Late fall

Once again the downside of living the life of a nomadic adventurer has happened yet again. Here it is another month has gone by since my last post and I had so many plans to update the blog but never got to it. Hunting Big Foot is exhausting and despite planning on spending a month in Missouri, I actually also made a quick trip to Wisconsin and even Arkansas. Since being in Missouri, I also have also spent a night again in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and now I’m back to Texas. For those tracking, that was 22 states since Labor Day. I intended to slow down this year and yet I’m still moving a lot. Alas. Onto the adventures.

I found the Branson area quite pretty and unfortunately, I failed to properly hunt Big Foot at every opportunity. To be fair, I am not sure any Big Foot found in Branson would actually live there and would probably be just visiting. That being said, it was still a nice time checking out local establishments. For those that are familiar with Branson, no, I didn’t see any shows and generally avoided all tourist locations. For those not familiar with all that Branson has to offer, I would suggest searching on the web.

Table Rock Lake. So pretty. Several trails near here. 

I like tree pictures for some reason. This has a lovely sky behind it. 

Another trail. This is in a nature area near Branson. Great trails and the weather was perfect for these hikes. 

Another one of Table Rock. I should mention that Table Rock State Park has a special place in my heart as it was the first place we went RVing after getting our first trailer and it was one of the last successful camping trips we went on while Amy had cancer. I will always cherish this place and it is lovely thanks to the state park and the Army Corp of Engineers. 

I did manage to also check out a local distillery and I am currently leveraging their product to help in producing this blog post. Missouri Ridge Distillery had a nice tasting room and patio space. I sat out for a while before it started getting chilly (low 60s - brr) so I headed in and sampled the whiskey and moonshine. I was pleasantly surprised with the  quality and since my supplies were running low I was sure to stock up with some of each.

The architecture and feel reminded me a bit of the Texas distilleries.

As I mentioned I made a trip up to Wisconsin and saw B&L along with Amy's parents - D&S. While there we made a pilgrimage to The Runaway in Burlington. Thankfully it was opening season of deer hunting so Burlington had the annual wine crawl where women go through the downtown businesses getting plastered. It is one of my favorite weekends as I enjoy seeing people having a good time. I have chosen to self censor many of my preferred comments. Consider this a moment of growth. While at Runaway, we saw a number of our friends including M, M, R, and of course the Runaway brain trust - J and B. It was a great time but no sign of Big Foot or any other crypto creatures such as the Beast of Bray Road. 

I ordered the water, Not sure why there are so many beers on the table. Everything tasted better since B paid. Nothing like free.

For Thanksgiving I met up with C&D at C's in-laws, W&M, who have relocated to Missouri from the Green Bay area. We did make a stop at winery - Cedar Lake Winery which was quite lovely. Oddly the place was pretty empty despite it being the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. We spent Thanksgiving with M's parents and brother's family in St Louis. It was a fun time despite the lack of any Big Foot beings. 

All decorated for the holidays. We split a bottle of cabernet which was quite tasty.

I mentioned that I also made a side trip to Arkansas. I went back to Mountain Home to see my friends S&S again. While there we hit two of our favorite places and since I forgot to take pictures last time, I thought I would include these here. Links are in the last blog. 

Stories Whiskey Bar. You need to the passcode to get in. I know it but I have muffed it up after one too many at the following place. 

Great selection at Rapp's Barren Brewing. Food is also spot on and despite my general avoidance of fries, these are not to be missed. 

While in Branson, I met some nice people including a family in the campground who were workcamping there for a few months. He is unable to dedicate time to Big Foot exploring so he is instead creating YouTube content and podcasts. I had the honor of being his first interview for the podcast which was an interesting experience. I had just gotten back from the local brewery (it was only about a half of a mile from the campground which meant I could walk and there was no limit on my consumption) and he decided that was the time for the interview. I readily agreed and we recorded it in the clubhouse. Thankfully I sounded intelligent enough but since I am never sure who listens to these I didn't mention my hunt for Big Foot. I wouldn't want the wrong people finding out my mission. He had previously been a TV reporter in San Diego so he asked good questions and kept me from wandering too far off track which I tend to do when I start talking. Some might say I do the same when I write, but as the bard said - "haters gonna hate".

