9:25PM, August 20, 2023 :: Keltic Lodge, Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

A man with a guitar and a good, traditional folk voice plays a variety of songs I might expect, though most I’ve never heard before. Still, the Gordon Lightfoot, Valdy and George Harrison were lovely, as have all the songs I’ve never heard before.  

I have to admit, I’m not listening all that closely, sitting on an overstuffed couch in the Keltic Lodge’s lounge. I can’t see him, either, since there’s a pillar obscuring the view.

However, I have power and WiFi here, and those have been in short supply the last few days, especially the power. The battery in the trailer hasn’t had a full charge since leaving Prince Edward Island, and the last couple days I haven’t driven enough to make up for the consumption of the various devices I use daily. So, I’m hovering on the edge of not being able to power the fridge. To keep it going I’ve limited charging phone, computer, batteries.  

Limiting the charging means I have to limit the use, especially the power hungry laptop, which is why today’s post is coming later in the day than I’d like, and why I’ll have a hard time posting tomorrow’s Pic and a Word Challenge in a timely manner. The lounge is only open ’til 11PM and it’s now 10:39.

This has definitely been a journey of learning. I look at this photo and think of a couple of things. First: I’m trying to stop for the night before it’s actually night. I didn’t quite make it the night this photo was taken a few days ago. Late arrivals don’t leave any time to enjoy (and photograph) the location with decent light. And while I’ve got light, cooking (and eating) in the dark isn’t a lot of fun, especially with all the mosquitoes and other biting insects that come out as the sun sets.

Aside from that little logistical shortcoming, what I also register is the fact that nearly everything I hold dear is in that rig: cameras and lenses, computer and hard drives loaded with words and photographs, my bicycle, that beat-up but still remarkably reliable, Toyota Rav4.

The teardrop I haven’t made up my mind about.  On the one hand, teardropping is hella better than car camping. Quick to setup and breakdown, and I can park it for the night in all kinds of places (for free) that a tent just won’t work. Huge bonus: a thick memory foam double sized mattress. No leaky and too-thin air mattresses on hard, rocky uneven ground.  No crouching to clamber/crawl in and out of a soggy tent flap. I really can’t stress what a huge bonus this is.

But as a long-term solution for getting both off-grid and mobile, it’s probably not the answer. I still haven’t figured out a way to be comfortable hanging out if the weather (or the biting insects) are being disagreeable. The trailer’s sleeping area has served on such occasions, but only because there were no other options.  It’s fine for lying down, but sitting up just doesn’t quite work.

A better option for this would be a Campervan or Class C Camper, but those consume a fair bit more fuel than the RAV4, even when it’s pulling a 1,200 pound trailer. That may work for future trips, but this one needed to cover long distances in a short time, so fuel economy was a big consideration.

So in the meantime I suppose I’ll have to add some sort of cover to lounge under. I just haven’t decided what form that cover should take.  Pop-up tent with mosquito screens? Or just a tarp stretched over a comfortable space? I’ve seen both these work for others. Or maybe something else altogether?

Hmmmm…  I don’t have an answer yet. Need to come up with one soon. I’m beginning to find a groove in this teardropping thing. Maybe the answer will make itself clear with a bit more groove?