Story The Nomad

ncsfsgm

ncsfsgm

Veteran Member
THE NOMAD​

Chapter One

“The darkness is at its deepest. just before the morning comes.…”


Bob drove his truck slowly down the road, wary of tourists ambling along and rubbernecking the scenery. Before he arrived at the park, he turned off onto a side road that wound its way along the bluffs of the river until he reached the overlook. Getting out, he did a walk-around before facing upriver. Standing beside the truck, he was greeted by a breathtaking sight that captured the essence of nature’s power and beauty. Shoshone Falls cascaded with unwavering force, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle. Ducking into the camper, Bob grabbed the half of the Italian sub and a Coke from the refrigerator and went back out to eat his meal and watch the spectacle in front of him from the park bench. He was late, about 200 years too late. He tried to envision what this land had looked like before “civilization” had reached it before the politicians entwined their greasy fingers into the wonders of this country. After they screwed everything up, now they wanted to fix everything and were screwing things up even more. They wanted to save an insignificant owl and through their actions were allowing millions of acres of forests to burn every year due to some insignificant turd dropper.. They stopped the introduction of a major transportation spur that would have reduced pollution and built the economy in California.. After wasting millions of dollars, they trash canned the project because of a rat. A damned rat! Never underestimate the stupidity of a politician trying to get their names in lights and keep their power. They never looked at the long-range consequences of their actions. Finishing his sandwich, Bob crumpled up the paper and slowly drank his Coke.


The waterfall stretched before him like a colossal tapestry of water and mist. Its size and width overwhelming, as it cascaded down. The rushing water plunged into the Snake River below, sending sprays of mist into the air, creating an ethereal atmosphere. The immensity of the waterfall is a testament to the immense power of nature, leaving Bob humbled by its magnitude.

As the water crashed down, it created a symphony of sound that resonated throughout the canyon. The roar of the waterfall reverberated in his ears, drowning out all other noises and demanding his undivided attention. The continuous rush of water created a rhythmic melody, soothing and invigorating all at once. The sound, both thunderous and harmonious, added to the sensory experience, heightening the impact of this natural wonder.

Finishing his Coke, Bob tossed the wrapper and can into a nearby trash receptacle and did a closer inspection of his rig as he walked around. The V-nose all-terrain trailer, built by Colorado Trailers, towed on the highway well at turnpike speeds and equally well in the back country. The Earthmover SX, built on a Chevy 6500 chassis, had no problems towing the 18-foot custom trailer. Bob lowered the rear door and checked the tiedown straps on the cases containing personal belongings and food, wine collected in carrying boxes and the street legal Rokon which gave him other travel options in the back country. The fuel caddy was securely strapped and had no leaks.

Bob checked his watch and headed for the cab. He had time to check out a couple more wineries in the Snake River Valley. Duke woke up from his nap and nuzzled Bob’s shoulder. Bob reached into the console, pulled out a dental chew, and gave it to his German Shepherd, who settled back in his seat, satisfied.

Bob pulled into the Wine Region RV Resort that afternoon. He had only found two wines that interested him and bought two bottles of each. One of each he put in the wine boxes in the trailer and the other two he placed in the wine cooler next to the refrigerator. Duke was acting antsy so he put him on his leash and took him out to water some Chaparral. When they walked back to the RV, Bob admired the vehicle for about the ten thousandth time. It had taken a couple of years to get it the way he wanted it. The RV would have cost him close to a million dollars if he had gone by their catalog. He made a few changes though. Instead of having granite or quartz countertops, he replaced that option with polished stainless steel. Also, he didn’t take some of the options that would have made it into a ritzy camper. He wanted simple, but practical. He did change out the automatic step. Sometimes his right knee gave him problems and stepping up that high would have been painful at times. The steps he had now reached all the way to the ground. He had added Hydronic in-floor heat and a washing machine stack too. With the addition of the custom trailer, he had just the package he wanted.

Bob took a folding lounge chair out of the storage compartment and looked up at the sky. Too much light pollution. He hated using RV parks but they were convenient. It gave him a chance to refill with water and empty his toilet cassette. Duke was more relaxed too. He wasn’t on constant alert for wildlife, except for the occasional slimy alley cat or wily roadrunner that wandered by.

Pouring a wine cup of today’s find, Bob thought about the day’s journey.

“Every sunset is an opportunity to reflect and reset. Every sunrise begins with new eyes for the world and new opportunities to develop strengths.”

Bob had followed that philosophy since he set out and it hadn’t failed him yet. He thought about the people he had met and what he had learned. Nothing had tweaked his interest in this area so Bob decided to stay south of the Snake and meander into Utah. Utah had an interesting history and he decided to check some sights out. He might resupply with LTS travel foods there also. Going inside, Bob pressed the button to activate the satellite system and got out his laptop computer. He’d research a route and places of interests for tomorrow.

After making coffee, toast and a bowl of oatmeal the next morning, Bob waited for Duke to eat his food then took him for his poop walk before heading out. He did his vehicle pre-op checks and got on the road. Meandering down to I-84, he didn’t stop until he’d reached Snowville, Utah, twelve miles south of the Idaho state line. He could have continued another ninety-eight miles to Salt Lake City, but he didn’t feel like spending the night in a big city.. There was a Flying “J” at the Snowville interchange and he refueled. There was an RV park with pull-through spaces there and the place was just a damp spot in the desert and hopefully with little light pollution. He hoped to look at some stars tonight. It also gave him a chance to do some laundry. There was also a truck wash at the Flying “J” and he could give his rig a wash, not that it really needed it, but he was proud enough of it to keep the carbon fiber bodies of the RV and trailer looking good. After giving the rig a wash, he stopped by the A&W and got a rootbeer float and two orders of chili cheese fries. <(Surprise! He hadn’t expected an A&W out in the boondocks like this.)

After parking the rig, Bob put his sheets in the washer and heated up one of the paper bowls of cheese fries in the microwave, poured a glass of wine and went outside to star gaze. Although the lights from the interchange did pollute the sky a bit, he still had a beautiful view. When the bed linen was dry, he remade the bed and washed the rest of his clothes. Around 2300, Bob took a shower and rolled into bed.

Bob got up the next morning with the intentions of using the outside kitchen and frying up some bacon and eggs, and maybe making some pancakes, he felt like he needed pancakes. But it being a place with a name like Snowville, the temperature was hovering around 30º so Bob used the induction cooktop to cook his eggs and pancakes and did the bacon in the microwave/convection oven. He just wasn’t up to putting a lot of clothes on to cook his breakfast, and besides, the warm floor felt good on his bare feet. After cleaning up from breakfast and making sure everything was stored securely, Bob got dressed and did a check of the truck and trailer. Cranking the truck, he looked at the instrument display that showed him the tire pressure of all of the tires, including the trailer’s and prepared to move out. Letting the truck idle, he went back to the refrigerator and got out a stainless-steel bottle of water to keep in the cupholder of the console. Once back on the interstate, he kept pace with the traffic. His destination today was Ogden and its 25th Street he had read about in travel magazines. He especially wanted to eat at the Pig and a Jelly Jar and try their pork BBQ. Bob’s mini-goal was to try every type of BBQ within every region of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The main Pig and a Jelly Jar was in Salt Lake City but he figured he would be hungry by the time he reached Ogden he could enjoy the meal well enough.

The pork sandwich was good, but the people who wrote the reviews should travel more. Bob had supposed it might have been the extra crap added to the sandwich to entice the more “worldy” crowd. A real man didn’t need anything but bread and meat, and maybe a little hot sauce. To walk off the meal and the gallon of unsweetened iced tea he’d consumed to wash the unexciting tastes out of his mouth, Bob decided to do a walking tour of the street.

The infamous 25th street had its heyday right after the Transcontinental Railroad was built through there. It had been filled with hotels, bars, and shops, brothels, and bootleggers. When travel by train dwindled, the street had died but revitalization in the last few dozen years had brought in craft brew pubs, restaurants, art galleries, and independently owned shops, a weekly farmer’s market throughout the summer, was the main promenade for each month's First Friday Art Stroll, and the setting for the majority of the city's festivals. Bob actually found it boring, most of the shops catered to the tourist trade, until he came to a shop of a custom knife maker. He had on hand a hand-built fighting knife patterned after the Plum Blade SOG Fighting Knife, so Bob bought it to add to his collection of weapons. He made it back to the RV before his bladder exploded and rested a bit. Turning on his satellite internet, Bob began a search for LTS and survival food dealers in the area. He needed to replenish his Ovaeasy egg crystals. They were much easier to store and Bob didn’t always have access to grocery stores with fresh eggs. Powdered eggs and well water suited Bob just fine.

Bob made a list of stores and worked his way down through Salt Lake City and Layton. He found one place that had the egg crystals in #10 cans, but that was too bulky for Bob’s use. He was looking for the pouches of crystals. Finally, a shop owner directed him to a shop in Layton, she even called ahead to make sure they had them in stock and gave Bob the address. Bob bought two full cases of them and kept three pouches in the RV and stored the rest in the trailer. Driving out of the parking lot, A sign in a window between a barber shop and an Eyebrow Threading shop (whatever the hell that is) advertised empanadas. Bob was a sucker for empanadas. He took up a few marked parking spaces but gave Duke a dental chew and sauntered into the empanada shop. After eating one, Bob ordered two dozen beef empanadas to go.
 
ncsfsgm said:
THE NOMAD​

Hmmm...........A Eyebrow Threading shop (whatever the hell that is).
Click to expand...
Anyway, ncsfsgm puts interesting items in his stories, aannd I of course, just have to dive right into this rabbit-hole.

Eyebrow Threading is an ancient technique that's still used today, and is often hailed as the best way to achieve brow perfection.
And
The BROW Specialist says, ''Let us get your eyebrows on fleek''.
;)Huh......fleek?
Interesting things that I never knew.:lol::lol::lol:

Great start, keep it coming please.
 
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The ones I like the best have the following ingredients. You can use store bought pastry dough, but I use the same recipe I use for pies.

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, 2 lb. ground beef (20% fat), 2 medium onions, chopped, 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 2 small red bell peppers, seeded, chopped, Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, 3 Tbsp. ground cumin, 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika, 1 Tbsp. dried oregano, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, 1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth, 2 tsp. sugar, ½ cup raisins, Pastry Dough, ½ cup pitted green olives (Picholine or Spanish), rinsed well, cut in half lengthwise.

