Wind At Our Backs

Hank purchased this fun and educational toy and couldn't wait to share it with the "KY Grands". It was pretty impressive to watch a soda bottle go soaring a couple of hundred feet up in the air.

We had the privilege of spending some time with Weston & Mason while Elisa rested and recuperated from the birth of Ethan. We played games, read books, played outside, rode four-wheelers, launched a water rocket (see following video), and watched a few episodes of "The Dukes of Hazzard".

What a wonderful anniversary gift! Ethan Harold St.Clair arrived on our 33rd anniversary, December 18, 2020, a few minutes before midnight. Our very brief visit was a dual purpose one: meet Ethan and pick up Weston & Mason to spend a few days at Grandad's & Grandma's house.

Hank towed TC to nearby Chickasaw State Park so that a friend and I could spend a couple of days together enjoying the great outdoors. The site we chose, #42, was located at the back of the campground, spacious, and high in elevation. Teresa and I had a blast. Unknowingly we had chosen the very weekend of the park's Christmas light display! How's that for an unexpected gift of grace? On the way home we stopped in at Culver's Flea Market and was greeted and escorted around the store by Forrest, a young, talkative shopping guide. :) We are already looking forward to another camping outing next year!

In the midst of a plandemic, our family gathered joyfully to give thanks, celebrate Christmas and enjoy each other!

It's a small world after all! Located in Lawrenceburg, TN, David Crockett State Park offers lots of outdoors activities for the visitor. We visited in November 2020 and the weather couldn't have been better! Shoal Creek soothingly flowed right alongside our campsite (#22). When we arrived several campsites were occupied, however the next morning all of the campers began pulling up stakes and moving on. Around 4pm a couple of new neighbors from Mississippi arrived AND it just so happened that this particular couple had connections with someone from Hank's earlier days! During the few days we stayed here, we went on more than one hike, rode our bicycles, spent an afternoon in Lawrenceburg, cooked chili over the fire (It was yummy!), visited the bird aviaries, and enjoyed the view and sounds of Shoal Creek. Hank even cleared a blocked hiking trail!

Maybe our best camping trip yet! Originally we had planned to stay here on a weekend, but due to the rain forecast we decided to wait and go the following Monday. Boy, am I glad that we did! We were able to snag a campsite (#26) with a million dollar view instead of staying in the last available weekend campsite down the hill. So far, camping at the beginning of the week has afforded us great sites at uncrowded campgrounds, however sometimes it limits activity opportunities. Columbus-Belmont State Park is a wonderful place to visit with activities located right inside the park. This park offers a Civil War Museum, a putt putt golf course, over 2.5 miles of trails, park benches right on the bluff, a nice playground, an impressive snack shack, and the friendliest campground host ever, Mr. Bill Stump. It also hosts an annual event, Civil War Days. Unfortunately we were unable to visit the inside of the Civil War Museum (which was previously used as a hospital during the Civil War), play any putt putt, or try out the snack shack (Bummer!), due to our after Labor Day non-weekend stay. Maybe next time??? Columbus-Belmont State Park:https://parks.ky.gov/columbus/parks/historic/columbus-belmont-state-park The Battle of Belmont:https://www.columbusky.com/battle-of-belmont.php

What a memory!!! We rode Vesper over to Grandma Mary's house in order to show her our latest purchase. I had prepared myself about having to work a little to convince her in taking a ride. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had already made up her mind and was willing to hop on the back of Vesper and take a ride through her neighborhood.

On September 1, 2020, Hank & I traveled to Springdale, AR in order to purchase Vesper, a 2007 Yamaha V Star 1100. And boy, howdy, what fun we have already had!!! Maria, who enjoys photography as a hobby, wanted to take some photos of us with Vesper. WOW, did she make us look good, or what?!?! We hope you have as much fun watching as we did participating in the "photo shoots". :) Music: "This is the Time" by Superchick

