Hi! We're Tim and Gena - Join us as we explore backroads and byways in search of adventure, beauty, and inspiration - and maybe a beer every now and then!
Wow! Well hi, lol! Welcome to the channel. We were really surprised by how many people were there and all the work they put into Halloween. We weren't expecting that, but it was really cool. So great for kids. Such an interesting history too. Hope you enjoyed the video!
I live pa grew up in pa its great area live in the county thats in ive been to highway before got cover in dirt most is teen spray paintings i amit i dont live in my home town anymore for reasons but its great small town called pottsville
My backpacked down to the lake one time. That was the most epic camping trip I think I've ever been on, camping right next to the lake it was stunningly beautiful. But that was 5 mi straight downhill to get there and then 5 mi straight uphill to get out. I just turned 60 years old and I'm not in a hurry to do that ever again. I like your suggestion of dispersed car camping in that park that place is beautiful
It really is beautiful! We used to backpack, but unfortunately, I think those days are over. Knees can't handle the downhill and uphill is just exhausting, lol! We'll stick to shorter hikes. We love that we can still find places to get away though.
Thank you sooo much. Me and my buddy are going there in September and we're debating vs reservations and the Backcountry permit, ✅ know what we're doing now.
The one we camped in was really quiet. Not a lot of traffic on that road. There are other dispersed sites on this road that were full, but everyone was quiet. We've always found this whole area though to be pretty quiet.
I really appreciated this honest take. I've seen many videos about Centralia but all of them made it sound remote. And I don't recall ever seeing this much about the surrounding area or how close the nearest towns are. Thanks, this was very informative!
Thank you! We were really surprised - definitely not what we expected. We learned so much about coal mine fires and how often they happen while researching for the video. It's so interesting. Thanks for commenting!
That beer sounds great! I love amber ale. NFS primitive campgrounds are my favorite ones. I can't handle busy state park camping. The pea salad looks delicious.
We just finished the last one of those beers, lol! It was really good. We rarely do state parks, but we have stayed in a few that we liked. I think if it is off season, it's not so bad, but mid summer we would definitely avoid, lol! We agree - NFS is our go-to. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
I really can’t stand the fact Pennsylvania took dispersed Camping away from us in the state forest I used to frequent sproul state forest half of the fun was exploring forest and finding new places to camp now you can only tell you and you have to pay fee disgusting if you ask me, I would love to start a petition to get it back the way it used to be
We camped in Bald Eagle and that was our first time encountering that system. On the one hand, it was nice to know we had a site waiting for us since we were coming in late, but once we got there, we found another site nearby we would have rather camped in. We had no signal so couldn't figure out how to switch or if it was even available. That was frustrating. I'm afraid we might start seeing that in more places. You all have some beautiful forests in Pennsylvania!
Agree, I live next to Michaux State forest and used to camp there but now that you have to pay and you get nothing for it, no amenities, our sites don't have anything other that a place to park. Plus they don't maintain them, I took it upon myself when I was up mountain biking to stop and clean up the garbage at a site because it was so deplorable.
@@gregghershberger7968 unfortunately I think we're going to be seeing more and more trash because when people are paying for something I think in some sick way there's a sense of entitlement and they're like well I paid for this they can clean it up when I went out to Sproul state forest the only place I ever saw trash and I would do the same thing just pick it up is by a popular fishing spot put up in the mountains in the forest I never saw so much as a cigarette butt I haven't been up there since they made these rules I am going to try it this year but I'm probably just going to end up making Allegheny my new go to
@@gregghershberger7968 it's awesome that you were willing to do that, but definitely agree that if you are paying there should be some amenities or at least be maintained.
Thank you! That really means a lot to us. We truly enjoy our time together. We're so looking forward to being able to travel even more when we retire in a couple years. Thanks for the great comment!
Thank you! We hope to moved and settled by the end of the year, but it is definitely a process. We need to do some work on the little house before we can move over there and of course, there are projects in the bigger house that we need to finish too before we can list it. We are trying to just go step by step. Dropped off the building permit for the work we need to do at the little house this morning!
Right! We are thinking about getting a wheel for the front. If we had one, we could have just spun it around, lol! Yours looks like it is even lighter than ours probably. Our kids have a 40 foot 5th wheel and we just can't even imagine pulling that. They do great with it, but we would be so stressed!
