Whether or not you know it, Earth is being battered by a significant geomagnetic storm. And last night, the “Northern Lights” — aka, aurora borealis — took a wrong turn and ended up in The South.
Despite clear skies over our campground, the surrounding terrain and light pollution from the Harrison area prevented us from seeing the show. We would’ve had a great view from The Mountain, just 18 miles south of the Missouri line.
I’ve seen the aurora before, years ago in northwest Montana (where last night it was dazzling) and while traveling the Trans-Can Highway from Calgary to Regina. Their appearance in Ozarkansas overnight (see the image above) was comparatively tame, but it verged on being a once-in-a-generation event — an unforgettable visit by one of Nature’s true wonders.
Wake-up temp here this morning was 34°F (again). We took care of the dogs, sipped our coffee and handled hygiene before hitting the road, bound for Baxter County. We were on a mission.
Deb’s phone rang just as we turned off of US 65 in Bellefonte — it was our site contractor, checking in on us. We hadn’t talked with him since we pulled the plug on the build last Thursday, so we brought him up to speed on the new way forward. He’ll have far less work to do from now to the end of the project, but he’s on board.
Running early for our appointment east of Gassville, we pulled off US 62 at the White River overlook in Marion County. We sat and talked about what we we’re now undertaking, surprisingly easy now that we’ve returned to our original plan.
We reached our destination shortly before noon. For the next two hours, Deb and I evaluated a potential purchase — up and down, inside and out, running tests and checking functions. We made an offer, were rebuffed, countered, shook hands, and boom, done — we’d acquired temporary living quarters for The Mountain.
Specifically, it’s a fifth-wheel travel trailer, bought for pennies on the dollar compared to what it cost new 14 years ago. Oh, it’s tired. It has problems, a few of which will be addressed by the dealer’s service department before we get it. But it also has good bones and (from what we can tell) the big stuff is solid.
Now it’s not like we’ll be hitching up and towing this thing all over the place. The purpose is simple — it’s to be delivered to The Mountain, 14 miles away, to serve as Home ’til we have a more permanent structure.
Going with an RV of some sort (either a fifth-wheel or a bumper-pull) was Deb’s idea. Absolutely brilliant. It’s furnished and has a full complement of appliances, heat and AC, hot and cold running water. It gets us out of campground fees and frees up the motorhome so that we can put it up for sale. We’ll boondock, more or less, for a while, so we’ll get a chance to live untethered from the grid.
The best part? We’re now within weeks of living an American Life on The Mountain.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB