I Think Old Age Might Be Making Me Crazy

 Just a quick report on a little adventure that might lead to multiple new adventures.

But first - how we got here 😀

Camping - I love it! I grew up camping in many places across the country, usually in one of those VERY heavy canvas tents that took forever to assemble. Those were the tents we were all told to NEVER touch the sides of because the morning dew on the tent would suddenly leak inside if we did.

When Cherilyn and I got married we both thought camping would be an enjoyable family activity, so we bought a family tent to begin our adventures with. We did enjoy some tent camping and some we did NOT. LOL see EARLIER POST for the details of how and why we jumped to a 5th wheel for our camping experiences.

 

So, after several years of wonderful 5th wheel camping, I regressed but with a twist - enter the movie that did for camping what Jaws did for beach going, From 1972 - DELIVERANCE

My enjoyment of river floating led to kayak camping. First tried on a 5 day float in 2020 down the Niangua. 

 

 

 

This trip broadened my outlook of just how to camp because so many were using hammocks. I had a perception that sleeping in a hammock was not as comfortable as tent camping with an inflatable mat.

(I had for this trip found a great deal on a cot to go with the mat I already had)

 

 Since the girls enjoyed their hammock experience, I thought I would do some research. After hours of scouring the internet, I found some good information on hammock camping and some good equipment. I settled on the Sierra Madre Research Ninox Flatlay system. With the Ninox Fly

 

 

 

So, last year I was all set to head out on another multi-day camping float, this time prepared to hang. It turned out to be a great experience. 

 

I would use the system another time that summer helping out for a few days with the young men from church on their camp out. Heading into fall, I went on another float trip and this time added an underquilt and a top shield, (replaces the bug net with a solid material and vents) to help out with cooler weather.

October overnight float on the 11 Point

For Christmas, I got a 20 degree topquilt. This made me consider camping in colder weather. This is where the crazy comes in. Can you see the regression from a heated and cooled RV with an actual bed and the comforts of a toilet and shower? LOL

Now, I know the ratings on the equipment I have and extreme cold is NOT covered. I was comfortable planning a trip down to 30 degrees but no more. At the time of the trip planning, that was the low, however, as the date grew near, the temps kept changing. In spite of this, we went anyway! The day of the hike in was in the mid 50's so it was quite pleasant, however, it began to get chilly as we ate dinner. Waking up the next morning was VERY cold! Enjoy the video below to see the adventure and decide if I am getting crazy. Note: I ordered a new 0 degree underquilt to deal with future cold camping!

February backpacking trip

No School Day 20

No School day 20

Apr 7

Sometimes you have a crappy day.

 

Sometimes you get to study where all that crap goes.

 

Sometimes you realize that your job isn't as crappy as someone else's.

 

Sometimes people with that crappy job are glad to have it because even during quarantine they are still working and getting paid because their job is essential!

 

Science- Decided it was time to get the septic tank emptied and thought it was a wonderful opportunity for some home school learning.

 

We watched several videos about how septic tanks work and anaerobic bacteria do their job.

Then for our science lab we watched the septic company up close open up the tank and pump it out. Kids were less than thrilled for this up close science lesson. But hey, it's an important thing to know about if you live out in the country. How many of my friends have looked into a septic tank?

 

By the way, just an FYI those flushable wipes you all are using because you can't find any TP, those might be flushable but they are just sitting there in the septic tank NOT biodegrading.

 

PE- After a crappy morning the girls decided to continue on with the theme and drag the horse pastures to break up the piles and make it easier to decompose. To make it more interesting they wanted to use their dog sled team to do it. They engineered a new center line and attached it to some wire fence for the dog sled team to pull and off they went. It actually worked pretty well and the girls got lots and lots of exercise running all over the field with their dogs.

 

Home ec- After all the running Carissa worked on sewing in the cool basement. She made 20+ elastic straps for the kayak trailer foamies. Now we won't have any blow off the trailer when we shuttle the empty trailer around on river floats this season.

No School Day 19

No School day 19

Apr 6

History- Rode our horses at Fort Crowder Conservation area. This was once part of the World War II camp Crowder Army Base where thousands of soldiers went through basic training.

Including Mort Walker who called the the place "Camp Swampy" in his comic strip Beetle Bailey.

 

It was fun to imagine all the soldiers who were once here, perhaps from far off places in the country where they hadn't seen this type of countryside.

 

We also discovered a few interesting remains of buildings. But the most curious was a large stone circle. Not sure what it was from. Any ideas?

 

Horticulture- Brittney is on the endless hunt for 4 leaf clovers, she can spot them anywhere. She has to be the luckiest girl there ever was. Before we left home she found multiple lucky clovers then again when were were riding she spotted some from the back of her horse! She must have eagle eyes!

 

We also saw lots of flowering trees like the beautiful Red Bud (AKA Princess trees) and identified the state tree of Missouri, the Dogwood. Seeing the beautiful trees up close in their natural environment is the best way to study and appreciate their beauty.

 

Earth Science- Stopped at Gibson Spring for lunch and got to observe the mouth of the spring in action. It looks like it is "born" from the base of a tree. It flows right out of the bottom of it. The crystal clear water and pond it forms before becoming a river is just stunning. It is our favorite spot we have found to stop for a picnic on any horse trail thus far!

 

Family time- One of the best things about the time of quarantine is that the girls are having so much fun together. They have always been good friends. Nice that we get to spend so much time together.

 

 

 *After the pictures, there are some links to sites giving some history to Fort Crowder*

 

 Some interesting History on Fort Crowder:

U. S. Army base used during WWII

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Crowder
• https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/mdh_splash/default.asp?coll=crowder
• https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2018/mar/03/built-in-wwii-camp-crowder-missouri-was-once-a-booming-us-army-post/715848/ 
• https://armyhistory.org/camp-enoch-h-crowder-missouri/
• https://www.pinterest.com/flathead8/camp-crowder-mo/

 For info on the current area known as the Fort Crowder Conservation Area

• https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/fort-crowder-ca