This past Friday night (May 28th) we drove from Franklin, WV to a campground in George Washington National Forest. The sunset was beautiful making the drive feel like a breeze. While going through an obviously affluent town, we spotted a black bear running across a golf course green. Both of us were elated at the sight, taking in the moment, while also snapping some pictures. Since we had gotten a bit of a late start, we didn’t pull in until well after dark. The roads leading to it were narrow and windy, making that portion of the drive a bit eerie. Feeling tired and knowing we wouldn’t be there long, we picked the first flat area as our campsite.
We woke up to the sound of fellow campers walking to the bathrooms. This is the con of having the restrooms nearby. Once awake, we proceeded with our typical morning routine; making coffee/breakfast, feeding Mogli, then packing up to get back on the road. As we backed out of our spot, we noticed a bright yellow sign posted on one of the trees. The sign read: “NO CAMPING HERE”. We had a good laugh and snapped a few pictures of our bone-headed, transgression. From there, we headed toward Asheville, North Carolina. We weren’t entirely sure what we planned to do in a city, but thought that it would be fun to check out. Our first stop was a city park where there would be space to pop the camper up and make dinner. To say the park was crowded would be an understatement. Runners were crossing the finish line of an assumed 5k, while an ultimate frisbee game commenced. Luckily there were a few open parking spaces so that we could jump out and relieve our overflowing bladders. After sitting on our butts all day, we were ready to stretch our legs. We warmed up by taking Mogli for a walk before all going for a short run. Once back at the Skamper, we prepared and devoured a healthy portion of Pad Thai. Under a nearby pavilion we watched 3 well-seasoned individuals practice tricks on their wooden ball and cup tosses. Similar to my judgement of yo-yo masters, I initially view them as nerds before recognizing how envious I am of their fine tuned skills.
Asheville is known for their many breweries, so we decided to check one of them out. We read about the top 5 before choosing Green Man Brewery. It’s the longest standing and had recipes that appealed to our taste. With a beer in hand, we walked to a large table on the patio and sat around one of it’s corners. Immediately after, a guy our age walked up and asked how many people we were with. We answered: “2”, and began standing up, assuming he hoped to take over the whole table and have us move to a smaller one. To our surprise, he didn’t want us to leave, he just wanted to make sure there was enough room for him and his friends to sit around us. They were a group of cousins/brothers and sisters originally from Illinois. They introduced themselves and inquired about us. They showed nothing but excitement about our trip and wanted to know where we had been and where we were going. On our way out, they followed us to the truck for a tour of the Skamper. To say the least, the night was an amazingly pleasant surprise. The nearest free camping spot was 40 minutes away and neither of us had the desire to make that drive. We decided instead to sleep in a Walmart parking lot, which was much closer. In an effort to block out the flood lights, we dropped the canvas over the windows, which transformed the inside into a dark den.
We woke up Sunday morning surprised by how restful our sleep was. Spending the night in a parking lot proved to be less disruptive than most parks we’ve stayed in. Once awake, we carried on with business as usual; making and eating breakfast. As you can imagine, you aren’t offered the same privacy in a parking lot as you are in the woods. There are many instances that I imagined prior to embarking on the trip, eating breakfast while watching Walmart shoppers park and enter the store was not one. I have learned to embrace these times, as they are the quirky by-product of living on the road.
Our next destination was Nashville. We found a campground nearby where we planned to stay the night. Our route took us through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was much more touristy than the other parks we visited. Within it is an Indian reservation where small shops filled with cheap nicknacks outnumber the residents. We had known going in that there were few trails within the park that allowed dogs. In order to figure out which ones they were, we stopped at one of the visitor centers. One, was a short trail that started right outside of the center. I went for a run on this, while Tom walked Mogli. Afterwards, we continued driving before stopping at one of the scenic lookouts. Being Memorial Day weekend, the parking lot was crawling with people. In an effort to take up as little space as possible, we posted up on the curb right next to where we parked the truck, to eat lunch. It wasn’t until after we had opened and drained our can of tuna and had the remainder of our lunch spread out on the sidewalk, that we noticed we were sitting right in front of the sign that marked the division between North Carolina and Tennessee. Tourists young and old were crowding around to snap what would probably be their Christmas (or other holiday) Card photo with us in the background. At this point, leaving as not an option as watching the preparation and posing gave us some good laughs. As soon as we finished, we cleaned up and took off for our campsite in Tennessee.
