Latest adventure and truly the end

I didn't want to close out 2024 without a post and an update on the blog. The update is below but first the adventure and the tryout of the adventure platform on an extended trip.

November saw us headed to the southwest. More specifically, we camped or stayed in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and Kansas. For those keeping track that is 41 states that we have spent at least one night in since the onset of the indefinite, independent sabbatical,. With the trip to Alaska in 2025, I should be at 48 states on the sabbatical and more importantly, all 50 states since 2017. 

We split half the time camping in our adventure vehicle or tent and the other half in motels and hotels. Since we also drove a lot of miles, and the better fuel economy versus towing a trailer, the cost difference was minimal versus RV living (to be fair, it was actually cheaper to operate the new adventure vehicle rather than towing and that does not include the rapid depreciation on an RV). The cryptid hunting hounds had no problem adapting to the smaller space as they are well known for being low maintenance. The only real issue was tent camping at Grand Canyon National Park. It dropped to the mid to low teens at night and the tent was a bit chilly for sure. A space heater was helpful, but nylon is a poor insulator and we opted for a hotel instead of staying a third night.

The Grand Canyon was beautiful as were the other National Parks I visited - Zion, Canyon Lands, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Capitol Reef. I also stopped at Meteor Crater and Lake Mead to round out the trip. We mostly stayed on the back roads as we have no height or length restrictions and no concerns about getting stuck and unable to turn around. 

I've decided to just do a series of photo dumps (as is my nature when I am slow to post). Enjoy. And I know you are curious, but yes I was still looking for cryptids (like Big Foot), but I did not find any. So far my methodology has been as productive as everyone else's and I have had a lot more fun doing it. 

I love a good tree picture, so here is one with the Grand Canyon beyond.

 

Tent setup in Grand Canyon

Cozy setup in vehicle. Key word is cozy.

The actual Grand Canyon. I have like 50 photos and none of them do it justice. Since I can't capture the feeling, this will have to do,. 

Lake Mead

Zion National Park

Zion

Bryce Canyon National Park

Hunting hounds confused by the cold white stuff. At 9200 feet it does get a bit chilly. Bryce Canyon

Another one at Bryce Canyon.

Capitol Reef National Park

Canyon Lands National Park

Arches National Park

Arches

In December, along with S&S (from previous adventures), I also headed back to the hill country of Texas, We managed to visit a number of museums and scenic spots in between checking the breweries, wineries, distilleries, and mead shops for Big Foot. 

Waco - and the Magnolia property

San Antonio river walk, The picture is blurry but it looked clear when I took the picture. It is possible my eyes were blurry and it that counter acted the photo. 

Random stranger at a brewery. We stopped at about 35 different establishments looking for Bigfoot plus 3 museums. No luck but we were willing to take one for the team.

Johnson City utility lighting up the park. It looked pretty and I have a soft spot for utilities. 

The overall prototype concept of a single passenger vehicle to be a mini RV was completely successful. I will be making a change however as it became clear I needed a smidge more room so I can sit up in bed and have better access to bathroom like features in an emergency, I have already purchased a conversion kit for a minivan and I am seeking a used Dodge Grand Caravan to become my new travel platform. This was one of my many original travel ideas (along with truck camper, SUV camper, full size conversion van, et. al.) and now that I am no longer full time on the road and with a lot of miles and nights under the stars, I am ready for this type of travel, The plan will be to camp (in the van or a tent) at least half of the time and structures the rest (motel, hotel, VRBO/Airbnb, cabins, etc.). . I am excited to get the conversion going as I have a number of items to bring over from my RV days including separate power and lighting to make it a good travel platform. I have like 5 months to do the implementation and test out the setup prior to heading to Alaska and the associated 12,000 mile adventure.

Now, what about the blog? I have decided to actually end it this time for real. I wanted to end it sooner but I didn't want to disappoint any readers or worse yet, have them think I am "settling down". I can assure I am not giving up on this grand adventure. Rather the reasons are more to do with my lack of interest in producing public content. That is it. I do not know who reads this (if anyone) and I do not know if there is a large language model scrapping my creative content to regurgitate later and for the fawning morons to praise the "creativity" of the AI machine. My hunt for cryptids is certainly not new, but my search for cryptids in small businesses that sell brewed, distilled, fermented, or baked items is new and in this world of algorithms and predictive models, it is refreshing to find something new and creative even if the actual content isn't very good. 

The blog is ending, my endless quest for the sublime is not.

Until I see you in person,

Thor

Arkansas and what's next....... the end.