These things are best made like you’d make egg rolls. You don’t make just a few. You make a big batch of filling and keep making them until you run out of ingredients.

The cook used to make these the night before and let them cool. Then I’d fill a pannier container (Kind of like Tupperware) with them and slide the container into my saddlebag. That and a container of water would carry you over for a couple of days.
 
Chapter Two

The lady looked at him funny and Bob told her he wanted to put them in his freezer to eat on the road. He explained he hadn’t eaten such good empanadas since he had been in Paraguay. Down there, he explained, they treated empanadas the way Americans did doughnuts. You bought them by the dozen. The lady grinned and explained she was from Ciudad del Este, which was near Iguazu Falls, a stunning waterfall between Argentina and Paraguay. The lady made the empanadas, packed them in individual plastic sleeves and sealed them. She told him they would be almost like fresh if he microwaved them for 75 seconds in the bag and not to open the plastic bag.

Bob had time to take Duke on a pee walk while she prepared the treats and when he went back, she had the empanadas packed in cardboard pie boxes ready to go. He paid her and added a hefty tip.

Bob was already tired of the city, or cities. The area on the east side of the Great Salt Lake was wall-to-wall businesses and developments. He stopped at a market and asked for campgrounds nearby but out of the city and was directed to Rabbit Gulch Campground on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation. It was on the edge of Starvation Reservoir and though in the high desert, was nice. At least the stars showed brightly.

Bob stayed at the campground for three days. The weather had turned windy and he didn’t relish driving through the mountains pulling a trailer with the winds as high as they were. But it turned out to be a good thing in a way. At one of the outfitting stores, he found a case each of Mountain House Spaghetti and Mountain House chili that he liked. He bought both cases and stocked the RV camper and put the rest in the trailer. He pigged out on wine and spaghetti until the wind finally died down. Snow was already collecting on the higher peaks, and he didn’t have the clothing to mess with snow yet. He decided to head for Denver or at least Steamboat Springs and get some decent outer winter clothing.

Bob liked the route to Steamboat Springs better, so that’s where he headed the next morning after breakfast. It was only a couple of hundred miles and he took his time. Calling ahead, Bob got reservations at a KOA just outside of the town. He stopped before reaching the campground to refuel and picked up milk and sandwich bread. As he was entering the campground, a lot of people were leaving. He later found out there was a possibility of a large snowstorm approaching and people were getting out ahead of it. Bob refilled his water tank and dumped the toilet cassette and prepared for the storm. He really didn’t have that much to do. He restocked his pantry from the trailer and filled the wine cooler. With full diesel tanks, he wouldn’t worry about snow covering the PV panels; the truck would automatically start to recharge the batteries if they ran down. He could put up the pole mounted vortex bladeless generator but the truck could handle it. He did drop the trailer and went into town to F.M. Light and Sons and bought winter clothing that he could layer. As he was headed back to the RV park, it started snowing lightly. After parking the RV, Bob loaded a DVD and started with the first episode of Yellowstone.

The snow fell for only a couple of days, then Bob had to wait for the roads to be cleared. Someone came in with a BobCat and cleared the streets in the RV park. Bob got his folding snow shovel from out of the tool kit and he cleared working room from around the RV and trailer. He topped off his water tank and dumped the toilet cassette. Of course, the influx of skiers to the Steamboat Ski Resort and Howelsen Hill Ski Area began crowding the roads but Bob chanced it to make his way out of the way of the extreme sports nuts flooding the area. Bob wasn’t that much for winter sports. He had done enough in the military on suicide slats, towing a full ahkio sled for kilometers at a time. These days, he was more of a chalet chunk sipping on rum toddies.

Bob by-passed Denver, it having no draw for him. As near as he could determine, if he got below the Arkansas River, he would be out of the danger of the current storms, so he headed for Pueblo, sticking to the lower valleys. He was held up for a time by an avalanche but made it to a KOA in Fairplay where he decided to get the road salt washed off the rig and rest up before heading on down the road to Pueblo. Pueblo wasn’t the ideal destination, but just a waypoint. The cost of living as lower than the national average but the crime rate was 244.65% above the national average. Bob just wanted to find some good smoked bacon and maybe a steak or two and a few baking potatoes. His idea was to hit a high-end market, get what he wanted and get on out of town. What he ended up doing was going to a Walmart and Franks Meat Market.

After making his purchases and getting out of Pueblo with all his fingers, toes, and wallet, Bob took to the county roads that were heading in his general travel direction. The caliche surfaced roads were hard packed and smoother than a lot of the main roads. Near the Colorado and Kansas state line, Bob pulled over and helped an old couple change a flat tire. He wouldn’t take any payment for his act so they told him to follow them into Towner. They guided him to their house and Mrs. Akers fed him coffee and lemon pound cake, wrapping up most of the rest for him to take with him. They talked for several hours and as it was getting late, Bob told them he needed to find a place to set up for the night. Mr. Towner guided him to an area between a group of grain silos and the railroad spur and told him he owned the business, and he was welcomed to park there. It was best to keep out of sight of the main road because people of questionable character sometimes traveled the road and might get too inquisitive about such a good-looking rig. Bob parked the rig so it blocked the wind whipping across the prairie so he could use his slide-out grill to cook a steak. Putting a baking potato into the convection oven, Bob cranked up the satellite dish and tried to get an accurate weather report on the miles ahead of him. With no particular destination in mind, Bob decided to give Dodge City a visit.



Outside of Jetmore, Bob pulled into a convenience store to fuel up. A motel shared the parking lot and looked like they were doing a good business. Bob started fueling the RV and used the squeegee to clean his windows. As he finished cleaning the windows, His attention was drawn to an argument being held in front of the motel between a young lady and an older man. The girl came barreling across the parking lot, pulling her one bag on rollers and stumbled on the raised ledge of the walk in front of the convenience store. A man at the door of the motel yelled at her and laughed. Bob finished filling his tank and hung the nozzle up.

“Ma’am, do you need some help?”

The young woman looked at him and shuddered, then moved over to the side of the store to get out of the wind.

“Can I give you a lift somewhere?” Bob asked.

“You’re probably just like that man. He said he was a Minister and would give me a ride into Wichita…he said we couldn’t make it tonight but would get us rooms at a motel….but he only got one room with a single bed.”

Look, my name is Bob Doyle and I am headed toward Wichita too. I can drop you off anywhere you want. I don’t do motel rooms but I can offer you a California King bed to sleep in….alone, and get you to Wichita in the morning after breakfast…and you can even lock yourself in so no one can get to you.”

She gave him a hard look then slowly began moving toward the RV. Bob took her around to the entry door and guided her in.

“My name is Ashelyn Carter.” She said, taking his picture with her phone. “I’m sending this to my mother.”

After introducing her to Duke, Bob gave her a quick tour, to include the bathroom and how to use the intercom to talk to him up front, he closed the entrance door and showed her how to lock it, then showed her how to lock the pass-through door before returning to the driver’s seat.

Bob pulled out of the lot and back onto 400, on his way to Dodge City, which happened to be on his way to Wichita. He might not be able to spend as much time there as he had intended, but he damned sure intended to be able to say he had a big breakfast there.

Just as he was nearing Dodge City, Bob checked the camera in the back and saw the woman was nestled in the bedclothes and fast asleep. He saw the sign and quickly pulled into the RV camp. Getting a pull-through slot, and directions to the diner that advertised the best breakfasts in town, Bob parked the rig and adjusted the passenger seat, adjusted the heat in the RV and covered up with a Snugpak Insulated Jungle Blanket. Duke huffed, curled up in his seat, and went back to sleep.

Bob woke up at 0500 to a cold, wet nose poking him in the neck. Duke was wanting to get out and pee. Bob straightened the seat up, folded the blanket and snapped Duke’s leash on. Bob opened the door and closed it lightly so as not to wake up his passenger, but when they returned, she was knocking on the pass-through door.

“Come on through and have a seat!”

Ashelyn made her way to the passenger seat and buckled in.

“Why did we stop?”

“Well, my plans were to visit Dodge City today got changed. I wanted to be able to at least say I’d eaten breakfast here.” Bob explained.

“Oh! I’ve ruined your plans!” I’m sorry!”

“Don’t worry about it. There will be other places, other times. We’re only a little over two hours to Wichita and you’ll be home before noon. Now, I’m going to use the bathroom and then we’re going to have breakfast.”
 
Chapter Three

Bob brushed his teeth, used the toilet and washed his hands and face. Returning to the front, he did his pre-ops while Ashelyn used the facilities. Before she went back to the front, she opened a side pocket on her travel bag and took out the Mini GPS Smart Tracking Finder she always had in her bag. Searching the drawers, she finally buried it in Bob’s sock drawer.

They arrived at Marcy's Roundup Café just as they were opening, but the coffee was hot…and good! Bob didn’t wait for the employees to finish laying out the buffet ordered off the menu, eggs, bacon, toast, fluffy pancakes with real Vermont Maple Syrup. Ashelyn mirrored his order and while they waited, they enjoyed two cups of coffee.

“So, where are you traveling from?” Bob Asked.

“I was in Denver for a job interview and my car gave up the ghost. I was praying it would last until I got a job. It’s not even worth repairing.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. What do you do?”

“I’m a business analyst, at least that’s what I do right now. And you? What do you do? You look like a man of adventure or a writer.”

“More near a traveler who hasn’t found what he wants.”

“What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t found it yet.”

The talking died down as the waitress served their plates. Bob quickly ordered a glass of milk before she left them to eat.

Bob buttered his pancakes, cut them up and drowned them in syrup. He poured a little syrup on his buttered toast, folded the half slice, and began eating his bacon and eggs. The only thing he wished he had was a few tomato slices.

“And this business analyst stuff, does it make you happy?” Bob asked.

“Yeah, I guess. It makes me feel good to show a business owner how he can streamline his company to make more profit and in the long run that makes the company’s customers happy when they can buy their products and services at reduced prices, if the business owner isn’t too greedy.”

“Yeah, there is a good bit of that, these days.” Bob said.

“I’m sorry I’ve ruined your trip to Dodge City. I just need to get back home. Momma’s birthday is tomorrow and…OH MY GOSH! I haven’t gotten her a present yet, and I’m without a car!”

“Not to worry, I can take you anywhere you want. My stops are just stutter steps in my journey.”