The long, sunny drive left us both irritable, making finding and setting up camp more frustrating than necessary. Once settled, we started our search for firewood, which landed us on a log that appeared unpromising, but that seemed to be our only option. The air was hot and thick with humidity, worsening our hopefulness for the wood and overall attitudes. As we began sawing into it, a guy staying nearby yelled over to us that he had extra wood. We walked over to the site where his entire family had been staying for the weekend, to find a truckbed full of wood. As he was explaining to us that we could take as much as we wanted, his wife offered us the extra steaks they had grilled along with baked potatoes. One minute we were feeling sorry for ourselves, and the next, we are being provided with more than we need. It is hard to put into words what it feels like when strangers want to take care of you. I felt humbled, grateful, encouraged and motivated to treat others with the same genuine generosity. Living on a budget has made me acutely aware of my concern for myself. I have never missed a meal, and yet I feel as though I need an all-encompassing security blanket to provide peace of mind. This is an area in my life that I want to pay more attention to. Less about how I am going to get mine and more about how far my resources can radiate outwards.
After collecting our gifts, we headed down to the lake to get cleaned up. I was hesitant originally, as the water looked farely dirty, and our interactions with snakes have left me on edge. Stepping outside my comfort zone felt like a small victory that was rewarded with feeling clean, a luxury that I hadn’t experienced for a few days. As we ate dinner that night, we talked about how much we are enjoying this lifestyle and how lucky we are to be able to do it. Thank you to everyone for supporting us in this. We would never have been able to step out had it not been for the assistance that we recieved in many areas.
On Memorial Day, we got an early start in an effort to cover some serious ground. There are numerous climbing areas in northwest Arkansas that we wanted to access in the following days. Since we were looking at an 8 hour drive, we decided to by-pass Nasheville. After doing some research, we found that the popular attractions didn’t appeal to us. Since replacing the second actuator, the truck had not fully ceased the grinding noise that occurred while accelerating. Our last hope before replacing all the vacuum lines was to try a new check valve. Luckily the parts department was open at a Ford dealership in a Nashville subhurb. With our fingers and toes crossed, we got back on the highway to test the new part. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes, not wanting to jinx the operation. Once we were confident that the noise had been resolved we were completely overjoyed and relieved.
Our long day’s drive landed us in the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas. We started a fire to prep coals for our spaghetti squash dinner. Once we had it cooking, we raced to catch the sunset that was beaming bright orange light through the trees. We were a little too late to see it in all of it’s glory, but appreciated it nonetheless.
On Tuesday, we set our alarms to get up and get on the wall before the sun was in it’s full fury. Just as it had been forecasted, the blazing heat cooked us like little piggies without a mud bath. Our saving grace were the tall trees that provided shade in certain areas. Both dehydrated and unable to effectively navigate the area, we blindly attempted routes that appeared reasonable. Unfortunately, a few routes were more stout than we had anticipated. Although it’s easy walk away from a tough route with a hurt sense of pride, it’s more beneficial to take them as learning lessons for future improvement. After finishing our final climb, we made it our mission to find a body of water to wash away our sweat and discouragement. We are realizing how spoiled we are with Minnesota’s many lakes. Fortunately, we were able to find a spot to swim and camp that was 45 minutes away. This was a small journey for a much needed bath. The site was right on Buffalo River, which is right outside Ozarks National Forest. The river’s water was crisply refreshing, but didn’t chill your bones. Letting the water rush over our backs, we sat in the center of the stream feeling the peacefulness that nature breaths.
There were a few groups at this site, one of which was a 4 man crew on a 10 day river trip. They were kind enough to invite us to their fire by the water, giving us the chance to hang out and get to know them. It was a challenging day that ended with great stories and even better laughs.
We woke up Wednesday morning feeling a bit beat up from the previous day’s climbing endeavors. For this reason, we knew we were taking the day off and could take some time to catch up on other things. After a slow morning, the 3 of us went for a run under the blazing hot sun. Looking forward to jumping into the river once we returned was what kept one foot moving in front of the other. Once bathed and fed, we packed up and headed toward Caitlin Hawkin’s house in Bentonville, Arkansas. It was a 3 hour drive, which now feels like a walk in the park. We enjoyed a really nice night with Caitlin and Damian; eating dinner, playing games and enjoying each others company.
Thursday was another climbing day that we spent at Lincoln Lake. It was only an hour from Caitlin’s and had some really fun climbing. On our way there, it hit me that it’s becoming more difficult to be away from home. I know that this year is going to fly, but it is hard to be so far from family and friends. I view this trip as nothing less than a dream come true, but it comes along with tough sacrifices. Climbing has been really good for us in that it demands our efforts and attention. It’s also a place that feels comfortable to each of us where our confidence is high. This gives us a chance to release our worries and uncertainties and experience all that the present moment has to offer.
We are now headed to OKC to play in a paintball tournament with Caitlin and Damian. Hopefully we live to tell you guys about it!
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