Hello Everyone, well this week officially marks the half-year point of being sheltered-in-place here in Washington D.C. This is definitely not what I had planned for my 2020, but it is what it is and I’m still grateful to be here all things considered. I have watched spring turn to summer, hung on through the long, humid summer days and now I am watching the temperatures drop and the leaves start to change. I’ve tried to keep myself and my folks active and busy the best I can and I’ve really enjoyed being able to read more, play some music, do some writing and learn more about the history of my hometown. I’ve made friends with a 2 year-old who shares my daytime adventures with me and traveled with my mom around the region to explore Civil War sites and local scenic byways and neighborhoods. I’ve tried hard to keep this blog going despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a travel blog which 2020 simply had other plans for. If you’re still reading and following along, I really appreciate you. Believe me when I say I hope that I can get back on the road sooner rather than later and continue my adventures around the country. There are a lot of unknowns in the future, even on the other side of this, but I’m excited and hopeful for what’s to come.
This week has been pretty quiet. There is definitely a chill in the air and nighttime temperatures have dipped near freezing. Mason and I continue our exploration of the woods near his house and have found several new-to-me trails to wander down. Now that it’s cooler I can’t have him splashing around in the water, so we spend more time walking and exploring and less time throwing things in the creek. He seems to learn and grow every day and we both continue to learn from each other. He definitely wears me out, and when he takes an afternoon nap, I take one too.
I’ve finished The Pirate Hunters book and enjoyed it so much I’m staying on that vein for a while as I picked up a book I had started many years ago called …and a Bottle of Rum. It’s a fun look at the history of rum from its origins in the Caribbean through to more modern times. I bought it when I worked as a kayak guide on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands to have something to teach my adult participants, which was fun but I never got through to the end of it. I’ve got another book on pirates lined up for after this one as well before I shift gears to something else.
On Friday, we did our weekly basement party with a theme of Blues, Brews and Barbecues. We tapped into our home-brewed IPA which is finally ready to drink and we really enjoyed it. There was some great Delta Blues music on the stereo as we played some cards and enjoyed some barbecue sandwiches and a delicious blue cheese and red cabbage coleslaw I had whipped up the night before. We finished it all off with some so-so store bought bread pudding. I know, I know, I should have made it myself, but there it was and I grabbed it. It wasn’t terrible. Despite the dessert, it was a good night all around.
Saturday morning I packed up Shadow Catcher and hit the road. We drove about two hours north to Rocky Gap State Park in the Maryland panhandle where we set up camp high above Lake Habeeb. The weather was perfect – crisp and cool under bright sunny skies. After settling in I set off on a nice, long six mile hike around the lake and through the woods. It wasn’t the best hike I’ve ever been on, but it sure was nice to be somewhere different and the fresh air did me a lot of good. The first glimmer of fall was visible in the leaves as I made my way around the lake and out to the canyon overlook and historic cemetery. I got back about an hour before sunset and enjoyed some dinner and a few beers by my campfire before crawling into bed. After living in my van for so long it really had become my home and it was nice to be back in it after six months. It got pretty cold out that night, but I stayed warm and cozy. I slept in a bit on Sunday and then went for another nice hike in the morning. When I got back I cleaned up and then drank coffee and read until it was time to pack up and head home. It was so great to be on the road again, enjoying my van that I spent so long making my home. I definitely want to make the most of the van and the weather before winter sets in and a few nice weekends away will do wonders for my sanity. It was a nice drive back as well and I got home in time to enjoy some football and call it an early night after a well spent weekend.
The time away got me to focus a little on some of the things that I need to work on in my van, and I want to be sure I get what I can done while the weather is still good. I spent some of Monday afternoon taking care of some little odds and ends and will get to it more in the weeks to come. The rest of the time I’ve been packing for my upcoming trip to New Hampshire. Tomorrow I’m heading north for a long weekend to see my brother and his kids and hopefully get out and enjoy some time on his boat and some fall foliage as well. I’m really looking forward to a change of pace and a change of scenery and to seeing my brother after almost a year. I hope to get out and take some photos while I’m there and have already scouted out some spots which look really promising. I also hope I get back in time to post some photos before my newsletter comes out next week so you guys can enjoy it too.
And with that, I better wind this up so I can finish packing, because it’s going to be an early start tomorrow. It’s a solid 12 hour journey to New Hampshire so the earlier I get out, the earlier I’ll get there. I hope you all have a wonderful week wherever you are. I’ve been thinking with the election and holidays approaching it might be a good time to make a list. Everyone’s been talking about what they will do “when all of this is over”, which I think is really healthy and great – I’ve been doing the same. But when things start to get hectic, we might lose some of the focus we’ve gained over the last half-year, and it might be good to have a list of things you want to do when the opportunity arises. Just a thought. Take care of yourselves, and I’ll see you right back here same time next week.
-Mike