Adventures of Kim and Sam

Ride to Abiquque NM

2009-10-11T20:16:00.000-05:00

Took a drive through the country to Abiquque, the final home of Georgia O'Keefe. Beautiful areas, typical scenes of the Southwest. I'll just let the pix tell the story!

Albuquerque BALLOON FIESTA!

2009-10-04T12:02:00.015-05:00

We arrive early Saturday afternoon, to find a huge field right in the middle of Albuquerque dedicated to the 2009 Balloon Fiesta.

First we notice there is no shortage of wonderful smelling foods available up & down vendor row.

Winds were high as moon starts to rise and the nine helium filled racing balloons prepared for launch, which was intended for 7PM but delayed until well after dark due to the high winds. These teams compete worldwide, and the object of the "race" is to see how far one can go in four days!

The silver balloon in the foreground was from Houston, and their team planned to catch the jetstream at 20,000 feet running at over 100 knots. They believe they will be able to reach the coast of Newfoundland by late Thursday!
The City has done a fabulous job of transportation, utilizing hundreds of school buses departing from numerous locations on the outskirts of the City. We hop aboard just before 6AM to reach the field this morning for the "Main Ascension" at 7AM.

The weather looks at bit "iffy" just at sunrise, but things seem to be proceeding well, and the winds are being much linder this morning than yesterday evening!

Excitement builds when a single balloon out of hundreds starts it's blower up, inflates, slowly, fires up the roar of a huge propane burner and prepares for a solo takeoff.

We are a bit confused until it launches, with the Star Spangled Banner being played in the background, the early solo ascent is very fitting indeed!
Within minutes, I hear another loud roar to my left, it's getting started, this is it! Burners are now roaring everywhere around us!

Soon the first group of these colorful monsters lifts smoothly & slowly into the cool New Mexico morning air!

Now, we are surrounding with noise & excitement - what a great feeling! Kim & I agree, we should be up there!

As the golden morning sun tops the mountains to our east, colors enrichen, and unique shapes pop up all around us!

Walking out to catch the bus back to our hotel, a final glance upward confirms this as one of the most beautiful events we've witnessed enjoying life out here on the road!

Be sure to check out the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOyoYDiLaeM

Rob Roy's Cordwood-TimberFrame-Earthen Covered Workshop

2009-09-28T20:40:00.047-05:00

This all started months ago at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair, where while attending a number of 2-hour workshops, we met Rob and Jaki Roy. By the second day of the Fair, Kim and I had committed to the Roy's upcoming 5-day workshop to be held in late September near Del Norte, CO. This worked out well for us, since it preceded the Earthship Internship we'd signed up for, and was on the way down to Taos, NM where we were scheduled to start on October 5th.
http://adventures-kim-sam.blogspot.com/2009/06/midwest-energy-fair-stvens-point-wi.html

Coming in from the northern part of Colorado, we expected to leave all the snow behind, and in a way we did, traveling mostly through lower altitudes, but as we approached Del Norte, we were taken by the rich fall colors topped by those dazzling white peaks at the higher elevations.

We noted that the antelope were as smart as us, staying down in these lower valleys, where the grass was still plentiful, and the long, open views afforded protection from predators.

After a couple of wrong turns while searching for the " Angel Rock Ranch" (named after all the angel pinnacles in the the rock behind the home) where Rob's Workshop was to be held, we finally enter a boxed in canyon, and get our first glimpse of Kim and Mike Cellura-Shield's fabulous hide-away here in God's country!
In short order, we set up the Alpenlite to the east of where Mike had already poured the slab for the "six-poster" (more on that later), as seen in this photo from up the hill. (Trailer left, and construction site mid-right, between the dark green tree, and the white panel truck in the distance.
Mike & Kim's home sits up near the rock shear wall that forms the rear of the canyon, nestled into an area that affords fabulous views of the property below.
The "house" is actually three separate facilities, the living room/kitchen cabin (above), the quaint hexagonal bedroom, and the ever charming "facilities", voted the finest outhouse ever seen by every participant in the workshop!

We approach the gathering living room cabin, I take note of some of the nice "toys" that Mike has collected, bringing fond memories of the bygone days of dirt-biking in Louisiana. As participants gather for an introductory supper the charm of this beautiful ranch sinks in, I feel completely comfortable and welcome in our new surroundings.

Kim had prepared some wonderful food, and combined with the excitement generated by the fifteen attendees, made for a fun first evening.

Next morning, after hot coffee overlooking the "spread" below, the workshop is officially kicked off by our first classroom session. Most mornings were spent reviewing Rob's thorough materials in class followed by a quick lunch, and "hands on" for the afternoon.

As a precursor to our arrival, Mike and Kim had worked hard to prepare the slab, and gather the necessary materials for complete construction of the "Six-Poster", defined by Rob as a simple post and beam timber-frame structure roughly 12ft by 20 ft. The small enclosure is ideally suited to a "trial project" which Rob and Jaki recommend for your first attempt at a cordwood project.
The small building can be tailored to serve as a sauna, small guesthouse, or in this case, a shower/restroom facility for B and B guests that stay here at the Ranch.

Although all of the cordwood (also called "log-ends") was prepared, Rob started with a good explanation of how the log-ends are cut, debarked, and stacked and dried in anticipation of a project. Mike had built an interesting device, a chainsaw version of a chopsaw, that made cutting of the 10inch log-ends easy. This same tool was used as shown here to get a nice square cut on the six 10"x10" posts that would form the supports for the roof and cordwood infill.

Rob is a master at organization, and no detail was spared in getting off to a good start carefully setting and leveling each post in place, then adding bracing to ensure all would be ready for the next days work.
The end of the first day signaled a perfect opportunity to visit a nearby hot springs. Set against a backdrop of the distant White Sands mountain range, the spa-like facility offered a large outdoor spring-fed pool, kept around 100 degrees.

Rob and Jaki were first to hit the warming waters, and Rob insisted I try my underwater camera as he and other students plunged below.

Soon I found Rob and "the girls" in the much hotter pool inside, where we all enjoyed the steaming waters and a light supper before retreating back to the Angel's Rock for a good night's rest.

Weather deterioration threatened the next day, so class was cut short and we returned to our six posts and proceeded with positioning the "girts" that would soon form the support for the entire roof. Rob insisted on taking our time, and made sure that each and every member of the crew had the opportunity to work on and understand each step in the process.

As the rafters went on, the "six-poster" soon took on the appearance of a real building, leaving us all with a high sense of accomplishment by the end of our second day.

Along with the hard work and sense of accomplishment came a good appetite, so I got my 25 quart jambalaya pot out, and cooked a large batch of "Sambalaya" my own version of one of Gonzales, Louisiana's award winning recipes.

The next morning we quickly covered the roof, except for the earthen cover of course. The foam & visqueen went on easy enough, but was a bit of a challenge to keep in place in the high winds we were experiencing...

