Mitsi Goes To Walmart, Etc.

April 12th  Crooked River Campground

It's 8:32P and I'm sitting in the trailer, listening to an owl.  This is the second time I've heard it.  The first night it flew into a nearby tree sometime in the early morning.  I'm fairly certain it's a Great-Horned Owl. The pond is so dry but I've seen a Green Heron and took many pictures (from a distance).

                                                                  Green Heron
I'm very concerned that the gnats are coming in through the screens.  They certainly are small enough to do it but I just don't know.  If this is happening, I have a feeling I'll be returning to Michigan early.  These gnats are driving me nuts.  They bite and leave a red mark.  If I have to deal with them outside, I accept that but if by any chance they're coming through the screens, that's unacceptable.
Today Mitsi had two adventures and I had two heart attacks.  I took her shopping at Walmarts and rolled her around the store in a cart (I later learned this wasn't "legal" although two employees had told me it was OK).
She didn't really like it but she was doing OK till she decided to jump out -she's so darn fast.  She landed and looked at me and I grabbed her leash.  I've seen no injuries so think we're good. This evening she pulled right out of her collar here in the campground and started running around me.  I thought I'd never get her.  I started looking in my bag - thought I had a granola bar - I didn't but I had her water dish and water and she was thirsty, very thirsty.  She came in for a drink and I grabbed her ear.  I shortened her collar and hope it's OK.  That's three times she's been loose - twice out of the trailer and then in the campground.  The reason I was in Walmart was to buy a baby gate.  I want a barrier between the interior of the popup and the door (sometimes the door latch doesn't catch).  Not perfect but it will do for now.  When I get home, I'll fix it.

                                                 Mitsi had a very busy day!
Anyway, here I am in Georgia.  Survived another day.  I'm still alive so onward and upward.

Georgia On My Mind

I'm home from my 2017 trip to Georgia.  I decided to keep a journal when I was down there and now that I'm home, I'll blog about my trip.  Since I'm new to blogging, I'm not sure which way I want to do this - in real time or when I'm home.  I'll figure it out as I go along.
April 12th, 2017 - Wednesday
Crooked River State Park, St. Marys, Georgia
St. Marys, Georgia is 30 minutes north of Jacksonville, Florida - it's the southern most city in Georgia.  I first came in here in October, 2014.  Anna suggested I go south for a camping trip.  I thought it was a very good idea and decided to check out Georgia.  I remembered reading a Nevada Barr mystery in her Anna Pigeon series that took place on Cumberland Island.  The book was Endangered Species and had Anna, who's a National Park Ranger, fighting a forest fire and solving a crime.  I thought Cumberland sounded like a very interesting place, checked the local area and found Crooked River State Park. I camped at the park three times in my tent and on this fourth trip I was in my new pop-up trailer.  The following is the first entry in my journal.
I've been here since the ninth but haven't felt like writing until today.  My drive down was uneventful. I had been leery about driving the trailer such a long distance but it really wasn't hard.  I believe the Garmen Nuvi GPS device made the trip very doable especially on this first trip when I really wanted to concentrate on the trailer and not navigation.  The only difficult part of the drive was through Atlanta - confusing but with the GPS, I did OK.
I arrived here around noon on the ninth and found this huge site.  The campground was almost full so I feel very lucky.  I spent over an hour trying to figure out where to put the trailer. This is an important decision because for two weeks it would be my home.  I really wanted the trailer back, deep into the site but then I wouldn't have been able to use electric.  Finally I decided to park at the front of the lot with my door facing back toward the big open space.  I think it was a perfect solution. I also have my Coleman Easy Set-up Screen House (takes one minute to put up) located between my trailer and the back of the site.
Right now I'm sitting in my screen house, Mitsi is on my lap and I'm listening to the many bird calls. If I look straight ahead, I see my clothesline stretched between two trees, towels are hanging on it. Nearby is my picnic table with two dishpans.  Surrounding my site are palmettos and it also has many large trees.  I take everything in and my one thought, I love camping!!!   Life can't get much better than this!!!
NTS (Note To Self) - I like a site with electric and probably this is the way I'll camp (most of the time) in the future.