What better way to camp except with a couple of grandsons?!? Due to the CCP virus, we had a slightly difficult time camping with our " Kentucky Grands" this year. Grandad's job, campground closures, Governor's executive orders, health concerns, etc. Hopefully the regulations and restrictions will be ending soon . . . ! We chose a campground in close proximity to Weston & Mason's home (Bledsoe Creek State Park in Gallatin, TN) and seemingly couldn't have picked a better one! Our site, #08, was a waterfront pull through site. The campground hosts were quite helpful, even providing the required bike helmets for our KY Grands. We fished, rode our bikes, fed the wildlife, played games, paddled the kayak, roasted hot dogs, went on a private nature hike with an official park ranger, talked with our neighbors, visited two playgrounds, and watched wildlife from inside TC. The only thing we weren't able to do was go swimming in the lake (only due to campground regulations). Otherwise, we would have been in that water! :) Bledsoe Creek State Park: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/campground/bledsoe-creek

Welcome Bradley Daniel St.Clair! I took a flight to Iowa in order to help out with Andrew while Sabrina gave birth to Bradley. Since babies come when they are ready, my arrival may have been a little premature, but I think that we made good use of this extra time together. The weather was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside. We went to a wonderful park in Mason City, IA and had a picnic at Lake Cornelia in Clarion. I did lots of walking around town. I even timed myself walking the perimeter of Meservey. It took exactly 35 minutes! Meservey, Iowa: https://meserveyia.com/ East Park:https://www.masoncity.net/pview.aspx?id=48662&catid=0 Lake Cornelia: https://www.mycountyparks.com/County/Wright/Park/Lake-Cornelia-Park.aspx

Happy First Birthday Andrew Henry St.Clair! Due to work constraints, this was a very quick trip and brief visit to Meservey. Hank and I drove nonstop, without TC, in order to celebrate #3 grandson's first birthday. Since all of our grandchildren (at this time) are living out of state (TN), our goal is to be present for first birthdays, other than that our attendance tends to be sporadic and unplanned. :) So thankful we were able to celebrate a first birthday with our first IA Grand!

Greers Ferry Lake - Hank's Happy Place :) As soon as parks and campgrounds began to reopen, we headed to Greers Ferry Lake for a few days of refreshment. We had a wonderful time reminiscing about our former visits to this beautiful lake and exploring a few new places. We stayed at site #C02 in the Narrows Campground, a Corps of Engineers park in Higden. The weather was perfect and we were able to try out our new inflatable kayak as well as rent a waverunner and spend an afternoon zipping around the lake. Hank had a wonderful time riding that waverunner. One of the days we drove to the Heber Springs side of the lake and did some sightseeing and hiking. Greers Ferry Lake: http://www.visitgreersferrylake.com The Narrows Campground: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232649 Heber Springs: https://www.cityofhebersprings.com/

A visit with the KY Grands for a belated birthday. We drove to Adolphus, Kentucky to visit with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons. It was sort of a belated birthday celebration for Mason's 5th birthday. The CCP Virus has created obstacles for our camping plans this year. So, instead of taking the boys on a camping trip, we decided to "moochdock" right in their yard. It is amazing what fun one can have in a back/side yard! We played games, flew planes, climbed trees, and went fishing.

Tranquil and restful. Due to camera issues, I wasn't able to capture as much as I wanted. :( This park was beautiful, peaceful and quiet. Our site (#50) was wonderful: level, spacious, and right on the water. The park had some creative Halloween displays and a friendly ranger at the check-in station. We went on a hike to the falls, but decided to turn back due to the lack of rain and the probability of viewing a trickle instead of a waterfall. We were surprised to discover that Mississippi had rock! :) Tishomingo State Park: https://www.mdwfp.com/parks-destinations/state-parks/tishomingo/