They finally cleaned their plates and took turns going to the rest room. Bob paid for the meal and gave their waitress a large tip. This time, Ashelyn walked with Bob as he took Duke for a walk. Duke happily took the dental chew, jumped into the back seat and settled down for their next leg of the trip. Ashelyn claimed the shotgun position and Bob got them on the road to Wichita.

As they were nearing Wichita, Ashelyn put in the address for Paramount Marketplace Antiques into the truck’s GPS.. Her mother had wanted to find a vintage metal milk can to use for an umbrella stand near the front door. She could find an antique one, but she had a friend who was an excellent artist and Momma wanted her to decorate it for her. She didn’t want to ruin the value of an antique can.

The antique marketplace had 10’s of thousands of feet of floorspace and Bob did a little shopping on his own while Ashelyn looked at several different milk cans the shop assistants brought to her. Bob found a vintage tin box he wanted to keep in the pullout for his grill to keep fire starters in. Finally selecting what she wanted, they headed for Ashelyn’s mother’s house in the Crown Heights area of the city.

If there was an entry in the dictionary for a midwestern mother, Maybelle Carter’s picture would have been pasted beside it. She was sweet as honey butter and immediately made him feel welcomed. When she finally got a second look at what her daughter had ridden home in, she almost spun around in circles like an excited puppy and cried out she and Bill had been looking for something like it to do some traveling. Before Bob could even enter the Carter home, he was giving Maybelle the grand tour of the RV. In the kitchen area, she opened every drawer and cabinet, looking at how much it could hold and what she could fill the space with. She couldn’t wait until Bill got home and he could see it. They finally went into the house and Maybelle served Bob and Ashelyn coffee and fresh-baked Bundt Cake. Ashelyn took a seat at the table across from Bob and said, “Momma’s favorite thing to say is, ‘Stressed spelled backwards is Desserts.”

Bob enjoyed the cake and coffee as Maybelle and Ashelyn talked back and forth like magpies. He declined a second piece of cake but did accept another cup of coffee, and enjoyed the banter between the two.

“I don’t know why you had to go all the way to Denver to get another job anyway! And you should have replaced that old car long ago! It’s not like you need the money and can’t afford nice things”

“I know Momma. I’m sure Bob doesn’t want to hear all your complaints about me.”

Ashelyn looked at Bob and mouthed, “I’m Sorry.”

Bob just grinned and shrugged and got up. “I need to be getting on the road.”

“Oh No!” Maybelle said. “You need to meet Bill and stay for supper.”

“I really…” Ashelyn looked up and mouthed, “Please.”

Bob hesitated and asked if he could have a glass of water.

Bob cursed himself for getting his feet mired in the “meet the family” scenario. He should have minded his own business to begin with; this is what happens when you try to be a good Samaritan.

Bill arrived home from ….wherever. Maybelle had disclosed that Bill spent more time jaw-jacking these days since he decided he didn’t need to work anymore. Maybelle intercepted Bill and shepherded him off to another room to…Bob guessed to forewarn him of what his daughter had been through and her rescue by a dimwit vagabond.

They returned in a few minutes and Bill offered Bob a beer to sip on while supper was readied. Bill escorted Bob into a comfortable den and the inquisition began. Questions flowed to Bob, who chuckled to himself and kept his answers as ambiguous as he could.

“Where did you grow up, Bob?”

“Near Livingston, Tennessee.”

“Do you have folks still around there?”

“Just a sister.”

“So, you just spend your time traveling? It must be difficult being on the road all the time. How do you handle mail?”

“It isn’t difficult at all. I’m free to go pretty much where I want within reason, I very seldom have to deal with local crime, illegal aliens, and crooked politicians. I can just move on to another location. As for mail, I’m not bothered each day with a mailbox full of sale and political advertisements. I do most of what I need to do via internet. My mailing address is my sister’s hemp farm so I have a legal residence.

“When Bob mentioned the hemp farm, Bill’s ear’s pricked up.

“You mean cannabis?”

“Although a distinct relative of the cannabis you are probably referring to, she and her husband grow industrial hemp which contains only 0.3 % of THC, the psychoactive compound that produces a "high" sensation. No, they grow industrial hemp mostly to extract organic CBD oil, but hemp is also used in clothing & accessories, foods & drinks, health & wellness products, home & office products, and many other things. Hemp grows faster than a tree and would be an excellent replacement for making paper, and less destructive to our forests.”

“Yeah, I use CBD oil capsules for joint pain.” Bill said. “How do you make a living?”

“Bill, I’m retired.”

“Retired? Aren’t you a little young to be retired?”

“Well, I spent a few years in the military, then some more years as a para-military government contractor and saved my dimes and pennies. I was injured during my last contract and decided I’d rest up and see what the world looked like where people weren’t always shooting at one another.”

Bill sensed that was not the whole story. Bob was holding something back.

“Sounds like it was a good decision.”

“Well, yes and no. In most cases, you know who your enemy was, but here in the states, you never know until they open their mouths. Our enemies here aren’t shooting at you, but in the long run, they can be just as deadly.”

Maybelle and Ashelyn fixed a delicious pork tenderloin dinner with creamy brown gravy, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans and homemade yeast rolls. Dessert was warm apple crumble with ice cream.

After dinner, Bill and Bob went to the den and the inquiry continued.

“So, you decided to quit government contracting?” Bill asked.

“Well, like I said, I was injured plus I had started to feel guilty of taking taxpayers dollars like I did. I had worked for six different companies and each time I asked for and got a 33% raise from what I was paid with the previous company. The powers that be liked my results and they didn’t bat an eye at my salary. My conscience finally won and I decided to beat my sword into an RV and travel a bit.”

“Well, I appreciate you taking care of Ashelyn. Many men would have tried to take advantage of the situation.”

“I’m aware of that. That’s why I offered her assistance.”

Bob was going to look up an RV park to spend the night but Bill insisted he just pull into the driveway and park for the night. The next day was Saturday and no one was going anywhere early. Anyway, Bill wanted to get a good look at the rig in the daylight.

Before the women came out, Bob excused himself and went out to the RV. Grabbing a plastic grocery bag he save for cleaning up behind Duke, Bob took the dog for a walk and moved the RV into the driveway. Bill told Bob to just toss the bag into the trashcan by the garage. Although Maybelle’s birthday wasn’t until the next day, Ashelyn couldn’t wait and got her present out of the RV. Maybelle loved the milk can and they started talking about the designs she wanted her friend Abigail to paint on it. Abigail lived in Augusta, about twenty-five miles from them. Maybelle was going backwards over her time schedule for the next day to see if she could get it over to her friend, along with the other things she had to do for her birthday date with Bill Saturday night at Dancing In Paradise.

Bob made the suggestion if they wanted to get a ride in the RV then he could drive them out to Augusta, Maybelle could drop the can off the he would allow Bill to drive back to get a feel of the RV towing a trailer on the way back. That would kill a couple of birds at one time and give Maybelle time for her hair appointment and other things,

Everyone thought it was a fine, and thoughtful idea. Bob got up to get some sleep and Maybelle said someone would get him for breakfast in the morning.

The next morning at 0800, Ashelyn knocked on the RV door to get Bob for breakfast. The breakfast was eggs the way you wanted, pork sausage patties, toast, assorted jams and jellies and good hot coffee.

Breakfast dishes were quickly washed and placed in the dishwasher and they left to go to Augusta. Bill took the shotgun seat while Maybelle and Ashelyn sat at the dinette.
 
Chapter Four

Bob drove down Edgemoor and headed east on KS-400. When they got out past the city limits, the speed limit changed to 65 mph and Bill was pleased with the ride of such a large rig. About halfway to Augusta, Bob slowed down because he saw the flashing lights of a first responder ahead and he had a large rig passing him in the left lane. As they got nearer, it was evident a struggle was going on between two people between the patrol car and a pickup truck parked on the roadside in front of the patrol vehicle. Bob braked and quickly pulled over and told them to stay in the RV. Bob ran down the edge of the highway to the front of the patrol car. A law officer was on her back with a guy sitting on her torso with his hands around her throat. Bob quickly noticed the crown and HG tattooed on the man’s neck as he delivered a deliberate and forceful chop to the man’s Brachial Plexus, causing the attacker to loosen his hold on the officer. Bob crossed his left foot and made a sweeping backwards chop to the side of the man’s neck, forcing him off the officer’s chest. A swift kick to the chin finally laid the attacker out. He turned to check the officer, and she quickly sat up, panting heavily.

“Thank you.”

Bob nodded and swept up the handcuffs laying on the ground beside the officer, flipped the attacker onto his stomach and applied the handcuffs so tightly they turned the flesh white, or in his case, a little lighter, where the metal compressed the skin. Helping the officer up, Bob helped her support herself against the hood of her patrol car. Ashelyn and Maybelle came up and Bob asked Ashelyn to get the officer a bottle of water out of the refrigerator. Ashelyn quickly responded as Bill came up saying he had called 911. Soon, another LEO vehicle came up, siren screaming and lights flashing. It was another County Mountie.

“Amber? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, Drake. Thanks to this man here.”

Ashelyn came over and handed Deputy Amber Harris a bottle of spring water.

After all the hoop-la and the convergence of a half-dozen more police vehicles, Bob was finally allowed to leave after giving his contact information and promising not to leave the area. The patrol officers held up traffic for Bob to pull back onto the highway to travel the last five miles to Augusta. Maybelle gave Bob the address to Abigail’s house and he entered it into the GPS. Bill liked that. When they reached their destination, Ashelyn and Maybelle went inside the house while Bob gave Bill a more thorough tour of the rig, explaining the layout.

“Where did you get this thing?” Bill asked.

“I had it built in Colorado.” Bob replied.

“Pretty good piece to go….” Bill said, rubbing his chin.

“I only had it built there because I was stationed nearby at the time. There is another company in Birmingham, Alabama that builds comparable vehicles that can be more luxurious and cheaper. I’ve got close to a million dollars tied up in this one. I can show you on the internet the models available.”

“Son, I spent most of my life in grains. For a few years there, I was stacking money like cordwood. As you could probably see, We don’t advertise we have money. Our house is nothing to take a second glance at, and our vehicles were all used when we bought them. I owe it to Maybelle to let her kick up her heels and visit the sites she’s always wanted to visit. A million bucks doesn’t bother me one bit.”

Before the women came back, Bob showed Bill a dropdown door on the side of the console that revealed a 12 Gauge Shotgun Pistol on rubber covered spring clips inside.