Later that afternoon Rob explained the advantages of using the post and beam type of construction, one of which is to have a covered work area for the laying of cordwood walls, protecting them from the elements, and giving the builder a set of nice, square "forms" to lay the walls within.
A major part of cordwood masonry is getting a good mortar mix. Rob explained that along with the correct mix of components, consistency was of up most importance to quick and correct layering of the log-ends.
In addition to his favorite and proven cement mix, he prepared some "lime putty" so that the participants would experience laying logs with two slightly different masonry types (I did say this man was thorough, right?).

Speaking of thorough, I think we spent the better part of a morning on that first course of log-ends on that first wall. Rob had carefully prepped the surface, gathered tools, jigs, proper-sized chunks of wood and made sure we all understood how important it was getting organized and off to a good start on this first layer.

Let's see, mortar, spacing, insulation, logs....push into place, more mortar, insulation, logs.....and so on!

It wasn't long before master "pointer" Jaki jumped in to demonstrate the use of this odd assortment of butter and dinner knives that had been transported along with the Roy's luggage on their flight from New York earlier in the week. As we watch Jaki show her talents, each team member gets a chance to try their hand at the finishing skills. ("pointing" is the process of smoothing out the individual joints of mortar showing in between and around each log-end on both sides of the wall).

Meanwhile, the other walls get started under instructor Rob's watchful eye, so that we all have a chance to experience first-hand each and every step of the cordwood laying process.

Another hard day's work makes for another ferocious appetite, so Kim and Mike invite us to their unique Peace of Art Cafe in Del Norte.
http://www.organicpeddler.com/peace_of_art/peace_of_art.htm The cafe is part of their "Organic Peddler" complex, which features the Cafe, a store and the Casita B and B.

It becomes evident that this "six-poster" is not their first pass at this cordwood stuff, with the cafe being an elegant example of the the techniques being used on a large-scale commercial facility!

After a brief explanation of the facility, we're treated to a delicious organic/vegetarian platter that makes my mouth water, just looking at the pictures again!

The final couple of days were spent "driving up the walls" which included the incorporation of several examples of "bottle art" into each surface.

Kim had done a skillful job of planning and sketching out each design, giving us the guidance we needed to complete these colorful creations that would carry a theme thoughout the "cottage". Along with their unique design, Kim had thought out their placement to take advantage of the wonderful morning and evening light hitting the east and west walls.

We got as far along as setting the first "windowbuck" into place on the west wall. By noon Sunday, we had three of the wall sections well along their way, including getting a few logs in around the first windowbuck. Upon formal completion of the course, Rob handed out our "diplomas", certifying each as every one of us as a Master Mortar Stuffer!

Monday a group of us took a drive to Pagosa Springs to visit a rather unique concrete dome house, but that's the subject of the next post. Kim (my Kim) and I returned to the ranch that afternoon to find Jakie still at work on that west wall windowbuck. Turns out that Brian (one of our classmates) had stayed on to help with the mortar mixing and cordwood completing one side of the window opening with another beautiful combination of wood and bottles!

All-in-all this was a great workshop, given by two wonderful & competant instructors (Rob and Jaki) hosted by our new friends Kim and Mike in a setting of pristine beauty and remoteness. We highly recommend both the Workshop and their excellent DVDs & books:

http://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/%22%3Ehttp://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/

You might also want to plan a visit to see Kim & Mike in Del Norte.
http://www.organicpeddler.com/

UPDATE: as of this writing, Kim has sent these photos, showing the additional work they have completed on the project....beautiful bottle art!

A BIG SURPRISE TODAY!

2009-09-12T20:14:00.009-05:00

We're crusing westward on Hwy 2 in North Dakota, when a lady pulls alongside frantically waving and pointing to the trailer. We stop, and discover this! WOW!

While standing there in awe, a truck with some migrant farm workers (from Brazil) pulls up to say they had left their buddy back a quarter mile to recover the tire & wheel. Of course, the wheel was destroyed, but we managed to save the tire.

So, the entire wheel sheared all eight 1/2inch lug bolts, and departed rearward, ripping and crushing the fender well/skirt on that side. Most surprising is that we never heard, felt or saw anything!

Luckily, it happened in a town that had a large tire shop across the road, and a NAPA parts store nearby. So, since everything closes at 2PM on Saturday, we rush frantically to get new bolts, nuts, new seal etc.

The parking lot repair went smoothly, and in about 2 hours we have the new wheel on, and were back on the road.

We decide to camp in a Wal-Mart tonight here in Williston, and discover another problem, when trying to get the slide out. The thick aluminum fender has been crushed around the slideout mechanism, and jammed it.
Out with the aviation metal shears, and wack the thing off! So, another trailer projects awaits when we reach a good landing spot...

Quick Update

2009-07-31T07:24:00.002-05:00

Both Kim & I are back in the land of internet signals after a week of being in the boonies! Kim went on a four night paddle with her Sister & friends out of Sawbill Lake while I went up the Gunflint Trail and stayed at Flour Lake.

We both took a few pix and will try to get posts done over the weekend, so standby it's a coming!

The Rylander's Incredible Journey! "Earthward"

2009-07-10T19:39:00.021-05:00

Have you ever read "The Celestine Prophecy"? If not, perhaps you should...it basically uses a fictional story to portray the author's belief that no chance meeting in life is without meaning. Today was just one of those events, that I'm sure will lead us down new paths, and remain in contact with a couple of the earth's most wonderful folks!

When a fluke search on the internet a week or so ago regarding "cordwood masonry" homes produced a link to a book entitled "Journeying Earthward", along with the fact that it's authors, Edith and John Rylander, lived only a few hours from Duluth, I picked up the cell and gave the strangers a call. In short summary, the friendly couple was delighted to hear from us, and after a series of emails, graciously invited Kim and I to visit their unique home of twenty-plus years.

A three hour drive across some of the prettiest farmland in America, through the quaint town of Little Falls, and down a winding back country road through Swan Lake, MN led us to the doorstep of our first encounter with an "earthen-sheltered, cordwood masonry" home.

John greeted us at the driveway and walked us back towards the home???

At first glance it appeared to be nothing more than a large earthen mound.

Hummm..so where'd the house go John?

Down a short path, around the protruding berm a unique object comes into view. Yes, it's John and Edith's version of a "weather stone" (You know, if it bright & dry - sunshine, if it is swinging - windy, if it's dripping wet - expect rain!).

This hundred or so pound hunk of sandstone was found on the property a few years back, complete with a "hanging hole" which was filled with ancient sea shells, reminiscent of eons past when Swan Lake was much larger than today!

And then, to our left, there it is, EARTHWARD!
They carefully explain the techniques and process used in the construction while we enjoy their interesting incorporation of many natural elements into the outer walls.

As we're welcomed through the front door, we see evidence of much love and care of the place, such as these carvings given to them by local friends.

