It’s Been too Long

I wish I could say I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to post but I can’t. My last post on September 6th was too long ago.

So here I am sitting in a laundry in Deland Florida posting. I got back to Hontoon Island State Park just before Thanksgiving. And true to form I was greeted by a beautiful sunrise the third day back.

Prior to my return I was working on my boat at Acosta Creek Marina. I had pulled it from the water prior to heading up to Michigan for the summer. Now I was back and found the old tub to have survived Irma with just a little mildew in the pilot house. I had been away from May until November. This was the longest I had been separated from her.

So I put a new coat of bottom paint on, stripped and oiled about three quarters of the exterior teak and waxed and buffed out the hull. Acosta Creek is one of those great little family marinas Jane and Bob were great and 2 1/2 weeks I was back in the water.

Before I got to work on the boat is was visiting Berry and Denise in Ken-tuck-ee and prior to that visiting my sister Linda in Perrysburg Ohio.

After tearing down the Michigan outpost at Springhill  and my final unsuccessful attempt to do a rocket stove pizza oven I headed to Davison Michigan for time with Sam and his brother Walter. They were wrapping up the work on Sam’s “River Rat.”

Now comes a very interesting turning point. I somewhat tired of living in a tent for 4 months and going to Camp Walter to stay in the shop.

Could not help my self. I bought an $400 18 ft trailer to turn into an aluminum tent. I gutted it and this spring I will remodel it for one occupant.

Boy now I’m exhausted.

The laundry is almost finished and I need coffee.

Special shout out to Ron whose message on the blog prompted me to catch up. I looking forward to seeing him and his lovely bride in February.

This is Dr Brad standing by on 16.Stealling a quote from the Briny Bug.

” Go simple, go small, go now!”

Chill in the Air, Leaves on the Ground

Well folks it’s been a few days over 3 months since the summer campaign to invade Michigan began. I’m starting to get a little chilly in the tent the last few days. The high the last two days was 61 degrees an the lows have busted below forty degrees a couple of times. My camp site has been upgraded over the weeks from my last post.

It has become a true outpost. I built my rocket oven and this week the last test is to make a pizza. The oven is built from scraps and I’ve sustained 350 degrees twice. I’ll post pizza pics.

I have enjoyed the camp and the beauty of the undeveloped land – 700 acres.

Gotta love it!

I had to put a new radiator in the Exploder. Thank goodness for online video instruction. I’ll probably be on the road in the next ten days or so. See some friends, visit my sister and prepare to spend all the money I saved this summer on the boat.

This summer was one in which I never needed air conditioning.

Some days I would drive as much as 20 miles on the lawnmower.

I figured I made close to 500 pounds of potato salad.

I sliced more than 900 cucumbers.

I learned how to handle a front loader.

I learned that there is much hope for the young.

Great experience, three months in a Coleman tent, camping all the way.

I did occasionally yearn for the days in graduate school taking advanced statistics, so I made this little chart.

Camping ahh graduate school yea hold my campfire I got this.

Well I would have made this post shorter if I had the time.

Dr Brad standing by on 16 and noaa hurricane tracker.

Slow Boat to Mobile

11/15/2013

The lesson today kids is that if you have 250 dollars until December third you anchor out a lot. After I left Florence I took three days to go 50 miles. I had a doctors appointment in Corinth which meant two days in a marina and a few gallons of fuel.

I stopped and spent a night at Bear Creek.

Sunrise at Bear Creek

I spent two night at Wetstone

I left Grand harbor for the last look at the Ohio River watershed on 11/12. I hit Bay Springs Lake 38 miles down the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. I am 412 miles from Mobile Alabama.

I am still here at Bay Springs and it is a beautiful place to spend a few days. This a pretty place but alas no cell service in most of the anchorages. What a great opportunity to learn some important things about yourself.

My anchor got hung up when I had to reset it and as usual there was 30 minutes of  @#$%#@%&% and then relief. After three years on the water I decided to make a trip line. This is a line tied to the front of the anchor and attached to a float so that if the anchor gets hung up you can grab it with a boat hook pull it up and use the line to pull the anchor out backwards.

The last few days have also been record low temperatures. Got the long handles out known up north as long under wear or long johns. Ran the the old Honda and the electric heater but it has to go off at night so carbon monoxide doesn’t get you. Temps went down to 22 degrees and the cabin to 38 degrees. This was like old times coming down the river. The condensation freezes on the inside of the windows. God I love it so. The challenge, the risk, the chance to look at yourself face to face under crappy conditions.

I decided to spend yesterday looking for a Wi-Fi Hot Spot. I found one at an anchorage I used two years ago. The lake and the anchorage have that Michigan look with sand and hardwood.

I spotted a Common Loon probably migrating from the Great Lakes to the coast. They will get there a few days ahead of me.

Not bad huh….

Front comes in tomorrow and rain is following. Midway Marina with great hot showers is 20 miles and three locks down. Winds will come up 15 mph out of the south so a decision will be made early in the A.M.

That’s the skinny. Now for a late breakfast.

This is Dr Brad standing by on 16.

This blog is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.