• The Big Bog

    The Big Bog

    Update: I found out from a friend who lives nearby that the bog was also used as a bombing range during and after WWII. A long-gone glacial lake; hundreds of square miles of lowlands, swamps and peat bogs; stolen land, a massive drainage project, land speculation; failed farms and government bailouts … this is a…

  • Someone Lost Their Forty

    Someone Lost Their Forty

    A hundred-twenty years ago lumber was big in Minnesota. The forests in Michigan and Wisconsin were used up. Demand was not used up. Minnesota was next in line. In an era where the natural resources existed to exploit rather than enjoy, most of the valuable trees in Minnesota were logged out and sent down river…

  • Scope Creep – Rebuilding the Rear Cargo Area

    What started out as a solar project ended up as a carpentry, upholstery and sewing project. Scope creep, for sure. We haven’t been camping in a couple of months and don’t have any big trips planned until fall, so now is a good time to creep the scope. Coachmen did a great job of hiding…

  • Rooftop Solar – Magnetic Mount

    A year ago I bought a couple of portable solar panels, thinking that they would be useful for charging the batteries in cases where we camp more than a couple days in one spot. At the time, running the engine didn’t charge the batteries very quickly and running the generator was (and is) far too…

  • To Utah, or not to Utah: that is the question

    To Utah, or not to Utah: that is the question

    I recently was asked “If I’m driving through Utah, what should I see while I’m there?”. A few decades ago, my impression of Utah – having never been there – was that it was dirt, rocks, abandoned uranium mines, a smelly salty lake and tee-totaling Mormons – none of which were interesting to me. That…

  • Mouse 6, Mike 0

    Mouse 6, Mike 0

    We’re out in the desert. There’s nobody around. It’s 2am, totally dark, and I hear noises outside the camper. What the heck? There are no racoons or large carnivores near here. Deer, cattle and antelope don’t rustle. I peek out the window (nothing but blackness) open the cargo door (nothing but blackness) and go back…