Bill’s eyes looked up at Bob, who shrugged and said, “Car Jackers and such.”

When the women came back, Bill and Bob exchanged seats, and Bill expertly drove the rig back out to KS-400 and back toward the Carter home.

As they were driving back, Bill was constantly praising the RV.

“Hey, do you have some sweety you’re headed to?” Bill asked.

“No, nothing like that. After I retired, Women…-good women–frightened me because they eventually wanted your soul, and what little of mine I had left, I wanted to keep.”

“Unique outlook. How about bad women?”

“They are easy to read.” Bob said. “They just want to party and squeeze as much money as they can get out of you before they dump you for their next mark.”

“That’s a misogynistic view of women.” Maybelle said from the back as she scratched Duke’s ears, winking at Ashelyn.

“A man’s gotta call his own shots!” Bill said.

“No offense intended, ma’am. I’m just speaking from personal experience.”

“Well, maybe you haven’t met the right woman yet,” Maybelle said.

“Daddy, can I borrow your car when we get home. I want to go look for a new car.”

“Of course, I’ll give Joe McGurty a call when we get back.”

“No, don’t do that. I want to get a new one. I want a car with a warranty and at least a pretty good chance it won’t crap out on me around the next corner.”

Bill chuckled and Bob grinned.

When they pulled up to the house, Bill parked the rig on the street to clear the driveway. Bob and Duke jumped out and helped the ladies out of the camper. Bob got a good look at Ashelyn as she stepped down out of the RV and onto the grass. She was definitely the type of person that didn’t stand out in a crowd. But upon a closer look, she was indeed a veiled prize. Seeing her curvy form tucked inside those formfitting jeans brought a sigh from him. Wow… this lady had all the right curves, even wearing a puffy vest.

“Bob, would you go with us? You’ve made such a good choice with this RV I’d value your opinion on Ashelyn’s selection.”

“Uh, sure, I guess.”

“Well, I’ve got pies to bake, so you all go do your car shopping. Ashelyn, are you going to go dressed like that?”
“She’s fine Maybelle, Let’s get going.”

“Well, I guess Duke and I can hold the fort down here.” Maybelle said.

They went to the KIA dealership first and Ashelyn didn’t find anything she liked, then to the Ford dealership, where she slowed her inspection, but still wasn’t attracted to any one vehicle.

At the Chevrolet/GMC dealer, Ashelyn did a close inspection of a GMC Yukon XL Denali in what was described as a Pearl Beige Metalic paint job. It was 4WD, had the loaded package which included a Sunroof, Boise front and rear sound system, and Assist Steps to name only a few things, She requested a test drive and Bob opted out to drink a cup of coffee at the dealership. He was standing outside when they returned and overheard Ashelyn and Bill talking as they followed the salesman into the dealership.

”Ashelyn! That thing costs more than our house did when you were born!”

“Hush Daddy, you’re revealing my age! I feel safe in that truck, the defroster works and it has nice options. It’s my money and I’m going to buy it.

Inside, Ashely sat down with the salesman and wormed her way down to 9% of the MSRP and said she would by it. The salesman was beginning to go over the finance options when Ashelyn pulled out a checkbook and wrote him a check for the full amount. He took the check to their finance department for them to okay the check and came back with a broad smile. Bob walked over to the coffee pot and got another cup of coffee while they finished the final paperwork and brought the truck in for “preparation.” Bob slouched down in a lounge chair and was reading a Sports Illustrated when he heard the clicking of Ashelyn’s boots drawing near. Bob looked up at her smiling face.

“All done?” He asked.

“Yep, come on, you can ride with me.”

Bob laid the magazine down and followed her out to the Denali. He got into the passenger seat, adjusted the seat and buckled up. Bill pulled out in front of them and Ashelyn followed him back to their home.

“I love this truck!” Ashelyn said.

“It is a new penny.” Bob replied.

“You don’t understand! I was raised to be frugal. This is the first time I said ‘to hell with it’ and got what I really wanted. I haven’t felt this good since I moved out and got my own apartment!”

“You don’t live with your parents?”

“God no! I’ve been free for four years. Oh, I keep some clothes in my old room for the odd times I sleep over, and it’s cute how Momma keeps my room just as it was the day I moved into my apartment, but I am my own woman.”

Maybelle loved Ashelyn’s Denali and had to go with Ashelyn for a ride.

Bill and Bob went inside the house where Bob drained some of the coffee off and drank a glass of water.
“As excited as Ashelyn was about getting a new car, maybe I should think about getting Maybelle a new one too.” Bill contemplated.

“She would probably enjoy it.” Bob agreed.

Ashelyn and Maybelle came back and cheerfully went straight to the kitchen. A few minutes later Maybelle called out, “Come eat boys! I have BLTs, soup and apple pie for lunch!”

They all sat at the table, with Duke at Maybelle’s feet. She had been feeding him scraps of bacon.

The vegetable beef soup went well with the toasted BLT sandwiches and the table was quiet for a while as everyone savored the meal.

“Bob, you mentioned something about visiting wineries in your travels.” Bill said.

“Yes, that and good BBQ restaurants.” Bob replied

“Well, BBQ we have plenty of and there are four good wineries close by.”

“It looks like I can extend my time here then.”

Maybelle smirked but didn’t say anything.

“I’ve made reservations at K and R RV Park near here. I need to empty my wastewater and fill my water tank.” Bob said.

“Oh! You couldn’t do that here?” Maybelle asked.

“I don’t want to keep taking up street space here. The neighbors might get annoyed.”

“To hell with them, but that is a nice park and close to downtown and here.” Bill said.

After the delicious apple pie, Bob called to Duke and they went to the RV, escorted by the Carter family.
“You have Bob to bring you back to visit me, Duke.” Maybell said, scratching behind Duke’s ears.
Bob checked the rig and pulled off, Ashelyn’s eyes following until he was out of sight.

Bob pulled into his space and parked the trailer. He stowed the removable tongue in the trailer to prevent theft, leaving his RV free to take out when he wanted. Then he plugged in the electricity and water and emptied the toilet cassette. Still being full from lunch, he decided his dinner would be sausage, cheese and crackers for dinner. But he was far from snacking just yet. He activated the satellite antenna and got online to find the best wineries in the area
 
Chapter Five

The next morning, after a breakfast of a bacon and egg sandwich, a fruit cup and two cups of coffee, Bob got the folding grocery cart out of the storage bin and made the two-block walk to a GreenAcres Market to resupply his meager pantry. The morning was starting out sunny, but cold, so he bundled up, and wrapping his scarf around the lower part of his face, made the trek at a brisk pace. Not having been to a GreenAcres Market before, Bob was pleased with the appearance and layout. He replenished his pancake mix, powdered coffee creamer, cold cuts, cheeses, sic cans of smoked trout, Gator Aid mix, water crackers, Captains Wafers, two pounds of Goetze’s Caramel Creams, and three pounds of Colombian coffee .

After putting his groceries away, Bob set up his Berkey to replenish his drinking water. The water in the RV’s tanks was okay when it was run through the filtration system, but after running it through the Berkey, the taste was so much better. He thought the key was aeration of the water before running it through the Berkey water filter. It even made the coffee taste better. He had an hour to kill, waiting for the water to run through the filter, so he got a cleaning cloth and spray cleaner and went over everything, even taking out his mini vacuum and cleaning the floorboards and entrances to the RV. The vacuum irritated Duke and he moved to the far end of the RV from where Bob was working. The quart of water Duke had drunk that morning had worked its way through his system and Bob had to take Duke on his nature walk.

When they returned from their walk, a familiar Pearl Beige Metallic vehicle was parked by the RV. Duke went “Ruff” and tugged on his leash to get to Ashelyn.

“Good morning! I didn’t expect to see you this morning.” Bob said.

Well, I thought you could use a guide to show you to the best wineries, and I wanted to drive around in my new truck.

“Well, I appreciate that. The RV isn’t always parking lot friendly. Thank you.”

“Do you have a list of wineries you’d like to visit?”

“Well, I went online and grabbed a list from a sign from a site called Wichita Mom. It recommended Grace Hill Winery, Wyldewood Cellars, and there’s a couple away from Wichita….a Windswept Winery in Udall, Kansas and Mabel’s Homestead Vineyards, Arkansas City, Kansas.”

“Yes, I know Grace Hill and it’s not far out of town, but Wyldewood has a tasting room in the city. Udall and Arkansas City aren’t that far away.”

“Well, let me finish something up inside and we can go then.” Bob said.

Duke followed Ashelyn into the RV and waited for Bob to drain the water out of the Berkey, filling water bottles, then taking the Berkey apart, dry everything before putting the components away. Bob placed the water bottles in the refrigerators in the trailer and the RV and they got into the Denali, Duke taking a seat in the second row.
Grace Hill had some good wines and Bob ended up selecting three different ones to take with him. After setting the boxed bottles in the wayback of the Denali, they went to Wyldewood Cellars. Wyldewood Cellars’ tasting room was convenient and they didn’t have to drive all the way out to the winery. They had a variety of nice wines and Bob bought a bottle of their dry white wine, a bottle of Prairie Schooner dessert wine, two bottles of Elderberry wine, a bottle of elderberry extract, two bottles of Lady Dulce that Ashelyn liked, and a case of honey mead. After looking up the addresses of the last two wineries on the Navigation screen of the Denali, they thought they would visit those wineries the next day.

Bob packed the wines and mead into the trailer, taking out two bottles of mead to chill in the RV and the bottles of Lady Dulce for Ashelyn to take home.

“Momma told me to stick to you like a burr on a sheep’s butt until I could drag you over for dinner. Daddy is doing BBQ on the grill and Momma is making a sour cream and raisin pie.”

“Well, I did say I had an affinity for BBQ, so I can’t turn that down. We’ve got some time to kill. Is there a museum that shows the history of Wichita?”

“Yes, there is. We have the Old Cowtown Museum that recreates Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas from 1865 to 1880. Museum volunteers dress in period costume and do demonstrations.”

“Good! Then take me there.”

