How I Became a Vagabond

[INTJohn]

Took this pik when I left Tate's Hell and was pulling unto Highway 98. I saw a dolphin surfacing a couple times to breathe prolly while chasing fish and was able to get a pik of its fin. Was with my phone camera so not good but if you zoom in I think you can see the fin.

I sent it to an acquaintance and here's the conversation:
ME: just took this pik. Zoom in center its a dolphin fin

Frend: I see the fin. Thanx!
           A yr ago I was in Maui. Whales winter there & i saw dozens. Is it a shark? how do you tell?

ME: I saw it surface & breathe 3 times b4 getting the pic
       It said to me, "Jonn, I'm not a shark. Can't you see the hole in the back of my head where I breathe?
       Its not as big as the one in yours jonny boi but dude mine worx!

Frend:

 

[INTJohn]

See the pretty purple bungee cord that secures my 3 gallon jug of water inside my truck? Its there so when I'm driving somewhere I don't end up with the inside of my 'house' all sopping wet with 2 to 3 gallons of water splashed all over practically everything I own. I get so pissed off at myself when I arrive someplace and immediately notice fluid dripping from the truck box; realizing that my interior water supply has been dispersed over who knows how many miles of road and upon opening said 'house' door I can assess how much of the water has been retained by what ever of my clothes, sleeping bag, etc anything & everything that can absorb that H2O that I don't want to absorb H2O.
Yep ole man dementia struck and I realize I forgot to secure my water jug...............AGAIN!

 

[INTJohn]

I've made it to the Florida Panhandle sometime around 1Feb having spent the better part of 3 months beach bouncing around the Fla peninsula. 500ish miles north of Key West & its a lot kooler temp wise than there.
After leaving Tate's Hell I went West to St. George's Island St. Park (on ya gest it, St Georges Island) and bunkt up nights not far from the light house area.The park entrance being 3 miles East. This is a Huge park with MILES of beach, several large parking lots that are miles apart with intermittent smaller p lots. There's a campground tucked back in there, too. Much of this park buildings, etc was destroyed from Hurricane Michael and many of them were either closed or in the process of being rebuilt and the road to the north 4.5 miles of the park was closed, again due to Michael but you could walk or bicycle the beach........


Left: Isn't that a beautiful sight? The Gulf of Mexico sandwhiched between a beautiful blue sky and a gorgeous beach and nobody BUT NOBODY anywhere in sight. 
Center: A lil turnout p lot where I spent most of a day.
Right: Some of the damage done by Michael.

 

[INTJohn]

Was at St. George's for 5 days & 5 nights and of course had to go look for shells. Day 2 or 3 was time to beach hike the north 4.5 miles & I'm thinkin after a mile or 2 maybe can slop into some nice finds. It was a cold (for the Panhandle) morn with a brisk wind so I'm in my Ecco boots (sted of sandals or barefoot), blue jeans (sted of boards or shorts) and wore a long sleeve T under a leather jacket (sted of sleeveless T).

While saw some nice shells, nothin I didn't already have, so ignored them till I had hiked the entire 4.5 mile coast. Once there I'm seeing soem good possibilites out there & it was low tide shallows so I strip down to my shirt & skivvies and I'm out there in knee deep water fishin 4 shells and man I hit the jackpot!

Look at that sea shell booty! Those larger shells are Lightening Whelks and that one In pik to right is the absolute largest one I've ever found; around 13" long tho all the specimens are awesome. I especially like the bluish black color they've acquired frum an iron sulfide rich mud burial. Lightening Whelks are the only shell that is Left Handed, like me; & I call them Lefty Whelks.


The pik on the left is of the largest Sharkseye I've ever found - Almost 4" in diameter and on the right is the largest Scotch Bonnet and Nutmeg I've ever found.
Then I had to get my cloths back on and lug all those shells the 4.5 miles back to the truck. Was more than worth it.

 

[INTJohn]

After leaving St. George's continued west to Panama City Beach where spent some time at St. Andrews St. Park. This park is WAaaay tooo busy for me and was really the only Fl St.Park I went to that I prolly won't return to. 
Itsa very nice park with a lot of activity diversity but too many vacationers/retirees/ole peeps doing what that group does which just ain't my scene. 