First step inside one comes face-to-face with a large wood stove, complete with masonry surround - the physical source of the home's warmth. That's right, the spiritual one is evident in Edith and John's pride with which they tell of this journey.

Gazing around the cozy, inviting dwelling, one feels immediately secure and protected, it's solid, quite earthen and wooden arms surrounding one with a feeling of both peace and strength. No detail was spared....many interesting examples of local woods, artifacts and stones are found incorporated throughout.

Kim loves the rounded curves and rich colors of this center support post, while I enjoy the thoughtful addition of "the library wall" which boasts an example of every type of wood used in the structure within it's picture-like frame. John points to the lamp nearby, which was a gift from a nearby friend, handmade of course from the wooden base and column to the woven basket shade.

The years of dedication to detail are evident as we sit and chat about the surrounding detail, every aspect has meaning - quite different from today's 3000 sq. ft. thrown-together, characterless boxes of pre-manufactured particle board, hard, synthetic surfaces and flat, sheetrocked walls.

Edith invites us to walk through "the trollway", a narrow path through the rear that opens at the back of the mound to reveal a large, thriving garden.

As we walk along it's rows, they explain that almost all their food is produced on their forty acres "of heaven".

Before we left, I wrote in the Rylander's guest book "We came here this morning as strangers, we leave here this afternoon as old friends". Now loaded up with fresh greens from the garden, a bottle of John's prized, homemade pure maple syrup and a couple of copies of "Journey Earthward" we are almost reluctant to leave. We somehow know that true to the Celestine Prophecy, this acquaintance will endure and lead us to subsequent visits and perhaps a "journey earthward" of our own...only time will tell!

AFTERWARD: July 15th -----
I have now completed reading about half of "Journeying Earthward", the Rylander's personal story of a bold decision years ago to give up "the good life" of a California professor, modern family, living in a commercial driven society. I must say that it's not exactly what I expected, covering far more than just the details of their journey and home construction, both John and Edith have done a great job of reviewing Minnesota's rich history and geology, along with the numerous stories and benefits of living a simpler life in a caring community in rural America.
http://www.amazon.com/Journeying-Earthward-Minnesota-Edith-Rylander/dp/1591960843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247664929&sr=8-1

White Iron Lake Paddle

2009-07-06T23:00:00.010-05:00

Today we visit our new friends Don and Chris on White Iron Lake, just southeast of Ely. They have just completed their new garage (with apartment upstairs!) and horse stable at the lower end of a beautiful twelve acre plot situated near the end of a long, isolated bay.

Their setup is just about picture perfect, homesite looking over the bay, nice boardwalk across a deep green marshy area, and almost complete separation from the main body of the lake. It's early evening here, with the sun's golden hue shining across placid waters of the bay. As I help Kim launch and look out across the narrow waters, I know this will be a nice relaxing couple of hours.

Chris is last to launch in here Wenonah Prism, a favored solo boat here in the Boundary Waters.

I'm in the front of our big Clipper tandem, a perfect spot to enjoy the scenery and take a few pix.

Once on the waters, Don and Chris glide across the ripply surface as we ease slowly along to visit their favorite spots along the opposite shore.
A mile or so down, we spot a lone deer swimming across ahead of us. "Paddle faster Kim, let's get close for a picture!" doesn't seem to produce much extra energy,

Kim just laughs as I watch the large doe disappear into the thick cover.

Farther along we reach the mouth of the Kawishiwi River, noticing a series of glistening rapids a few hundred yards ahead. As we turn to float back on the gentle current, Chris waits patiently in the narrow opening back into the lake.

I marvel at the pristine beauty of this part of the country, and wonder why it's taken me the better part of a lifetime to discover it's beauty.
We spend another hour or so returning, and top off a wonderful eve with a sparkling glass of Shiraz, a warm fire and interesting new friends!

ELY! - Steve's Cabin

2009-07-06T09:23:00.001-05:00

We leave Duluth early with anticipation as we head north to Ely, a special town nestled on the edge of the Boundry Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. The mornings rich, warm sunlight combined with nature's awesome display of wildflowers along the way made the drive a delight. Every roadside, every field brushed in colors of spring! (yes it's spring up here!)

Kim's favorite is the lupines and I enjoy the fiery colors of the Indian Paintbrush....

A couple hours drive and we arrive at our good Louisiana friend's cabin situated within the town of Ely on Miners Lake. As we exit the Dodge, our first view down the hillside confirms that the flowers abound here as well as on the highways and byways.
Steve and his family have done a wonderful job creating a charming place to enjoy our stay here in Ely. From the old canoe within the entry to the greeting of the wood stove, one feels welcome upon entering the massive stacked logs, handcrafted by "Stevo" Jr.

No detail was spared in using the big white pines to dress and frame every doorway. A quick glance at the staircase shows that an enjoyable winter was spent here just months ago.

The upstairs bunk room continues with a rustic theme, and boasts a fabulous apex through which one has a nice view of the lake.

Our favorite spot is the back deck, we spent many an hour out here just enjoying the view, warm sunshine and an interesting book or two. The property was buzzing with bees and chirping with birds, so Kim took advantage of the nice viewing area almost every morning.

And, for those who would prefer a more rustic experience, Steve moved "Old Log" over from Wolf Lake. I'm not sure of it's age, but from the looks of the fir and finish on the original logs, I'd say it's well over fifty years!

Amateur Radio & Field Day!

2009-06-27T15:01:00.014-05:00

Thanks to Kim's friend Jim, we have a beautiful "base camp" here in Duluth to locate the trailer. Since we'll be here for a few weeks, and there's plenty of room, for the first time I set up the new vertical antenna with all of it's "radial wires" for great performance. It's been a little over two years since I've gotten back into amateur radio, a hobby I've enjoyed on and off since I got my license to operate at age nine. Earlier this year while in Florida, I treated myself to this new antenna, and a "new" (actually slightly used) ham radio. It certainly has been a positive decision and experience. In these few short months, I've enjoyed talking to other "hams" all over the world! One of amateur radio's primary roles is to act as an emergency radio network in cases of national emergency or disaster. In fact, hams played a crucial role during Hurricane Katrina, being one of the only reliable communication systems that prevailed throughout and after the storm. In order to test the readiness of hams all over the country the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League http://www.wedothat-radio.org/ ) has a yearly event called "Field Day". The idea is to operate stations remotely, from a non-permanent location solely on emergency power (solar, battery, generator, etc). http://emergency-radio.org/

To make the event more interesting and challenging, the ARRL sponsors a contest for a 24-hour period during the yearly weekend. The goal is to make as many "contacts" with other stations as possible. Scores are assigned to each contact depending on the type of station used and it's location.

The Duluth Amateur Radio Club actively participates in Field Day every year. So, I decided to join in the fun up on top of Thompson Hill, a great high location for temporary antennas. It was a dismal and foggy morning as local club members set up two primary stations. This nice motorhome and 60 foot crankup tower array took the better part of the morning to get set up and operating.

