So we made our first trip out trying some dispersed camping close to home. For those unaware of dispersed camping it is camping with “no hookups”. In a nutshell all of the Country you will find public land that allows you to camp on it for free, typically no amenities. Now, thru hikers know all about dispersed camping/primitive spots that you find along hiking trails, but there are plenty of sites that you can drive right up to you just have to know where and how to find them. Since we are newbies we don’t fully understand the where and the how but we are learning.
So as luck would have it, the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana has tons of dispersed camping spots, so we though perfect place to get our feet wet since it is just a few hours away. So we finish the bus build, pack up our gear and the animals and off we go. A bit nervous but excited at the same time. Hey we watched a YouTube video, how hard can it be…………………..
We have built Park-Er for dispersed camping, she has 1200 watts of solar power on the rood and a pretty hefty solar generator . The big question is that enough power to really sustain life for a few weeks at a time. We don’t know but we plan on finding out on this trip.
I use an app called The Dyrt to help locate some possible spots, my first choice being Buzzard Roost overlooking the Ohio River. We get to Buzzard Roost pretty smoothly, made one wrong turn (thanks Google), and ended up in someone’s driveway. Apparently they are aware of Google’s error because there was a sign when we turned that said “Do not turn, Dead End”. We did not listen to the sign. But we eventually found Buzzard Roost and it was not what I expected there were about 5 or 6 spots, all had pads to park on, no electric or water but pit toilets were available. We were right on the trail head it was absolutely GORGEOUS, very impressed. There was one other camper on the other end so basically the whole place to ourselves.
But as you can see it was also very shady, so not much sun to charge the generator. This could be a problem.
G
et camp set up, do a bit of exploring and then it is nightfall. We wake up in the morning and decide to take a hike down to the river. The trail looks steep and says it is a “moderate” trail so we figure we can make it. We grossly overestimated our hiking skills, well we could have probably made it but we were worried it may be a bit much for the dogs. The Cat (TT) on the other hand was fine in the backpack I carry but negotiating steep terrain with and extra 10 lbs on my back was a bit tricky. We decided to turn around about 2/3 of the way down.
We make it back to the camper and realize we are using more power than we are pulling in on the solar panels, so we decide to go for a drive to find some sun and other spots to explore. It is such a beautiful place we drove along the road that followed the river but we couldn’t seem to find a good sun place. We decide to head back to Buzzard Roost and get something to eat because I felt a migraine coming on. We make it back and I take a nap, when I wake up from the nap the headache is gone but I realize that someone (probably me) turned the generator off. So basically we were pulling in no power for a few hours, we are at 40% power, I don’t think we will make it through the night. I start searching on my phone for a new spot, there are a few more dispersed options but if they are shady too then we will be in the same boat. So I find a County run campground just up the road so I make reservations (had to do 2 nights) and we leave for there.
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| A UFO? |
The next morning we went exploring we went to an area in the Hoosier Forest called Indian-Celina Lake recreation area, great place as well did some hiking and let the dogs stretch their legs. Checked out the camping areas in the area and met the camp hosts, they were great. I wish we would have just went there and camped there was a small fee but they had hook-ups, next trip. So the camp hosts tell us to check out the Tipsaw recreation area just up the road, so we headed that way, it was nice as well. This area had a swimming beach which was closed but we decided to let the dogs go for a swim (even though it said no dogs) but the beach was closed so really no harm. So the dogs are enjoying the beach and I am holding the cat who does not have her harness or leash on (this is a very bad decision on my part). Keith says “there is a drain pipe right here you better watch her”. Now we are pretty far from the pipe so I’m kind of watching but not really and sure enough off she goes right to the drain pipe. It is a good size pipe so I can see light from the other end so I run down to that side which is like a pit so if she makes it to that end she could get out and get into the woods, this would be bad. So I’m trying to get her to come out, I see her eye shine but she isn’t coming out. Finally she decides to come closer to my end and I think she is going to come all the way out but she turns around and shoots toward the other side. At this point Keith has returned from putting the dogs in the bus and I say stay on this end and I will try to get her to come out. If she comes out grab her. So I go to the pit side, “it says do not enter”, as you may realize by now I don’t really follow signs to well. So I jump down in the pit and pick up a rock to toss inside thinking the noise will scare her out, it doesn’t. So after a little bit I figure the only way to get her is to crawl in an get her, so I start crawling. I want to say it was about 3 feet tall inside so I have to crawl. It is filled with rocks and debris and lord knows what else because it is pitch black and I’m feeling my way along the sides so if she runs by me I can catch her. I am praying there is nothing else in there. So I make it to the half-way point and I see eye shine, I grab her and pray it is her and not something else. So I drag her out by the neck scruff and emerge into daylight and Keith says “dumbass”. He has a point, so we decide to head back to the campground I have had enough adventure for the day.
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| The tiny village at the campground |
We get to the campground and get settled in, later Keith decides to go take a shower at the shower house. I am going to get the fire going but instead of leaving to shower Keith starts messing with the fire. I said you should take a shower, it was getting dark. He finally leaves and he is gone forever, I was actually worried about him. He makes it back and is madder than a hornet, I said what happened, he got lost. He said he was walking across the field to come back and fell in a ditch 4x’s ( I wanted to laugh but I didn’t). So after the 4th fall he thought I should go down the road so he said he made his was to the little play village and must have turned the wrong way. He didn’t have a flashlight and couldn’t see anything, I couldn’t believe he didn’t take a flashlight since he is kind of obsessed with them. So I had to laugh because it was funny. I said you didn’t take a flashlight, “dumbass”. We sat by the fire for a bit then called it a night, clouds were rolling in couldn’t see any stars.
The next morning we explored a bit more but decided to head home because rain was moving in and we were done. All in all it was a wonderful trip and we learned a little bit. Can’t wait to get back there it was a beautiful place and so much more to explore there.
Just An Ohio Girl 
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