Sunday, April 16, 2017

Days 103 - 107 4/14-18/17 SE GTG, Stevenson, AL


I returned to the SE GTG in Stevenson, AL on Thursday after visiting my cousin in Cartersville, GA

There has been a great string of weather with daytime temperatures in the mid 80's and nights around 60.

The gathering is on conservation land called Raccoon Creek along the Tennessee River.  We are welcome guests, as explained to us by the Ranger, who came to visit us one day.  They know we respect being able to come here to camp, because we leave the area better than how we found it.  We are also a group that keeps locals that use the area for elicit things away and other locals that like boating and fishing feeling safe. This may be the fifth year the group has come here.  It is my second.

We are a small group of people from near and far that have only one purpose and that is to enjoy ourselves and others.  The group is head up by Dyck Tracey, who calls everyone Cuz.  Can't get more homie than that.

Here is a YouTube showing the area and group that was taken by one of the attendees.


https://youtu.be/a7KaXGRMC2Y


The sunsets over the Tennessee River are beautiful. 


It's time for a full-time screen as it's 80's during the day and about 60 at night.  Great weather but humid and as the evening cools I need some ventilation in my Prius.


I installed my rear passenger screen and left it in while here as the bugs are bad and unlike the desert where I just cracked the windows, here screens are a must. 

I can leave the screen in as I have a sufficient opening through the screen to see traffic.


We have wonderful nightly fires.  I stay out until 8-9 pm before I go in my car to write my blog.


Above my back is to the river looking back to the main group of campers.  Some come and go as I did, but a core group stay.  It was nice seeing folks again this year.


Every so often there is a large boat or tug going by pushing barges.


This was a Saturday group Dinner of beans and hot dogs.


My collapsible bowl that I eat many meals out of.


On the road driving out one day I met this turtle making its way across the road.


Our good, no excellent weather, gave way to storms.  Above I picked up this evening electrical storm to our east giving off some lightening. 


There is sharing and helping of others that goes on here.  This is the side of a light weight trailer with plywood sides that was given to a solo woman traveler from a solo male traveler.  

It needed a new plywood top and paint on that and her car needed trailer wiring connection.  A group came together to help her with the project.


The new owner wanted the tribe to sign or leave their mark on the side of the trailer.


I left my small mark on her trailer.


The end SE GTG came a couple days early with our tribe leader Dyck becoming very ill and requiring hospitalization 100 miles south of here.  

A plan came together to logistically make this work.  There was an offer of a house to recover after the hospital.  There was an attendee who was a nurse and agreed to provide care during house recovery.

There was another who drove Dyck to the hospital and drop off his rig at the recovery house.  Another drove down the 100 miles to drive the other back here to reconnect with his rig.  I was asked to stay behind and spend the day looking after vehicles and equipment while everyone was away.

Above, is my car parked at the Raccoon Creek sign that I chose to wash the collective grime off of as far as I could reach.  The suggestion was made by another vandweller, but I was bored and took on the task.


The rain was still developing each day and while I was sitting listening to podcasts this one rain cell developed over the gathering site and dumped lots of rain and some hail.


This is how hard it rained.

All our thought are on Dyck's treatment and recovery.

We, the remaining few, were all planing to go our own way the next day (Wednesday).  I am headed north to MD to visit east coast son and family before arriving home in a week and a half.

Brent

macaloney@hotmail.com 



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