Winter!!

Tuesday was the shortest day of the year less than 8 hrs of daylight...unless you live in Fairbanks Alaska, where it was only 3 hours and 42 minutes. 

 Hello fellow bloggers, this blog will post on the eve of the holiday so I wanted to get it written up a little early so I could just chill and enjoy my eve with nothing pending, it has been an easy week but I will share some bits of my week with you all...

(dont forget to hover for more captions)

I have been cutting some of my home grown salad greens here and there although winter is not my favorite time of year for greens, but I grew all this so I need to start eating it, so I made up a salad...the Arugula is very hot so it has be tempered with some other green like Spinach, Simpson, and Romaine.

The pot of Cilantro is also an added benefit, I add it to soups, chili, and sometimes in the salad as well it provides a nice punch for the pallet.  I enjoy having a little food growing around my place even if its only greens.  

A sunny days brings every one out to warm up...

I'm over run by these chubby critters...this is why you see wire cages around all my pots

Sweet Annie

One day I drove out to one of my favorite fields...Its full of dried Sunflower heads, 

I picked one up off the ground...

I see various birds but it's private property so I normally can't get much of a look at the birds just distant views, 

this come came home with me...

Didn't take long....

And I keep hoping some Goldfinch will come by...

One dirt road goes through the field area so I can bird from the van window This is part of my 5 mile radius 

Back at home...

A window shot of the Hermit Thrush 

The Wise One

You can always count on finding some beautiful flowers at the cemetery  

Not to mention some fun birds hanging out 

This cemetery is a rural one and the land next to it, the AG fields back up to, and on this day I found a bright spot in the brown drab....

The Little Palm Warbler...even tho this is not the State bird of Florida it should be..they are so plentiful there and I'm glad to see them increasing in numbers here also. 

This photo has two kinglets in it, hope you can find them....hover to discover

And a curious Eastern Bluebird ....

One of my very favorite Sparrows can you guess what it is? 

Hover for the answer. 

We expect a high of 70 on Christmas day sooo that sounds perfect to me. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Independence is Priceless

SO this last trip was long if you recall I left home on about March 15th driving and camping across  GA, FL, AL MS, LA, TX, AZ, NM, UT, and finally to CO, and on the return add NE, IA, IL, TN, NC, SC returned on June 8th around 6,500 miles I didn't get exact mileage, that's a pretty good estimate.  I ended up camping 30 days out of the 2 1/2 months I was away...

One thing I get asked a lot when I'm in campgrounds is "how do you like camping in  your van?"  So I thought I'd answer that question here on my blog.  First off I love it!  It's so simple.  I pull into my spot, hang my screens, get my chair out, tie the dogs up in the shade...and we're done!

Yes If I had the budget I'd buy an awesome class B with all the super bells n whistles, but that is not in the cards.

I feel lucky that I found this van back in 2011 and (knock on good wood) I've been able to put 60,000 miles on it and a lot of that has been traveling miles.  I actually have less stuff I take along now than I did in the beginning because I found I really don't need much!  And it depends on whether the dogs are with me, and I have some ideas on new plans for traveling with dogs IF I continue to take them along...it's not that they are not good dogs they are, but it's 3 individuals each with different needs, may as well be traveling with 3 babies!  I did swear this was their last long cross country trip but one thing I've learned is:

 never say never!  

I'd like to see a 5th wheel or travel trailer get in this spot that was built around a lava flow!

So my 2001 Dodge Ram 1500 has a 5.2 liter engine, it is 8 cylinders and it still runs good.  One thing I know is this; I can take it anywhere you can take a regular truck! SO I'm not limited to just highway and paved campgrounds.  I take more risk than I should and it certainly is not a 4 x 4...I nearly got stuck in deep loose gravel on this past trip so it's a matter of not pushing the envelope...I have gone up steep narrow mountain dirt roads and had to keep going till I could find a spot big enough to turn  around without falling off a cliff!  It is not good in mud or deep sand, so if it's muddy I'm not going there. For the most part I can get into tight small spots, and I have had to cross more than one creek in it.  If I was towing any type trailer I would not be able to do that.  If I had a big high thing like a Sprinter, I would probably cave the top in on low hanging limbs...

Goose Island, TX April 2017

I have been using an air bed, but that is changing! I have plans to order a 6" or maybe thicker...high density foam rubber mattress I can order a piece 54" wide by 70 inches long  to put over my fold down bed.  

the bed is 69 inches long and 48" wide  May 2014 Lake Hartwell, SC

I'm tired of a couple things. 

