Month December 2016

We Interrupt This Program For Work

Sunset over Badlands National Park

I have fallen so far behind in recording our travels. We still have yet to master working from the road. After a day of activities, we'll roll into our camping spot, full of ambition and drive. But as soon as I crawl into our DIY camper, sleep envelops me as surely and completely as the blankets, clothes, and any insulation I can pile on top of myself to combat the spiteful cold outside. It doesn't matter that I should have another three good hours of coherence ahead of me. I'm out.

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2016 Travel Review

Happy Holidays! 2016 has been an exciting year for us. We continued our nomadic adventure. We bought a new truck dubbed Dodgy II: The Truckening (our van was Dodgy I). We built the truck bed into our own cozy living quarters with…

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Meriwether Lewis Monument

The Meriwether Lewis Monument commemorates the life of the celebrated adventurer and marks the location at Grinder's Mill along the Natchez Trace, where he met his untimely end.

Last night, we slept near a grave. The clouds lay thick over the night sky. Even the moon could not penetrate the blanket of mist. Leafless trees stretched skeletal limbs dimly etched against the night. A bitterly cold wind searched for any gap in our truck camper and the campground bathrooms were heated! We were camping at the Meriwether Lewis Monument.

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Jackson Falls

Jackson Falls is one of the iconic waterfalls along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

We are suckers for overlooks. So, when we saw an overlook for the Duck Valley at milepost 404 of the Natchez Trace, we stopped to enjoy the moody, overcast vista. To me, it was like some scene from Wuthering Heights. I could imagine Heathcliff moodily stalking across the valley. We stalked across the hills, too. Well, at least we hiked along a ridge and into a small gorge to enjoy Jackson Falls.

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Double Arch Bridge

Overlooking the Double Arch Bridge along the Natchez Trace Parkway.

At the 438 mile post of the Natchez Trace, in Williamson County, Tennessee, is the Double Arch Bridge. This elegant work of engineering also known as the "Natchez Trace Parkway Arches" spans 1,572 feet and 145 feed over the valley floor. It was opened on March 22, 1994, and cost $11.3 million to build.

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Natchez Trace Parkway

The Sunken Trace is the product of centuries of travel. Traders following the Natchez Trace wore down the trail so that, in places, the untrod ground may be above one's head.

The Natchez Trace connects Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee. The 444 mile route roughly traces the historic dirt path that "Kaintucks" annually traveled.* These were farmers from the Ohio River valley who had loaded rafts with their produce and traveled with it down the Mississippi to sell in Natchez or New Orleans. There, they would also sell the lumber that made up the raft and then return, on foot or by horse, to their home via the Natchez Trace.

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Chicken, Mozzarella, And Basil Crescents

Sometimes I can't decide if I want breakfast or lunch. I find Chicken, Mozzarella, And Basil Crescents are a little bit of both.

Crescent rolls are intentionally designed to be easy to make. Fortunately, their design also makes it easy to add items to the dough before rolling it up and baking the roll. Stack a slice of chicken, cheese, and a basil leaf on the triangle of dough. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Roll it all into a crescent roll. Do this with all the crescent dough and then bake in the dutch oven until the pastry is golden brown. Enjoy!

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Camper’s Blueberry Almond Stuffed French Toast

There is a day of adventure ahead of us, and it all starts with a little breakfast number that I like to call: Camper's Blueberry Almond French Toast.

I had already seen some pie iron recipes for stuffed french toast. One in particular involved blueberries and cream cheese. I thought about it: there is another dairy product that I love to mix with blueberries for a healthy breakfast. In particular, I like to mix blueberries, sliced almonds, and coconut shavings in greek yogurt. Then, I could take this concoction that I already love and stuff it in french toast with the best type of bread: challah. It was messy and delicious.

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