After Branson I had two Harvest Host stays, one in Arkansas and one in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma stay was at a brewery (SHOCKING) in Durant. Lost Street Brewing is right downtown and conveniently located across the street from excellent smoke meats. The beer was delicious and food take-ins are allowed. I brought the dogs in too for a bit and we relaxed on the couch as people got ready for the Christmas Parade. With all that festiveness, there was no chance that Big Foot was going to make an appearance so the dogs and I headed back to the trailer. The next morning I walked the few blocks to a really reasonably priced coffee shop (Opera House Coffee) and had a nice oat milk latte before hitting the road for the trip to Texas. 

Decorated for the season and for a kids craft thing. 

The setup parked across the street from the brewery. Only issue was the two sets of train tracks (with full horn experience) and the road noise. But there was no cost to stay so it was well worth it.

I am currently at a state park in Texas before I head to my next stop which is currently planned for two months. While here I have taken advantage of the nice weather and hit the trails with the dogs. I got them both to do several miles today which is very unusual for Lucy. I will be checking local breweries and the related establishments for Big Foot over the next week, I did check out Athens Brewing in Athens, TX. Great beers and dog friendly inside and out so we might make a follow up visit when the temperature drops from today's 70s. 

This was a blend beer. Meaning two beers mixed to make a new beer. Okay, one of the beers is a stout and the other? Apricot. I know, but it was delicious. 

Campground is on some sort of creek that appears to have been dammed up. Whatever, it is pretty. The clouds blew away after this and it got sunny. Temps in the mid 60s to mid 70s. It is only for these first few days, but I'll take it.

I have started looking harder for my next adventure vehicle and did a few tours. You may be asking yourself why am I changing? When are you going to settle down? Why do you keep looking for Big Foot? The answer to all of these, is simple. Because I am who I am. 

More specifically, when I started planning this adventure in the dark quiet hours at night in the months and then years after Amy passed away, I wanted to get a van. It allows for the maximum flexibility in movement as the length is not much different from a long pickup. That was my plan A. Unfortunately there was a disruption to the supply of vans and the pricing got really out of whack. So out went plan A, plan B (truck camper), and then plan C (small trailer), to the point where I am at plan D. The pricing is still out of whack but at least it has come to the point where used vans are affordable. I still spend many hours thinking about ways to improve my current experience and I am hopeful this will allow me to change my travel to allow serendipity to play a larger role in my adventure. 

Settle down? I have thought a lot about buying a house or condo or even piece of land. I have identified several areas that are good candidates but I am just not feeling it yet. If I am not convinced that this is something I need to do, then I won't. I don't see an imperative at this time in having a house and I still want to keep my options open in case serendipity steps in and changes my trajectory. Who knows what my future holds and hope still exists.

Finally, Big Foot. As you know, Big Foot is a terribly difficult creature to capture. More importantly the only evidence people have is some video footage of dubious veracity. I have this covered in my FAQ, but Big Foot is not going to be found in the woods or grass lands. That would the first place people would go looking. Plus would you rather sit at nice establishment enjoying a small business's offering or get rained on in the woods with all those bugs. If someone is ever successful at finding Big Foot in those inhospitable locations, then that is clearly not the Big Foot that I am looking for since my Big Foot quarry would never be there. Also for people that think they have found Big Foot and send me pictures, I should mention that those are all statues and not the creature. There is a difference. I am still trying to determine if these statues are intended to lure Big Foot and thus I am more likely to be successful near them or if they repel Big Foot since they think the area is too crowded. Further research is clearly needed. 

In the meantime, I will continue the adventure. If anyone is interested in an off-grid capable luxury couples camper, let me know. I will sell it at a good price. The same goes for a slightly used Ram 2500. 

Until next time, 

Thor

braxwood.com

 

I made the font bigger. Let me know if this is better or worse. While in Branson I got my eyes checked and there has been some decline. A larger font is easier than new glasses.