We finish up our time in Texas, free ourselves of the RV, and explore northern Arkansas in this final installment of the adventures of Thor Braxwood. Yes, you read that correctly, this is the final installment in this blog series but the adventures will continue. More on that later (that's a teaser in the biz). 

The sun is setting over this blog, but that doesn't mean the end of the adventure. 

I spent some time in downtown Paris, TX. Much like its namesake, it has businesses and parks along with people. In order to experience the full effect, I went to a cigar bar as second hand smoke is very European.

I had a very expensive old fashioned and I had to pay a membership fee to join. How was it? It was a good $12 drink, but I paid $28.I have not included the name as there is one cigar bar in town and I assume you can find it off the main square. The owner is nice and friendly but at these prices, I will not be back as I don't smoke cigars.

Park in downtown with a beautiful fountain.

As I indicated, I have sold the RV. I was able to pack everything up into the pickup and clean out the trailer. In case you are curious, RVs are a better investment than a boat but no where as good as a new car or Dogecoin from May of 2021 to today. 

One final look inside

The hunting hounds squeezed in the front seat as the back was full along with the bed of the truck. Basically my RV contents had to be loaded in the truck. The downside of homelessness is that your vehicle is packed.

Our next stop was Arkansas. I have visited the state before but this time I focused my search for Bigfoot in the northwest portion of the state (NWA - not to be confused with the musical group). This area is booming and holds many locations where one would expect to locate a cryptid in search of a good time. Obviously I was without a trailer, so I rented an Airbnb for my time there. 

First stop - Natural State Beer. Good options and delicious. It was a bit pricey but certainly not Maine expensive.

Our next stop was at Ozark Beer. They had a nice patio space and since the hunting hounds and I had just finished a training exercise in tracking of cryptids, we decided to check out the space. The joy of mid-day drinking is that you are often given a lot of space and the people you meet at the bar are more interesting. In this case we sat outside a table away from others so the dogs could relax and keep an eye out for Big Foot. Image 10 picnic tables set up outside and I am at one of them. Naturally the next people would take a table at least one away from me, but that did not happen. They sat right next to me. Then one of them lit up their cigarette and started smoking. I guess that is your right, as it is legal for someone to stand next to you at a line of urinals, but that doesn't make it ok. C'mon people, some common courtesy please. We relocated for the next beer to a different table and baked in the sun.

Lucy wanting to know if she could have one too. The answer was no, she had to share. At least she wasn't smoking.

While in NWA, I also had to check out surrounding areas. This included sites previously documented on the adventure in Mountain Home - Rapp's Barren and Stories Whiskey Bar. We also checked out a new brewery in .town - Parlor Brewing. Great beer and decent prices. Plus one of the gentlemen working there had done some work at Point Beach for NextEra. 

Parlor Brewing. Nice people, good beer, decent prices. This is prime Big Foot hunting territory.

I also decided to check out eastern Oklahoma since it was right next door. If you have only been to western Oklahoma you are missing out on the prettiest part of the state. I went on a hike with someone I had met through mutual friends and they brought their dog while mine rested at the Airbnb. 

Natural Falls State Park was lovely. The trails went for miles and the scenery was stunning. Seriously, check out eastern Oklahoma, you will be pleasantly surprised.

No visit to NWA would be complete without checking out Eureka Springs. I met up with some friends (S&S) and enjoyed the wood carving event in town. Next stop was at Gotahold Brewing and we relaxed in their outside space and enjoyed an excellent food truck meal. It had the vibe of a north woods space with the trees and pine needles except it was April, I was in shorts and sandals, and I was comfortable. 

Outside beers are served in metal cups to avoid breakage. Pretty clever,

After trekking around the area in search of Big Foot, I decided to check out a local historical site. The battle of Pea Ridge in the Civil War was the largest battle up to that point in the western theater. The Union victory there (along with the following victory at nearby Prairie Grove) allowed the Union to secure Missouri and NWA for the Union and effectively ended Confederate action in the far west.

Canons lined up on the battlefield. The final victory for the Union had a line of soldiers over a mile long in the attack. Apparently the sight was so terrifying with the sun glinting off the bayonets that many left the field to avoid the charge. 

As the search for cryptids cannot rest for too long, I knew I had to get back at the chase. I have suspected for awhile that the secret cabal was tracking my movements so I decided to lay a trap for them by carefully selecting my next stops.

Had a great beer and street tacos from the food truck at Bentonville Brewing. Decent beer and a good bar space. Too many bougie people for Big Foot but still a nice visit.

A stop at New Province was a welcome relief from the heavy thunderstorm that came through. Beer was good and they have a very large production facility. 