The 23-acre open air museum had a little bit of everything. Bob wasn’t too excited about the gunfight reenactments but was drawn more to the general and dry goods stores and the blacksmith shop. He liked to see antiques and old stuff. They had gone over maybe two-thirds of the open-air museum when Ashelyn received a call from Maybelle telling her dinner would be ready soon, so they cut it short and headed back to the Carter home. It was on the way, so Bob had Ashelyn stop by the RV park to grab the two bottles of Mead that were chilling and two of his mead tankards and they arrived at the Carter house to the dwindling smell of charcoal fired meat cooking and other delicious smells wafting through the house. Bill had a big pan of ribs on the counter in the kitchen separating out the individual ribs dabbed with Kansas City BBQ sauce. Finished, he licked his fingers and washed his hands in the sink. Taking a pair of tongs, Maybelle stacked ribs on serving platters and set them on the table along with garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Taking out a stack of linens out of a cabinet, Ashelyn unfolded one and handed it to Bob. It was a bibbed apron. “You might as well put it on. You’re going to get Daddy’s BBQ sauce on you anyway, might as well save as much clothing as you can.”
“Well, little girl, before you came along, I’d make these, and we would eat them naked.”

“Which is the reason she is standing there now!” Maybelle said.

“TMI!” Ashelyn said. “Let’s just wear the bib aprons!”

They sat down, joined hands and Bill said the Blessing, ending it asking God to do something about the U.N.”
Maybelle cleared her throat and using tongs, loaded Bob’s plate with ribs.

“Ashelyn honey, I forgot the bone plates.”

Ashelyn got up and got four bread plates out of a cabinet and placed one beside each place at the table.
Bob opened the mead and poured one of the ox horn tankards most of the way full and sat it beside Bill’s plate.
“Ah! The way mead was meant to be consumed!” Bill said, taking a big draw from the tankard. “This is good but the best I’ve had in Kansas was made by the monks up at St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison. If you went through a night of that, you came out with hair on your chest. Next best would be from the mead made by Four Brothers out of Festus Missouri.”

Well, Atchison is a little out of my way, but I could make a stop in Festus.” Bob said. “What’s your complaint with the U.N.?”

“They are nothing but dead space taking up valuable land in Manhattan. They are anti-American, anti-Jewish and are more trouble than they are worth. They are completely out of their charter and should move to Europe with all their cronies in crime.” Bill said, wiping sauce from the edge of his mouth.

Bob smiled and took another bite of the meat before it fell off the bone. The mashed potatoes were delicious, having just enough sour cream and garlic to make your mouth water even more. The meal, washed down with the icy mead, made any idea of moving on to other endeavors after eating problematic. When they finished, no one could entertain the idea of dessert, but Maybelle said it would be standing by with coffee when anyone was ready. Bill and Bob finished the mead and when their tankards were empty, Ashely carefully washed and dried them out.

Maybelle looked the tankards over carefully and asked Bob where he’d got them.

“Norway,” Bob answered.

“The brothers had pewter ones for sale up in Atchison. Freeze your lips off if the mead was too cold.” Bill interjected.

“That’s probably why they don’t use pewter in Norway.” Ashelyn said.

“Probably so…” Bill said, starting to doze in his chair.

“I need to get back to the Park and get a good night’s sleep if we are going to those other two vineyards tomorrow. “ Bob said.

“Okay, I’ll run you back,” Ashelyn said, putting on a jacket.

Maybelle thanked Bob for the wine, and they left.

“Looks like I’ve lost the Lady Dulce to Momma.” Ashelyn lamented driving back to the RV park.
“I’ll buy whatever you like tomorrow, or we can go back and buy you some more Lady Dulce.” Bob said, grinning.

“We’ll see….”

Bob put the tankards away and took Duke for a walk before heading to bed.

The next morning, Bob was up early and added Festus, Missouri as a destination on the RV GPS. He again had somewhere to peak his interest. He unloaded the Rokon in the early dawn and placed Duke’s seating board on the rear cargo rack and they rode down to the Arkansas River Trail and did a 2-hour stroll. It was a brisk morning, so they were relatively alone except for a few die-hard bikers. He stopped a couple times to give Duke a drink of water out of his water bottle so Duke could water the trees he thought needed his attention. They turned around at the Sims Park pedestrian bridge and headed back to his parked Rokon. Feeling refreshed, the two headed back to the RV park with Duke’s chin on Bob’s shoulder. A few people honked their horns and grinned at the German shepherd wearing goggles and a pilot style leather helmet. On the way back, Bob felt his phone vibrate in his pocket but let it go to voice mail. As they reached their RV, Ashelyn was pulling up.

“My goodness! I thought I might have woken you up with my call, but you were already up and about!”

“Duke wanted to see the scenery along the river walking trail.” Bob said, grinning.

Ashelyn reached down and ruffled the hair on Duke’s neck. “Well, he picked a chilly morning to want to do that!”
“Come on in. I need to grab a shower and shave. I won’t be long. Think of a place for us to have breakfast.
Using his experience of showering in the RV, Bob managed to get ready without showing all his assets and walked to the front of the RV where a travel mug of coffee awaited him.

“I took the liberty….”

“It’s all good…Thank You.”

They ate breakfast at the Riverside Café, a homey diner-style restaurant near Minisa Park. Bob knew it was going to be good when they were hit in the face with steam from cooking as they walked in. Bob took a gamble and ordered the Hungry Man breakfast which consisted of sausages, cheese, bell peppers, ham, eggs, onions, tomato slices, sausage gravy, and hash browns. He also ordered extra sides of sausage links and bacon to take out to Duke. When they finished, Bob drained two glasses of ice water and Ashely wrapped up a biscuit in a napkin. When they got back to the Denali, Bob took Duke on a short pee walk and they buckled up for their trip to Arkansas City. As Ashelyn navigated the streets, Bob fed Duke bits of sausage, bacon and Ashelyn’s biscuit. 
 
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Chapter Six

Mabel’s had a decent Cabernet Sauvignon and a tasty Chardonnay, so Bob bought bottles of each. The Chardonnay was very appealing with its tertiary aromas of toasted Nuts and a hint of tobacco that opened the mind’s eye. They traveled on down to Udall and Windswept winery was a bust. It looked like it was closed, and the fields looked as though they hadn’t been tended in quite a while. Bob told Ashelyn to go back to the Wyldewood Cellars tasting room and he would get her bottles of Lady Dulce of her own but cautioned her not to let Maybelle know she had them or she might lose those also. After picking up a case of Lady Dulce and another couple of bottles of mead, they dropped the wine off at Ashelyn’s apartment and went to the RV.

“When are you leaving?” Ashelyn asked.

“I don’t know. I’m not in any real hurry to go anywhere, just taking notes of where I might want to go.”

“But you don’t really have a place to go to and call home?”

“No…well, yes and no. I own some land in Tennessee, but I haven’t been back there in a long time.”

“What kind of place is it?”

“Well, actually, there are two places near Livingston. One is on the Obey river a long way from anywhere and the other is an old hunt club my grandfather and his friends started back in the 40s on Dale Hollow Lake. Both are places I wouldn’t mind settling down on whenever I decide to settle down.”

“So, you are just going to continue as you are until you’ve satisfied your wanderlust?”

“Yeah, pretty much so, I guess.”

Bob offered Ashelyn a glass of wine, but she said she had to go.

Bob followed her outside and watched as she left. Looking up, he saw clouds had blotted out the stars, the full moon nothing but a faint glow behind the gray shadows. A mist began to billow across the city in a great grey mass like the effluent of a thousand smokestacks. The nearby campers appeared in only a shadowy form, almost entirely lost to view. Bob made his decision then. He went inside and put in his dirty clothes to wash and began preparations to leave the next morning. Setting his alarm to wake him when the clothes were done, Bob napped on his bed, got up and folded his clothes, then prepared to move the RV. He squeegeed off the cab windows, replaced the tongue on the trailer, hooked it up, checked the lights and placed a water bottle and some snacks nearby in the cab. By 0500, he was ready to roll.

Bob’s route took him up through Kansas City and on east via Interstate 70. Just east of K.C., he ran into snow flurries. Checking his gauges, Bob pulled over in Odessa, Missouri to fuel up. He didn’t ever let his tanks get below one quarter full. Standing at the pump, snow pelted his face, and he pulled up the collar of his ranch coat to further shield him from the bitter weather. After filling his tanks, Bob drove over to a McDonalds and got him and Duke McGriddles for breakfast. After they ate their breakfast, Bob took Duke out to pee. Duke didn’t tarry and made a couple of bush stops then hurried back to the RV. He didn’t enjoy exposing his privates to the icy wind.

When Ashelyn awoke at 0730, she checked her phone, and tears began brimming her eyes as she watched the red dot travel northeast on I-35 on her tracking app.

Bob could have taken the southern route to Festus, Missouri, but when he checked the NOAA Weather Prediction Center page the night before, he saw he would get a bit of the weather coming to the area and decided to stick to interstate highways as much as he could. They would more than likely keep them clearer than state roads. He ran out of the snow showers before he reached St. Louis. Skirting St. Louis on the 235 beltway, Bob picked I-55 on into Festus, arriving at 1200 noon. Food was the first thing on the two traveler’s minds and in Bob’s mind, Italian was the theme of the day, so they went into a Pasta House. Bob ordered a salad and Spaghetti Bolognese, and a serving of Zucchini Sticks which Duke liked very much, sans tomato sauce. Duke thought eating anything with tomatoes in it was beneath him…except for pizza, he liked pizza. Because Duke was with him, they sat in a separate glass-enclosed, but heated dining area and enjoyed their meal with some privacy.

While munching on garlic bread, Bob used his phone to locate Four Brothers Mead. It was only a few blocks from the Pasta House and had a large parking area in the rear. After giving Duke a big drink of water and taking him on a pee patrol, Bob drove to the parking lot and walked around onto Main street to enter the business from the front. The old building was shared with a bakery and café and was painted tastefully in red and black. When he entered, one of the brothers welcomed him and Bob asked to taste their meads. As with most of the meaderies these days, they had a variety of flavored meads to try and draw in customers, but Bob only liked the traditional ones….honey mead. Their Bochet Mead was just what he liked, so he bought two wooden six-bottle cases. He was led through the building to the back door to have a shorter walk to his RV.

Now he was in a quandry. He had nowhere he wanted to go. Looking at his map, he saw Cape Girardeau to the south. He remembered it was the birthplace and hometown of Rush Limbaugh, which made it a good reason to visit there. Further searching through AAA showed the bridges below Cape Girardeau were either gone or under repair after a recent earthquake in the Madrid earthquake zone, so if he wanted to cross the Mississippi anywhere in the area it would have to be in Cape Girardeau. Going south on the east side of the river, he would have to stay well away from the river to travel on decent roads.

