night when I was out having a cigarette. I was standing by my porch light looking out into the distance scanning for movement or eyes. I had only the companionship of the dull sound of cicadas that is my hearing now.  It's a constant reminder of one too many industrial jobs whose only concern for the well-being of their employees is a thin facade hiding the concern for their own liabilities.

I stood outside for a good 5 minutes. The light of my camper had drawn in some mosquitoes. Apparently the temptation was too great, and a nearby bat came down to feast.  5 minutes of silence interrupted by the fluttering of a bat a foot away from my head was pretty unsettling.  I jumped, the hair stood up on my neck, I put my cigarette out and went to bed.

Thursday night around 10pm, the power went out. I was watching a movie on my phone, and I caught it out of the corner of my eye. The lights on the nearby bath house went out. The power loss was confirmed by a text message to my phone from my Marcell monitor.

There's nobody to call.  The office was closed, and cell service is spotty. I had seen a utility truck with an emergency flashing beacon drive by half an hour earlier.  I wasn't sure what was going on, but it seemed like a not-so-subtle clue that they were telling me to leave.

The irony is that with all the street lamps out, I was more comfortable.  The streetlamps let you see the ground immediately around them, but you're blinded to anything beyond the light.  I woke in the morning and fired the generator.

Once the offices opened, I started making phone calls.  I was told that there was an underground power blowout. The woman on the phone told me that this would not be a quick fix.  She didn't care if I stayed but I wouldn't have power.  I brought along all the equipment I needed to stay off grid, but it wasn't hooked up yet.

I decided that my house had wheels and it was time to move down the road.  The campground that I'm at now is nicer but there's more people. I preferred my solitude over concrete pads and well kempt grass.  I could have dealt with a lack of power, but hot showers are non-negotiable.

Clear Creek MS

I got the call to move north. I was told on Thursday. I spent Friday afternoon trying to find a campground. One of the nicest things about this job is that your campground selection is up to you.

The problem with bigger towns, is that the property values frequently don't allow for a campground nearby. My trainer is being put up in a Holiday Inn, and I wanted to be somewhat close by. My options weren't looking good.

The closest traditional (not a parking lot) campground I could find was almost an hour away. My closer choices included:
-Right by a highway next to a paintball course. Gravel lot
-Some guy's backyard for $75/night
-The local Civic Center about half an hour away

The Civic Center wouldn't have been bad. The problem is that they were very clear that they would not issue refunds. I might get called somewhere else in a week or two, and lose my entire months lot fee.

I started giving serious consideration to dispersed camping (boondocking). There's a state forest nearby.  As I started looking into this, I saw a campground without any info. I assumed it was a state park, and chased it down via the Mississippi State Park website.  All I got was a phone number.

Thankfully I called before 3:00, because the offices close for the weekend. It's a neat little Army Corps park out in the middle of nowhere (very similar to Susquehannock by Raystown) and half an hour away from the hotel. There's electric (sort of), and bathhouses. That's pretty much all I'm looking for.  I can work out the details.

Google Maps was pretty cracked out on this one. I got off the highway, and kept getting into more isolated areas. I had the Mazda in tow, so I couldn't backup. The roads kept getting narrower and the trees kept getting closer.

Eventually, two lanes turned to one, pavement gave way to gravel, and gravel gave way to mud.  At some point I realized I was in too deep to turn around. Even if I dropped the Mazda, I don't think it would have enough traction to get out on its own power.  I just kept going.

I spent the next 20 minutes in four-wheel-drive trying to keep the articulation to a minimum so I wouldn't break the tow gear. I had to choose a line that balanced traction, articulation, and clearing the camper with the trees. I'm incredibly grateful for my fiberglass sides. The hair was standing up on my arms and my Spidey senses were tingling. I knew if I got dug in, I wouldn't have cell service to even call for help.

I'm fairly certain that I was trespassing on somebody's private property, but Google maps told me I had 1.3 miles till my next turn.  I figured the further I went, the less I would have to walk for help.  There were a couple times that I had all six tires spinning on the Ford while the Mazda drug like an anchor in the back.

The Ford was sliding around like it was tied to a Zamboni. I didn't get any pictures of the messy stuff because I wasn't about to stop. I just held it in first gear and kept churning away.  Don't break anything.

