Trip to Batuu

I have been trying to identify myself as a traveling writer. To do that, one needs to travel. I grabbed a bag and pulled the family together just in time to catch the last shuttle. It had been a while since we had been out of town. The pandemic and the political violence in the streets have waned. I thought it would now be a safe time to satisfy my wanderlust.

The travel brochure promoted a fancy resort on the edge of the mountains that offered relaxing spas and cheap entertainment. So, we headed for Batuu.  It took longer than expected to get through customs at the port, and the atmosphere was ripe with tension. They were looking for someone. We were not the only people trying to hide-out and get away from it all.

The streets were crowded with tourists wandering from shop to shop, and mingling within the visitors were military police, and soldiers. There were confrontations, and I saw a couple people taken away in cuffs. The weekend we chose to visit this off-world vacation hotspot was the same weekend rebels were secretly inducting new membership into the cause. We were obviously lost and looked out of place. A land-speeder taxi offered my family safe passage to a rebel safe house twice. I refused and rushed to the resort.

We passed an Imperial run docking-bay with a Tie Fighter. In addition, hiding behind a nearby cantina, I spied an x-wing refueling. Our hotel jutted from the side of the mountain not far away. It would offer good views of the activity around town. Still, something told me all was not going to end well. Docked in front of our resort was the famed rebel Millennium Falcon. There was no doubt we were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At check in, the desk clerk whisked us behind doors, and we joined a group of fellow travelers. The hotel management apologized and promised the full 15,000 credit refund, but we could not stay. They had a transport fueling in the courtyard, ready to take us to a sister resort where it would be more safe.  The family and I boarded the small, standing room only, ship. We grabbed the ceiling straps, and waited, as an alien pilot ran the checks and heated up the drives.  The ramp closed and we stood in the dark shuttle not knowing where they were taking us. This was not the relaxing trip I had planned.

The ship took to the air smoothly. Everyone on board swayed with its swift movement. Then, the shuttle shook violently and pulled to the starboard. I heard the pilot shout, “They have us in a tractor beam!” A second later, the cockpit escape pod blew. I saw it fall back to the planet as we continued in the tractor beams pull. A shadow enveloped our small shuttle. The underside of a huge Imperial star cruiser opened, and we tracked into its hanger.

The ramp opened on our transport and I knew we were in trouble. A hundred armored sentries lined up holding blasters toward us. Surely, they didn’t think we were a threat. An Imperial officer in charge walked to our ship. Her boots echoed in the large hanger. She was dressed smarty in green fatigues and a cap. I guessed she was a lieutenant. A few metals adorned her breast, but I did not recognize her.

She stepped up to the ramp of our little ship “You are now prisoners of the Empire, captured in route to the rebel training facility. You will be held as a group until Lord Vader arrives to interrogate you.” An armed star trooper brandished his blaster directing us down a corridor without a word. I guided my wife and child along with the others. “Just do as you’re told,” I assured them. “We’ll be fine.”

“Quiet!” The trooper shouted, holding the blaster to my head. I did not say another word. He ushered us all into a side chamber and the door locked closed as he stepped back. The room was silent except for the whimpering and crying of a few of us captured. The empire had made a mistake. We were not fighters. We were all tourists!

Some blaster fire in the distance broke the silence. We could feel it in the floors and it was getting stronger. It sounded like it was just outside our door. Then, Sparks rained down on us, as the door crashed off its hinges. I could see a firefight down the hall. The smell of molten metal was in the air.

A fighter took cover inside our room. “Follow me, we are making a break for it!” He was dressed in black, cloaked in a dark robe. In his hand was a light saber. An orange fire glow lit the faces of the tourists near him. Our rescuer guided us onto a small hover transport and we fled from the storm-troopers, still firing in our direction. We skimmed through the back decks of the huge ship, evading soldiers. At one point, the hover cart raced between the legs of huge Imperial walkers, at rest in the cargo bay. It was a risky escape, but eventually we were off loaded onto an escape pod and jettisoned off into open space.

The auto-piloted pod dodged all the fighters and blaster fire to crash us down on a nearby planet. We splashed down in a small lake overrun with unimaginable rodent creatures greeting us happily, and welcoming us to Disney World.