Running a search for RV parks near Cape Girardeau, he selected Cape Camping & RV Park, called and reserved a space then stopped at a local grocery store to stock up on a few things before heading on down I-55. The RV park was just off I-55 on business 55 so Bob cruised on down through town to give it a quick look-see, then turned around at highway 74 and made his way back to the RV park. The day was sunny so once he was hooked up he played ball with Duke next to a containment pond by the park. Duke had just about worn the squeak out of the ball and Bob would have to find him a new one. He was sure he could find a replacement in Cape Girardeau.

They went back into the trailer and Duke filled up on water and was fed a chew bone, but it had only a few bite marks on it before he dozed off. Bob thought it was a good idea and laid down for a while. It was 20:00 before he woke back up and fixed a couple of club sandwiches and did some fries in an air fryer. He opened a cold bottle of mead and enjoyed his meal as he checked the Weather Prediction Center. It looked like they would have a sunny day to look around tomorrow. He and Duke could take the Rokon out and take the riding tour the town website talked about. He guessed he could check with the town visitor center and see if they had any brochures.

A wave of laziness overtook Bob, so he decided to remain in place the rest of the day. After microwaving a couple of empanadas and opening a bottle of mead, he streamed History Channel videos the rest of the daylight hours.

Around sundown, Duke came to the stairs and barked, telling Bob if he wasn’t let out, he was going to have an accident. Bob chuckled at the tap dancing dog and climbed down the ladder, quickly slipping on his moccasins and jacket. Duke barely made it to the tree and almost stumbled as he swung his leg up and let go at the base of the first tree they came to. Steam rose around him as he emptied his bladder and finally, kicked up dirt and leaves as his hind legs kicked out in relief. Shaking himself, Duke headed back to the RV door and waited to be let back in. He went in and sniffed around the cabinet where Bob kept his treats and waited.

“Hey! You are either spoiled rotten or I’m well trained!” Bob said. Bob gave him a piece of chicken jerky which Duke took over to his bed to eat in leisure.

Bob made a bologna and cheese sandwich, poured another glass of mead, and got out his laptop.

They did the riding tour of Cape Girardeau and saw Rush’s house, the courthouse named after Rush’s grandfather, and stopped for drinks during the tour. There were a few more historical areas to see but Duke wasn’t interested and Bob was getting an itch.

They left out of Cape Girardeau early the next morning and crossed the river on 146 and headed into the Shawnee National Forest. Keeping to the north, Bob made his way to Carbondale and headed east on 13 to keep well away from any residual earthquake damage, ending up at Oid Shawneetown where he crossed the Ohio River. Late in the afternoon Bob found an RV park out in the country outside of Morganfield, Kentucky next to Moffitt Lake. The skies were clear, and the site offered a good view of the sky. Duke enjoyed his walk along the lake and the cool air would make his sleep better that night. Invigorated, Duke didn’t hesitate to go back into the RV; he was hungry!

After a meal of dog food and some steak scraps from Bob’s plate, he quickly settled down and curled up on his bed. Bob put on a Linda Ronstadt CD and browsed the internet for a couple of hours. He clicked on the Google Earth icon and traced the route from Moffitt Lake to Livingston, Tennessee. He should really stop by and see his sister. She and her husband owned a farm and garden center that had branched off into a hemp farm just outside of Livingston and were living good lives. His niece and nephew were probably growing like weeds.
Bob plotted a route that would marry him up with I-69 to Hopkinsville, Then to I-24 to Nashville. He’d like to see a couple of shows there, then head to Livingston. He reserved a camping space at Seven Points Campground on Lake Priest. It was far enough out to be away from the city but close enough to call an Uber.

When Bob went to bed, he didn’t awake until 08:00, and that was because Duke had an urgent need to go out. He had a short driving day, so he made breakfast when they got back. Bacon, eggs, and pancakes were on the menu this morning. Duke liked pancakes, but Bob would only allow sugar free syrup. The last thing he needed was a dog with diabetes. Bob didn’t think the syrup tasted too bad and used it himself. It tasted close to maple syrup anyway. Once the dishes were washed and put away, he did an outside walk around of the rig and went to a service station and filled the fuel tanks.
 
Chapter Seven

The road between Morganfield and I-69 would have been eerie if it had been foggy, but the day was bright. You could still almost hear the banjos playing background music. They ran into a short rain shower just outside of Hopkinsville where Bob stopped at a Dairy Queen and got them both a cup of ice cream and Bob drained his bladder. They eased on out of Hopkinsville and onto I-24 for the quick trip to Nashville. Traffic was heavy in the city, and it took a while to reach the RV park on Lake Priest. The park was decent, but still closer to the city than Bob usually liked, but he could stand it for a couple of nights.

Ashelyn looked at her phone app. The light had stopped to the east of the airport outside of Nashville. He must be on his way to visit his sister.

Bob checked out the small bars that highlighted up and coming musicians. There were some good musicians and singers found there but his mind was drawn further east. Some of the songs had brought back memories…….

The second night, Bob didn’t stay out for as long, and Duke was ecstatic about seeing him back early. Bob took him for a late-night walk and when they returned, both were ready to turn in. Duke seemed to sense something was bothering Bob and he nuzzled, asking for more ear scratches. It had calmed Bob at other times. The next morning Bob was up early and fixed them a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs. Duke devoured his portion and they were soon ready to move out, except Duke needed a bathroom run. After he had tired himself out with the frisbee and emptied everything he could from his bowels and bladder, Duke was ready to hit the road. Bob made their way up to I-40 and merged into the eastbound lanes, staying with the traffic flow. A little over an hour later, he pulled off at the Cookeville interchange and headed north on 111 that would take him to Livingston. Thirty minutes later he pulled into the parking lot of his sister’s farm and garden store. Taking a big drink of water, He got Duke out and they walked into the store. A salesperson walked up to him and asked if she could help him.

“Do you have any feed for an elephant?” He asked the young woman.

“Well, I’m not sure. ANGIE?! Could you come here!”

Angie came from out of a group of shelves, reading the label on a box.

“This man is looking for feed for an elephant.”

Angie’s eyes snapped up at Bob and chuckled. “You damn fool! Give me a hug!”

Bob gave her a hug as ordered. Duke woofed.

“Sherry, this is my little brother Bob.”

“And Angie, this is my pal Duke.”

“Angie scratched Dukes ears. Duke squinted his eyes and sighed.

“Do you really have an elephant?” The saleslady asked.

“No, he doesn’t! He’s just being a goofball!”

The saleslady nodded at him and walked away grinning.

“So, you still wandering around like a lizard in the desert?”

“What would you know about lizards and the desert?”

“I watch the National Geographic channel.”

“Well, I’ve been traveling, but I’m growing weary of it. I figured I’d stay a few days up at the river and get my thoughts together.”

“Well, you aren’t going up there today. What are you driving?”

“Come out and I’ll show you.

“Wow! No wonder you stayed gone. This is like a hotel on wheels.”

“All the luxuries of home.” Bob said.

“Well, we moved to a different place and there’s room for you to park it there. Gene can run an extension cord…”

“No need to. It’s got solar power and if needed it can charge the batteries off of vehicle power.”

“Okay then, but you are going to at least stay a couple of days before you disappear into the backwoods. The kids will be thrilled you’re here.”

Duke walked around them and sat down, looking up at Bob.

“What do you think fella? Should we stay here a couple of days and visit?”

Duke woofed.

“That’s settled then. We don’t close until 6:00 but I can give you the address. There is a concrete pad extension at the end of the driveway. The previous owners had one of those big bus RVs they parked there. Just use that and you should have plenty of room. The kids will be home from school at 3:30. Gene and I will be home around 6:15."

“Okay, well tell me the address and I can punch it into my GPS.”

Angie gave him the address, gave Bob another hug and went back into the store.

<“She feels the old memories too.” Thought Bob as he watched her walk back in the store.

Bob found Angie and Gene’s house and backed onto the parking slab. He did connect his water hose to an outside faucet. He got the frisbee out and tried to tire Duke out until the kids got home.

When the school bus stopped, Duke alerted and stood watching as two kids began walking up the drive. Duke began wagging his tail and flipping the frisbee. Finally, Lorrie Jo saw Bob and screamed, “UNCLE BOB!” and ran toward him. Duke ran to intercept her, but Bob called him off.

“Uncle Bob! When did you get here?”

“A couple of hours ago.”

“Is this yours?” Lorrie Jo asked, staring at the Earthroamer. “Can I see inside?”

“Sure, go on in.”

Duke beat her to the door and went in to show her where the treats were kept and his bed.

“This is neat! It would be great up at the river!

“Do you go camping up at the river?

“Only with friends sometimes. Mom doesn’t like going up there.”

"I don’t guess she would.” Thought Bob.

Ashelyn smiled when she checked her phone. He was in Livingston.

Ashelyn finished packing her travel bag and closed it.

“Is this really a good idea, Ashelyn? Maybelle asked.

“Mom, I’ve got to go to him. I’ve never met anyone like him in my life.”

“Well, stay in touch. If you start to have doubts, please come back home. I don’t want you hurt.”

“I will Mom. Don’t worry.”

Bob followed Lorrie Jo and Bobby into the house where Lorrie Jo went directly and checked on the pot roast dinner in the slow cooker. She pulled a pack of dinner rolls out of the freezer and laid them out on the counter and called “All Good.”

Bob went to the trailer and brought in four one-liter bottles of mead. Lorrie Jo put two bottles in the refrigerator and two in the freezer. Lorrie Jo and Bobby then went to their rooms to do their homework, and Bob went and got Duke a dental bone and they sat watching fishing and hunting shows until Gene and Angie got home.

At 5:30 Bob helped Lorrie Jo wrap the dinner rolls in aluminum foil and placed them in the oven to warm up and Bobby set the table.

When Angie and Gene got home, Bob received another hug from Angie and Gene enjoyed the cold mead Bob poured for him.

The meal was great and the talk full of joyful tales of the day’s activities. Lorrie Jo went out and got Duke’s bowl and dished him some of the meat, potatoes and carrots and he chowed down. Everyone laughed as Duke first ate the carrots, then the potatoes, then finally the meat and a half of a roll.

“That’s one quare-ass dog!” Gene said.