Wow, that is so cool. Excited about your future travels. They have come out with washer/dryer combo units that have been getting great reviews. You may want to check those out. Would save you space.
We are excited but it is definitely bittersweet. I think one of those combos is definitely the way we need to go. We thought we would be able to fit it in the bathroom but now it looks like we may need to put it in closet instead.
Have almost identical truck as y’all but dragging around a hiker trailer. I’ve had my screen do the same thing a few times but not the remote start issue. These newer vehicles are great but with all the computer electronics in them always scares me. Let us know if you figure it out. Loving the videos!!
We love the truck, but yes, every problem we've had with it has been computer related. We didn't try the remote start again until we got home, but it seems to be working fine now. Thanks for watching and commenting!
the maerkers ,as you noticed are fixed, let you know where you are. They are reflective so they can be used at night along with a lake map. At times there can be floating buoys the do the same thing. The fixed marker are always in their spot but buoys can break loose, these should be reported to rangers
I’m from Kansas and have been hooked watching your channel ever since your trip here as you did a fabulous job showing the areas Kansas has to offer. As for the house you will love the simplicity of the smaller space and I know you and Tim will adjust to the change better then you know!!
Thank you for that! Really appreciate your kind words. We are working on getting rid of things. We didn't think we had accumulated that much stuff, but we were wrong, lol! Thanks again for your support - we loved Kansas!
I have an aluminum framed square drop, and it came with carpeted walls and ceiling. When I first looked at it, I thought it wasn't as attractive as wood walls, but after using it a year, I love the carpet. The walls are not cold (the 20s is the coldest I have been out in), and I don't have condensation problems at all. I can hang things on the wall with velcro, which I also love. What is the same is that the door squeaks exactly the same way.
We love the cool walls in summer, but we think we will try the carpet for this next winter. We may try to attach it with velcro so we can remove it in the summer and have the best of both worlds, lol! Thanks for sharing your experience!
This was a great video for a newbie…appreciated. Can I ask, I’d like to try dispersed camping…how do you know if you are actually using an official camp site, and is anything required in Indiana permit wise for dispersed camping? Great video. Thanks!
Good question! It can be difficult to tell sometimes. No permit required. Technically the US Forest service website says you can camp anywhere in Hoosier National Forests but there is a long list of exceptions, like to close to campgrounds or streams, or of course where there is no camping posted. The first thing we look for is fire rings. Often if there is an established fire ring, you are probably ok. The ones we find the most difficult is trailheads - no camping at Trailheads. Sometimes we find a site with a fire ring, but it looks like there may be a trail there too. So then we go to the map and try to figure out if it is actually a Trailhead or just a random or old trail. Someone did post though that they saw that the forest service had started marking some of the dispersed campsites (putting up a marker at the site), which is great because then you know for sure it is a campsite, but it also raises concerns that they may be planning to switch to a reservation system for dispersed camping, or may be closing many of the sites. I haven't seen anything on the website yet though that says you can only camped in marked sites. You can also stop in at one of the headquarters if you want to be really sure, lol! They can often point you to some good spots. I hope that helps. When we visit a new area for the first time, we will often stay in a forest service campground the first time or the first night to scope out the area if possible. Thanks so much for watching - Happy camping!
@@HEKNBAK That’s great info. You beat me to it. I’ve seen some nice places that are really cheap and nice camping areas. That’s great advice to just pay the first time down, and explore. I think I’ll start there to learn and maybe I’ll meet some locals camping who are veterans with advice. I so appreciate your time.
Lol! We're headed up to Manistee NF this week. We've never been there and I'm pouring over maps looking for forest service roads that look like they might have dispersed camping off them. There's a definite chance we could end up in a campground though.
Hey, thanks for watching! Right at the very beginning is "Cooper Island" by Martin Klem, but I think you are probably asking about the one with vocals that starts about a minute in? That one is "Our Own Thing" by Binkley. We get most of our music from Epidemic Sound.
I absolutely love the video. I just purchased the same truck yesterday, but Ruby Red and I have been wanting to build an overland rig for years now. I've been trying to find a bed cover/ roof rack that looks good and what yall have is perfect.
