Trippin' with Susan Straley

 For those of you who have hooked up trailers to pull, you know that there are two satisfying sounds.   The first is when the cup receiver on the trailer slides down onto the ball of the hitch on your towing vehicle.  At first it was a scary sound for me, but after a few times the sound was cause for a mini-celebration, a pat on the back.   The second sound is when one pushes the latch into place.  There is a latch that slides under the ball to prevent the trailer cup from bouncing off the ball.  Sometimes I have gotten the first sound (the receiver engaged with the ball) but I couldn't get the latch to move into place. That has required me to wind the trailer back up off the ball in order to free the latch and try again. I am telling you all this technical stuff because this morning I thought I heard both good sounds.  I thought I saw that the ball and receiver were engaged.  I guess I was relying a bit more on the sounds because it was still dark out at 6:30 this morning when I w

 It is Friday night, October 9, 2020, and I am sitting at my little TV tray-desk in my little Weeroll drinking a little glass of red wine... or purple wine.  It is the last of the wine from the bottle that Jeannie Clayton gave me from the Purple Toad Winery in Paducah, KY.  It is Black and Bruised Red Wine.  It is sweet and potent, as I sip my writing might get silly.  Just warning you. This evening before I sat at the computer I hooked up Lilac and folded up my portable sink and horror of all horrors... I used the campground shower.  I have tried to avoid doing that because COVID might be lingering in the air from the last user. Now I am all hooked up and ready ready ready for.... HOME!  Yes, I leave in the morning and drive to Inverness.   Last I wrote I was feeling down about ending my journey, but the last few days I have stayed in one place on my own.  I have rested and reflected and thought about next spring and summer and fall.  Oh the places I will travel with Lilac!  I have co

 Hello! I am writing in a lovely campground overlooking a shimmering lake.  It is morning and I have on a jacket and a quilted vest, but I have moved my computer, tv-tray, and chair out of Lilac to get better cell service and to enjoy the scenery.  Earlier the song birds were singing, but now it is mostly crows making noise. I can't believe I let so much time and travel pass without writing you.  It just seems like my time has been filled with driving, maintenance, exploring, and visiting.  But some of the gap might be due to procrastination... I don't really know.  Today I have a pause, a time to reflect and share.  One of the reasons for this is I am not unhooking the camper.   There are two reasons for that.  One, I am only here two nights and I need to just stay put a day to regroup and rest and write.  The second reason is that where my trailer is sitting is flat, but I had to back up quite a hill to get it there.   The picture doesn't really show the slant, you can