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.

Mississippi River Bluffs

After a short stop at the Grant River Recreation Area, I continued meandering north on the Great River Road, mostly on Hwy 133, until I reached Governor Nelson Dewey State Park.  I could find only a few short trails on top of the bluffs here, which I hiked quickly.  Then I found a picnic table and made breakfast, consisting of French press coffee, fried eggs and toast, all prepared on my little Coleman backpack stove.

I brewed the coffee with home roasted Brazilian from Thursday morning.  I was lazy and ground for french press before I left.  Coarsely ground coffee stales more slowly than finely ground coffee, due to differing amounts of oxidation (less surface area exposed for coarse).  This cup tasted particularly good in the crisp morning air and brisk wind on top of the bluff.

My intended destination was Perot State Park north of La Crosse, but I never got there.  Continuing on the Great River Road, I found myself at the entrance of Wyalusing State Park, just south of Prairie du Chien, WI.  I’m not sure if I ever visited this park before, but I immediately fell in love with an available campsite on top of the bluff.  When I found out that there were more than ten miles in hiking trails also, I booked the campsite for two nights.

Wyalusing is a historically important park   Below these bluffs, you can see where the Wisconsin River meets the Mississippi River.  On May 17, 1673, Father Jacques Marquette’s expedition left St. Ignace, Michigan at the northeast tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  The men followed close to Lake Michigan’s shoreline into Green Bay and then entered the Fox river, which empties into the Wisconsin River near Portage, Wisconsin.

They continued to canoe to the place below, where the train now crosses. On June 17, 1673,  Father Marquette wrote:
“After 40 leagues…we happily paddled into the Mississippi with a joy I am unable to make known.”

Today, these  trains run frequently, all day and all  night.  On of the advantages that my Ford Escape has over a tent is soundproofing.  I slept without any interruption both nights of my stay. I like the sound of trains, just not when I’m trying to sleep.

These bluffs also mark the Passenger Pigeon Memorial.   A memorial plaque states:

“Dedicated to the last passenger pigeon shot at Babcock, September 1899.  This species became extinct through the avarice and thoughtlessness of man.”

That afternoon and evening, I read the latest C.J. Box novel from my chair at the top of the bluff.  I dined on ravioli with butternut squash, and French bread with goat cheese, washed down with a tin cup or two of Rodney Strong’s Cabernet Sauvignon.  The sunset was amazing.

I slept in my car–and I would do it again

Reading blog posts and watching Youtube videos about rv and van life, one of the things that gently shocked me is that people sleep overnight in Walmart parking lots.  For years, many (but not all) Walmarts have made their parking lots open to motor homes and travel trailers for overnight stays and sometimes longer.  For people who like Walmarts, I suppose it has some advantages.  A parking lot stay is cheaper than a campground.  Security keeps an eye on the parking lot.And if you need something, it’s just a short walk across the parking lot to a Walmart.

But it’s not just motor homes and travel trailers.  Some people stay overnight in converted vans, mini-vans, or (gasp) cars.  Online, I’ve seen some fascinating conversions of cars as small as a Prius that have been converted into tiny camping vehicles with beds.  That made me wonder if my Ford Escape could be set up for camping.  Thanks to the Internet,  I found that it’s been done before.  The back seat of a Ford escape partially folds down.  But if you remove the seat part of the back seat, it folds down all the way flat.  By sliding the front passenger seat all the way forward, I actually have room to stretch out my 5’11” frame comfortably on top of a thick foam sleeping pad.

Now you might think I’m going to tie the above two paragraphs together and admit to sleeping in my car at the local Walmart parking lot, but you would be wrong.  Though I’m not overly fond of Walmarts, my wife has an intense dislike of Walmarts, and she would literally hold it against me if I ever overnighted there.  In fact, when I first mentioned that some people camp in Walmart parking lots, she almost lost it and said:

“We…will…never…camp…in…a…Walmart…parking lot.”

So, anyway, back to the story.  I planned a weekend of camping and hiking along the Mississippi River in western Wisconsin, but I couldn’t leave until after supper on Thursday night so that Julia could take over care for Justin, our son in a power wheelchair.  I didn’t really see the point in paying for camping on Thursday night.  I would be setting up in the dark and not able to enjoy the park at all on Thursday, except for sleeping.  It seemed like a good time to try stealth sleeping in the Ford Escape, especially because predicted temperatures were in the high 20’s.

Because I wasn’t going to sleep in a Walmart, I got online to do some research.  Surfing over to freecampsites.net, I  learned that the Mystique Casino in Dubuque, Iowa has allowed RV campers to overnight in the past.  Unfortunately, the Mystique changed its name to the Q Casino, and I couldn’t find any recent reports that camping was allowed after the name change.  The last report was four years ago.  I decided to take my chances.

After arriving at the casino parking lot around 8 p.m. I circled around a bit to see where the other “Rv’s” were parked.  Unfortunately, I didn’t see any.  There was an area of the parking lot in the back (towards the river) where several semi-trucks parked.  I moved far enough away from the trucks so that I couldn’t hear or smell the diesel engines, and backed in close to the dog kennel fence (there’s a dog racing track here too), so that people couldn’t walk behind my Escape.

Then I walked into the casino and enjoyed myself for a couple of hours. I had a pretty good steak sandwich with fries, accompanied by two Saga IPA’s, brewed by the Summit Brewing Company in St. Paul, Minnesota.  I walked around, watched people play roulette, poker, and slots. After a stop in the nice indoor bathrooms, I quietly slipped into the back of my SUV.

It was 29 degrees when I woke up at 6:30 a.m.  No wake-ups by security.  I parked far enough away from the crowd that I didn’t hear another person all night.  In the morning, my front window frosted up (on the inside).  After a couple of minutes of scraping, I headed back across the bridge to Wisconsin.
A few miles up the road, I found the Grant River Recreational Area, which includes an  Army Corps of Engineers’ campground along the Mississippi River.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  My mind felt at ease, as I continued my weekend on the Mississippi River.