Still Gravity

The Davidson River through Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina - License our images  here .   We got a campsite in the Hemlock Loop of the Davidson River Recreation Area. No electricity, but potable water across the street. Nights were cold. Days were awesome.   This recreation area is at the entrance of Pisgah National Forest coming from the city of Brevard - the biblical name means "summit", or so it's said.  This forest is a paradise of waterfalls - check this post and this one - and white squirrels.  A couple of centuries ago, the Davidson brothers landed in this spot of Transylvania County. No worries, no Dracula around here.  View from the trail: The Davidson River close to Brevard.   A few hiking trails crisscross the recreation area. Some allow mountain bikes. One follows the river and ends in Brevard - there is

The Edisto River in Colleton State Park, South Carolina - License our images  here . We ended here tired after a long day on the road. This is a small park with a campground on the banks of the Edisto River. In warmer months many come here to paddle downriver, but the coldness of the fall scared them away. We only saw two kayakers braving the dark waters of the Edisto close to the sunset.  The waters are not exactly black. The brown tint is caused by the tannins the river picks through swamps and wetlands. Regardless, the Edisto is the "black water crown jewel" of North America. Named after the extinct Edistow Indians gone since colonial times, this is the longest free flowing blackwater river in this region.  Sunset walk after dinner. Only a few travel trailers in the campground, and the road loop is so short that we did three laps. Also walked to the rangers' office and the picnic ar

Sunset on the shores of the St. Johns River in Huguenot Memorial Park, Florida - License our images  here . Second time in this park. The previous visit was eight years ago. This one was an overnight stop in route to the Smoky Mountains.   The campground was crowded. Smoking fires, music, and people fishing from the river shores.  After dinner, we went for the Atlantic. The darkness was broken here and there by lights of faraway ships. Tiny spots on the horizon. Not a soul in the beach and neither mosquito in this windy autumn.  On the way back, we saw a big red moon grew bigger and, on the other side of the river, the warships at Mayport Naval Station lighted up as Christmas trees. Fish was bubbling in the St. George River inlet. Maybe the fishermen we saw earlier were at the wrong spot.  Next day: Breakfast at the shadow of the camper cooled by a light breeze from the sea. Two men in powered parachutes compet

Old telegraph (no, you don't need to carry this in the backcountry) -  License our images here .         Phones are not a reliable mean of communication when hiking or camping in remote places - exception: satellite phones.  A PLB - Personal Locator Beacon - is a good option. Just push a button and a distress message with our coordinates is sent. The transmission should reach government centers that can coordinate a rescue. Check the illustration in  this article  to get an idea on how the system works.  ACR is a well-known brand of PLB. We must register the device, but there is no subscription fee. The limit is the battery that only last 5 years. After that, we need to buy a new unit.  This video review covers the  ACR PLB  and also the  Garmin InReach  - both product links are affiliate.

We have both, because redundancy saves the day. Our small butane stove at work in a campground - License our images  here .          The goods of propane are efficiency and that works better in wintertime. The big difference between propane and butane is in their boiling point. Butane boiling point is -2 degrees Celsius, meaning that must be kept inside the camper in the cold months.    Our Coleman propane stove.  More info about propane:  Keep the tanks outside or in a special compartment. Must be in a location where vapors can't build up.  Transport them upright, on a flat surface, and secured to prevent tipping - an old milk crate works well for 20 lbs. cylinders. These crates are 13" x 13" x 11" and the tanks 18" tall and 12.1" wide. Get a gauge to know the level of propane in the cylinder. Propane tanks are

This is the heater we use for camping and, so far, it has worked well, but... is it safe?  The propane heater in the truck camper high in the Smoky Mountains - this was in Mt. Pisgah Campground by the Blur Ridge Parkway  - License our images  here . The maker says it's safe for indoor use because the propane heater has a sensor to shut off the unit if the oxygen levels fall too much.  There are three potential dangers with propane heaters that come to my mind.  Generating the toxic carbon monoxide (CO), a gas that we can't detect because is colorless, odorless, and tasteless.   The possibility of a propane leak. Propane is flammable, and being heavier than air it will go to the floor.  Fire.  To mitigate poisoning, we always keep a window with a narrow opening for ventilation - at least nine square inches are recommended. We also have a carbon monoxide detector close to the bed. Besides all this,

Walking into an ample room created by trees - License our images  here . This group of trees created an interconnected structure that would make easy to build a small house. I believe these are banyan trees. The species grows accessory trunks from roots that help them to spread.