Nashville is a great tourist town.

When you are in Nashville TN, there is no shortage of things to do. From end to end, it is a great tourist destination. I have been through it numerous times. Music row offers a look at the business side of country music, while Printer’s Alley and the strip offers up-and-coming performers as well as big name entertainment. Great restaurants spot the city with everything from Nashville Hot Chicken https://hattieb.com to hot dogs and everything in between. History steps up to entertain too. You can visit the country music hall of Fame or a number of other museums ranging from the arts, to science, and of course, Jonny Cash. An unexpected pleasure in Nashville is a true to size replica of the Parthenon. https://www.nashville.gov/departments/parks/parthenon

You name it. It is there! Nashville is a great tourist town.

On our last visit to Nashville, we found what I consider a hidden gem.  The Game Terminal is almost hard to find, secreted between warehouses and industrial buildings, but it is worth the effort find. I remember the cramped pinball parlors that I frequented in my youth. The Game Terminal is a world different from what I remember. It is clean well cooled and huge. It’s a whole warehouse filled with all the best pinball and video games. Some of them I haven’t seen in over 40 years. I was a kid again as I played them. I still crashed and burned, or was shot down, without a win, but I loved every second of it.

Besides the long rows of pinball machines that cost a dollar per game, there are hundreds of video games. The video games are free! All the regular computer games are there; like Pac-man, Mario, Centipede, Galaxy-Quest, Mrs. Pac-man and a hundred more. They even had my old favorite, Lunar Lander. A simple joystick and a throttle gives you control of a spacecraft landing on an alien planet. I crashed a few more virtual landers on my recent visit. I can’t remember if I ever landed one of those things!

Game Terminal offers food and drinks, but we never saw a server. We sat at a table for a while but failed to received any service. In the height of covid-19, and “why should I work” government support checks being handed out, they may have been short staffed. That is just a guess. I can’t say what the food situation is there, because we didn’t get any! They also have reserved seating in the main gallery of games, with plush velvet contemporary seating that fits the feel of the arcade. I can say that if you like pinball and video games the Game Terminal is the place to go. It has the potential to be a regular stop when we pass through the Music City. It is located at 201 Terminal Court, Nashville, TN 32710. The phone is 615-610-2460. Check them out online at: https://www.gameterminal.com

Haunted Romance

There is always something….

There is always something….

In simplest terms, the RV is a big machine. It is a living space inside a complicated machine. Considering this, anything can go wrong at any time, and my machine is no different. When you least expect something to go wrong, it will happen.

Everything was fine when we left, but when we returned we had no electricity. The 90-degree weather had turned the RV into a sauna. The power pole had power, but our landline plug looked a little aged. The outer cover on the cord had shrunk and some coated wires were exposed. I started out replacing that, but we still had no power inside. Following the power cord to the fuse box, we discovered that the power surge protector had taken a hit. Usually they will stop the surge and protect the appliances from damage. After a pause, and the surge is safely past, it restarts power to the RV. Our protector could not restart. It was fried! We are parked in Florida, it is known as the lightning capital of the United States. A nearby strike must have occurred and the electronics could not handle it.  Lucky for us we installed the surge protector, or more costly damage may have troubled us.

Recently we were on a road trip and were motioned to pull over by a passing trucker. He had seen something under the RV that concerned him. After some inspection we found a tire problem that was about to become a big issue. Truckers are on the roads everyday pushing more miles than most of us. They have a record of safety and know their big rigs in detail. They are professionals, and due respect from others. Apparently, several drivers were talking about us on the radio, discussing our problem. No less than three truckers flagged us over and a couple stopped to help. I want to give a special thanks to our trucker friends on the road!