A trip to welcome a new grandson! Since we were towing TC, we decided to stop at a campground about halfway. We chose Cuivre (pronounced like "quiver") River State Park in Missouri. The campground was fairly empty when we arrived in the afternoon, however around 6pm the RV's started rolling in and by the next morning, I don't think there were any vacant campsites. Although the host was both friendly and helpful, we couldn't quite figure out why this campground was so crowded. It was not located on water, not picturesque, and the swimming area was quite a distance away. Maybe the locals knew something we didn't. Our stay in Meservey was wonderful (of course!) but extremely hot. It was in the upper 90's and not much breeze. Poor Sabrina! The locals told us that the temperatures were abnormally hot. Our return trip was quite a challenge. Unfortunately we arrived in St.Louis, MO during rush hour AND there was an accident on the interstate. Hank chose to take an exit and attempt to bypass the accident as well as avoid getting stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. Well, not only did we make it through with only a paper map to guide the way, but Hank handled towing TC through the side streets of St.Louis like a pro! Also, due to time work time constraints we drove the entire 12+ hours without stopping. We arrived home just around midnight and for anyone who has attempted to give directions to someone backing-up a camper on a country road in the dark knows that apologies will be forthcoming! ;) Cuivre River State Park: https://mostateparks.com/campgrounds/...​ Meservey, IA: https://meserveyia.com/

What a blast!!! This was our first camping trip with the Kentucky Grands. Weston & Mason had so much fun riding those pedal carts as well as their bikes up and down the road in front of our campsite. Our campsite #9 backed up to an open field and was conveniently located to the pedal carts, the lake, the pool, the putt putt course, and the water slide. The only "downers" were Weston had broken his collar bone the night before our departure (ouch!) and it rained off and on during our stay (yuck!). At one point, Hank and the boys were headed out to get some firewood in order to roast hotdogs and as soon as they had left, it began raining again causing a change in dinner plans. McDonald's anyone??? Even though we weren't able to enjoy the great outdoors like we had hoped, we sure had some moments worth remembering! Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Mammoth Cave: https://www.jellystonemammothcave.com/

Beautiful lake. Beautiful park. Beautiful weather. Our stay at Piney Campground in Dover, TN (recommended by TC's former owner) was wonderful. We were able to secure site #25 in Dogwoop Loop right on the water. So far, not making prior reservations is working for us! ;) Piney is just one of several campgrounds in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. It is a rather large campground so we did lots and lots of bicycling. We also toured Fort Donelson National Battlefield and The Homeplace, an 1850's working farm. We look forward to revisiting the Land Between the Lakes area someday. Piney Campground: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/seendo/camping/piney-campground/ Fort Donelson National Battlefield: https://www.nps.gov/fodo/index.htm The Homeplace: https://www.landbetweenthelakes.us/seendo/attractions/homeplace/

A first for Hank and me! In April of 2019 Hank and I headed out for our first "alone" camping trip. We decided on Natchez Trace State Park in Wildersville, TN. We stayed in the Pin Oak Campground at site #38. The hosts were quite friendly and helpful. While there we rode our bikes (one of my dreams come true - riding bikes through a campground with Hank!) and visited Parker's Crossroads Civil War Battlefield. It was a refreshing and relaxing trip. Natchez Trace State Park: https://tnstateparks.com/parks/campground/natchez-trace Parker's Crossroads Civil War Battlefield: https://parkerscrossroads.org/

Our Maiden Voyage in TC (the camper) We traveled to Aldophus, KY to visit with the Dalton St.Clair family, see their new home and celebrate Mason's 4th birthday (March 11). Mason was so proud of his new bicycle his parents gave him. On our way home we stopped at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN. This was our first campground stay in TC. We were able to get a site (#84) right on the creek running through the campground. Also, in the evening we could hear beautiful guitar and vocals from a group of young people camping close by. This along with the crackling campfire and stars overhead completed a perfect camping experience.

A Dream Come True! It's always been Hank's dream to ride the dunes with his children. So in honor of Hank and his 50th birthday, our family traveled from 3 states (TN, KY, & IA) to Little Sahara State Park located in the tiny town of Waynoka, OK. It was amazing to see the landscape change so drastically and so quickly. Rock formations and sand dunes in Oklahoma? I never knew!!! We rented a house from Mike, a super nice guy and owner of Access Properties (580-430-9064). The house was roomy with plenty of parking space and adjacent to the ATV trail connecting Little Sahara State Park to the city of Waynoka. Everyone had a wonderful and memorable time and who knows, maybe we'll make it out there again someday. Photography: Daniel, Dalton, Maria & Nancy St.Clair Video: Tyler Kenyon Music: "My Hero" by Foo Fighters