Test Drive

Yesterday, I hitched up the Scamp and drove 45 minutes to Astico County Park, a county park and campground in Dodge County, Wisconsin.   Many years ago, I served as a law clerk for Dodge County.  One of the judges liked to take me out for lunch every week or so.  One time we passed a wayside off Hwy 60, and the judge mentioned to me that there was a nice county park and campground across the Crawfish River from the wayside.

Twenty years later, I took him up on his recommendation.  The campground wasn’t far away, offered electric services, riverside camping, and reasonable fees at $27/night (including reservation fee).  While most of the nearby state parks were booked up, only about a third of the sites were occupied last night at Astico.   Here was the view of the Crawfish River from inside my Scamp.Towing the Scamp to the campground was not smooth.  Hwy 60 is in terrible condition.

I used to think our state roads were some of the best in the country; however, things have changed.  Hwy 60 between the I-90 and Arlington is particularly disgraceful.  I also noticed some trailer sway.  Upon taking measurements at the front and back of the trailer, I found out that I was not completely level.  After arriving at the campground, I  unhitched and drove to the local farm supply store in Watertown to swap my adjustable hitch ball mount for a ball mount with a more precise fit.

After picking up supplies in Watertown, I cooked up some Shrimp Scampi (of course) and had a glass of home-made Chardonnay.  Thoroughly stuffed, I took a perimeter walk around the campground and discovered trails leading to a mill and dam.  There was no access from my side of the river, so I found a trail that led to a bridge to the other side. From here, I was able to walk down below the dam.  

From below the dam, it was easier to follow the Hwy T and Hwy TT to Atisco Park than to backtrack. But then I found an even faster shortcut.  

I saw this cemetery as I passed through the campground earlier.  I just wasn’t sure how to get from the fenced cemetery to the campground.  Several of the graves were really old–people who had lived and died in the 1800’s. I tried to imagine what their lives were like.  Wisconsin didn’t become a state until 1848.  One person was born in 1824.  As I approached the campground, I contemplated climbing the fence.  Fortunately, just before I made that decision, I observed that some of the fence was damaged.  Walking through the gap was a better decision.

Time to buy some campfire wood.  Earlier, I picked up some store ads and an empty cardboard box, if needed, for fire starter.  As it turned out, I needed every bit to get the fire going.  The wood sizzled and hissed for about thirty minutes until the fire took off.  It was time to watch the river go by.

Around ten p.m., I tested out the television and antenna.  To my surprise, I was able to pick up a variety of free broadcast channels.  I found some evening news and watched a bit of Steven Colbert on the Late Show before falling asleep.  In the morning a few thunder showers with lightning passed through.  When the rain stopped, I successfully used the dump station to get rid of my gray and black water.  A successful test drive. More adventures ahead.

Date Night

I’ve spent the last few weeks making some minor repairs and mods to the Scamp.  One of the lights wasn’t working above the dinette.  That fix required drilling out four rivets, disassembling the upper cabinet to expose the wiring, removing the light, cleaning out the switch, and putting everything back into place.  I also switched all the interior lights to LED as an energy-saving measure.

Additionally, I added a propane tank so that I now have two 20 lb tanks with an automatic transfer valve for when a tank runs dry.  I confirmed that the water pump works, along with the water heater (which had a leak that needed to be fixed). Tomorrow night, I’m taking the Scamp on an overnight test trip.  In a few weeks, if all goes well, we will take the Scamp for a weekend trip along the Mississippi River.

Last night was date night.  Wisconsin gets only about a dozen or so perfect days each year.  One of those days was yesterday.  We took a walk around the state Capital in Madison, enjoyed a margarita and expensive but tasty tacos at the newly opened Canteen Restaurant off the square, and then walked down State Street to the Memorial Union, one of our favorite spots (and where we held our wedding reception many years ago).

When we were undergrads and then later when I attended law school, the Memorial Union was my refuge.  I studied on the couches on the second floor, and gazed out at the lake when I didn’t want to study anymore.  A lot has changed since then, but the views and the vibes are still spectacular.

Unfortunately, no one sang Neil Young at last night’s Open Mic, as in the good ol’ days.  Some of the rap songs reminded me of the sounds coming from megaphones on top of vehicles in Mexico during election time.  On the positive side, the beer choices on the Terrace are better now.  I enjoyed a Fantasy Factory IPA from Karben4 Brewing, as we watched dusk descend over Lake Mendota.