Never let things go too long. I have learned that the hard way! Our generator has been finicky for quite a while. Sometimes it worked other time it would not. Before a long trip, I took the time to change the oil and filter. It was overdue. The next time we needed to run the generator it still would only run for a few minutes, then would die. I thought it sounded like a fuel filter so started to replace it. Of course, while I was under the RV a thunderstorm hit. Wind and rain complicated the effort. Gassy water blew onto my face, burning my eyes. A little of it ran across my face and rolled into my ear. Don’t ever let gas drip into your ear. It is one of the most painful experiences you can have. An instant ear infection-like pain flared up and spiked the entire side of my face. Eventually after flushing my ear several times, it subsided, but my ear ached for days. When the storm calmed, I replaced the gas filter, but it still would only run for a few minutes. It was another issue. The short tailpipe that directed the exhaust out from under the generator had become loose. As it turned out fumes were building up and choking the generator. It could have been dangerous to us in the RV too. A loose tailpipe was the cause of all the headache, literally!

When we bought our RV it was not new, but it was in good condition. It had the original sofa bed, table and bench, and window dressings. On the first real use of the sofa bed, it was quickly discovered to be a bit short for an adult to stretch out and comfortably sleep. To get a longer sofa would mean some modification to the table and seats as well. Our slide out is eleven feet wide, and we cleared it, removing both. The replacement sofa came from Ikea. (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/friheten-sleeper-sofa-skiftebo-dark-gray-90341151) It is a nice long sofa bed with a matching foot stool. That was our first modification. A four-foot table spans the remainder of the slide out. It’s used mainly as a computer desk for working on the road. Dinner trays help with meals and the footstool can double and a table if needed. Functional, comfortable and multitasking additions help make the small living area more livable.

Some other changes turned the RV into a workable mobile home. We ordered a new mattress that fit the RV. It is a Short Queen, just 7 inches shorter. It allows easier walking around the bed, but it’s still long enough to sleep on. We also changed a couple sink fixtures, the shower head, and installed a ceramic toilet with bidet. ( https://luxebidet.com ) Living in an RV does not have to uncomfortable, and if you maintain it well, it will take you everywhere you dream of traveling.

so much road, so little time…

As we traveled from Michigan to our next camping reservation, we had one overnight to explore the road. We don’t usually boondock because our generator is finicky. Sometimes it works well, other times it won’t stay running. For some time now, we have considered it an issue with being level. I’m not sure why, but it seemed to make a difference. Earlier in the trip, I had changed the fuel filter. That was a bad experience with gas splashing on my face and in my ears. It was quite painful. We’ve since discovered the issue was not the filter at all. I’ll tell you about that another time in a blog about upgrades and repairs. We hoped the generator would work for a while, so we got off the highway and went shopping.

We headed for Scottsboro, in the middle of Alabama, to the Unclaimed Baggage Store. You can learn more about this store at: https://www.unclaimedbaggage.com . Apparently, the airlines auction off the right to buy all the unclaimed baggage left at the terminal. I don’t know all the legal details, but after some time they can get rid of the baggage left behind. This store claims to be the only outlet in the nation that gets the luggage. They check it out, clean and wash everything, then sell it. It’s a super big, clean, thrift store basically; except everything is in good shape. Everything is priced right too. We spent a little more money than expected but got some good deals. We arrived the night before and did the overnight in the store parking lot. Our generator worked, and we were the first customers in the morning.

Our next stop was like a trip back in time. A long time ago, my mother took the family on a vacation. There were many firsts on that trip. It was my first airplane ride. The pilot allowed me to step into the cockpit. It was that long ago and they allowed it in those days. It was my first trip out of state too. We visited St Louis and we went to the top of the gateway arch. I remember the shaky elevator. My brother kept telling me it was going to fall! Good memories filled the trip, but one of them stands out above the rest. My best memory of that trip was a visit to Elephant Rock Park.

The park name is actually Johnson’s shut-ins State Park. You can find details on line at: https://mostateparks.com/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park . I remember this park well. There is an elephant rock park nearby, but I’m not sure we visited that when I was young. The shut-in is a river gorge. A slow-moving river runs between steep ledges and wooded banks. Large elephant rocks, gray boulders, cover the river’s bottom. Millions of years of running water have carved them smooth. Now, the water trails its way between and over the smooth boulders creating pools and streams to swim, as well as natural slides. Before and after the rocky zone you can find calm secluded swimming pools with pebble bottoms along the river. The park has a wooded and shady walkway to the swimming area, but it is a ten-minute walk, and a stairway will take you down to the river. Make sure you have swimming shoes or some other good footwear. Trekking over the scene can be hazardous. Flip-flops and loose sandals will do more harm than good, making the trip harder to walk.

