Adios and Launch Florida to Wisconsin, COVID-style in my WeeRoll

Hello!  And greetings from the road!

“In every walk with nature one receives much more than they seek”

Two days before the launch of this trip I received a birthday card and gift from Bev.  We had met and became friends in Junior High School.  Bev makes jewelry and lots of other decorations.  She made me this necklace with the above saying on it.  What a wonderful launch to my trip!

The night before launch I attended two COVID-Style Happy Hours.  I got and gave physical-distance hugs and well wishes.   I looked around for a good tree to hug, my body and heart yearning to give the comfort and connection that only comes from a good hug.   The only trees were too skinny to get a good hug.

I was so glad to hear that Debra would have an experienced camper with her on her first night out in her Weeroll.  I was sad to be missing that experience with her.  She and I wanted to camp together but between COVID closings and her family visiting, it just never happened.

Debra and Connie are leaving on their trip in July and starting off together. Debra told me she will be watching to learn from me as I experience my first week in the trailer.

After my first night on my trip… yes day one of my trip has been lived… I realize that the reason I wanted to camp was to come to a balance between spending more time outside in nature and the comforts of home.

Packing for a three-month trip is daunting.  Two and three days before leaving I kept thinking I should be packing.  But the stuff I needed to pack that wasn’t already in the Weeroll, was stuff I use often.  My clothes, my computer, food, bath stuff.  I would get up from my chair, walk around wondering what I could pack now.  I was worried that the final packing would take too much time. 

Sometimes I could pack something… checkbooks and paperwork, books I haven’t opened yet, a rug.  I created a pile by the front door.  I created and printed a packing list I could check off.

Fortunately my first destination was only two hours away.  So I could spend all Wednesday morning packing on the day of departure.   Wednesday the 24^th came and I got up, made coffee and went to get the Weeroll parked in storage.   I parked it on the street in front of my home instead of in the drive which is very slanted.  I got the extension cord out and plugged in the fridge.

The day was a hot 97 degrees and humid.  I must have walked a mile, back and forth to the house.  The biggest time consumer was emptying the fridge.  I even moved the fridge out and cleaned behind it and unplugged it.   

I should have also had a check off list for stuff to do when preparing my house to sit for three months without me.  After I cleaned the fridge I forgot to prop the doors open so it wouldn't mold inside.  And I forgot to spray for bugs just before walking out the door.   After I got to camp I texted my neighbor about the fridge, Mari.  Thanks for taking care of that, Mari.

My camp site is slanted it two directions, but I managed to get it level pretty easy.  I need to ask some skilled campers how to chuck the wheels when they are propped up on legos.

Last time I propped one wheel up with the legos, I couldn't put the chucks in place.  For those who don't do trailers, the "chuck" is that semi-circle black thing we wedge under the wheel to keep the trailer from rolling.   If you only put one lego under the wheel, there is not flat surface to wedge the chuck.  So this time I made a longer platform.  I could see a situation where I would need more legos.

Pretty dang good job for a newby!

My first day it took a lot of time first packing up and then when I arrived setting up.  By evening my hips ached and I was tired.  

The first few days of this trip I am camping with Sisters onthe Fly.  It is a women’s camping group.  I have been on only two other camping trips with them.  The very first one I wasn’t even an official “Sister” yet.  But it was at this campground with some of the same women I will see this time.  It should be fun.

But on Wednesday night, tired and achy, even though there were gals gathering together to chat at 8 p.m., I went to bed instead.

I thought I would have to use the air conditioner at night because it was so warm.   But I turned on the fan and left both the front and the back doors open on the trailer.  After a little while I actually had to cover myself with the sheet and turn off the fan.

I hope I can sleep like that most the time.  The sounds from the woods were wonderful.  Bugs and frogs and I swear I heard a bird snoring.  

This time I parked the trailer so that the electric and plumbing are on the driver’s side, but my portable sink/table is on the curb side where the side door is.  It is working out well so far.

I am not sitting inside the Clam screen tent.  My neighbor Mari gave me a very comfortable but heavy folding chair.  I have not used it yet, except to hang wet clothes on.

I didn’t pack a lot of clothes because I planned on washing them out every night or every two nights.  But I found out on Thursday morning they don’t dry well inside the Clam.  I had heard there is no air circulation inside those tents because the screens are dense enough to keep out the no-see-ems.  It is now late Thursday afternoon and the clothes I hung to dry last night are still wet.  I have put a fan to work on them. 

I had mentioned in a Facebook comment to Debra that my clothes weren't drying so she needs to pack more than two outfits.  Well, a bit later I get a text from our mutual friend Robyn.  She is also a Sister on the Fly and was coming to this event.  She texted that she could pick up some clothes for me.  I had to laugh.  Thank you, I did pack three outfits and a bunch of winter clothes since I am heading to Wisconsin.

Thursday afternoon about four of the Sisters went for a kayak ride.  The Suwannee River is swollen and moving fast.  The springs in the campground are brown.  I decided to go kayaking tomorrow.  Today I did some nesting by hanging up a basket and my only decoration.   Like it?

I then went a cooled off at the pool where there were four or five other Sisters to hang with.

I am enjoying myself so far.  I am keeping my distance and staying outside except to view the inside of someone’s trailer and then I try to keep my space and wear a mask.  

Speaking of viewing other peoples trailers.  This one is two spots down from me.

Florida jumped from 1,000 new cases to 5,000 new cases of COVID in just a few weeks.  I hope the campgrounds stay open and no one shoots the gal from Florida.

There isn't wifi at the campsites by the river, so in order to launch this blog I will need to go up by the pool or over to the office.   For now the Weeroll has a desk and I am writing into a Word Document.