 # 1 the noise of the squeaky air bed when I move around on it.  It rubs against the vinyl trim of the walls and its like when you rub a balloon against something!  (that creepy clown with a balloon sound)

#2 it makes my hair stand up in cold dry air, and I am constantly getting shocked, and look like a pinhead! ZAP!!~~

#3 It deflates or goes flat in the middle of the night!  

#4 It's like sleeping on an ice cube when the air is cold!

#5 And it's very uncomfortable to sit on it's like a bouncy house..lol If Annie is on one end and I sit down she nearly flies up into the air...lol that part is kinda funny tho. 

I will enjoy NO more pumping up! 

With Annie Otter Creek, VA Aug 2016

I loved my Coleman SUV Airbed, never had any of those issues with it, but it died, and  they don't make those anymore....I hate the one I replaced it with. 

So no more! I can make a nice cover for the foam mattress. Hopefully it will be an easy find.  I saw a 10" one on overstock but I'd rather find one I can cut to the exact size I want.  When it's not in use I can store it in a big vacuum bag! Stay tuned for that change. 

My van has lots of pockets for storage of small stuff...

The bins are along the top, these 2 captain seats are removed and in storage since I don't need them.  They snap in and out pretty simple but they are heavy! 

I like having the plastic lightweight 3 drawer units! I normally have 3 with me 

# 1 for clothes and it doubles as a bedside table, 

#2 for food storage, stored in the back cargo area 

#3 cooking kit and stove gas bottles storage. also in the back cargo area facing the back.   Each of these provides good flat storage on top for other "things". Like extra blankets, big beach towel, dirty laundry bag. 

Back yard 2011 the day I bought it.

The back cargo area, when the seat is laying down in bed position there is actually MORE room at the back since the bed slides forward about 10 inches when it's laying down. 

I didn't take the shelf units on this last trip because I needed the floor space for the dogs...so I felt very disorganized....I had my pots n pans in a storage bin strapped to the cargo rack that attaches to the trailer hitch...That was handy but I hated having to deal with securing it to the carrier every day for travel...and it was always covered with road crime and dirt. 

with the cargo carrier on the back Routt NF, CO Sept 2017

Sept 2016 Upper Peninsula, Michigan Heating up bath water

                                             

... idea: is dog carrier cages that flatten and can be assembled so the dogs have their own space and can be put outside the van when in camp!  Of course they would have covers for any weather issues!  I have a good system with screens on my windows and the door openings side and rear...this works really well 

Screens in place, a folding step to make getting in and out easier
Big Bend, TX May 2017

I am considering putting a swivel on the passenger seat so it can become my inside chair for relaxing, computer working, watching DVD's, journaling etc or for visitors.  Most of the time I'm out of the van , life happens outside, I don't want to cook in my van, if I had a second car yes, but I don't right now.  So I will continue to cook outside.  

OH and nap taking!

Pancake Bay, Ontario Canada Sept 2016 

If I'm going to stay in one spot a few days I take all kinds of things with me...and that is fun, but not necessarily fun to do alone, on this trip I had a friend along, notice the "spare bedroom". (tent)

canopy and tent  Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC June 2015

My normal set up is just my chair! I can cook right at the back by placing my folding table on the bumper and extending only one set of legs, this is the fastest method and I don't have a lot of set up or take down to do. 

Big Cypress Swamp FL Feb 2016

Mainly what I do inside is dress, work on the  laptop, watch a DVD, sometimes eat if its cold or buggy, relax if its cold, and sleep.  I'm pretty much inside once it's dark and outside as long as the weather is nice the rest of the time.   I can charge my phone, camera battery, DvD player, and computer as I drive daily but I'f I'm not driving then I use my Battery Pak, it's 1012 AMP...

 I  have the Coleman electric ice chest but it will drain my battery if I'm not careful. Meaning I need to be driving at highway speeds to keep the battery fully charged...if I end up sitting in traffic, or taking a slow cruise down a dirt road, I have to unplug the electric ice chest.  I'd like to go back to using a regular ice chest with a drain tube, when it's cold weather I don't even need an ice chest...stuff just gets cold overnight!

this simple set up is when I'm going out for a short trip like a week or less...Dupont State Forest NC 2014

And as mentioned I normally cook outside and set up my folding table if the picnic table is missing or grungy. 

Veggie Links when I first got the butane in Sept 2015,
Craters of the Moon, Idaho

Another very tight camp spot, Blue Ridge Parkway
Rocky Knob Campground Oct 2014

And the same site in Rocky Knob, VA Aug 2017 here is my normal set up

My stove, folding table, folding chair, and small ice cooler.  