I enjoyed a glass of wine and a nice treat at Ramo d'Olivio in Bentonville. Good wine selection but no sign of Big Foot (as I suspected).

Rendezvous Junction was also great. The bartender had lived in Milwaukee but was from Illinois (Bears fan) and a couple at the bar was from Pulaski, WI. I have been to Pulaski and it is not large so I found it amusing to run into people in the middle of the day drinking at a bar and they are from a small town in Wisconsin. Really, what are the odds? Seems like my trap has been tripped.

I saw this on a vehicle and thought it would be an ideal final image for my blog. 

As  I have mentioned, this is the final entry in my blog. I have suspected for some time that my hunt has been compromised. I have already gotten rid of my RV and I will be getting a different vehicle to travel in but I will not be mentioning it here. The organization has been thwarting my search and I have to be more stealthy in my endeavors. I know this may disappoint my most loyal followers but be assured that my adventure and hunt will continue. I have made some amazing discoveries and I believe I am closer than ever to finding Big Foot and several other cryptids. I would like to share more but I know that Big Brother is reading this blog. Let's just say that I am very close to a major break through, but I have been sworn to confidentiality on the details. Just know that there is a counter group to the cabal which is actually protecting Big Foot from their efforts to exploit and profit off of Big Foot's image and likeness. It turns out Big Foot is the victim in this and I will not do anything to bring any more exposure of Big Foot to the nefarious elements of that secret coterie of powerful forces. The secret group that I thought was protecting Big Foot turns out to be only trying to stop people from finding Big Foot so they can continue to sell merchandise, TV shows, and movies about Big Foot and not out of any concern for Big Foot. Truly an evil group and I am thankful I have avoided supporting their ends by attempting to profit off of my search in any way. We all must do our part to protect Big Foot from those that seek to profit from this majestic creature. 

I am always open to sharing my adventures but I have not yet determined how to safely do this without risking Big Foot's exposure to those that would seek to make money off of the cryptid. Until I figure out a good way, I will be forced to go "radio silent". Be assured though that I will not end the adventure.

As always, and forever,

Thor

Summer wrap of Kentucky

I’m back. After my extensive training at the remote Department of Defense facility in Kentucky, I am prepared for additional adventures in hunting the elusive Big Foot and other cryptozoological entities. It wasn’t all just work though as I also had several visitors over the summer, and we explored the area together. And yes, we did hit the bourbon trail for those curious about such things, and I was able to buy a nice bottle of gin.

I should first mention some of the details of this training. I have been convinced for quite some time that I am super close to catching Big Foot as my methodology is soundly based upon extensive research. I know Big Foot is hanging out in its desire habitats of breweries, distilleries, wineries, coffee shops, small cafes, etc. My failure to locate the creature means that I must continue searching and more importantly, pay closer attention. To train this skill, I was given a technical assignment to locate tiny objects mixed in various materials. To make it additionally challenging, I also had to locate larger objects in the same mixed materials in order to ensure that a thorough search was performed. This require the use of a special device which tested hand-eye coordination all while being in the natural glow of the heat and humidity of Kentucky. I would also be required to identify who was staying in the area using sophisticated tracking tools. I would also engage in covert missions to determine the nature of the visitors.

Allow me to rephrase that if that was too technical. My undercover assignment was as a camp host/gate attendant. While searching through a camp site, I would locate and pick up small cigarette butts along with occasional water bottle caps, twist ties, and wrappers from Capri Sun juice pouches. In addition, I would need to search the fire pits and pick up the larger items which usually consisted of beer cans, melted plastic bottles, and of course more cigarette butts. I would hang tags using clothes pins onto a post and these would have the dates of the stay on them written in marker. Finally, I would answer questions and engage in polite conversation with the various guests.

One may wonder how this will help locate Big Foot, and it is rather obvious. I have now honed my search techniques to a fine level. In addition, my hand eye coordination has improved thanks to the use of the special grappling device (sometimes referred to as “trash pickers”), and I have sharpened my interpersonal communication skills so I can gather further information when trying to locate Big Foot. Truly I am a finely tuned hunting machine.

All in all, it was a fun summer and so much better than work. I met many wonderful people including fellow volunteers B&C, S, and even J (but not really J). The biggest complaint isn’t the excessive heat and humidity (and it was excessive), but rather the lack of decent laundry facilities less than an hour’s drive away. There is a real need for better laundry options in rural (and I am sure also in cities in economically challenged areas) but what is offered instead is overpriced and filthy machines if there are any working at all. Sad.

