Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
Over the past year since I started using a Sony A6600 to photograph anything and everything, I’ve discovered that my favorite subject is nature and wildlife. Combine that with the adventure of camping in the past few months and the opportunities for photographing stuff is pretty high. I’ve already posted about St. Andrews State Park and Falling Waters State Park but thought I’d add a few more pictures to the mix. Each picture includes a quick description. Thanks for dropping in…
Great Blue Heron (St. Andrews State Park) – Alligator Lake is the place you want to go to in order to see these big birds flying around.
Osprey (St. Andrews State Park) – This bird was perched here for quite a while which allowed me to get as many photos as I could. This tree is near the ocean side of the park, not the lagoon/bay side.
Pelican (St. Andrews State Park) – Pelican flying over the jetty leading out of the bay and into the ocean.
Seagull (St. Andrews State Park) – I really like the buildings in the background of this picture, making the seagull standout, standing on the wet sand.
Sandpiper (St. Andrews State Park) – Cute little thing snooping around for some grub.
Fisherwoman (St. Andrews State Park) – fishing from the beach on a cold February day.
Pier and stars (St. Andrews State Park) – It was around 1030pm when I got this photo. I love the moonlight shining on the pier as the stars polk-a-dot the sky above.
Forest Path (Falling Waters State Park) – This was a pretty walk through the forest and although this has been my least favorite park (here’s why), it provided a few photos that I like.
Starry Night (Falling Waters State Park) – Photo was recorded around midnight on a cold February night.
Tall, Tall Trees (Falling Waters State Park) – I tried some light painting in this photo, giving some color to the trees with the stars as the backdrop.
For the past few weeks I’ve been looking for one of those knee pillows. You know what I’m talking about? Here’s one from Amazon. For some reason I get annoyed when my boney knees touch each other while I’m sleeping. Yes, I’m a side sleeper. Odd fact: when I sleep on my back I have nightmares. Weird, right?
Instead of ordering a knee pillow from Amazon, I’d been using a regular pillow. It worked fine except it was a whole ordeal just to flip from lying on one side to the other during the night. The pillow always pulls the sheets and blankets and it gets all out of sorts. Well, I’d had enough but always one to ponder how I can do things in a contrarian way, I stopped by a local Goodwill and lo and behold, there was the perfect pillow! Queue the angelic choir…
Did it have that familiar Goodwill scent? Maybe. Do I want to know where it came from? Absolutely not. But I love that I found a suitable alternative that has quite a few benefits: it serves the purpose of cushioning my legs at night which will hopefully help a tight back each morning, I didn’t have to order from Amazon, I saved some money, AND it’s recycling something.
Talk about a win/win! Is there anything you’ve been looking for brand new that you found elsewhere gently used? If so, let me know about it in the comments.
Some family went out for lunch to celebrate one of my nieces getting accepted into the college she wanted to attend. I brought along my camera mainly for practicing motion shots. I’ll share a few of the photos below. I particularly like the roadway photos with a bit of the dashboard out of focus in the foreground. Do any stand out to you?
Amazon building a new warehouse/office near the highway
folks coming and going
a bridge
palm trees
a hawk looking for lunch
white lines
busy roadways on a weekend afternoon
canopy road #1
canopy road #2
To pay attention to the details of our trip there and back is to notice beautiful things we pass by like the canopy roads and birds in flight.
Hello! I’ve been camping around Florida in 2022 (click here for some stories) and along the way I’ve learned a few things that I want to share with you. When I arrived at the first RV park I’d ever stayed in, I had a rough experience getting the travel trailer settled in at the campsite. The truth is that I wasn’t prepared. So this post will help you avoid the headache I went through that day, along with other setbacks you’ll avoid if you have the equipment listed below. I’d consider everything on the list necessary for any trailer camping experience. These most likely all apply to RVs in the class A, B, and C categories as well, although there might be a few variations. Based on research and experience, here are a few things you’ll be grateful to have when you take your new camper out for a trip.
