Bear Belly Adventures

6/18/2025

41.6620° N, 86.1586° W

41°16′30″N, 79°06′47″W

This morning we woke up determined to start our life’s adventure.  Its 0500 and I finally finished packing while Nana watched.  Her job at this point is to be cute and give some looks of encouragement.  Mine was to make sure I have everything packed.  The plan for the day is to drive to Sigel, PA and visit with my Aunt and her wife, Pam.  Last minute items were thrown helter skelter into the Jeep and trailer.  So much for all that time organizing!   By 0630 we were on the road.  By 0645 we were turning around and headed back home because I forgot all my cash!  I should mention, the night before, I made a list of everything I needed. I wanted to ensure everything was packed and loaded. However, I forgot to check the list.  That being said, as I travel to Pennsylvania, I did remember a few other things. These items were on the list but never made it to the rig.  Nothing I can’t live without because I probably over packed anyway.  At least that is what Mary usually tells me.  One item I forgot was my small battery pack.  I use a CPAP at night and the one I have in the trailer is only powered by a 12 volt system. I can’t use it when I’m staying at someone’s house or a hotel.  The little battery is what I usually take in with me to run my CPAP. So far Nana is the only one that did her job.

The weather was very good for the trip. Near the end, some occasional showers sprung up. They were nothing I’d write home to mom about.  Traffic was great.  Even the construction was smooth with very few slow downs.  We made it to Sigel around 1400.

We had a great visit with Barb and Pam.  Nana got to run around their yard through the trees and the brush and was living the doggy dream.  Because there was torrential rain the day before everything was soaked, spongy or muddy.  Nana did need to be toweled off a couple of times before being allowed back into the cabin.

Dinner was at a bar and grill style restaurant called Cousin Basils in Clarington, PA.  It was clean and service was great.  The decor was a rustic country style. However, there were oddly placed life-size figures of the Blues Brothers on a mezzanine inside the restaurant.  I had a bacon and pepperjack cheese burger with fries. Both were really good.  I wished I would have asked what kind of oil they used for their fries because they tasted a little different, in good way.

After dinner we drove around Cook Forrest State Park.  They showed me the river and creeks they like to hike along and float down.  It’s a gorgeous area. I would love to come back and explore more when the weather is a little more agreeable.  

I had a good time catching up with family.  Staying in touch isn’t something I am always great at.  I managed to get as good a nights sleep as possible without my CPAP since I didn’t have the battery.  I have two other solar generators, a 2000 wh Bluetti that is the house battery for the trailer and a 1000 wh Jackery that is in the Jeep for back up.  I could have brought in the smaller Jackery but as mentioned it was muddy, wet and I also threw everything into the Jeep helter skelter.  I decided it was less hassle to just stop breathing all night.

We’re hitting the road to New York in the morning. Its my hope that future posts will prove I didn’t die of hypoxia.