At the same time, other club members were stringing up wire antennas in the parking lot, and the Club's emergency "RACES" trailer was commissioned across the lot. http://www.usraces.org/

I parked the Dodge between the two, and with the help of a couple of locals, strung a temporary wire between a light pole and a small tree behind the truck. With a few minutes, I was set up and operating, and although the contest had not officially started, made the first contacts of the morning with my little low power (5 watts) rig in the truck.

By 1PM (official contest start), the club was in action. Doug is shown here to the right, operating in the big motorhome, primarily operating CW Mode (morse code)...while a group of others man the RACES trailer on SSB (single sideband, voice mode).

I came back out the next day (Sunday) to see how things were going. The weather top the hill was much improved, and operators were still at it, having endured the night, working in shifts. The CW boys had a fantastic event, logging over 1600 contacts in the 24-hour contest period. I never found out what the final tally on the voice contacts were, but I'm sure close to a thousand! What a fun weekend, with a great groups of folks enjoying a wonderful hobby!

UPDATED! Trailer Repairs....

2009-06-25T21:21:00.011-05:00

While parked for weeks in the Duluth area, I decided to take care of a few "trailer chores" that I'd put off for long enough. More than a few weeks ago, the slide out mechanism quit working. We could hear the DC drive motor running, and manually crank the slide out, so I suspected there was some sort of clutch between the motor & the gearbox that had failed.

I removed the gearbox easily enough, and once the box was open, the problem was obvious, there was metal residue in the grease, and the teeth on a drive gear were completely gone! It took about a week of research on the phone and internet to confirm that the 1998 Alpenlite used a mechanism manufactured by Barker. The Barker folks were great, shipping me the near gear assembly promptly at a very reasonable price, saving a few hundred dollars on a whole new mechanism and a dealer repair!

I also decided to check the brakes and repack the bearings on the trailer. Over the past couple of months, the brakes seem to have weakened, and anticipating the mountains of the southwest later this year, the timing was right.

The first couple of wheels proved my suspicions that the shoes were in bad shape, worn thin with cracking across the linings. Opening the second wheel I had a surprise---the cotter key used on the last brake job was one size too small, had broken off, and that tiny bit of weight wobbling around in the grease cap had caused it to fall off in the wheel hub cover and roll around in there for quite a while. So, impending disaster saved!

The big surprise was in the third wheel. When pulled off one of the brake shoe linings was riding inside the drum, the drum was badly scored, and the DC brake solenoid had grabbed the inner drum surface, bent it's retaining arm, and was badly worn at an angle across it's face. The local folks at Lakehead Brake and Clutch had all the parts, and were able to save the drum.

As I finished up the last wheel with new linings and fresh grease, I realized how lucky we were to have avoided a complete failure somewhere on the road!

When we bought the truck last fall in Portland, the previous owner had passed along a brand new US Brake "D'Celerator" exhaust brake for the Cummings diesel. Another case of procrastination, I had put off this job too long also. So, since the brakes were done, I headed over to Bill's Muffler Shop, and Bill himself did a masterful job of cutting a section of the 4" stainless exhaust pipe out, and installing the new brake mechanism. A little wiring when I got back "home" (the trailer), and we now have a diesel exhaust brake like the big 18-wheelers!

so, if you here that bla-bla-bla big truck noise, it just may be us coming to pay a visit...

July 13th - just got in and installed the new Xantrex C60 Charge Controller which has more capability (up to 60amps) and has equalization for the batteries. The install took the better part of a day, largely due to having to snake larger solar array panel wires through the side of the trailer, and take apart most of the kitchen cabinets to run the small cable for the remote display.

While I was at it, I made the tilt brackets for the solar panels and even this early in the morning here in Duluth, the charging output went from 6 amps to 7 amps, just from tiliting the panels about 18 degrees!

Yes, We're In DULUTH!

2009-06-22T21:54:00.001-05:00

We apologize for disappearing for a while. We've been pretty busy for the past 3 weeks getting up here to MN, and then with Kim's folks after arriving. Our Verizon (aircard modem) signal is pretty lousey where we are staying, but we found a laundromat nearby that has a hi-speed free wi-fi.
Lake Superior is as beautiful as we remember,
and we've really been enjoying the evening hikes with Kim's Mom, Lois and her neighbor, Sarah. They live in a nice apartment complex located right on the shores of Superior, which ties into a network of trails running along the lake and into the downtown area of Duluth.
For Father's Day, we drive north along the lake. First stop is Gooseberry State Park. As Kim pauses to relax at the falls, the kids confirm that summer is here. No relaxing for them, just having a blast in the cooling cascades!

We meet Kim's folks at Ken's favorite resturant located just north of Two Harbors, where we have a great dinner followed by their Father's Day specialty below...YUM!

Midwest Energy Fair - Stevens Point, WI

2009-06-19T09:53:00.019-05:00

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, Kim and I are very interested in energy efficient home construction techniques, along with individual resources that yield energy independence. While in Bayfield, I went to Oly's Barber Shop and Oly is very interested in building an "off the grid" home. While discussing some ideas for construction, he explained that the nations premier energy education event, the Midwest Energy Fair, was being held this weekend. http://www.the-mrea.org/energy_fair.php

It didn't take much discussion for us to decide to make the 280 mile drive down for the weekend. We left the trailer in Duluth, opting to rough it at the fair. We beat the crowd entering the makeshift (but nice) campground on Thursday eve. Our tent site was in a thick pine forest, next to a large field.

A short hike through the "back woods" made easy access to the fairgrounds. The owners of the property had done an outstanding job of preparing for the large crowd of campers that arrived Friday!

The Midwest Renewable Energy Association headquarters and test facility is right there on the grounds.

The site has several installations of both solar and wind devices, with demonstration areas that house all of the control systems that feed the building.

By 9 a.m. Friday morning a large crowd stood ready to enter the gates, beyond which were several rows of large tents, each color-coded for certain workshops throughout the 3-day event.

Just past these tents are three large barn-like structures, in which over 270 vendors of energy related equipment, services and supplies stood ready with their wares. If you were not quite ready to take the plunge on equipment, there were hundreds of books and DVDs available on just about any energy related topic of interest.

We spent most of the two days in workshops. My favorite was the series given by Rob Roy on various types low-cost, owner-built construction, which included talks on earthen covered, cordwood masonry and timber framing. We were so impressed with Rob and his concepts, we signed up for his 5-day workshop in Colorado this September. http://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/

In addition there was a demo area where workshop hosts actually constructed small examples of the techniques. One of the most interesting was an area devoted to whole tree construction. http://www.wholetreesarchitecture.com/

There was lots of good food to choose from, including ethnic varieties and meals cooked in solar ovens right at the fair!