Trailer hitch ball. Sounds obvious, I know, but make sure you have a trailer hitch ball that matches the correct size for the receiver on your trailer. I had the wrong size at first and the last thing you want is your trailer becoming disconnected on the highway. Available at Walmart for under $30. Click here.
Leveling blocks. Not always necessary, but when you need them, you’ll be SO GLAD you have them. Different types but Walmart has them for around $35. Blocks here and curved leveler here.
Wheel chocks. There are a few different kinds but I use these from Walmart. They’re about $6 apiece. Once I’ve arrived at a campsite and made sure the unit is level, setting the chocks is always the next step. You’ll find some in a Walmart RV section but you can save a few bucks by getting them in the automotive section instead, or ordering them on Walmart’s website here.
Trailer jack foot. These are good to spread the weight of the trailer tongue, especially in soft ground. Surprisingly hard to find in any stores (like Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc) so I ordered through Amazon here.
Trailer jack pads. Just like the jack foot, these are really nice to have when you’re camping in grass, gravel, or dirt. They help to keep your jacks/stabilizers from sinking into the ground. Walmart is hit or miss with these, but here’s a link through Walmart.com.
Plastic container. I pull my trailer with a pickup truck. I keep a plastic container in the back which contains all of these accessories. Of course, this isn’t critical, but it’s nice to have everything organized, especially since it sometimes gets dirty and you can just throw them into the container and hit the road. The one pictured below is around $10 at Sam’s Club.
Water hoses. Many RVers will recommend having separate hoses for drinking water and black/gray tank cleaning. You can imagine why this is a good idea. These are available at Walmart, and they’ll be cheaper than your local camping/RV store.
Water filter. Once you arrive at the park, you’ll be thinking about hooking up to their water source. I haven’t actually used a water filter yet as I’ve been camping, but I see them at A LOT of sites. Drinking clean water makes sense, so I’ll definitely be picking up one of these soon…. probably at Walmart, surprise surprise. 🙂
Water pressure regulator. Under $10 at Walmart, this will keep high water pressure from damaging trailer/camper pipes. I didn’t think about this until watching a few YouTube videos. Pictured below is also an elbow hose connection. Not necessary but could help the hose weight and angle from doing any damage to the trailer connection. Pick them up at Walmart or order online.
Sewer hose. You can’t empty your tanks without a hose, so this addition is an absolute must-have. Also pick up an hose elbow or whatever they’re called so you can connect to the sewer receptacle easier.
Disposable rubber gloves. Be sure to use gloves anytime you’re working with waste, waste water, and your sewer hoses. This will keep you clean from gross stuff that could make you sick and/or spread germs and stuff. Any grocery store will have these.
RV toilet paper. This tp breaks down easier and is great for your black tank. I tend to use the restroom at the campgrounds whenever possible but it’s nice to have a bathroom avialable 24/7 so don’t forget to stock it with appropriate toilet paper. Walmart has this type of toilet tissue in stock, usually.
Tank cleaner solution. I sometimes to forget to use this but it’s a good idea to treat your tank immediately after you empty it. This product helps break down the stuff in the black tank, which is a great idea for cleanliness. Find an assortment on Walmart.com.
I hope this list helps you. I’m not even close to an expert, still learning things all the time about using a travel trailer. But if you have questions, fire away and I’ll do my best to answer or point you in the right direction!
I’ve recently recorded some photos of the stars (“astrophotography”) so I thought I’d post a few here with the various settings used. I use a Sony A6600 and all of the photos below are using a 24mm lens and were captured between 11pm and 6am. Unfortunately, as you’ll see in a few photos, the moon was bright which plays a big part on the overall brightness of the photos. Along with that, when the moon is right overhead, you might as well not even try! It will be too bright to capture the vast number of stars in the sky but when the moon is low or below the horizon, you’ll be amazed at the amount of stars showing up in your pictures.
f/1.4, exposure time 10 sec, ISO 320, moonlight low
I love night sky photos, so get out there and try it! Hopefully these pics along with the specific settings help you figure out how to get a great shot wherever you are.
Out of the Wilderness 