It only takes minutes to set this up and put it away at the end of the day...

Sometimes it's just a quick snack in a pull out like here at Crater Lake with Casey...

Just grab something out of the cooler like humus, cucumbers, and crackers....and sit on the bed or set up my chair inside the van, its within easy reach at all times. 

Crater Lake Oct 2015

the no cook  are my favorite meals....and especially when shared with my buddy....

Flickr Ate My Photo

This was my first camp trip with the Van June of 2012,  Edisto Beach, SC.  My son borrowed the van for about 6 months right after I purchased it, so that is why it took so long for me to get in my first trip....I was still working full time my boss closed down for a week so she could take a vacation so it was off to the Beach for 3 or 4 days.  AND 

Mom and I took so many wonderful day trips in the van, my forever shotgun rider....

SO when people ask that intro question "how do you like camping in your van", all these wonderful trips and many more pop into memory and so I would say I've had 6 great years of camping with my van, and I wouldn't trade anything for it, and can't wait till the next time!

Happy Independence Day!

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Lost Maples

March 22
Last visit to TX I did the Rio Grande Valley, so this time it's the Hill country 

                

and Lost Maples State Park 

 the Sabinal River and Canyon provide the perfect habitat for the Golden Cheeked Warbler nesting.  Another rare to find but not so rare in Lost Maples is the Black Capped Vireo. so with those 2 hopefuls on my list we stopped at the campground and I paid for one night.  We got in late I was tired and mostly we just did lots of dog walks and resting...In the morning got up to a heavy misting of rain with a blowing wind! Great

March 23

It takes forever to do anything in the rain...

especially when you have to walk 3 dogs before breakfast!  But some how we managed to get through camp chores and I went down to the office to inquire about the weather forecast.  Rain with showers in between basically, OKAY then! 

So I paid for one more night and headed for the bird blind where some feeder birds were hanging out...

This park is beautiful even in the rain..it is small mostly its a backpackers dream with lots of trails and back country campsites..

At the blind I was scanning the trees across from it because I heard a Vireo.  I'm familiar with the calls of some but this one sounded a bit off so maybe...Scanned with foggy binoculars, and sure enough there it was! The Black Capped  was right there raised my camera and it just didn't want to focus I snapped anyways and although this sucks you can def tell it's the Black Capped Vireo.  Fantastic reward for birding in the rain!

Would have liked a nice clear shot better of course! But if you look this bird up you will see it's all there the black cap, the bluish back, green wings with white wing bars! I got a pretty good look with my binoculars! I was surprised to even get a shot at it...The camera just wanted to focus on the misty rain...and not what I aimed at but I kept on....it let up a little and I was told to hike the East-West Trail so I headed for that.. 

So pretty with the spring colors in the forest and low shallow flow of the Sabinal River sure made for a pleasant hike even if I struck out!  I crossed the river and just as I did I saw a yellow flash drop and sail across the river right in front of me, and he landed in some cedars...

I got 2 not so good but good enough shots of the Golden Cheeked Warbler...lifer #3 for the trip.  How lucky can you get?

                                     east west trail 

Later on the day cleared with some wind to help push it out and I spent most of the rest of the afternoon in the day use area walking the dogs and  watching the Black Crested Titmouse feed in the trees. 

 

                                         mossy trees

                                                              play time

                                                         early bloomer the red bud

                                              no Casey you can't get out right now but in a few minutes I promise!

Here we are in site #1 This was  in the afternoon the first day we arrived when the sun was out. 

The campground filled up quickly...unfortunately the next morning Saturday started out the same way! Drizzle, wind, and not so good!  So I loaded up had breakfast in the day use area and left...taking Hwy 83 South to Highway 90...then turning due west.  The rain cleared off about mid day I enjoyed stopped to see roadside wildflowers like the Texas Blue Bonnet..and yellow Poppies. 

Pine Siskin...

One rest area stop for the "kids" to get out and stretch their legs we saw a bright House Finch and a cactus growing up on a tree!

I wanted this to be a Trogon, but....to be honest Im not sure what it is I went with weird house Finch. 

we passed this the Breaking Bad fans will know the significance of it...

And the Famous Kincaid Hotel...in Uvalde, TX

We continued West to our camp for the night and that will be up next...

In real time I have arrived in Colorado and spending my days with MOM..she is doing excellent although her mind is not as sharp as it once was she still is strong and has her sense of humor intact...Hope to share some photos of her later...

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.