Another interesting concept in building the "Edge" employs unique architectural design and features with European-style machined woods. This modular home of some 400 sq ft can be custom ordered with various options, and assembled on site in less than a week! http://www.revarch.com/pages/Pages/pages/Concept%20Home.htm

Throughout the day Friday & Saturday, and both evenings we were treated to live music at one of three stages, the big tent hosting a rock band and dance each evening - what a party!

No renwable energy fair would be complete without a focus on transportation. Although no major car manufacturers were there, several do-it-your-selfers had some interesting "plug and play" concepts on hand. My favorites were the solar-powered bicycles,

along with this hefty surprise.....yes it works and does about 50mph! True to the farming area the event is hosted in, a local fellow had an old diesel engine powered by bio diesel turn a 5KW generator!

Bayfield, WI and the Apostle Islands

2009-06-15T09:51:00.019-05:00

As we work our way to Duluth, we decide to stop over and see Kim's Sister, Lisa and her husband Dick in Washburn (WI), where they keep their beautiful boat within the southern end of the Bayfield Harbor. As we climb aboard, a large sign warns us to be careful of their new guard dog "Liddie". I guess the name let's one know right off that this beast really can't be too bad! While Kim and Lisa catch up on things, I just sit back and enjoy the wonderful view of the area from atop this lofty perch.

As we wave goodbye, I can't help but think this how nice it would be to have a 30+ foot sailboat parked next door...humm....

A short drive farther north brings us to the town of Bayfield, quaint fishing village turned tourist town because of it's proximity to the Apostle Islands National Park. We opt for a small campground on the town's edge run by the local Ojibway Tribe. The manger insists we take site no. 12, and once we get the Alpenlite parked we understand why, what a spot!

Early next morning, while sipping my coffee, two fishing "luggers" heard out, most likely looking for Lake Trout or Whitefish.

We spend some time looking around the town while awaiting boarding time for our three plus hour tour of the Apostles.

Finally we are ready to load - as I look out across the Bayfield Marina it appears we've picked the perfect day for a water adventure!
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Outside the protection of the harbor, my suspicions are confirmed by the absolutely flat blue waters of Lake Superior.

Evidence of the past is still visible on most of the Islands. We ease past this old rock quarry, long closed as now the area is protected by the National Park. The ride out to deeper waters is a pleasant one, we enjoy the sunny skies, and beautiful rock outcroppings as we glide past several of the smaller islands.

It isn't long before we see our old friends from early this morning, lines out and ready to bring those big trout in!

A few miles along is more evidence of the attractiveness of fishing here, the now abandoned Manitou Fish Camp.

As we finally approach Devil's Island, we get our first glimpse of the famous Apostle Island Caves, those large caverns carved into the sand stone by thousands of years of waves bashing against the huge rocks. We take our time and cruise along the entire length of the caves, also passing the Devil's Island Lighthouse. Be sure to watch the entire segment on our YouTube site at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCLRqk-eSg8

On the backside of the Island, in the distance, we spot a group of kayakers, no doubt heading to explore the caves - a favorite out here with the paddlers. Last stop on the tour (well, I mean place to slow down and putz by) is the Rocky Island Light, now preserved, modernized and still serving to warn sailors in the night of impending danger.

As we head back into the Harbor, a huge group of gulls catch our eye, and we soon realize that our companion from this morning must have brought home the catch today.

In the background, we break out the binoculars and see our home sitting peacefully on the point where we left it earlier today.

We are so intrigued by Bayfield and the entire Apostle Islands area, we spend the better part of our next day checking out local cabins and property. I guess the bug didn't bite, since my savings account remained the same at the end of the day.

Kim mentioned that the sunrise may be really nice in the morning. I got up a bit earlier than usual, and on that final morning captured these beautiful images that will always remind us of this stellar stay looking out towards the Apostles!

Porcupine Mountains State Park

2009-06-12T09:50:00.017-05:00

From the tip of the Keeweenaw Peninsula we head southwest to one of Michigan's crown jewels..."Porky" State Park (as the locals say). If you're ever in this part of the UP, this somewhat out of the way stop is a must. And, THE place to camp here is back in the far reaches of the Park, which is a 25 mile drive past the Visitor Center, but well worth it.
We arrive before the weekend to grab one of the best spots in the campground, with a clear view of Lake Superior, where we set up our chairs and small "wine and cheese" table, for a delightful view of a stormy sunset!

Early next morning, it's down the nice staircase to the beach, and hike along the Lake's shoreline to the lower part of the Carp River, where we find a large "pool" inhabited by a mother Merganser, and her newborn chicks.

Later that morning, it's off to the Summit Point Trail for a 4 mile loop up to Mirror Lake to experience the interior of this beautiful woodlands. First stop, the observation tower, at the peak for a nice overview of the entire park. We're greeted with a splendid cool clear day! This shot is looking out across the park to Lake Superior, visible out there just beyound the hills in the distance.
We continue the hike and come across many of nature's displays as we wlk along.

A surprise waits us down a long hill - the lower reaches of this area become a large swampy bog, that reminds us somewhat of our home state of Louisiana. The park has done a great job of building many elevated boardwalks through the marshy bottom.
As we emerge from the low areas, we're surprised to find a small stand of old growth white pines. Pretty amazing the size they reach when you consider the growing season is only a few months each year.
Next day it's back to the river, where we sample the hiking along the area above the pool (pix above). The numerous waterfalls are easy to get to again thanks to the nicely built trails, stairs and boardwalks along the river.
No trip to the park would be complete without a drive to the highest part, to view the most photographed spot in Porky, Lake of the Clouds. What a magnificant site!
Our final evening at the park is spent along the shores of Superior, where we witness a series of intense thunderstorms over the lake.

As the sun finally leaves us behind, I sit in wonder thankful that Kim and I made the decision to embark on this journey of North America almost exactly two years ago!

The Beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula

2009-06-09T09:50:00.031-05:00

Reaching far into the southern center of Lake Superior is a long arm - Keweenaw, with the small town of Copper Harbor at it's tip. It's a long drive to this remote point of land in the upper reaches of Michigan's UP, but worth every mile!
If you do venture up that way, you simply must stay at the Fort Wilkins State Park. We found a private spot near the end of Lake Fanny Hooe, where the park is located. The view across from our campsite was very special, like having our own private deck into nature's mirrored solitude. Walking the lakeshore early morning we discover a sleepy fog sheltering birds and wildlife within its still waters.
A few hundred yards from camp is the old fort standing proudly along the Fanny Hooe. The canon still guarding approach from the lake. A sparkle on it's wheel catches my eye, while a lone merganser swims across to the right.
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More signs of nature await on the parade grounds, Canada Geese march along to the early call of Revelee!
I find myself immersed in a world of a hundred years ago, a time gone by, when handmade barracks and homemade bread were part of a soldier's daily life.

Later that morning we stop at the harbor overlook for another glimpse into the past, one of Michigan's oldest lighthouses, dating back to 1846. As I delay to take some pictures, Kim searches the shore for agates. I find it amusing that she can be in three places at once.

