johnny November 5th, 2008
Yah, I know we’ve been slacking on the blog updates lately, but as soon as we were done with the carnie gigs, we hit the boonies again without pausing to look for cellular service. I don’t think we’ll be doing any concession work anytime soon; so whatever jobs come next should be fairly new to us.
We left South Carolina in a hurry and made a beeline for the Great Saltpetre Cave Preserve in Mt. Vernon Kentucky again. We were hoping to get some caving in and see some friends once more before it gets too cold to be in Kentucky and we head out west for the winter.
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Tags:
boonies,
caving,
kentucky,
work
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johnny September 24th, 2008
Well, we’ve got more than a bar of Internet tonight, so I figure it’s time we got caught up on some blogging.
After we spent a couple of weekends at the Great Saltpetre Preserve caving with some great people from the area, we headed towards Boone, NC to start our next stint as carnies. However, we got sidetracked leaving Kentucky as Jenn noticed Carter Caves State Park was just a few miles out of the way. As this is where Crawl-a-thon is held in January, we decided it would be worth a quick stop over and looksee.
We got up bright and early and explored Laurel and Horn Hollow caves. Both are rather short trips, that have been ‘prepared’ for tourists, but they are still unlit, self-led trips. Horn Hollow has a beautiful entrance, but is otherwise not much to look at from inside. Laurel was quite a pretty little cave and we were able to get off-trail and explore the upper passage as well as climb a small waterfall that most non-cavers would have never seen.
Once we got to the camper, covered in cave mud, and I got stripped down to my high performance underwear, a couple of guys walked up, and rather than running away, they wanted to chat, which marked them as cavers and not afraid of dirty, half-dressed hippies in a parking lot. This was our introduction to Roy and Jerry. They were in the area building a bat gate, which is designed to let bats in, but keep people out during bat hibernation season. Since we were the only muddy folks around with a bat sticker on our vehicle, they assumed we’d be good suckers, err… candidates, to volunteer to help out.
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Tags:
campsite,
caving,
forestry service,
kentucky,
state park,
work
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jenn September 5th, 2008
Thanks for posting. I am sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you. We have been very busy working and enjoying ourselves. Thankfully, we have been able to do both at the same time.
Claire @ http://escapethe9to5.blogspot.com
Hi Jen
How long do you think your trip will last?
Is it a trip or a change of lifestyle? If it is a trip how do you plan to make the transition back to the 9-5 grind if ever? Do you worry about the future? Do you worry about being homless
How do you manage for money? Do you live off savings or do you work along the way?
I am really intersted in your blog and your plans for the future. I am having another life crisis and I need to do something to change my life.
Cheers
Claire
As for how long the trip will last: forever, I hope. It is definitely a change of lifestyle. From the shedding of all of our accumulated baggage and absurd “needs” to opening up to new people and opportunities, we have changed. Even if the trip was tragically cut short, I have learned new values that I will always keep with me.
At this time, I do not foresee myself returning to the 9-5. I find it very stifling. My career, while profitable, was a drain on my physical and mental health. I cannot imagine returning to a cubicle, ever. I cannot imagine sitting in an office working at least 9hrs a day, sometimes 16, for someone else’s dream. Life is way too short to live that way.
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fulltiming,
lifestyle,
money,
work
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johnny May 22nd, 2008
Thankfully, we made it through Bike Week… well, more like bike week and half when you consider we were selling food for nine days, cleaning for two half days and hauling concession stands back to Columbia for another day. I have been considering some sort of event vending as a way to make money, work our own hours and keep traveling.
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bike rally,
vending
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johnny May 13th, 2008
As I’ve mentioned, we’re working at Bike Week in Myrtle Beach currently. If we don’t post too much, it’s because we’re just too busy and tired. Wednesday was a light day, only about eight hours of setup and cleaning the concession stand. Thursday was mostly free, but starting Friday, we’ve had thirteen to fourteen hour days one after another that will continue until next Saturday.
We’re taking lots of interesting pictures, but for now, here’s a few shots of my favorite bike. Yes, you need to see it from this many angles, and yes, it plays ice cream truck music.
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Tags:
beach,
bike rally,
fred sanford,
vending
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