I have been up in this general area in the past, but it was mostly for work. There’s a lot of history in this region. Jesse James looms large in these here parts. There’s some Civil War history with General John J. Pershing, and one of the last four remaining original covered bridges in MO.

The bugs were absolutely horrible last night. I had the screen door open and they were covering the screen trying to get to “The Light”. I had to go outside and they made a run for it inside. It was so bad I had to get out the car vac to suck them up off the lights and ceiling. I’m going to have to do something different to keep them away.

Boondocking last night in a primitive site was a good intro to my trailer. On top of things I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I was able to use my CPAP on the inverter last night! That has been a huge limiting factor for boondocking in the past but no more! I can get through okay the first night but after that it gets restless. Now I can use the solar (or bring a generator) to stay off-grid longer.

With the partially overcast sun this morning it was slow to recharge the mostly-drained trailer battery. I really didn’t get too worried; I had food, a dry bed and my own toilet. All was well.

I had a leisurely breakfast this morning and was looking at a map to see where “next” was going to be. I was excited to check this next park out, and just down the road was a tasty detour.

Along the way were the numerous little towns – all mostly the same, with the long-time family businesses and home-cooking local restaurants so prevalent in the Midwest. Most have a town square with the old courthouse in the middle surrounded by businesses across the streets on all four sides. Many people never leave these towns or return after “making it” elsewhere so there is sometimes a fierce loyalty to where they grew up and live. That’s where you see the school sports rivalries between neighboring towns.

I had decided on heading for to Crowder State Park, just west of Jamesport, MO northeast an hour or so. That’s a pretty awesome thing as I have been in this town before, getting several delicious Amish treats. There are a lot of Amish in this area and it’s actually fairly popular with tourists. We’ll come back to that shortly.

I got a site that is close to the front of the campground but is off by itself. Tonight I have electricity which is good since I have to have the air conditioner on. I can also use it for the microwave and to heat water for a potential shower.

I got my rig unhooked and set up then it was off to Jamesport. I have decided this will be a splurge day as I went looking for a bakery first thing. I struck tasty, delicious gold.

I have gotten a few stares for some reason. Not really understanding why but WTF ever. Your hang up isn’t mine. I think part of it may be I carried in a shopping bag as I always do when I shop. My guess is not many here do that.

I left to go find a liquor store since this was a dry area. I found a HyVee in Trenton, MO and got my Guinness 0 and a couple cans of hard fruit punch to try. I was watched like I was going to steal something.

The Guinness 0 is non-alcohol. It’s not anywhere near as good as the real thing but it’s okay and it’s drinkable. Especially while I am seasoning the new griddle!

After I got it seasoned I cooked up two salmon burgers – one for me, and the dogs split the other. I give them a treat like that every so often. It’s good for them too. Tomorrow I’m thinking hash browns and an egg on the griddle for my breakfast. Oh yeah. I’ve never really cooked on a griddle so I am learning on the fly. I need some good griddle spatulas to really get some technique.

I was hoping to get some hiking in but I am told the ticks are pretty horrible right now. Not interested in becoming dinner for them and I don’t want my dogs dragging them inside (it’s why they sleep in kennels in the truck). The dogs are on meds that kill fleas and ticks if they bite the dogs, but I don’t want the live ones getting loose in the house or trailer.

But really, it’s fine for now. So far this trip has been focused more about getting to know the trailer. The reason I’m doing a trip close by is I can always come back to explore since it’s not that far away.

Two days in and I’m loving it more the more I use it! So functional and easy to travel with. I thought the Scotty was easy. I think this one might even be easier to use.

Time to wind down a bit and start thinking about what I’m doing tomorrow.

Or not.

See you tomorrow.

Shawn