Where The Hell Is She Now

Ellen DeGeneres said this about her grandmother,  "She started walking 5 miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 now and we don't know where the hell she is.". I'd like my grandkids to one day be able to say, "Our grandmother began camping 1000 miles away when she was 60 (true).  She's 97 now and we don't know where the hell she is.". Just going to keep doing what I'm doing for as long as I can - 97 sounds good.
Onward and upward and sideways!!!
           

Sweetwater, Tennessee

The drive from Florence, Kentucky to Sweetwater, Tennessee was not too bad.  The Smoky Mountains were beautiful,  the fields are green and all along I-75, the Redbuds are in bloom.   Whenever I see Redbuds, I think of Gene Stratton Porter.  She was an Indiana writer from the early 1900's and I have a collection of her books.  She wrote fiction (Girl of the Limberlost, Laddie, Freckles, etc.) and nature studies.   She had an agreement with her publisher that for each fiction novel he published,  he had to also publish one of her nature studies like Moths of the Limberlost.   She was a self-trained naturalist and did most of  work with moths and birds.  I visited her home in Rome City, Indiana many times and when I drove down the drive in Spring,  it  was lined by beautiful Redbuds in bloom.   The two Redbuds on our farm came from there. 

Last night I stayed at a fairly crummy Econo-lodge.  Tonight I'm at a very nice Motel 6.  Very clean, room is big, microwave, fridge and cost is $63.  I was looking through my pictures and found this picture of my parents camp setup when they drove from Michigan to California in early 20's.  My sister Barbara was 2, Ada was 1 and mom was expecting my brother.   Just imagine what  it was like to cross the country back then and camp along the way- really impressive. 

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The Way To Begin Is To Begin

The morning started with Mitzi throwing up and me walking around telling myself not to be a fraidy cat.  For some, driving a new trailer for the first time ever and going 1000 miles is a nothing, no problem.  I, on the other hand, am a worrier, have anxiety and compulsive thoughts but taking a xanex minutes before beginning a journey isn't wise.  So, remembering Eleanor Roosevelt's quote, "The way to begin is to begin", I pulled out onto Wixom Rd, faced my fears  and am now in a motel south of Cincinnati.  Didn't have any problems other than wind and rain.  Mitzi is on my lap and is OK.  I'm hoping the weather clears enough for a walk.  So, gratefully I say, I'm alive - onward and upward - heading to Georgia - left my pistols at home.

Tomorrow The Journey Begins

Everything is packed except the cooler and I'll do that later this evening.  I'm sure I once again am taking too much but this is the first camping trip of the year and just second trip I've ever taken with trailer and after I settle in at the campground, I'll have time to figure it out.

I checked St Marys weather and looks great starting Sunday when I arrive.

I think I've done everything possible to practice and prepare so tomorrow I'm off to Georgia.  Wish me luck.

You Gotta Have A Plan Man

I bought my pop-up iIn August 2016 and my only camping trip was to Big Bear Campground near Gaylord last Fall.  I had absolutely no intention to take the trailer on a long trip till i was used to driving it.  That thinking changed when I finally could make a reservation at Crooked River State Park in Georgia and thought, I sure would like to have my trailer down there and not my tent and made a decision to at least try.  Chia, Addison and I came up with this a few years ago - you gotta have a plan man, think good, don't give up and later I added, revise your plan if needed. I came up with a plan by really thinking good.   I've practiced hitching the trailer to my Explorer many times and have no problem doing it.  I setup the pop-up, packed it and closed it - was a little bit frustrated but did it and know I can do it down in Georgia.  I've driven it and feel comfortable that I can go posted speeds without sway taking into consideration the conditions.  I've practiced backing up and while not very good, if I take my time, I can back my trailer into a site.  Finally, I'm learning how to use the GPS system.  I think navigation is sometimes a real problem when traveling solo and have always depended on maps, AAA trip tics and for confusing areas a cheat sheet I would type up in large bold letters.  I was really concerned about driving this trailer through cities with heavy traffic and unexpected lane changes.  Larry suggested this Garmen Nuvi 65LM GPS and like with everything else, I'm practicing.  It's very hard for me to trust anything like an electronic device and to give up control but... I'm doing it.  Used it on my trip to Bay City today with success.  Not totally giving up my maps but I'm joining the modern world.  Now that I've worked with my plan, I'm ready.  I still have some anxiety about the trip but I'm also a little bit excited about having this new adventure.  I have often concluded that I don't want a life controlled by fear.  More than once I've told myself, "don't be a fraidy cat".  On Thursday I'll be on my way - you know why - cause I'm not a fraidy cat and I have a plan man.