The campground for the park is about a mile from the swimming area, but there is a paved bike trail wide enough for golf carts. The campground has a special area for camping with horses, as well as tents, and primitive areas. Trails and paths cross the wooded areas, so hiking in the park is wonderful. Fire-rings and picnic tables are at every concrete padded site. The pads were level too. That was good because we had to drive the RV to the swimming area and back. It made the move much easier. There is no wifi except in the camp store. Our experience in the campground was great. It was clean, quiet, and comfortable. The evening bugs were not terrible, and the stargazing was spectacular! You truly are in the middle of nowhere. If you want to get away from everything, it is the place to go. I recommend it.

On The Road Again…

This is the first leg of a trip that will take us through Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Alabama, and back to Florida.Today I am writing from Algonac State Park, along the shore of the Clinton River. From the park, if you look across the river you can see Canada. We are at the thumb knuckle of the mitten shaped state of Michigan. It’s July, but sitting around the campfire last night, was almost chilly.  The cool air made the small fire even more appealing. This state park is full, but everything is quiet. There is enough space between sites and enough trees to dampen any noise. That’s good when you are working as you travel, but I don’t have my job on my mind right now. That work can wait.

Working from an RV has challenges and issues that you have to handle in special ways. Internet is always a challenge and sometimes impossible. Sure, some parks say they have wifi or internet, but when you arrive, the quality of connection is often less than expected. It is best to be self-supportive. There are few ways you can accomplish this. It all depends on your budget, employer and phone service.

Employers have guidelines when dealing with remote workers. Most of the rules revolve around internet security. The customer’s private information and credit card numbers need to remain secure. This requires a hard line connection between the worker, switch and modem. Wifi and Bluetooth connections are not allowed. Thieves and hackers could monitor broadcasted, non-secure communication. This means hotel or campground wifi, and many laptop computers are off limits. Stay away from the open public wifi networks too, his includes wired hotel connections. They are considered unsafe for security reasons. Some wired connections may be safe, while others are not. You never actually know the downstream hardware that a hotel or campground may have, and how it is monitored.  If you do use a hard-wired connection, you should always speed-check your line to see if the speed of connection will support the needs of your employee.

One way to jump over the headaches of an unknown system is to have your own personal network. You can do this by purchasing a cellular modem. You can hardwire your computer into that modem and access the internet through a cellular connection.  The modem has its own SIM card, and this service will be an additional expense, but the encrypted cellular connection is secure and meets the requirements of most employers. This system is limited to working only where you have a good phone signal, so it may not be adequate for remote locations too far from cities or highways. AT&T, T Mobile, Verizon and other phone providers all vary in there signal strength depending on location. Select a provider that works best in the areas you are traveling, and always speed check your connection to see if it is strong enough to perform.

The second easy option is to tether you phone directly to your computer. Many phones allow a wired connection and can share it’s internet connection with a computer. Be sure to enter the computers adapter settings and disable wi-fi and enable Ethernet .  It’s easy to plug in your phone and think you are wired and secure, but the computer used a past wi-fi link.

With the amount of modems, switches, phones and satellite devices on the market, it is possible to construct a mobile network that is secure enough to satisfy most employers. Contact a good IT person to put it together and train you on maintaining it when you are on the road. Be ready to handle any problems that come up, because problems will arise. Having the freedom to work and travel is not an easy thing. It takes work and effort to keep everything functioning. And, there is always the problem of actually working. It’s much easier and more fun to sit in front of the campfire and sip margaritas.

There be Monsters…

It was Thanksgiving and my book, River Spirit, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZX4L8M, was nearly complete. Amazon had the final files and all that remained was the upcoming book launch. Many people think that if you got a book published, the publisher printed up the big signs, delivers the books to the bookstores, and sends out the press releases for the book signings. I believed the author just sat back and went on an exciting ride. However, I was wrong. The author does all that other stuff too, and the promotion part of my job was about to start.

River Spirit is my tenth book. I’ve enjoyed the adventure before, and I know what it takes.  I also know when to put down the pen and take a breather. While all the files were loading into Amazon’s monster brain. I took a day to visit some other monsters.