Within minutes, the fog to the right of the harbor lifts, and we get a nice view of the old structure, somewhat corrupted by the presence of the modern beacon tower nearby.
One can only get a good perspective of the area by driving the "loop" from Copper Harbor to Eagle River then back through Central to the park. Driving along, we notice what appears to be a large house, maybe a church along the shore.

Across the street is a small bakery, and it's here we learn it is a monastery for a small group of monks that supplement its income from handmade breads, other baked goods and jams! http://www.societystjohn.com/vocations/vocations.php

What a terrific treat, and of course we had "lunch" a bit early...cookies and jam, of course!
Within the eagle River community we discover a picturesque stop where we pause to finish off the last of those great cookies.

Around the bend, the shores of the lake touch the towns edge bringing together an interesting contrast of river, beaches and dunes.

The town preserves it's own lighthouse, almost of replica of the Copper Harbor light some miles away.

As our journey progresses we learn more of the area history, particularly that of the copper mines that thrived here during mid-1800s. http://www.exploringthenorth.com/cophistory/cophist.html We visit the Cliff Mine and meet Bob, a fellow who has been searching the tailings for years. He uses his metal detector, passing over chunks of the green tarnished metal. Before tackling the hills of tailings, we opt for a quick tour of some of the old buildings that remain at the site. Kim enjoys the simple elegance of the old furniture while I marvel at the size of the thick plank floors under our feet!

So, up we go slipping and sliding to reach the prime hunting grounds proclaimed by Bob. We dig scrape, slip and slide for a couple of hours with only dirty hands and jeans for our reward.

But the view at the top of the tailings pile, back over the overgrown remnants of past years seems to make it all worth the effort.

It's time to move on, to another one of the peninsula's unique sites.
After quite a drive down 4x4 roads, we are in the old grove stands of Estivant Pines. Although these trees are what's left of the old growth pines that were ravaged years ago by clear-cutting,
we are somewhat disappointed by their size. Having done the Mariposa giants of California within the past year, these trees seem small in comparison. Kim managed to spot one interesting relic from the past...now how'd it get way out here!

Back in Copper Harbor, we walk the town a bit. Signs of a long winter's work lay in the front yards. And, we're surprised to find a small unused cottage built of cordwood masonry to inspect (more to come on cordwood as we move further North).

It's Kim's birthday (June 11th) and we celebrate by having dinner at Harbor House, it's entrance marked by this huge chunk of copper from the mines. We enjoy the our views of the Harbor, watching the late afternoon arrival of the Isle Royal ferry.

We are then treated to a nice dinner and splendid view of the lake as we end our vist here at the Keweenaw.

Ojibwa, Marquette, MI & the UP

2009-06-07T08:18:00.024-05:00

We're hold up at the Ojibwa Casino just east of Marquette, in the Upper Penninsula of Michigan. Hey, we don't gamble - but, it's free boondocking - with electric! The rain's a pourin', it's 42 degrees and we need to catch up on the blog for you...
OK, so it's now late afternoon June 8th, it's rained all day, we can barely make out the Casino sign through the downpour in spite of the fact that's it's only a few hundred feet away....

FINALLY! the weather breaks, and we drive the shoreline of Lake Superior, starting near where we left off in 2007 (we didn't complete the small section of the Circle Tour, from here to Duluth area). We are surprised at how different this area looks when compared to Pictured Rocks to the east and Duluth to the west.

We also are enjoying the "fall like" colors on the vegetation and trees, quite a surprise for this time of year, but the weather is a bit cool....perhaps that the driving force behind this contrast.
Next day we decide to take the drive along the Lake up to "Big Bay", a small town that is as far north of Marquette as you can go by road without doubling back through Covington to the west.
First stop is the Escanaba River State Forest area where part of the North Country Trail follows the shore line out to a small point. One of the things we love about hiking up here is that, unlike the south, the woods are filled with birch and conifers, which tend to rob the lower forest floor of light, keeping the underbrush down. This makes for easy hiking, and a really nice view out through the trees under the canopy.

The beach looks like something you might find in Florida, and there is a nice chop on the water due to winds from the northwest. In spite of the breeze, the chilly morning fog still blankets a small island just off the point. Walking along, I come across this beautiful gull feather just lying patiently in the sand (really a mix of finely ground rock).

At the point, we witness an unusual occurance, the wind blown waves from either side of the island are meeting here in the center, crashing together, nullifying each other.

Hiking further along the North Country Trail, we are entralled by the numerous examples of fauna that vary so much from what we typically had seen along the Appalachian Trail. (look closely now)

Kim pauses over the creek for one last look at this beautiful area prior to driving further north towards Big Bay.

We choose an old dirt logging road for part of the journey. The birch stands in this area are stunning!

There are a few remote hunter's cabins in this area, this one for sale....humm....

Reaching Big Bay identified primarily by the old lighthouse, now privately owned and operated as a Bed & Breakfast (How'd you like to own such a jewel?). It's lunchtime, so we stop in town at the Thunder Bay Inn for a nice soup and sandwich combo, a real bargain for being this far off the radar!

Among a few local old buildings, we get a laugh out of the front of the outfitter's place. His unique totem adding to the charm of this small, rural northern community.

Heading back to Ojibwa, I just had to stop at this rushing cascading waterfall for an exhilerating moment!

Indiana Dunes Century of Progress & Frank Lloyd Wright

2009-06-05T06:37:00.006-05:00

Passing through the upper part of Indiana, we just had to vist the shores of beautiful Lake Michigan, and no better place to do so than the Indiana Dunes National Seashore!

Our first glimpse of the crystal blue water and white sand beaches varified that these folks up here in the North have got that Florida look by driving just a few miles.

An interesting discovery along the shores was the "Century of Progress" homes from the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. This unique piece of history was moved by barge from the original Fair's site - what a feat!

While in the neighborhood, a quick check in our Directory of Frank LLoyd Wright Homes showed the "Dunes House" being only a few blocks away. So, thanks to our trusty GPS, we were able to find this jewel tucked away on a back street in the Ogden Dunes subdivision.

True to FLW's unique architecture, we enjoyed the finely detailed cantileavered overhangs, and with a little effort were able to spot one of his "glass corners".

What a place!

Not wanting to bother the owners, or look too crazy walking up and down in front of the house, we take on final look from the carport end prior to leaving.

RV Hall of Fame

2009-06-05T06:36:00.008-05:00

While in the Elkhart, IN we took advantage of the "RV Capitol of the World" by visiting another great museum. We really didn't expect too much, but were very pleasantly surprised at what we found at the RV Hall of Fame!
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2100

This is another one of those posts where I'm going to let the pictures do the talking, so enjoy.... Oh, and PS, if you never seen the movie "The Long Long Trailer" (Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz) go rent or buy a copy, it's hilarious!

