On the last day of my summer 2023 trip, I treated myself and Cleo to a restful night’s sleep at the gorgeous Club Continental in Orange Park just south of Jacksonville, Fl.

August 7, Club Continental, Orange Park, Florida. Mike checks my tires with his usual helpful advice on identifying problems.

2023 Summer Camping Trip

August 7, Club Continental, Orange Park, Florida

Breakfast with my old friend Mike Pont made me cheerful on the morning of my return to Tampa. He and his wife Carol are retired and now living in a beautiful home he built in Green Cove just south of Jacksonville. After retiring from Verizon, Mike became the neighborhood handyman and reliable consultant on practical problems involving the material world. It is primarily because of Mikes’s leadership skills and shed full of tools that the Temple Terrace Community Garden at Riverhills opened in 2012. The community garden at Greco opened in 2013.

This is how Summer 2023 ends, not with a bang but a whimper.

The poem “Hollow Man” by TS Eliot comes to mind when I reflect on my summer camping trip. Never one for understatement, the journey was undertaken with big dreams. Dreams about slow travel that gives time to integrate rich detail. I’m tired of flying in someplace for the quick tourist check-a-box experience. I’m longing for context. And new friends. This is the dream, as I understand it. And this particular summer dream ended with me too exhausted to absorb any more of anything. By day #26 I just wanted to snap my fingers and teleport home. The maintenance of the pop-up is grueling. Unlike the short trips to Florida State Parks, on this 40ish day summer trip, travel days came every 3-4-5 days and involved hours of breakdown followed by a long drive and hours of set up.

Course correction

I was 14 days out for the return to Tampa. Sure, I could just drive straight home. But that would feel like giving up. I’m too stubborn for that. However, I could put the camper up for sale NOW. I figured someone in my Facebook friends network might want it. I canceled my camp reservations in the hot, muggy states of coastal Virginia and Carolina in favor of the comfy KOA parks. The Wilmington, North Carolina, front desk staff assured me I would have a sweet-shaded campsite next to a pond. There would be ice cream socials, wood at my camp, and a functional pool. The pools in Virginia State Parks are closed due to a lack of funding.

My first night at the KOA park in Wilmington was bright and beautiful thanks to an Aquarius full moon. I love sleeping in this camper. I love that it doesn’t separate me from the natural world yet gives me just a little comfort from the heat and protection from rainstorms. But the breakdown and set up in the hot sun…

Why oh why had I failed to google “July weather Virginia” or even “July weather coast of North/South Carolina?” I spent days questioning myself about this. The demands of setting up and breaking down every four-five days in 90-degree heat sucked all the joy out of the experience.

July 26, 2023, Wilmington, North Carolina

I now understand the challenges of a solo traveler for long-term travel. And I don’t even do “off-grid” boondocking. No sir. I like the electricity and water at my campsite and the security of the park staff. To justify the setup work with a pop-up, you just don’t pull into a campground for an overnight. And there are concerns about rain and having to fold up the canvas pop-out beds in wet weather. The canvas must be aired soon after being folded to avoid mold – the scourge of pop-up campers everywhere. I ended up reserving several hotel overnights to speed the pace home and dodge rain, breaking the budget and my happiness. I’ve developed a dislike of hotels.

August 1, 2023, Wilmington, NC – Aquarius full moon

Thanks to my Facebook network, I found a purchaser for the pop-up. “Simone” was picked up by her new owner three days after I arrived home. In January, Mark helped me negotiate a good deal on the purchase of Simone. This made a quick sale easier. We only wanted to recoup the purchase funds and a minor upgrade to replace the tongue.

As Mark reminds me, we learn by doing. Next summer, I’m hoping to take a two-month camping trip to the Pocono Mountains. I’m sure I’ll develop some appreciation for the 2023 summer trip with time. If you want to irritate me, ask me to talk about it. I’ll probably growl first before answering your questions.

July 1-August 7, 2023 – 38 days, 2,218 miles, 5 states