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The Bernheim Research Forest in central Kentucky is a 16,000-acre preserve with over 3 million trees. Check it out at: https://bernheim.org/  I counted a few of them following the trails and walkways with family enjoying a nature trek. Our goal was to visit the Forest Giants that sat along the Two Ponds Trail.

Thomas Drambo, a Danish artist known mostly for creating art from discarded items, created the giants. The Forest Giants celebrate the Bernheim Forest’s 90th birthday. They will be on display until they eventually deteriorate, estimated to be about 3 or 4 years.

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There are three giants in Bernheim, Mama Loumari and her children. The first child, Little Nis is close to the research center. It’s a short walk, mostly all paved. If you continue on the trail, Little Elina is about a mile away. We hiked paths and crossed over bridges, along a well-marked trail and met another giant, Mama Loumari. Later on the scenic trail, we encountered Elina, with her stepping stone meadow. Our afternoon trip allowed us to visit all three Forest Giants at an easy pace.

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Getting away from the house revitalized me. A couple miles of walking in the woods helped clear the mind and prepare me for the promotional blitz to come. Meeting the Forest Giants was great fun and I suggest when you need a healthy break to go visit the Bernheim Forest and meet the giant family.

River Spirit

The Bell Witch has been haunting Adams since 1817. She started terrorizing the Bell family in that year and continued for quite a while until the patriarch of the family, John Bell, died. During the haunting, the ghost named Old Kate, manifested in many ways. She could be heard chanting prayers, knocking on walls, moving objects, and even punching and slapping people. The local Red River church sent a committee to witness the haunting and all agreed the haunting was real. Prior to becoming president, Andrew Jackson made a visit to the Bell home to witness the paranormal infestation. He and his group were frightened away when Old Kate spooked their horses and blocked their entry. Right now, not far from where I live, the small town of Adams, Tennessee has a little over 650 people living there, and one of them is dead. Adams remains haunted.

My latest book, River Spirit, takes the old legend of the Bell Witch and adds fuel to the fire. In the book, the recent, violent rape and murder of a young woman rekindles the spirit of Old Kate. The new River Spirit is a vengeful spirit and with the magic of Old Kate becomes a powerful force all along the Red River. The River Spirit takes revenge on an unsuspecting man about once a year. When the story begins, ten men have been killed along the river and another death is due any time.

Eric Green, a native of nearby Seedy Hills, returns after years spent abroad. He begins investigating the deaths along the river, thinking they have logical explanations, without the involvement of ghosts. Working with him on the project is his old girlfriend, a true ghost believer. She plays the devil’s advocate to convince him Old Kate is the cause of the murders. What they discover surprises them both.

Readers will remember Eric Green from the 2014 book, Seedy Hills An Odd Little Town. Seedy Hills is a city plagued by several paranormal events ranging from the likes of ghosts to vampires. Bigfoot even visits occasionally, along with the men-in-black when UFOs are seen above Walmart. In Seedy Hills, Eric Green is working as a reporter for the newspaper and looks into all the weird cases.

Seedy Hills, An Odd Little Town is available as an E-book at Smashwords.com and Amazon.com. It will be released as a paperback at Amazon in early 2021. River Spirit is available for Preorder today as a Kindle e-book at Amazon.com. The paperback releases on Dec 11^th, and all preorders will be delivered then as well.

Place your pre-order today! When you pre-order a book on Amazon, it helps the author by improving the book’s ranking. You can preorder River Spirit at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZX4L8M

You can get the companion book, Seedy Hills, An Odd Little Town at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010TO6J4M

If you join the author’s Readers Group, you can get Seedy Hills FREE at Smashwords by following this link: http://www.douglasdaech.yolasite.com and click on FREE.

You can learn more about the Bell Witch at https://www.bellwitchcave.com/ghost_hauntings/bell_witch_legend.htm

Watch for River Spirit, the release date is Dec. 11, 2020

Relax at Lake Malone

Lake Malone State Park is about 100 miles from Nashville, in Southern Kentucky.