U S Air Force Museum

2009-06-03T23:33:00.015-05:00

While in the area of Yellow Springs, OH we discover the Wright Patterson AFB and the USAF National Museum, what a great place to spend an afternoon! The beautiful entry opens further into three massive hangars each dedicated to a particular era of aviation history. To do justice to the Museum would take an entire blog's worth of post. Let's just say that having been to many aviation museums in my life, this ranks near the very top.

We start with the early days of the Wright Brothers, finding the actual wind tunnel they used in later years a fascinating piece of workmanship in beautiful hardwoods.

and numerous examples of unique planes up to & including the "racing era" machines!

they also have many examples of early engines, like this first supercharged one from days gone by:

The second hangar cover the WWII era and seems to dwarf the earlier building in size!

I was surprised to find a nice display of Louisiana's Chenault and his Flying Tigers>>>

Of course, no military aviation museum would be complete without the B-17...

As we wonder around, we are greeted by a sombering reminder of the end of WWII and the beginning of the Cold War, movement into the Nuclear Era!

I guess I was surprised to find any evidence of this in a public museum, especially shocked to see actual containers of those earliest weapons of mass destruction, acompanied with a small placard explaining that modern nuclear weapons have shrunk in size while growing log-rhythmically in power!

This fact coupled with intercontinental mobile delivery systems is pretty scarey...

And speaking of the Cold War, we enter the world of spy planes including one of the only remaining examples of the SR-71 Blackbird, what a machine, especially when you consider it's design dates back to the early sixties!

Just past the Blackbird we see modern contrasting examples of stealth technology....

All in all, a fun visit to one of the Nation's best exhibits of aircraft as evidenced by Kim's fascination with the place and it's many unique examples...

UPDATED_Visit with Family and Yellow Springs, Ohio

2009-06-03T06:34:00.010-05:00

When I saw our path north to Minnesota was going to pass through Ohio, I knew I needed to make an effort to see my dad's sister and my cousins. I hadn't seen them in over 30 years!

My dad's family lives in the city of Springfield, not too far from the city of Dayton. We also wanted to visit the Air Force museum in Dayton to chose a campground halfway between the two cities.
To our pleasant surprise, this put us outside the nice small town of Yellow Springs. This artsy, fun town was filled with art galleries, fantastic restaurants, art and food co-ops and interesting gift shops.

The state park where we camped was a very well kept, quiet place. We pulled in next to a tee pee that was rented by a local camper.

Sam really enjoyed the friendly & quaint atmosphere of Yellow Springs. Each morning was spent at the local coffee shop, commonly referred to as "the living room of the town", where coffee, breakfast, and live music are served every day!

After a day of visiting the Air Force Museum (in another post), we set out for Springfield.

My cousin Tim and his wife Ellie live in what used to be my grandma's house. My other cousins Mike and Vickie along with my aunt Dottie all came by to visit. We had a great visit with talks about old times, grandma and updating on what was going on in our lives today.

Before we leave, Sam snaps a picture of the whole group. Thanks Tim for getting everyone together and for the great visit!

Kentucky Horse Park

2009-06-01T22:29:00.033-05:00

As we drove along the highway towards the Kentucky Horse Park, we saw many fine examples of what Kentucky is famous for. Some were a bit on the ostentatious side to say the least! We knew we were in for a nice place to stay before we ever entered the park's beautiful campground. Set just to the east of the horse park proper, we opted to set up camp in the primitive area which we had virtually to ourselves. So, how's this for a scenic backyard!

The next morning, we entered the park where we enjoyed looking at numerous detailed bronze pieces of art, all horses of course!

The park boast a spacious museum filled with horse lore and history. Many examples of scenes from the past depicted by full sized preservations of the animals. The taxidermy work must have taken years!

Among the activities here, we highly recommend the wagon ride. It didn't take long for the Belgians, Jake and John to get hitched up. They seemed anxious to get going in the cool morning air.

As the boys pulled us slowly along, we marveled at the endless miles of pristine grounds and brilliant white fencing.
The oldest building on the property is the "Big Barn", constructed in 1909, was once the largest standing wooden barn in the United States.

Shortly after the wagon ride, we were led to a small show arena and given a sampling of what this "sport" is all about. Both english and western examples were shown. My favorite was the Paint with those marbled blue "catahoula" eyes!

The park is the ultimate retirement place for past champions. We were treated to a showing of several of these champions. I just had to get a closer look at him. I also enjoyed talking to the volunteer handler about the horse's temperament and daily routine.

Later in the day, we learned that the 'Egyptian Event' was beginning in the indoor arena, so off we went. There were many fine examples of the Arabian breed and the judges seemed very interested in giving each contestant their full attention. One of the prominent things the judges look for is the typy head profile that is a characteristic of this breed.

The whole affair reminded me of dog shows, the handlers running around the arena much like those showing hounds, jerking the lead and waving their hands to make the horses pose.

We also had a chance to view the show grounds for the World Cup, an olympic qualifying even that will be held at the park next year.

For those of you that know Kim and her love of horses - for me to say that she was in heaven today, would be a huge understatement.

But I must admit I too enjoyed this wonderful experience here in the home of the horse. KENTUCKY!

Mammoth Cave

2009-05-31T06:32:00.006-05:00

While enroute to the Kentucky Horse Park, we passed the turnoff for Mammoth Cave, and decided a quick tour was in order, since neither Kim or I had been here before. Having done the three hour tour out in Carlsbad last year, we knew that about twenty minutes of the holes in the rocks would be enough!

Mammoth is the largest documented cave system in the world with over 365 miles currently explored and mapped. Experts estimate the the cave system could contain another 300 miles or so - amazing. Clubs, college and scientific groups are allowed to explore it's depths by permit, but individuals must use the tours.

The short tour enters through this large opening just below the Visitor Center, one of several access points in the area. As we walked down the steps, the cool 58 degree air was initially welcome, but required a sleeve as our journey continued.

A hundred yards or so into the cave, the Ranger guide spots a tiny bat clinging to the ceiling just above our heads! Remnants of old saltpeter mining operations litter the cave system. Mammoth was an important source during early wars for the much needed component of gunpowder.

The lighting was very dim within the system, so picture taking was limited. I guess the most interesting aspect of this "dry" cave (lacking the crystal formations of the more impressive Carlsbad) is just the vastness of the rooms and the Mammoth system as a whole. So, if you're in the area, it's definitely worth the short tour.

For more information and better pictures click on this link: http://www.nps.gov/maca/historyculture/index.htm

NASHVILLE!

2009-05-30T06:26:00.029-05:00

Since the Ball Hollow Earthship led us to an area just south of Nashville, and we had to head north, maybe all this was meant to be. A quick check on the internet confirmed that this Saturday's Grand Ole Opry had some great artist, and in spite of a sellout, we were able to get a couple of last minute tickets.