“I don’t believe him some time.” Bob said. “He likes fried breaded zucchini and raw carrots too. He’ll eat the cabbage before the corned beef,”

When they got up from the table, Lorrie Jo and Bobby helped their mother clean up and do the dishes while Bob and Gene went to the den. Bob sat on the couch and Gene sat in his recliner. When Angie came in, she sat on the couch with Bob.

“Bob, are you planning to go up to the old home place?”

“Yeah, I thought I might go up and check things out, maybe stay a few days there."

“Doesn’t it make you feel….”

“Angie, I left all the ghosts in my past behind years ago. I found that dragging them around like a dead dog was not only cumbersome, but it stunk up my life too. I made new memories to block out the old and will continue to make more. I’m going up there to face any that are still hiding in the recesses of what little brains I still have left and exorcise them. You should do the same.”

“When are you going up?

“Maybe in a couple of days. I want to load up on food, so I don’t have to make many trips back to town. I haven’t planned on how long I’m going to be there.”

“It’s going to take you a while to get up there. They’ve paved some of the roads up there, but they are almost one lane and not traveled that much except by locals, or at least that’s what I’ve heard. The old house is gone, it burned down from what they think was a lightning strike.”

“Well, the Earthroamer and trailer will make it. I’ve been in far worse places with them.”

It was Friday and Food Lion opened up at 0800 so Bob was waiting there with his Rokon and trailer when they opened up. He left Duke at Angie’s so he could move at a faster pace. Duke was a slow shopper, wanting to inspect everything before moving on. Bob loaded up on coffee, dried beans, smoked pork necks, spices, country ham, pancake mix, bacon, spices, sardines, deviled ham, dried beef, crackers, and a big block of hoop cheese. He added four rib eyes, a half-dozen baking potatoes and another roll of aluminum foil. He loaded everything in the basket trailer of the Rokon and went back to the RV, arranging everything in its place and checking his inventory again. The few things he thought of, he made a list to go back to pick them up later in the afternoon. He wanted to leave Saturday morning to make it to the old homestead by midafternoon.

Bob went back to Food Lion and picked up another bag of powdered milk, buttermilk powder, pancake syrup and baking powder. He stopped by Gene and Angie’s store and bought cans of marking paint. Once he had everything packed in the RV and the trailer, he strapped down the Rokon and the trailer. He could move out the first thing in the morning.

Bob got up early and made breakfast for him and Duke. Looking over at the house, he saw Angie was already up. She and Gene opened the store up at 0700 on Saturday mornings. He cleaned up and took his mug of coffee over to visit with Angie before he took off. Gene came in to sit and eat his breakfast and they talked until they were ready to go. Angie gave Bob a paper sack of three ham biscuits and three bacon biscuits. Bob loved her biscuits. She always basted the tops with ham and bacon grease. Giving Bob another hug, they got in Gene’s truck and headed to work. Bob climbed into the RV, took a bacon biscuit out of its waxed paper, and fed it to a grateful Duke. Starting the truck and eyeing his gauges, Bob took a drink out of his water bottle and headed to the homeplace.
 
Chapter Eight

Angie had been right. Some of the old dirt roads had been paved, but they were narrow. He had to pull over once to let an oncoming tractor pass safely. He arrived at the old driveway at 14:30 and stopped on the road to unlock the heavy chain across the road. Of course, he had no idea where the key was, so he got out his universal key and snapped the lock, replacing it with a new lock. He would hide the key near the gate in the future, so it was accessible to others in the family. As he drove up the overgrown driveway, Bob began getting an eerie feeling. Probably ghosts of the past peeking through the trees. When he got to where the house had stood, all there was to see was a chimney and some burned sill logs. Bob and Duke got out and walked around, Bob looking for the old well and other relics of the past. The old barn was still standing, seemingly in good condition. He walked into the barn alley and there were no signs of the roof leaking, and the logs all looked in good condition. A shiver swept over him as he remembered being strapped to the stall boards and whipped with the plow reins. That had only happened a few times when his father had been drunk and needed someone to take his frustrations out on.

Both Bob and Angie’s parents were alcoholics, and bad ones. Whenever they got drunk, they wanted to yell and fight. Angie and Bob had tried to stay away from them when they were drinking, but sometimes it was unavoidable. Finally, Bob built a treehouse up near the river, so he and Angie had somewhere to go. He had taken things stored in the barn and blankets for bedding and sometimes they spent the night there when things were really bad. Angie never said, but he figured that was why she got married so young. Bob had to hang around a bit longer to join the Army without his parents’ signatures. He had been in the Australian SAS Regiment Selection Course as an exchange student when both his parents died in an automobile crash. His father had been driving drunk.

When he returned to the United States, he and Angie sat down with the lawyer and of course, they had inherited everything, but Angie didn’t want a thing to do with the property. Bob had paid her a lump sum for her half of the property and then some every month until he had paid her in full. She and Gene had used the money to open their Farm and garden store. Bob kept the taxes paid on the land but hadn’t been back in years. Deep inside, he knew the land had potential and was valuable, or at least the county tax assessor thought so. Now, the Happy Hound Hunt Club toward the middle of Dale Hollow Lake was worth something. It was heavily forested and had lake access on most of three sides of the land. There was a marina and resort across a spur of the lake from the land. Since he didn’t have a lot of money coming in now, he was considering selling it to get rid of the high property taxes. A developer should snatch it up quickly.

Bob often wondered about life. Why in the world would a loving God let a person go through the things he and his sister had. He occasionally found explanations in his reading, but nothing really satisfied his question. True, it seemingly made him stronger and not as susceptible to the pitfalls in life that made people fail. He didn’t over drink, Yes, he drank, but something inside stopped him before it got out of hand. Hell, he had gone months in the sand box without tasting alcohol, with no ill effects. He learned from others mistakes and tried not to repeat them. He had saved his money when he was in the Army instead of blowing it on fancy cars and a semi-lavish lifestyle. He had taken the money and invested it in risky trades that he didn’t always win. He had learned. Like he had told Angie, he learned to not carry around old crap that only tore you down or held your coattails so you couldn’t move forward in life. Life was hard enough as it was without adding shit to it. Coming back here was just another steppingstone to someday getting peace and quiet. Perhaps he would find what he had been searching for back here on the Cumberland Plateau.

Ashelyn pulled into Livingston and following the coordinates she had saved from her tracking app, found the house. No one was home and she didn’t see Bob’s RV. She drove around a while and finally stopped at a Dairy queen and did a search on her phone for nearby RV parks. There was one just south of town, but she didn’t see the familiar Earthroamer as she drove through. Probably, her best bet was to go back to the house and wait until someone came home. Checking the tracking app again, the signal wasn’t showing up anywhere. Either he’d found the tag and destroyed it, or he was out of range of a cell tower. She hoped it was the latter. Ashelyn drove around the town and observed the people. This was a working town. You didn’t see anyone who dressed like a vagrant, all seemed to be going somewhere or doing something. Of course, some were dressed somewhat roughly, but that was something not uncommon in country towns. What was Bob’s draw to this town besides his sister?

Bob drove the Earthroamer down the old trail to the river. Finally, he found a spot close to the bank where he could draw water from the river using the portable water pump he carried for such occasions. He had no illusions that the raw water of the Obey River was safe to drink but after running it through his filter system, the water would be perfectly fine. Using a bush axe from his pioneer kit, Bob cleaned the clearing up and away from where he wanted to park. It would help keep the wildlife away, especially the copperheads, this area had a lot of them. After air-leveling the RV, Bob strung a hammock and hung a tarp up over it. He planned to spend some relaxing time in it as he further planned his future. But right now, he needed to finish setting up his campsite. He unpacked the SOLO firepit and set up and added a folding chair. Deadfall was plentiful so he gathered enough wood for a fire for a couple of days, careful of snakes.

It was too late today, but tomorrow he would start a pot of campfire beans. There were few meals better than that. For now, he had two beef empanadas left in the freezer that would suffice for dinner.

Ashelyn waited until 7:00 PM to go back to the house. When she rang the doorbell, a young girl answered the door. When Ashelyn asked about Bob Doyle, the girl called out, “Mom!”

A woman in her thirties came to the door and Ashelyn asked her about Bob. Angie asked her in and led her to a den.

“What is your interest in Bob and how did you know he was here?”

“Bob is here?!” Ashelyn said, her eyes lighting up.

“Well, in the area anyway…now my question?

“Bob helped me out in a time of need and saw I made it back home safely. He stuck around a few days, and I took him to a few of the area wineries, then he left….”

Angie smirked, “I see.”

“You don’t understand….I’ve never met anyone like him before and…”

“Oh, I understand. You aren’t the first woman who has had those feelings. They’ve all felt he needs nurturing but soon those feelings change, because they find out Bob is his own man and is going to take the path that best suits his future. If you want him, you’ll have to tread the same paths, glide the same air currents, swim the same waters.”

“I’m willing to do that, but I can’t contact him, and I believe he is out of cellphone range.”

“That’s because he’s always out of cellphone range. He carries a satellite phone and doesn’t normally use the local cell services. He’s only about twelve miles from here, but over three times that distance by road. It might be best if you waited until he returned in about a month.”

“I’ve got a GPS, or maybe you could draw me a map.”

“You’d find dead space on a GPS. I have the coordinates a surveyor gave me, but you’d get lost trying to find the right trails, and….look, why don’t you get a motel room, and I’ll keep trying to phone him. Sooner or later, he’ll turn his phone back on."

Bob unloaded the Rokon, fueled it up and rode all over the peninsula, but not before setting up the tripod and a pot of pinto beans over the fire. He was working out a map in his head where he would build things if he could afford it. He let Duke run through the woods with him until Duke got tired and wanted to ride. When he ended his patrol, he had decided to put the Happy Hound property on the market to fund his future project on the Obey River. His priorities shifted to getting the property sold. His best bet was to go to Celina to get with a realtor because the property was actually in Clay County. That was going to be a long day. He’d have to go to Livingston then up 52 to Celina. He’d call Angie and asked if he could park overnight at their place.
Bob dug another olive out of the olive jar and popped it into his mouth. Taking up his phone, he turned it on and let it search for the satellites. When the bars were showing, he dialed Angie’s number.

Angie looked at her phone vibrating on the counter and looked at Ashelyn. She picked it up and answered.

“Angie, I have to go to Celina tomorrow and it’s going to be a long day. Can I use the RV pad again tomorrow evening?”

“Of course! What time can we expect you?”

“I’ll try to be there around 18:00.”