My Friend The Carolina Wren

During my April 2015 visit to Georgia I developed a very special relationship with a Carolina Wren.  Actually, this story had its beginnings before I went to Georgia.  This is what I wrote in my journal on that visit.   "I love the Carolina Wren - so sweet - so beautiful - so sassy.  It is similar to the Jenny Wren with a very loud, persistent, repetitive call.  We never had Carolina Wrens at our bird feeders until 3 years ago.  This past winter I think we only had him in the Fall as he migrated through.  I missed going outside in the morning and hearing him 'yell' his good morning to me.  About a week ago he was again migrating and visited our farm for one day.  He sang his song in the backyard.  To me, it was as if he was telling me, 'See you in Georgia'. Well, I arrived at Crooked River State Park today and am in the same site as last year - site 6.  I opened my Explorer door and the first sound I heard was the call of the Carolina Wren.  I think it was saying, 'What took you so long'?"
 At the end of my April, 2015 trip, as I was packing up getting ready to go, I think the same bird came to say good-bye.  He landed on my hiking boot and went in and out of the Explorer.  I really think he was trying to decide whether or not to hitch a ride North with me.  Finally, he flew away and I began my journey home.  Right now as I get ready for my impending trip back to St Marys, Georgia, I'm looking forward to once again hearing the loud call of the Carolina Wren and watching these wonderful little birds flit around in the Palmettos that hopefully will be surrounding my new campsite.
For more information on this bird and really any bird you can go to:  allaboutbirds.org.  This is a Cornell University birding site and you can type in the birds name in the appropriate space on top left of page and click search.  You can listen to their sounds, watch videos and find all kinds of pertinent information.

Georgia On My Mind

I've been looking at journals that have writings about my past three Georgia trips.  I found this -"Note to Self,  How many sweatshirts does one old lady need in a warm climate - I have too much stuff!!!"  I've just decided that this old lady needs three sweatshirts - maybe.  Reading these journals is fun and brings back lots of memories, good and bad.
I thought I'd post today about my first camping trip to St. Marys, Georgia in October, 2014.  That year wasn't a good one for me personally and also for my extended Manser family.  Tough year.  By the end of September I was really not happy - I no longer had my very much loved big, black van that I'd camped in for years - sold it and had a brand new Explorer, very nice but not good for camping.  I had a big tent but nights in Maine at that time of year were too cold for me and so I just walked around being crabby.  Finally Anna said, "Mom, you could go South."  I thought, she's right I could go South.  I began planning and looked for a destination.  I remembered that one of the Anna Pigeon books written by Nevada Barr had taken place on Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia.  I checked out the area on-line, found St Marys and the Crooked River State Park and the rest is history.  I loved my three trips to Crooked River and now in six days, I'll be heading down I-75 for another two week stay.  The picture I'm posting was taken at a little pond near the campground.  I'm really looking forward to walking around that pond with my camera, taking pictures.  Note to Self (NTS) - watch out for alligators - don't want my dog to be some alligator's lunch.
By the way, Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series is a real favorite of mine.  Anna Pigeon is a ranger in the National Park System and each mystery takes place in a different park.  The one about Cumberland Island National Historic Seashore is Endangered Species.  I think I just might sit down and read it again.  Onward.