Driving to my Happy Spot: Roan Highlands

I left Twin Knobs early after a quick oatmeal breakfast and coffee. My next destination was Roan Mountain State Park in Tennessee.  This was my first trip in the Brew Hut.  I spent time tenting here in the Spring of 2018.  I first hiked the Roan Highlands in 1996 during my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

There was no need to set google maps to avoid highways. The most direct route was on winding roads. We passed through a lot of small towns with one memorable stop. I was low on groceries, so I picked up supplies at a small IGA. Careful not to get parked in, I sprawled across several spots in the back of the parking lot.

When I came back with the groceries, I could see that a dilapidated pickup truck was parked in front of my truck. A semi truck was behind my Scamp, leaving no way to get out. Callie was barking furiously at two mountain men inspecting my Brew Hut.

“Nice camper,” the old, fat one drawled, as I came up.

“It’s an old one,” the skinny one without many teeth said.

I made small talk about Scamps, where they are made, how old mine was, and the benefits of fiberglass campers.

“Can we see inside?”

I was standing there with my groceries, unlocking the door, wondering how this was going to go.  They both ducked inside for the one minute extended tour.

“It’s got everything you need,” the skinny one said. “Have a good trip.”

After a long drive, I’m camped at Roan Mountain State Park, tucked in against a bubbling creek.

Personal Protector, Will Travel

Daniel Boone National Forest: Twin Knobs

After leaving Cedar Creek Winery, I set my google maps to avoid highways, beginning a meandering route along state highways, county roads, and town roads. I didn’t make good time, but the scenery and people-watching were well worth the longer journey.

Headed into the heart of coal country, yard signs told me that “coal keeps the lights on.” As I drove, I listened to Amy Goodman on Democracy Now make the case that continuing down the path of fossil fuels will lead to climate collapse.
I saw a lot of America on that drive: rural poverty, small churches asking support for the troops, big houses behind walls and gates, large mega churches, and dozens of signs proclaiming allegiance to local high school school football teams.

By mid afternoon, I arrived at my destination: Twin Knobs campground in the Daniel Boone National Forest. I didn’t have reservations, but I was able to secure a spot with electric for two nights. Choices were limited. All of the sites are back-in. My site had a slight incline.

Those gouge marks in the driveway aren’t from me but testifies to the challenges of the site. Once I set up camp, everything came up roses.

It was a beautiful clear night with falling temperatures. Twin Knobs is a huge campground. Callie and I got 14;000 steps in just walking the campground loops once.

We ate a light dinner of a small strip steak, sautéed spinach, and a toasted hamburger bun, followed by glasses of porter and an internet radio broadcast of the Packers Bears game.  Public consumption of alcohol is illegal in Kentucky, so we stayed close to the Brew Hut, our current abode.

On the next morning, we slept late (7 am), and then prepared bacon, eggs, potatoes, and coffee. I’m currently drinking a home roasted Ethiopian, taken to just before second crack. Rather than roast coffee on the road this trip, I have two weeks supply and froze enough for the remainder of the journey. If I run out, I’ll look for a good commercial roaster and ask what they roasted that day.

Freshness is more important than origin or degree of roast–almost every time.
After breakfast Callie and I hiked up Twin Knobs. When I thru hiked the Appalachian Trail in my younger days, I was always the first to leave the shelter and be on the trail. As I broke through countless spider webs on the way up Twin Knobs, I was reminded of that disadvantage in being the first on the trail.

When I reached the top of the “observation area”, I was also reminded of the eastern forest’s stinginess in rewarding climbs with views. Trust me, there is a beautiful lake behind the trees.

After the hike, Calle and I sought a less obstructed view.

Indiana: Cedar Creek Winery

Sacrificing scenery for speed, I made a poor choice in taking the interstate from Peoria to Indianapolis. The road was under construction for long stretches. The temporary lane was half bad shoulder.

By the time that I pulled into Cedar Creek Winery, Brewery and Distillery, I was ready for a beer or rather a flight of four samples.

I chose a dry hopped Mosaic IPA, a northeast hazy IPA, a porter, and a dry Irish Stout. My favorite was the hazy IPA ($25/growler). My least favorite was the dry hopped; it tasted thin to me without sufficient Mosaic. I suppose it’s possible that I got a “wrong pour” because I’ve never met a Mosaic-hopped beer that I didn’t like:

The porter was good and a good value ($14/growler). The Irish stout was okay. I bought a growler of the porter and headed back to the Brew Hut. Callie and I walked around the grounds, which included an outdoor stage.