One of our family’s favorite things to do is to camp. Like most outdoor enthusiasts, we’ve run our course in selecting our digs.  We started with small tents, and then quickly evolved to dome-tents with fans and air conditioning. I still believe that qualifies as camping. On the first trip out to nature with my wife, it rained almost every day. It was July in Florida. She kindly explained we needed to make some changes. Small trailers led to larger ones, and then we had a pop-up. Eventually, we worked up to a motorized RV. It wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but it was available and affordable. We bought a used Class A motor home. That’s another story. We sold it after a year and got a Class C that fits our family perfectly.

When we started camping, both of us worked full time, and the kids were in school. We didn’t use the trailers much, and they mostly stayed in the back yard. But now things have changed. Even with the pandemic of 2020, the family has spent weeks in the RV. Granted, most of it was on family property, but we were still out of town and living closer to nature. Our family counts that as camping.

Aug 10, 2020, Lake Malone State Park, Southern Kentucky, was just a mid-week getaway. Julie, my wife, had a few days off, and we were contemplating a two week trip out of state. We were getting the blues about needing to cancel that and wanted a camping fix. It had been about three weeks since we were on the road last. We reserved a two-night stay at a lake park that was about an hour from home.  That was far enough away to call it a real trip. Two nights wasn’t much of a camp, but at twenty-two dollars a night, we could add a day if needed.

Lake Malone lies between steep hills in Dunmore, Kentucky. A small dam and spillway added some depth to the lake, filling it to what it is today. I believe the lake is all runoff. It’s a dark water lake with a greenish brown color, but there may be a spring in there someplace. On the west edge of the lake, the state park offers the area its closest thing a camping getaway. The lake is fully developed with vacation homes in some areas, and in other areas, family plots littered with old boats and trailer homes line the shore. It’s not all pretty, but the park is where it needs to be to offer a secluded feel and a clean shoreline.

Writing at the the picnic table, I had a relaxing view .

When we pulled up to our site, we had no trouble backing our 32 foot Conquest to its spot. It was almost level and needed only one two-by-six under one wheel to satisfy us. The water and 30amp hook-ups were within reach, and we had a couple of 20amp plugs too. It took about seven minutes to completely set-up, and all the while, a doe, and two fawns watched from fifteen feet away. The site backs up to a shady cliff that overlooks the lake. We can see the water between the thick leaves of the woods, but we don’t have a good view of the opposite shore or horizon. It’s all good, though. The distance to the lake cuts the noise of the occasional boat that cruises past. We were happy to see Verizon had excellent service, but unfortunately, there was no wifi in the park.

The camping end of the park has about 30 semi-shady sites with beautiful rocky pads. They are electric and water, with no full hook-up. The park also has a sizeable primitive area, but its all sun. A wide picnic hammock for day-trippers is across the field away from the campers. It has the usual pavilion and playground or two. Trails ranging in length from a quarter mile and up wander around the property. Each site has a fire-pit and picnic table. There is nothing special, but it is a nice park.

The camping end is separate from the beach and the Dockside of the park. It is farther than we’d like to walk, bringing bikes or a car to drive to the other side may be a good idea. Health nuts and young people might make the trip on foot or find a trail, but we passed on that option.

The beach has a roped-off swimmers area that is well marked and only gets to six or seven feet of greenish water. It has brown sand and a  small space for sunbathers and lawn chairs. The water had a lot of big stones in it, so watch your step. There are restrooms and changing rooms with showers handy too. Swimmers have a good view of the rest of the lake, and the boat traffic, as the docks are a football field to the right on a little inlet. There are several recently rebuilt docks and a boathouse with general needs and some food. But when we were there mid-week, it was closed. The ramps have a lot of good boat-trailer parking, too.

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Lake Malone is a great getaway for locals and an adequate place to overnight for the traveler. It’s a little off the beaten path, about 50 miles off I-65, and about 90 miles north of Nashville, TN. But it could be perfect for some people.  If you need a home base to explore the area, visit the Music City or just hide from the pandemic, this is a super-nice place to relax.  

If you are a traveler, or would love to start traveling, you can contact my wife who is a certified travel agent with a nationwide firm. You can see her facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/spicetravelconnection