Props to the guy who reworked my front end.

The campground is really nice.  There's little to no cell service.  I normally would be fine with that, but my work needs to be able to contact me. I parked the Ford, and cruised the campground in the Mazda looking for signal.  I tripped across some pretty stunning scenery.

This is my home for now. $18/night, mostly vacant, I currently have a bath house to myself, 10 miles of mountain bike trails in my backyard, and some fantastic views when I need cell service.

It'll do.

A New Beginning

I've been absent for the last couple years.  A lot has happened, and I won't even try to begin covering that much ground in one post.  The short version is that I sold the house, moved into a motorhome an hour away from work, spent the winter freezing my tail off, and got the job I've been watching for more than half a decade.

I'm now bouncing around the southeast, dodging tornadoes, alligators, and floods in an old Ford diesel flatbed truck with a truck camper, toolboxes, and a Mazda in tow.  I started my new job on the 18th of March in Shreveport LA, and am presently in training to survey all around the country.

I didn't get here alone.  There were a handful of people who helped make this possible, and without them, I can confidently say that I wouldn't be here.  You know who you are.  Thank you.

Things are starting to settle down as much as they're going to.  I'll try to keep up on the blog for those who care to follow along.  This won't be a priority, but I'll do what I can.

For now, I'll just post some pictures of where I've been.

Ready for my 1200 mile journey.  Really wish I had working fuel gauges.

I ran right through the middle of a "bomb cyclone in Jefferson Ohio.  I had a semi-truck get blown into my lane, and decided to get off the road for the night.  I woke in the morning to find my driver's side rear lower shock mount torn off.

Middle of nowhere, Arkansas.

View of the Red River right off my backdoor in Bossier City.

My refrigerator made it 1200 miles and a day before springing an ammonia leak immediately after returning with $100 in groceries.  I got it stuck between the cabinetry and the roof air conditioner for about 45 minutes, before getting it here.  It stayed the night right here till I figured out how to get it through the door.  The truck camper is -just- big enough.  I had to relocate EVERYTHING to get the refrigerator out.

After removing the refrigerator, I found a leak.  This wouldn't have been visible without the refrigerator out.

The refrigerator was one inch wider than the door frame.  I had to rip the mounting flange off with pliers and a crowbar to get it out the door.  I taped everything back together so I didn't have 30 pieces to move.  Thankfully, Bossier city has a nice appliance disposal site where I dropped this off for free.  I tried to explain that it was an ammonia appliance, but they didn't seem to care.  I wasn't going to argue with them.

The old fridge took 2 days to get out.  The new one went in in about 10 minutes.  The difference a few inches can make.

Shreveport Boardwalk.

Shreveport Makers Fair.

This is Queeda(sp?).  She was my neighbors dog in Bossier City.  The owner worked the oilfields, and was gone 16 hours a day.  We were buds.  She helped me take care of all my extra bacon when he was gone (with permission).

"You got under 100k miles on that thang?  How mushoo want?  Cash money right naow."
It took 3 people to guide me in.  Oil changes are expensive on diesels.

LeFleur's Bluff State Park.  Jackson MS.  Lovely little campground, other than the mosquitoes and gnats.

Weather forecast in PA: We have a storm front moving through North of I-80.  You'll likely see some accumulation.

Weather forecast in the South:  We gots wind an' hail an' tornadoes an' shit.  The following states are completely screwed.  Y'all kiss your mama an' say your prayers cuz y'all gon' die!

My lunch buddy at a gas station in Madison MS.  It had nothing to do with the chicken breast I was holding.

Shipped in from Germany.  You don't see too many Mogs in the states.  The couple using it quit their jobs to travel for a year or so.  Guy said they'll figure out what to do later.  Respect.

I got a knock on the door at 6:15 am Sunday morning saying that we were being evacuated.  I guess that's the downside of camping directly downstream of a dam.

Water's rising.  The ranger said that there were three campers he couldn't get hold of.  Not sure what happened to their rigs.

I'm currently at an unremarkable campground right now.  It was the best I could do on short notice.  It's cheap and has everything I need, but it's basically a gravel parking lot.  I leave in the morning to travel about 100 miles north.  I'll get more pics later.

See ya' down the road.