The morning started out with visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and I must say that even if you don't care for country music, this is a great historical presentation of the music business back to the earliest days of Americana. Covering the early history of music of the cottonfields, the Texas swing days, development of modern country and rock through the 50's and 60's along with accurate examples of recording studios and equipment this is a must if you're in the area.

In addition to the historical exhibits is a small live theater on the second floor that's devoted to performances by current singer/songwriters. We walked in just as Kim McLean was starting her thirty minute show, boy what a treat. Although active for many years as a writer, she is just now being recognized for her singing talent. If you haven't heard any of her songs check it out at http://www.kimmclean.com

Most of the exhibits on individual artists were interactive or screen presentations, which don't lend themselves to photography, but there were numerous examples of early instruments, and guitars of those famous artists.

And the major purpose of the museum is to house the "Hall of Fame".

Kim particularly enjoyed the fancy all leather interior of some of the artist Cadillacs. While I got a kick out of seeing Porter Wagoner's highly decorated suits!

Most of the day was spent on Music Row with too many sights and sounds to describe, so I'll just let the pictures do the talking.

That left us just enough time to have an early dinner at the fabulous Opryland Hotel. I could show tons of pictures, but this place really needs your personal scrutiny! From it's high "greenhouse" ceilings to it's exotic plants and indoor waterfalls, it's a real treat to the human eye.

And, no trip to Nashville would be complete without a night at the..... And what a night it was, Lousisana's own Jimmie C. Newman was there along with the "Riders in the Sky", but the highlights didn't start until the last hour when Vince Gill came on stage. That high tenor was in fine working order tonight as he delighted us all with a couple of numbers.

Then the star of the evening, Steve Martin joined Vince on stage. Yes, the comedian Martin is quite a banjo picker and has written many tunes as well! His intro number was a rousing rendition of a tune he'd composed that was similar to "Dueling Banjos". He was joined on this number by Randy Scruggs, Earls' banjo swingin' son....what a great duo!

Next Vince and Amy Grant took the center spotlight singing a duet composed by noneother than Martin, a nice treat. Martin even got into the singing action with a comical number relating back to his childhood.

All in all, a great evening topping of an interesting day in Music City!

Southern Tennessee & Sewanee Creek

2009-05-26T10:23:00.015-05:00

There are three nice lakes within short driving distance of Pulaski and Tracey City, TN so we opted for the smallest "Normandy" which has a very clean TVA campground on it's shores. As we learned, you'd better have you turf reserved before any holiday weekend at any of these popular spots, and this was no exception (look carefully, we over there on the right!).

Although the Memorial Day weekend had the park full, most folks were courteous and remarably quiet. The kids confined themselves to the swimming area, for the most part, while the adults, including us, just enjoyed the grounds including a large flock of Canada Geese near the lake.

By late Monday, the campground presented a totally different scene, with our end almost deserted - really nice! Like other towns in the area Pulaski has an old downtown square with the typical City Hall in the center. That's it, "small town USA". What a pleasant shift from the hustle, bustle and heavy traffic of our larger cities.

We really enjoyed the friendly nature and open hospitality of these folks here in southern TN. Oh, and check out the town mascots...

,,,,,and even small towns are known to compete with Texas on a few big things!

The area is also known for it's whiskey producers, especially Jack Daniels.

Although we rarely drink hard liquor these days, we just had to do the tour.

Our host and tourguide was a trip, filling the afternoon with unique stories and crafty jokes based on her almost twenty years here at Jack's.

A unique aspect of the factory is the location. They have their own clean, freshwater spring flowing right on the property - the start of every bottle of whiskey they produce. We even got to meet Jack himself near the spring, being the gentleman he is, he agreed to pose for a picture with us!

We were surprised to learn that you can purchase an entire barrel of Old No. 7, already bottled and shipped on a pallet direct to your RV or trailer. After a little discussion, Kim convinced me that the small cask pictured on the right was a better fit for the 29 ft AlpenLite. So, I gues the fifth will just have to do.

And in case you're wondering, we were not allowed to take any photos inside the factory. We couldn't quite figure that out. It's really not rocket science......so, I guess you'll just have to come see (and SMELL!) for yourself.

In addition to thoroughly enjoying southern Tennessee, there was some other "good news" in our quest for the Ball Hollow property. In doing more research on the area, we discovered Grant Miller's wonderful development at Sewanee Creek.

We spent most of the next day with Grant as our gracious host, touring Sewanee, and the entire community around it. The property has several nice creeks, and a wonderful sixty foot high waterfall!

In addition, there were panoramic views behind the community Amphitheater which is in the final stages of completion.

Grant received a high output DLP digital project for use at the theater while we were there.
Our favorite two lots were number 17 which overlooked the huge ravine bordering the backside of the development, and number 21, which has a rock "Indian House" located in the front, lending this area to be used as a cool patio off of one's porch!

Our visit included a special treat. Becky (Grant's wife) brought out some of her scrumptious homemade wheat bread, complete with fresh strawberry preserves made from their own garden - yummy!

For additional info, their website will provide some nice insight into what very well could be the community of the future......a green development in which the residents help one another in meeting the challenges of life that this new economy continues to present us.
http://www.sewaneecreek.com/index.php

The Ball Hollow Earthship Disaster!

2009-05-25T21:24:00.015-05:00

Since we have learned of the interesting work that Mike Reynolds of Taos, NM has been doing on homes he calls Earthships, we've made a continuing effort to visit such structures across the US whenever we're near one. I had been searching various real estate websites last year, and came across a listing for an "Earthship" partially completed in the southern part of Tennessee.

Earlier this year, I had thought about diverting to Pulaski as we drove across I-10 on our way to Florida. But, the thought of going that far north to look at a single house didn't provide enough incentive to alter plans. After our searches in North Carolina turned up nothing, the "Ball Hollow Earthship" kept lurking in the back of my mind as we drove north across the Smokies. Well, I just couldn't stand it; After getting all the way back to Abingdon, VA we turned the rig southwest and headed for Ball Hollow!

A couple of phone calls to real estate folks and we were all set to see this unfinished wonder, hoping that it would surprise us by being farther along than the MLS listing pictures showed.
Finally the day arrived, and thanks to our trusty GPS we found the deserted structure in the middle of an isolated field just north of the town of Pulaski.
What a disappointment, the property had not been cared for in some time, which made the hike in to the house interesting. I will say that the "yard" was filled with beautiful thistle, numerous birds and hundreds of butterflies. An old bus (along with much other junk) lay far out in the weeds to our left, looking just as abandoned as the Earthship on our right...
I guess I'll be a bit kind and not say too many negatives, but we sure learned another good lesson. Pictures and writeups in real estate listing can be very misleading and almost always reflect the best of any situation. So, we did enjoy walking though this gigantic (over 6000 sqft) example of how not to build a "home".

In all fairness, the owner/builder probably spent several years getting as far along as he did, and there was evidence that dreams of the finished product could one day be rewarding...