Finally on the road again

2016-04-27

A bit over a week ago Angie and I loaded up the truck and headed out. First stop was "Carnival" weekend at my Alma-mater, Carnegie Mellon. After hanging out with some good folks we headed out again and south to Georgia for Rivercane Rondezvous.


Our camp at Rivercane (we put up a tarp as an awning using treking poles and the truck later in the week)

Rivercane is a primitive skills gathering (or earth-skills as they call it). It's a week of hanging out and taking classes from some of the best herbalists, botanists, boyers, potters, tee-pee makers, trackers, flint knappers, birders, outdoors cooks, and survivalists anywhere.

This was Angie's first gathering, and she was a bit overwhelmed but had a blast. I ended up spending the week mostly going on plant walks and trying to learn more plants and trees. Though, I also picked up a bunch of tips for working buckskin and making centerseem moccasins, learned how to dig, dope, blend, and wedge clay for pottery (though I'm still a terrible potter), and took a couple of classes in improving my wilderness awareness. Angie took some of the basics like cordage and spent a lot of time on plants as well.

The classes on awareness really helped take me out of that super-focused mode I need for my work. On-call had made it very hard to really open up my full awareness, and it was great to finally get the chance. I was pretty high on it all week. I greated the sun with flute music many mornings and had a huge grin on my face.

The truck worked great for us. It drives wonderfully with the lift and 33" tires, and the roof-rack gives us enough space to have a few extra items, like fluids for the truck, and our climbing gear.

We just got back to Waynesboro for this trip day before yesterday. Although we'd packed the truck, we hadn't cleaned out the apartment, and the plan is to pull some other junk up to my parent's house on my trailer.


Drop hitch so the trailer will be level enough to be safe, with the truck lift and high reciever

So, we spent the last 2 days packing the trailer and cleaning the house. We just finished cleaning the carpets with a rented cleaner, and ate lunch "in the park" (well, next to it... actually we were sitting in front of a chemical plant, because the park is closed... oh well). So now we're in a coffee shop... We're OFF!

The trailer is going to wait a couple of weeks 'cause we want to visit Angie's friends in PA, and then do some rock-climbing in VA before heading up to MA with the trailer to see my parents.