Close to Home

While other people sleep in on this Saturday morning, my body wakes with the sun and urges me up.  A few minutes after 6 a.m, Elvis the dog  and I hiked into town, up and down a few hills, and past a quiet Main Street.  The cafe was packed with old folks.  The more trendy coffee shop and cupcake shop were still empty, waiting for the upscale younger crowd to wander in.

Coming up the driveway, I noticed that the squirrel I accidentally hit yesterday afternoon was already gone.  Nature wastes nothing.  I felt bad about hitting the squirrel, although I have been at war with the long-tailed rodents for a few years.  I like to feed our wild birds, and the squirrels have been raiding my various feeders for a long time.  I have been known to take pot shots at the raiders with my one-shot pellet pistol.  I missed more than I hit, but I did manage to hit a few.

Recently, I purchased an overpriced squirrel guard for the bird feeder, which was simple but effective.  Since it worked, I guess it wasn’t overpriced.

Since installation, the squirrels have been content to eat the birds’ wasted seed on the ground, rather than climbing up the pole, lifting up the lid, and stuffing their greedy heads into the feeder itself  to eat like pigs at a trough.  I no longer feel animosity towards the grounded squirrels.

After arriving at home, I grabbed my bag of freshly roasted Mexican coffee beans.

Actually, the beans were baked, not roasted.  And that’s an important distinction.  Properly roasted beans undergo temperature changes from room temperature to over 400 degrees.  My heat gun crapped out on me during yesterday’s roasting session.  Beans that normally roast in 12-15 minutes took over 30 minutes with the dying heat gun.  Not a good thing.  Baked beans taste flat. Still, these fresh baked beans were still an improvement over anything that I could buy locally. And being the frugal guy that I am, I couldn’t throw away the baked beans!

There was a time when I would drink nothing but a ristretto (restricted espresso shot). Those days of purity are long past. Today, I opted for a simpler form of making coffee–a method that will serve me well when I begin travels with the Scamp.

Justin and I are taking it easy.  Julia is off in Nashville at a meeting.  She left me this cup from a previous meeting to remember her by–with a semi-famous Ben Franklin quote.

Our Egg

The plan all along was to buy a new fiberglass trailer.  One of the issues has always been that doing so requires picking it up at the manufacturer’s location (Canada, South Carolina, northwestern Minnesota).  On the other hand, used fiberglass trailers are very expensive and sell very quickly.  For late models, people are selling for the  price of a new one because waiting lists for new ones are currently nine months or longer.

When a 2001 Scamp 16 came up for sale near Appleton, WI at a reasonable price, I jumped all over it.  The seller received other offers, but I was the first to show up at his door. I towed it home yesterday, and it is safely tucked away, waiting for its next adventure.  Even new fiberglass trailers end up needing some work, and this fifteen year old trailer will be no exception.  I was able to confirm that the refrigerator and air conditioner work, but I will need to de-winterize it and test some of the other mechanical systems.

We plan to replace the carpet with vinyl flooring, add solar, and repair a door seal that seemed to let water in on the way home (it was storming). I’m sure other issues may come up, but that’s part of the journey.

Buying a Different TV

Tow vehicle, not television.

My 2012 Ford Escape had a towing capacity of 3500 pounds, a tongue weight capacity of 350 lbs, 4 pin wiring, and a 1 1/4″ hitch.

Towing capacity is fairly self-explanatory.  If the trailer weighs more than 3500 lbs, fully loaded with gear and liquids, the Ford Escape could not safely tow.  Additionally, one has to factor in the gear and people added to the Ford Escape.  The tongue weight is the weight that is on the trailer tongue that attaches to the Ford Escape.  Four pin wiring is the kind used for small utility trailers or boats.  All of the trailers that i have looked at require 7 pin wiring, part of which is the wiring for trailer brakes and to charge the trailer’s battery. Finally, the smaller hitch receptacle size was inadequate for using a weight distribution hitch, recommended for smaller tow vehicles like the Ford Escape.


I could have made the Ford Escape work-probably.  However, it would have required modification/expense to change over the Class 1 hitch to a Class 2 hitch, change the 4 pin wiring receptacle to a 7 pin receptacle, and to add a weight distribution hitch which redistributes the weight of the trailer over the weight of the tow vehicle.  Even after those modifications, I may have been pushing the towing limit after factoring in water tanks and holding tanks.

For safety reasons, I decided to upgrade.  The 2013 Nissan Crew Cab below has 6100 lbs towing capacity and a 7 pin receptacle.  It’s a bit of overkill, but that isn’t a bad thing. We will have the flexibility to add solar panels, batteries, bicycles, and not have to worry about filling up with water or waste.

