Voyageuses en Minibus

Yes!

My recent youtube post features my car.
When my 2008 Full size Chevy Silverado finally showed me it could drive no further without extensive / expensive repairs that were well beyond the retail worth, I bought a well used, 2017 ( this was in 2022) Chrysler Pacifica with 88,000 miles of use.

How to turn a “mom-van” into a self respecting travel companion… hmmm?

I am anxiously awaiting an opportunity to do some winter camping. That being said, I have been immersed in domestic life for the past month and a half.

One of the reasons, (actually two of the reasons) I have been cooking, and baking to share on YouTube is because of the Holiday season! American Thanksgiving, 3 Birthdays in my family, and Christmas with associated parties. The second reason, is that I make a lot of soup, stews, and other, “freezable” food to take camping.

Why do I freeze homemade food? well, in short … I don’t usually eat at restaurants. I am Diabetic, and have a Thyroid disorder, (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis or “lymphocytic thyroiditis”) which makes it difficult to eat certain foods. I also travel with my Dog, “Taylor.” Keep reading for more…

Taylor is a Redtick, (or American English Coonhound). In cool weather, he can be left happily in my Van to entertain himself with a chew toy or to sleep. He is a hound. Hounds are usually 100% , “ON” or 98% , “OFF.” I am honored to be accompanied by a gregarious companion! He loves everyone. If he doesn’t like you, there’s a problem. He is also a vocal watchdog! There have been at least 2 occasions where he has backed people away. Being a, “old gal,” I wouldn’t think of being without one of my dogs. The presence of a pet isn’t without challenges … read on?

On a cold, or rainy night, it isn’t convenient to have a companion who doesn’t understand why they can’t go outside. Now! This minute! Without fail! So, outside we go after a lot of grumbling on my part – especially after driving for 15 hours straight with the belief that having pulled over to a sort-of-safe spot for a few hours of sleep, I could. Of course the first thing I did after turning off the ignition to the vehicle was to feed, walk, and provide a fresh bowl of water to my buddy. Did I already say, “100% on 98% off ?” Yup, he slept while I drove…

I would never consider leaving him alone while at a big-box store, grocery store, (except gas-station convenience stores or, “country general stores”) because of seasonal issues, (hot or freezing weather) or the biggest issue of Theft. People can be cruel, taunting pets or stealing them.

SO I cook most of my food in advance and put it in my Van’s Freezer/Refrigerator! Yup, I have one of those 🙂

There are a lot of new, “Shorts” I have uploaded 🙂 also a few new videos.

Dam! about Taylorsville Lake Dam, an Army Corps of Engineers project. A walk through the woods along the lake bank, and a lovely picnic at the upper dam area.

Another current upload entitled, Salato Center is about the Salato Center Educational Facility located in Frankfort, Ky.

All my videos have been in shortened, (speeded up and severely edited) form. Going forward, I am thinking about each new upload to be done in long-view, (less edited) as well as continuing with short-view formats.

The seasons are finally starting to change from hot, humid, and rainy. “Chill-in-the-air, ” especially at night is most welcome.

Because the tent I normally use is mostly see-through mesh on the sidewalls with a rainfly covering, it is cold in the fall without a heater. I can deal with cold. Taylor can’t. An American English Coonhound or Redtick is a single coated dog. I am anxiously awaiting the new tent! It is inexpensive, but has all the features I was searching for: Less mesh, a rainfly, zippered windows, a thick floor ( PU4000 ), bathtub walls, waterproof instead of water resistant (3000-4000MM 190T polyester), 2 D-shaped doors, a hooded vent and a lot of interior space for a 3-4 person tent. At 8 1/2′ X 7′ and almost 5′ tall it is a lot smaller than my summer tent, but may be easier to, “heat” in fall / winter needing only to accommodate my cot and dog crate. It is also an, “instant up” tent with a hydraulic pump for, (we’ll see) 1 minute setup. One feature I was looking for is an E-port to pass an electric cord through. It doesn’t have that. I may have to do surgery on this tent to have access available for that, (I cut a 1″ slash at the base of the summer tent, and made a rain cover out of a small piece of plastic to prevent rain from seeping inside) possibly up under the side air vent or perhaps the back zippered door. We shall see . The joys of online shopping without the ability to actually see what you are getting. 😉 To see the tent click: https://a.co/d/9iOao8u

Taylor and I will be camping at the site of, “The Battle of Blue Licks.” One of the last Battles of the American Revolutionary War. The British won this battle at a terrible cost to Kentucky lives. More to follow!

New videos will be posted asap. At the end of each video, I will be either unpacking or reviewing a product. Each video is usually under 15 minutes! Some video “moments” are shorts, others will be on specific products.

https://youtube/channel/avianmariner

😊 Be sure to subscribe and leave a comment 🙂

Taylor, my loyal though loud-mouthed hound and I reserved a campsite weeks in advance. There was no telling what the weather would be. Rain, thunder, hail, and extreme humidity were on the menu. Yay! To be fair to my hound, he only has a loud mouth at 2am when someone decides to make noise when we are trying to sleep. This has happened at multiple times at rest areas and campsites… Why do people have to slam doors in the middle of the night? I disabled the sound and visual features on my Chrysler Pacifica, ( indicating doors opening and closing. ) That aside, it was a positively relaxing adventure. Nothing at all happened. Nothing. We ate, slept, strolled around a very empty campground and did some sightseeing between downpours.

Youtube

https://youtube/35jcGtIAf3Y