Callie and I continued our walk on the country roads close to the property. Lots of big houses on country estates with lake frontage. I snuck Callie in for a quick swim despite signage declaring the amenities were for members only. No harm, no foul.

The temperatures cooled down after dark. It was a great night for sleeping. Not too much artificial light and quiet with one exception. As I started to drop off to sleep, a big black cat jumped up on the Brew Hut spare tire and meowed into the screened window next to my bed.

Callie was not amused….We are headed for Kentucky,

Harvest Host—Peoria, IL

After a nice week with the whole family, and visits from the kids’ grandparents, it was time for everyone to go their respective ways.

Today, I’m on the road again. I hitched up the Scamp early this morning and drove to Peoria, Illinois, where I am camped at my first Harvest Host overnight. For an annual fee, Harvest Host provides its list of hundreds of wineries, breweries, farms, museums, golf courses and other businesses who offer a single night of dry camping on their property. In return, guests agree to spend some money at the business.


This afternoon, I paid for a $5 wine tasting for five samples of wine and then bought a bottle of the one I liked best. The overnight stay is free. No utility hookups, but no crowds either. I’m the only camper staying tonight on a lovely warm Illinois evening.

Tomorrow, I move east to Indiana, and perhaps another Harvest Host stay.

Some Good Days

We’ve had splendid summer weather during the past week:  sunny days in the 70’s and overnight around 50.  Justin is home for a couple of weeks. He seems to be doing much better now.  He earned A’s in both of his summer courses, did his homework on time and kept to a good sleeping schedule.  In fact, he seems like a whole new person.

We had a nice family campfire on the hill last night.  Allie’s magic Iphone camera filters turned Justin into a hipster.  Justin starts his second year of college after Labor Day. I think he has a better understanding of the demands of college and taking a more active role in managing his disability.

Allie finished her summer internship, along with an interview for a three year corporate rotation. She will help me out caregiving for Justin for the next week and then return to Milwaukee for her last semester of college before graduating in December.  We’ve had time to do some hiking also.

Next week is full of checking off “to do” lists before taking off in the Brew Hut the following week.  I know that Callie is ready to go.  Me too.

Overnight at Lake Kegonsa State Park

After our trip to Point Beach State Forest, I finished up the converter.  You know how you get to the end of a project and have pieces left over? Well, that isn’t a new occurrence for me.  It turned out that the main shore power cord needed a wire clamp to hold everything in place.  It would have been better to install that before everything was wired into place.

So there was some disassembly and then some reassembly.  Later,  the converter needed side shims to close a gap and to provide more support for attaching the converter box to the interior frame of the  Brew Hut.  I finished everything on Wednesday.  On Thursday, I took the Brew Hut in for the final summer upgrade:  new tires.

When I originally purchased this Scamp trailer, the owner told me that the battery and the tires were new The old battery was dead, and the tires were bald.  However, he also admitted that he bought the cheapest replacements that he could find at the local farm supply store.   I immediately replaced the battery.  After traveling to Arizona last fall and to Texas this spring, I didn’t trust the cheap tires for another long trip.

Based upon several recommendations at the Fiberglass RV forum, I ordered three Carlisle Radials.  The existing spare tire was the original (stamped 2000), so it was time for that to be replaced also.  After the tires were balanced and installed on the Brew Hut, I was off to Lake Kegonsa State Park for a quick overnight trip.

On a Thursday night, there were plenty of campsites available.  The sites are nicely spaced and wooded.  There are about 100 campsites; however, I saw only a few that would be good for solar power. Since I was checking out my electrical system, I opted for an electric site.

After a long hike on grassy trails at the edge of the woods, Callie and I watched the Packers game on my little-used television.  Well, Callie mostly watched me watch the Packer game.

Everything electrical seems to be working, and the new tires have set my mind at ease. On Friday, we moved Justin’s things to his new dorm room and moved Justin back home for a couple of weeks of relaxation (for him, not me).

During the next couple of weeks, I’m on caregiver duty.

After Justin starts college, I’m heading southeast in the Brew Hut, hoping for a quiet hurricane season.  Julia plans to join me again closer to our destination.  If all goes well, we will enjoy some time in a new place:  the Outer Banks of North Carolina.