The first new vehicle that  I purchased was 1986 Nissan pickup.  We took that truck on all kinds of adventures across California where we lived at the time.  In some ways, it just felt right to go back to a Nissan truck for the next round of adventures.

Hiking with River Views

 After another peaceful night in the Ford Escape,  I was up by 6:15 a.m. and ready to start the day.  The sunset last night overlooked  the Mississippi River.  Below, the sunrise was peeking up on the Wisconsin River. There was still a chill in the air, so I decided to delay coffee and breakfast, getting in an early morning hike.

Less than 100 yards east of my campsite, the Old Immigrant trail left the Ridge Campground and descended down the bluff through dense hardwoods and crossed a small stream. Here, the trail followed the river.

As I hiked through the deep woods next to the slowly moving waters, my first thought was that I was lucky to be hiking before the official start of mosquito season.  The weather had been cool enough that no bloodthirsty flying attackers were aware of my presence. My body is a natural magnet for mosquitoes.  I sauntered along the river bank, knowing that I would be unable to do so without heavy DEET repellent assistance in just a few weeks.

After 2.6 miles, the Old Immigrant Trail turns uphill (present signs called this subpart the Indian Trail).  About two-thirds of the way up the bluff, I turned and followed the Sentinel Ridge Trail east back towards the Ridge Campground.  Just before reaching the top, there is a side trail leading  steeply back down for a short distance to the Treasure Cave.

I’m not a cave lover, but i was curious to see the trail leading down to the cave and perhaps would step a few feet into the entrance.  The trail down was worthwhile and included a natural stone opening that was striking.

Unfortunately, as the third thumbnail photo above indicates when you click on it, the cave itself is closed before May15 to protect bats threatened by White Nose Syndrome.  I just wish the sign had been placed at the top of the steep trail rather than the entrance to the cave below.  Turning back uphill, I followed the Sentinel Ridge Trail back to the concession area and Ridge Campground.   Here, I took some time to prepare breakfast (scrambled eggs with goat cheese and warmed corn tortillas), washed down with a pot of coffee prepared with the French press.

A number trails that cross through the interior of the park and away from the river.  However, I am a sucker for water views, so I eliminated those from consideration for my second morning hike.  After breakfast, I headed back out on the Sentinel Trail and followed that trail west  and then south as it followed the bluffs above the Mississippi River.  This trail is 3.2 miles round trip and is not a loop.  The Sentinel Ridge Trail ends at the bottom of the bluffs at the park boundary.  From here, I crossed the railroad tracks and walked a short distance to the boat landing, which is part of the federal wildlife refuge on the Mississippi River.

A dock leads out to a fishing platform where a fishermen worked two poles.  I plopped my butt down on the blacktop near the boat landing and settled in to watch the river roll on by.  I saw a pair of bald eagles fishing also.  These were not the only bald eagles that I saw.  This area boasts a large number of year-round bald eagles, which have started nesting again. Numerous turkey vultures also fly along the bluffs.

I wish I had photographic proof, but i have given up on taking photos of birds with my Iphone camera.  The bird “dots” in the photos don’t do justice.  The effort in capturing the bird dots was outweighed by my unfettered joy in simply watching these birds soar.

I crossed the tracks and headed back up the bluff.  Five minutes after leaving, another train rolled by. Trains are much easier to photograph.

I hiked back uphill and then followed some interior park trails that meandered back to the campground.  The mileage total for the day was over ten miles.

That afternoon, I finished my C.J Box novel and started reading the parts of the Wall Street Journal that I had not yet used to start fires.  It was a warm, windy afternoon.  A family with an energetic, noisy and unleashed dog set up a large barrel-shaped tent on the very edge of the buff of the adjacent campsite.  They immediately left for several hours.  That proved to be an unwise choice, as the high winds ate their tent up and knocked it down. Returning in the early evening , the family packed up and went home.

Not entirely sad to have my part of the bluff to myself again, I dined on cheeseburgers fried on the backpack stove and washed down with Dogfish 60 minute IPA’s.  My legs were pleasantly sore and tired.  Shortly after sunset, with nothing left to read, I turned in early and slept well again.

In the morning, I made coffee and a quick breakfast of eggs and toast.  Breaking down camp was easy without a tent to pack up and with my sleeping bag already in the car.  I took the slow way home, which was to follow Hwy 60 along the Wisconsin River.  Passing through Sauk City, the loons were migrating through on the river.  The photographers were out in force with huge telescopic lenses.  I pulled over and simply enjoyed the view.