Now the adventures from the summer and smattering of photos. Again, as with prior photo dumps, I will note the image with a caption and generally avoid the longer stories around it. But you are thinking, “Thor, we love your stories, tell us more”, but alas not today. Perchance when I see you I can share more.  Despite several trips back to Wisconsin, I was not able to see as many people as I would have liked to as I busy relocating my remaining personal items to a climate controlled storage unit. Man plans, God laughs.

 

One morning at the campground while taking the hunting hounds on a training mission. You may call it a walk to go potty. Potato, potato.

Heron or crane? Who cares, still pretty. A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Another foggy morning. Humidity 98%, thankfully it was in the mid 70s since it was before 7 am.

Another gratuitous image of the water. Couldn't be helped, as it was pretty.

Last image of my site on the morning of my last day.

 

Flywheel Brewery in Elizabethtown (E-town). Good beer and friendly people. Critically it had all three types of seating (bar, tables, couches). I was here with P,M, B&L and I might have visited on my own once or twice.

Clever flag for the independent brewers of Kentucky.

This was a T-Shirt that I thought of buying. I chose not to as I didn't want anyone looking at me long enough to read it, but I agree with the message. 

Ah, the Bourbon Trail. Actually there was no trail, but rather a series of distillers over an area. Thankfully we didn't have on our hiking shoes on as that would have been disappointing. Having closed toed shoes would have come in handy with M and P when touring the barrel plant. A quick trip to several stores later and we were set. Side note, if you are looking for used and horribly worn out shoes, a certain Goodwill is selling them for $10,.

Bourbon flight at one of the places. They blended after a while and I wasn't driving. M drove and if you have ever driven with M you know the value of having had a couple as it takes the edge off.

The aforementioned M and P. We are lounging on the roof top of a cool facility. Museum quality exhibit on the history of bourbon in Kentucky. Smart way to connect with your customers and educate. If only I could remember the name. Too much bourbon.

Yet another distillery. Pretty building that M is walking in front of. P is ahead and just on the edge of the frame. I am taking the photo.

Picture of me "working" inside the booth. A tough life. 

View from trail at Mammoth Cave. Pretty area. I have other photos from the trail with B&L's dog Ernie but I have chosen to not include them. Why? Because I had to walk that huge dog in the heat and it was a bundle of energy until it pooped out. It then drank all of my cooled water and I was forced to drink from my emergency water I carry in the truck. He was so tired out that he crashed back at the trailer on my bed in the air conditioning. All of that was too cute to share so you just had to be there.

All in all, I had visits from B&L (and Ernie), M and P, and my brother and sister in law, J&M. I was able to get back north and see C along with D&S, and S&M. I did get back for Father's Day for those of you tracking that so I am not a complete loser.

I am onto my next adventure. I am headed towards Maine and working my way with at least one day stay in every state between here and there. Then we will be working our way down the east coast until we hit Virginia and then head west. What happens next is unknown at this point as that is how I am planning on rolling for a while. Nothing definitive at this time other than a total eclipse in April. 

As always,

Thor

Leaving Wisconsin (again) and the year wrap up

Wrapping up my search in Wisconsin, I continued to meet with family and friends. I was unable to see everyone and even worse I was unable to dedicate sufficient time to the hunt for Big Foot but I suppose even daring adventurers need some time off. 

Clearly, not a beer

I have met with many people but it is hard to list every person. One can assume their designed alias is mentioned at some point in this post embedded in a word somewhere. If you look closely you will be able to identify yourself. If you need assistance, please let me know and I can tell you where to go. 

I was able to make a few more stops at familiar locations (Runaway, Main Event, Copper State, Water Street Brewery) and some other local establishments in the greater Milwaukee and Green Bay areas. These locations have been scouted thoroughly for Big Foot and I have not seen any indication of a recent visit by that wily creature. I will need to visit on occasion to be sure, but I will also need to continue looking elsewhere.

Main Event in Burlington

Copper State in Green Bay

Right to left: B, L, D, C, and some random vagabond

Taking a break from the search, I was able to attend C's graduation from St Norbert College. It was great seeing C&D and B&L along with D's family. Both B and C graduated in four years with honors and have "real" jobs lined up right after graduation (and own houses!). The credit for that goes to them. They are both outstanding individuals, wonderful children, and now responsible adults. When Amy and I decided to have children, we did it knowing that we were having children to make the world a better place. We intentionally raised them to be independent and thinking adults who would support themselves and become positive members of society. What we didn't expect was that they would go through this process without a mother. I have read plenty of literature on this topic and while many children do fine after the loss of a mother, there is a substantial amount that do not. I know it has not been easy for either B or C, but they have grown and become incredibly resilient people. Having the graduation on Mother's Day was a nice reminder that even though our moms may no longer be here, they are always with us.   