Thanks so much - that's awesome! That roof rack comes in different heights. I think there were 3 options if I remember right. I believe we have the middle one - we wanted to keep it a little lower so the tent wouldn't stick up above the cab too much. The one downside though is that you can't reach into the bed from the side unless you have really skinny arms, lol!
Thanks for watching! While researching I came across some more current info/debates, not sure if that is the right way to say that. I think one was about the moving or selling of the dunes or hills that used to be the islands.
Gray point is one of the better kept secrets at LBL. I am extremely happy that it can not be reached by cars. There used to be a TIKI Totem out there and we referred to it as TIKI Point.
We were so excited to finally make it out there! We pour over maps and sat images when trip planning, and that spot had been on our list for awhile. It's a fun drive, but yes, a little rough. Looks like it could get pretty muddy too. Beautiful spot! We were wishing we had thrown our chairs in the truck.
As a guy who spends more time at LBL than at home. I would highly recommend whether you can state if the road is capable of handling a car VS a 4 wheel drive truck. Just so other veiwers will know. Just a recommendation. Good info, but becareful you're not stranded on some of those back trails. Diaper, lol, I have found mounds of trash due to the homeless camping out. Ginger bay is poop bay. Way over utilized. That place always has people camping out on the weekends.
That's a good idea! We never really thought about stating the type of vehicle before. We'll do that in the future. We wished we lived closer - we'd be out there a lot more, lol! Every time we are there we discover something new. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
If you are closer to the east, Miami state fishing lake has 14 days free camping thru 28 days. there are 14~ campsites available. 399th and 69 highway has some campsites east from 69 highway. there is one site after the bridge, but if the go over the bridge, you went to far. There is a dance music festival that is hosted near there every year, dancefestopia, so if you plan on going there, make sure it is not when that is booked, otherwise, probably no camping. there are only 3-4 sites total. hidden gem and not listed on maps
As you were describing it, I was thinking it sounded like it was close. Thanks for sharing that! Since we bought our camper in KC almost 2 years ago now, we have been back to that area a few times and are always looking for new places to camp. Thanks for the heads up about the event too, lol!
Your intro bout made me cry. Love your story and hope that you are able to retire soon and enjoy this full time :) I live in KS and just looking for some more sites to get to, but I have a hard time justifying paying to go fish overnight. Thanks for the video and I hope that one day I can find someone to spend my life exploring together like you two have. Is that castle rock?? I just stayed at the Cedar Bluff lake so I could finally go and see that big ol rock. Hiked for a couple hours just enjoying the badlands there. gorgeous place!
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We will be the first to admit that relationships take work, lol! Having that common interest though helps a lot. We really do enjoy exploring together! Yes, that is Castle Rock - so cool! We never expected to see something like that Kansas. Kansas wasn't at all what we expected - in a good way!
The "No Alcohol" rule gives law enforcement a tool to keep large parties from happening at these lakes. I'm guessing no one would bother a single camp couple that were having a few as long as they didn't flaunt it...
There were two of them that hung around for awhile, checking things out, but that was the brave one. I would imagine people have left food in the campground or fed them so they've gotten less afraid, but it was really was cool to see it so up close.
Dose the A/C work Great, Good or just ok? Do you keep the A/C door closed or open when running the A/C to have it work the best? Dose the A/C have a drainage hose going out of A/C Unit to the outside area of the trailer to drain properly?
We would say it works great - it will turn that small space into an icebox. If you aren't connected to shore power and are just running off the battery(we only have one), we have been able to run it all night and then charge it during the day. We usually keep the door open, but you don't have too. Our door has a vent cut in for it. We haven't been able to get the remote to work through the door though. Yes, there is a drain tube that goes out through the floor. Hope that helps!
Pay close attention to those maps. Most of the roads don't actually go all the way to the water's edge and LEO are now enforcing this with $180 tickets.
Good to know - thanks for sharing! Google maps can show roads that are no longer there or that the forest service has closed, so always a good idea to check the mvum.
We all have that one BIG adventure that ignites the wanderlust and changes our path. Mine was in 2018, 7000 miles out west and back. You hit a lot of awesome places on this trip!
We're planning a trip to Ohio for the fall but are hoping to take a few shorter ones over the summer. Still planning those, lol! Tim isn't sure the mirrors are going to fit our style mirrors. If they don't, do you want them back or want us to pass them on to someone else?