“Well, don’t pig out on BBQ at the 1 Stop. We’re having breaded pork chops and mustard greens for supper.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Angie grinned at Ashelyn as the call was disconnected. “He’ll be here tomorrow evening around 18:00, and you are invited for supper.”

Ashelyn bounced on her stool. “Thank you Angie!”

“Don’t thank me just yet. From here on it’s your dance and any toes you step on will be your fault. Please don’t hurt my little brother.”

“I promise I’ll try not to.”

Bob was excited, he now had a real direction for his future. Now, his vision was limited only by the amount he could get for the Happy Hound Hunt Club. He went inside and got his computer out. He had a lot of research to do.

Bob made the long trip to Celina the next morning and found a good-looking realtor’s office. He hoped the aesthetics of the office building made for a successful realtor. Bart and Daisy McCollum had a lot of awards posted in their waiting area, so Bob’s hopefulness grew. When he showed the deed and maps of the property, they were excited. There were some well-known developers in the state that were looking for property. Bart said it might even start a bidding war. After the meeting, Bob headed for Dale Hollow 1 Stop BBQ. Remembering supper at Angie’s, he ordered the one-half chicken with baked beans and Cole slaw.
 
Chapter Nine

When he went back to the RV, he opened the foil wrap that contained the rest of the chicken carcass and fed it to Duke. Duke finished the meal quickly and Bob gave him some water then took him on a pee walk.

With thoughts soaring, Bob steered the Earthroamer back down 52 to Angie’s house. He might make it a little early. The McCollums had told him a ballpark figure he could figure on getting per acre and he could be getting anywhere from six to twenty million dollars for the property. He could do a lot with that at the Obey River property. Of course, there would be the taxes to consider, but maybe that could be worked out with the buyer. All he would have to do was wait and see what rattled out.

Bob backed the Earthroamer onto the pad at Angie’s house and Lorrie Jo and Bobby ran out the door to greet him. Duke was anxious to play with them and barked. Bob let him out and got a bottle of Chardonnay and two bottles of mead and went into the house. He set the wine and mead into the refrigerator to stay chilled and waited for Angie and Gene to get home.

When they arrived, Lorrie Jo came in and drained the turnip greens and Angie began frying pork chops. Lorrie Jo made cornbread and buttered the baby potatoes. They were giggling and whispering when the doorbell rang, and Gene let Ashelyn in. A surprised Bob got up and greeted her.

“What in the world are you doing here?”

Angie came into the den and said, “Why don’t you two go into the living room so you can talk.”

She led them to the living room, turned on a couple of lamps, and left them alone.

“Ashelyn, what are you doing here?”

“When you left Wichita, it broke my heart you had left without saying goodbye. I felt like a piece of me was missing. I hadn’t had a chance to tell you how I felt.”

“Ashelyn, I’m just a traveler looking for a place to travel to. You have a life of your own.”

“But I had a feeling that the whole time your destination was here, although someday you need to tell me the reason why, and here is where I want to be, if you will allow me.”

“But there is no job here for your skills, you’re a long way from your family…”

“I’ll develop the skills needed to support you….us. And as for family being close, they are buying an RV similar to yours and going traveling.”

“We’ll see. I need to think about this.”

Angie called everyone to supper and as usual, the meal was delicious. Lorrie Jo was becoming an excellent baker and had made a delicious apple cobbler for dessert. Bob looked around and thought, ”This is all so perfect. I hope someday to have such a family gathering at my new home.”

Gatherings with his sister and her family had always been a balm to Bob. He had missed the lost times throughout the years, and he could go days after them bearing a sense of loss. Tonight seemed different somehow. He looked over at Ashelyn and suddenly knew what the difference was.

The two kids went to bed and Ashelyn got up to leave. Bob walked her out to her Denali and asked her if her mind was truly made up.

“Bob, I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”

Reluctantly, Bob said, “I’m going back up to the river in the morning at 09:00. I’ll stop by and pick you up at the motel when I leave.”

Ashelyn kissed him on the cheek and got into her truck. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

Ashelyn was sitting in her Denali the next morning, waiting for Bob when he pulled into the parking lot of the motel. Bob got out of the truck and walked over to her. Ashelyn rolled down her window and Bob handed her a Motorola radio.

“Follow me and if you have any problems give me a call on the radio. I’m going to pull into the Food Lion down the street to stock up on more groceries.”

“Okay.”

Ashelyn followed him the quarter of a mile to the Food Lion and pulled up beside Bob’s RV. Getting out, she also got a shopping cart from the corral and followed him. Bob picked up more bacon, canned baked beans, biscuit mix, ten pounds of flour, corn meal, coffee, and tea. Ashelyn picked up some personal items to last her at least a month and got into a different checkout line than Bob did.

When they met back in the parking lot, Bob stored his purchases in the RV and Ashelyn stored her things in the Denali and accepted the bottle of water Bob handed to her.

“You don’t have to ride my bumper, but don’t lose sight of me. Some of these turns are pretty quick. It will take us between one and two hours to get there, depending upon oncoming traffic. Keep your radio on.”

“Okay.”

They actually made the trip in an hour and fifteen minutes. Bob called Ashelyn on the radio as they neared the gate and warned her he would be stopping to unlock the chain. He unlocked it and pulled through far enough for Ashelyn to get past the chain also. He locked the chain back and trotted back to his truck and continued on to his campsite.

When they got to the campsite, Bob got out and showed Ashelyn where to park, then because of the lay of the land, placed leveling blocks under the left side wheels then used the air leveling system and finished leveling the RV. He set the SOLO fire pit back up, started a fire and got out two camp chairs.

“Wine?” Bob asked Ashelyn.

“Yes, please.”

Bob went in and got a camping wine tumbler out of a cabinet and filled it with Merlot. He filled a mead tankard with mead and went out to sit beside the fire.

He handed her the wine tumbler, set his tankard on the ground next to his chair and opened up the storage bin on the Earthroamer. Removing a portable camping side table, he opened it up, kicked holes in the ground between his and Ashelyn’s chairs to level it, and set his tankard on the table.

“Are you sure this is where you want to be?”

“Surer than I‘ve ever been about anything in my life!” Ashelyn said.

“I went up to Celina yesterday to put some property on the market I have up there. The sale should give me enough money to fund the improvements I want to do to this land. I want to build a house and outbuildings, clear some land for a garden, and homestead the place.”

“How much land do you have here?” Ashelyn asked.

“Three hundred and seventy-six acres.”

“What are your plans for tomorrow?”

“We’re going fishing. There are some nice Brown and Rainbow trout in the river, and I feel like some fried fish.”
Are there bears or anything like that around here?”

Well, not often and cougars have been reported settling in the area, migrating from out west, but the biggest things you’ll likely encounter will be bobcats and coyotes (He didn’t say anything about the Sasquach sightings, but they were farther southeast of them in Morgan County). Neither will bother you, unless they are rabid, or you’ve got them cornered. They pretty much shy away from humans.”

“Are there neighbors nearby?”

“Not so you would notice. There’s old Amos Colter who lives as near as anybody if he’s still alive. You don’t have to worry about people coming up on you out here. We’re about as remote as you can get in Tennessee. Probably no one has walked these lands very much since the first Indians launched their canoes from these shores.”

“It is beautiful, and quiet out here.”

Bob nodded and stood up. “We’ve got daylight left, come on, I want to show you something.”

There was no visible path where Bob led Ashelyn. He seemed to use his instincts to guide them. Almost a half an hour later, Bob came to a stop under a huge oak tree, at least she thought it was oak.

Bob used a stick to comb through the old leaves at the base of the tree and dug out pieces of rusted flat metal and there were bits of glass too.

“What was here?” Ashelyn asked.

“My parents were alcoholics. Sometimes it got very uncomfortable with all the screaming, shouting, and fighting at the house. I started building a treehouse here and later Angie pitched in. We had grown tired of the cussing and fighting and made a sanctuary where we could have some peace. Eventually, we had a pretty good weatherproof structure in this tree and even a little stove to keep warm in cold weather. See. Here is the stove door. Angie got married way before any girl should, to get away, but she kept her sanity and has a good family now. I had to stick around until I was old enough to join the military. We lived through some hard times out here, but there were those moments when you didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world. We were safe from the world, except from the demons that had our parent’s souls.”

Ashelyn moved closer to Bob and took his arm. “You seemed to have turned out all right.”

“I guess, but life has hardened me. Perhaps I can mellow out while building something for the future.”

They made it back to the campsite before the sun went down. Bob opened up and drained a can of salmon and brought out four green onions, a chopping board and a chef’s knife. He gave the onions and knife to Ashelyn and pulled out the outdoor kitchen on the Earthroamer.

“Can you chop those onions up for me? I’m making salmon patties for supper.” Bob got out a ten-inch frying pan, added more wood to the firepit and placed a cooking grate on the pit. When Ashelyn had the onions chopped up, Bob mixed the salmon, onions, garlic powder, onion powder, and an egg up together and broke up the chunks of salmon, adding a dash of corn meal, he moistened the mixture a little more with the saved water he had drained out of the can and formed patties. Rolling them in flower, he covered them in an egg wash and bread crumbs, then fried the patties in the pan over the fire pit while Ashelyn heated a can of honey carrots and made mashed potatoes from a packet.

They ate their dinner serenaded by night noises of birds bedding for the night and owls hooting in the distance. Ashelyn collected the dishes and took them into the RV to wash while Bob washed the frying pan out using the shower hose attachment on the outside shower. When the cleanup was finished, Bob brought out a SABA Transatlantic 16 radio and set it up on the table between the chairs. He extended the antenna and began searching for stations, finally stopping at WBRT 1320 AM out of Bardstown. He kept the volume low enough to carry on a conversation and got more wine and mead out and refilled their vessels. Ashelyn came back out and settled back into her chair.

“Thank you, that was delicious.”

“Well, you helped put it together too.”

“I don’t consider adding butter and boiling water to potato flakes exactly cooking.”

“Hey, whatever it takes to make a good meal!” Bob replied.

“So, how do you fish? Is it like you see on TV where you wade down the stream, flicking a long line on a fly rod to catch your fish?”

“Well, I do use a fly rod, but there are very few places on the Obey you can wade and fish. No, I have an inflatable boat we can leisurely drift down on to catch our fish.

“I don’t have a lot of experience on small boats.”

“Well, I guess it’s the first skill you’ll need to learn then, isn’t it?”

Ashelyn took a sip of her wine and smiled.
 
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