Now that I have stopped crying, allow me to get back to the rest of the blog.

I want to provide empirical and experiential information on my first 12 months on my nomadic adventure in search of the inexplicable Big Foot along with other cryptozoological creatures. I’m posting this on 5/22/23, the one year anniversary of becoming nomadic  

First, the numbers. During the visit to Ireland and Scotland, I drove about 1500 miles and covered over 8000 miles by air. Looking at only the RV portion of the trip, I have driven about 12,000 miles. To be fair, I have driven far more than that, but that is only the towing miles between sites and excludes side trips including my purchase of a new truck. Speaking of sites, I have slept in 73 different locations in my first year. That means I have woken up at least 20% of the time having to remember where I was that day. Excluding my European adventure, I have been in 62 different campgrounds or places for the night. Combined, it all works out to 5 days on average at a given location.

From a cost perspective, my average camping cost per night over the first year was $28.18. I’ve lowered that per night cost, and I expect the costs in 2023 to be about 30% lower than 2022 thanks to my secret mission in Kentucky along with some longer stays and aggressive use of Harvest Host locations along with continued boondocking and drydocking opportunities. Approximately half the time was spent in private parks and the rest was spent in public campgrounds or mooching off others. Private campgrounds offer a reasonable rate for month long stays (or longer) and will be a mainstay in winter for me. The average cost (including electricity and propane during the winter was $19/day which is quite affordable for full hookups (water, electricity, and sewer) and a community to hang out with.

I have already mentioned that I have now spent at least one night in 25 states. If my plans for this fall play out as I currently intend, that should be up to 38 by the end of the year. Feel free to review the blogs for the details. This also means that I will have spent at least one night in 49 states as an adult by November. Only Alaska awaits my visit. I never set this as a goal but it seems pretty easy to accomplish so I figure why not.

I have not tracked the number of adult beverages consumed, but I feel comfortable saying it has been more than three.

Sometimes a picture works better for those visual people. 

Ireland and Scotland

Travel adventure in the United States

Now for my impressions. When I was six weeks into this adventure, I noted a few things in a blog post which I am sure everyone has read as the pearls of wisdom are strewn throughout all of my posts (this being the 35^th), or perhaps you read my 6 month update.  The observations still stand. The dirt and bugs have gotten better with a bigger trailer as there is more room for the dirt to hide and the fancy euro style windows in my last trailer let in a lot of bugs. Nevertheless, there are still bugs and dirt. The dogs have adapted to this life quickly as they are just happy since they are with me always. 

I really enjoy exploring new areas along with familiar ones. I love traveling - getting a feel for the people and new areas and how truly nice most people are in this world. There is far more that unites us and I think it is important to remember that as we get bogged down in the day to day. There are places I would like to get back to and spend more time in (Arkansas for example) and places I am not particularly interested in ever seeing again (looking at you Mississippi and Louisiana). 

I have tried to show mostly highlights but there are downsides too. The hassle of finding groceries and laundromats is always there and I have good and bad examples of both. The decision fatigue of having to plan every single day of where will I be and can I safely spend the night there with the dogs. You may not know where you will be on December 12th, but you know you have a place to sleep at least. I have the trailer but I may not be able to find a place to park it for the night safely. This is often why I plan 3 to 6 months in advance as I am not yet comfortable with taking too many chances with the dogs. Perhaps if I downsize to sleeping in a van or a truck camper and I park on the street at night, but with a trailer that is less of an option.

I still have no clue on how long I will continue this adventure. It could end tomorrow or in ten years. One cannot predict the future, so I am open to whatever comes next and I'm ready to greet it with an open mind and a grateful heart.

Speaking of what’s next, I will be spending this summer in a remote Department of Defense facility in Kentucky on an important undercover research project. There should be some opportunities for me to get away and visit old friends and family. Afterwards, I have a planned trip to the northeast. I have reservations or at least places identified to cover me through the end of November. After that I expect to head back to Texas for a few months or possibly somewhere more southwest. I really don’t have anything scheduled yet beyond a few key dates including the total solar eclipse in April of 2024 and Alaska in the summer of 2024.

The adventures will not end but the same cannot be said for this blog. No final decision has been made yet on the end of this blog, but if there is not another post, thank you for reading them as I have enjoyed writing them.

Until we see each other again,

Thor