When I bought my pop-up camper several people suggested I would outgrow it. Still, I went for it. For a first camper I wanted something new since I knew nothing, and I wanted lightweight since I never towed anything. This was a good choice for me. However, I am thinking of an upgrade by next…
We are already transitioning into fall. The seasonal shift announces itself in the cool nights and chilly, damp mornings that set in after the August full moon. The edges between each season are predictable, comforting times. Fall migration begins with flocks of smallish birds heading southeast. The garden fades. Round bales of hay rest quietly…
I explore the prairie uplands and discover new shorebirds and ducks most of the summer. Now, I am restless about finding something new and discovering new birds for my life list. What is nearby? The Missouri River! The banks of a major river could offer up a different terrain and corresponding new birds. This is…
Sunday: time to go camping. I received an invitation to camp on someone’s farm land, near a small lake. Don’t have to ask me twice! Around noon I gathered up all garden produce that needing picking, washed it, and stashed in the frig. I also packaged up two days worth of veggies for the trip.…
Cooking is not the big thrill for me while camping, not like the old days when I cooked big meals for my son. However, recently I developed a love for cooking over campfire coals in dutch ovens and other cast iron pans. Last year I bought a tripod that suspends a pot over a direct…
I pack up Half Moon and Flying Cloud and set out for home by 11 AM. Tango jumps in and we head down the Turtle Mountains (plateau), towards the south. Our ultimate goal is to be home by nightfall, but I plan a long layover at Arrowwood NWR. This area, north of Jamestown, ND, is…
Our adventures were low key this time. I confess that I slept a great deal on the Turtle Mountain trip. I was exhausted and the weather was perfect for sleeping. I zonked out for 8-9 hours every night – despite screaming Loons — and took long naps too. No matter, with the skies light until nearly…
I like camping in the Turtle Mountains. Seriously. However, there is some weird stuff around here. The first weirdness presents itself as I hook up Half Moon to the electric box at my campsite.I splurge on electricity because I do not expect enough open sky to run the solar panel. As I reached over to…
Sometimes people who name mountains choose a descriptive and/or dominant attribute. Consider the Rocky Mountains, which are rocky. The Smoky Mountains, with their smoke-like fog. The Snowy Range—a small range within the Rockies—appears snow covered every month of the year. At other times, the mountain names seem arbitrary—like the White Mountains, which are not…
The minister meeting in Minot, ND is over and I head east in my van, pulling Half Moon, my popup camper. I am off to the Turtle Mountains up on the border between Canada and ND. I have been forewarned not to expect real mountains—nothing like the Rocky Mountains, where I lived for 14…