When you want to camp, but can’t!

It’s February 26th and I’m going through withdrawals.

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Why am I going through withdrawals, you might ask? Because IT’S BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE I’VE CAMPED! Two. Weeks. Is. Too. Long. The last excursion was Falling Waters State Park, which, if I’m being totally honest, was my least favorite state park so far. Here’s why. So I’ve been itching to get back on the road but there’s something holding me back. It’s something I’m responsible for and it can’t get done if I’m traveling.

I had no idea there were so many great state parks in Florida but as of today, I’ve been to Juniper Springs, Alexander Springs, St. Andrews, and Falling Waters.

https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Alexander-Springs-January-2022/i-9jvxhkR
Morning mist at Alexander Springs
pull-through site at Juniper Springs State Park

There are a few campgrounds mixed in there as well, and one of those was a really great experience (Tropical Palms RV Park in Kissimmee, Florida). I’m not a full blown germaphobe but I like to avoid gross things and at this RV park I showered barefoot. Yeah, that’s saying a lot about the cleanliness of their restrooms. Ok, I’m way off track… where were we?

State Parks. Camping. Responsibilities. One day soon, I hope and I pray and I beg and I wish, I’ll be back on the road checking out the many other state parks in Florida. I need more bodies of water in my life so I’ll be looking at springs, rivers, and the ocean.

https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/OrmondBeachAdventureJan2022/i-6jPMVZq
Ponce Inlet at Ormond Beach, Florida

Until then…. *deep breaths*… patience…

-Out of the Wilderness

Free Spirit, part 2

If you missed my post yesterday showing a few “before” pictures of these fantastic bicycles from the 1970s, click here to catch up. OK, so these bikes have now had a little work done on them, not like in the Dolly Parton way, although the bikes DO have some big round things. Wow, when I started writing this I had no idea I’d be talking about Dolly Parton’s boobs. Okkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk anyway, without further aboob ado, here are the “after” pictures of these Free Spirit bikes.

It’s a his and hers pair of Free Spirit bikes which my uncle had with his wife, my aunt. He doesn’t ride anymore so he’s letting the rest of the family use them. Awfully kind of him! I love the rich burgundy color, the bright mirror of metal, and with the new tan-walled tires, I just think they’re spectacular. On top of that, they’re fun to ride. Sounds like a win/win in my book. To outfit the bikes with new tubes, tires, and rim strips was around ~$180. Not too bad to get these gems back in riding condition, if I may say so myself.

My bike (that’s also a Free Spirit) has 10 gears to shift between. The pair from my aunt and uncle only have 3 gears each. I’m not sure why they aren’t identical to my mine in regards to the gears, but I guess when they were originally for sale, the sellers thought slight variations were good for the American public.

All of that is history now, though. I’m happy to say these two ‘new’ bikes have a bright future after being shown a little tender loving care.

Thanks for dropping in!

-Out of the Wilderness

Free Spirit

Hello and thanks for rolling by my blog today. If you’ve been here before you’re already aware of the stuff I peddle on this site: my personal stories of camping, recaps of a dates occasionally, photos of my pups, TV commercial research, but much like a retriever at the Westminster Dog Show, today’s post fits into the sporting category. More specifically, riding bicycles.

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Two gently-used bikes came into my life recently and it’s a crazy coincidence that they’re almost exactly like this bike I bought at an estate sale in Nashville. They’re all a Sears brand (or at least, a brand commonly found at Sears in the 1970s) called “Free Spirit.” I LOVE my Free Spirit bicycle. I’ve ridden it all around Nashville (before I moved to Florida) and also around campgrounds at state parks in Florida.

Just like mine, the his and her Free Spirit bicycles need new tubes and tires (and just a little tlc) to be road ready. Well, I’ve got the time and after buying the equipment, all that’s left is to swap these things out. Here’s a list of the equipment purchased on Amazon and at Walmart:

Sunlite Road Tires (Amazon)

Kenda Rubber Rim Strips (Amazon)

Goodyear Tubes (size 26 x 1-3/8) (Walmart in-store or online)

These bikes have such character and I wish I knew the stories they’ve been a part of. Check back tomorrow for the “after” pictures and I’ll spoil it a little bit: They look so good!

Do you have any stories of a previously loved bicycle? Feel free to spoke speak up. Thanks for taking a ‘brake’ to check out my blog today.

-Out of the Wilderness

I’m *this* old

The other morning I woke up thinking how good I slept all night. Gosh, it’s going to be a good day, but why is it dark outside? This is weird. Isn’t it, like, 8am, I’d been sleeping for hours. What gives?

*checks the clock*

It was 1130pm and I had gone to bed around 930pm. Am I the only one who wakes up so early that it’s still the same day I went to sleep? I don’t know exactly when I turned from a young person to an old person, but waking up at 1130pm ready for a new day is a sure sign that it’s happened. If that’s not, then going to bed at 930 definitely is.

*wondering if there are other signs*

Kids I don’t know often annoy me.

I complained about the Super Bowl halftime show.

I’m hungry for dinner at 530pm.

I get excited about floor plans.

iPhones sometimes confuse me.

I literally had to go up hill both ways to high school… in the snow.

I used to think everyone else is wrong. No I know everyone else is wrong.

I recently got very excited about sleeping with a pillow between my knees.

Just met with a banker about my 401k and what I should do with it before I turn 60.

Talking about being 60 didn’t frighten me.

I don’t understand, nor do I care to, anything about NFTs.

I can’t figure out why anyone cares about Instagram.

I swear music was so much better when I was young.

I’ll go ahead and stop the list there because the more I think about it, I’m realizing I could be sitting here at my computer for a long time working on this list! Is there anything mentioned that applies to the young’ns? When did you realize you weren’t a spring chicken anymore? Oh gosh, might as well add that one to the list, too.

I call young people “spring chickens”

Thanks for dropping in…

-Out of the Wilderness

What happened to The Bachelor franchise?

Today’s post is coming from a long time fan of The Bachelor and all it’s spinoffs. I’ve watched for years and it’s taken me a long time to admit the show is trash. Some would say it was always trash but I truly believe in the beginning they actually cared about people finding love. Now, though, and for quite a few seasons, it’s just been about creating drama and what I assume is the producers caring mostly about ratings. There’s probably still a shred of honesty left in the show’s creators, like maybe a part of them truly wants the bachelor/ette to find “their person.” But mostly it’s about ratings, and therefore, money.

The best way to describe why I despise The Bachelor franchise (aka one reason I don’t watch anymore) is like this: Do you remember the kids game/activity called “Telephone”? It’s where there are a group of people and the first person tells the second a phrase or sentence. The second tries to repeat it to the third, as best as they can remember. The third tells the fourth, all the way down the line. By the time the last person says the sentence aloud it’s pretty far off from the original sentence. That’s what The Bachelor and The Bachelorette are now.

I’d actually love to watch season one just to see how seemingly innocent it was back then and now, decades later, it’s turned into an intentional train wreck. “Here for the right reasons” is a misleading phrase because none of them are there for the right reasons! My last thought is that I can no longer justify spending two hours each week watching something so clearly orchestrated but trying to sell me that it’s not.

So until it gets back to the original recipe, I’ll be dining elsewhere.

Thanks for dropping by (for the right reasons)…

-Out of the Wilderness