I did enjoy the park natives, however........
INTJohn

 

[INTJohn]

Thurs 6 Feb, I spent the entire day inside my truck parked at M.B. Miller co. Park, Panama City Beach as there was an all day major storm moving thru. 10 - 15 foot Waves were crashing on shore with severe weather; t-storms with tornado activity.

This is pik of the Gulf frum inside the truck during almost all day storm. After spending that night in PCB, I awoke and left PCB continuing west toward Pensacola.
INTJohny Luzsha

 

[INTJohn]

After leaving PCB I stopped at Grayton State Park for the day to walk the beach & see how the storm wind & waves of the previous day had eroded & reconfigured the shoreline into something brand new and see what I might find.

Above pik is example of some of the erosion that took place and a little farther look what I discovered.

Yep, an extremely rare find that had been hidden in the sand that the storm revealed. This large sea turtle skeleton. I was ecstatic and picked up the skull thinking I have a find of a lifetime. While i was walking back along the beach carrying my 'prize" one of the Park peeps had seen me carrying it and they came up and said, "You know we can't let you keep that." I was like huh? 

"No, we can't let you keep that. Sea Turtles are endangered & protected and its against the law to even possess any skeletal remains, even tho you found it." So the Florida Wildlife officials and the State Park peeps confiscated the sea turtle skull I found. I said to them well I can show you where the rest of the skeleton is. OK, they said & they roped/cordoned the area off for scientific excavation. Skull is about 8" in diameter. They were like , yeah, "the Turtle People" are definately going to wana take a look at this."

Gawd, I was pist, but I cooperated, but damn I wanted that skull. Government fukerz, I thought, they should have me on contract$$$ to find their effing **** for them. OK - At least I got the pix and the experience of discovering it. Extremely rare find I'd guess and I'm sure I'll never experience anything like finding another big ass sea turtle skeleton again in my life but Gah Damn tho I wanted that skull bad.....

Ok, I'm over it........sorta.
INTJohnny Luzsha

 

[INTJohn]

Left Grayton and spent time at Navarre Beach. This is the quietest beach town I've ever been too. Slept 2 nights here and then spent time at Opal Beach: Gulf Islands National Seashore. I LOVE this beach.
From here I spent about 10ish days in the Pensacola Area bouncing back & forth from Opal Beach to the East to Big Lagoon St. Park to the West.

My quasi-adopted "grand dawter" is in the Navy and is stationed in the Pensacola area and we hung out together for much of a couple weekends. I've known her since she was 14 as her mom & step dad are long time beach peep vagabond friends of mine frum Lake Michigan. She's the one on the right on top of my Burb in the pic at post #22 of this thread.

Pik on left is she & I at Opal Beach & pik on right is her on top of the superduty. (Eat yur hearts out guys)
From here it was into Alabam........
INTJonny Luzsha baybee

 

[INTJohn]

Hung out a quiet lil park area on the East side of Mobile Bay at Fairhope Al for a couple days. There's a nice pier there with a beach bar/restaurant about halfway out on the pier so had to embibe & enjoy. Next AM I left for Mississippi where I hang out for a few days at the Long Beach/Pass Christian area West of Gulfport. Frum here its into Loozyanna, yeah it was Mardi Gras time but I pass on that one, too - been there done that.........


Spent a couple days at Rutherford Beach, La, above pik and then it was onto Holly Beach, La. via the Cameron Ferry. West bound costs a dollar; east bound is free. About a 15minute wait.
Holly Beach is one of my spots and been stopping & hangin there for many moons........

 

[INTJohn]

One can drive right out unto the beach here and stay for free for as long as one wants. I've been coming here for awhile & enjoy the scenic beach remoteness, peace & solitude. Outside of evening mosquitos I pretty much have the place all to myself.

Sunrise.........                                            Sunset............


At low tide you can see the Gulf's fingerprints. Found 2 Scotch Bonnets.


At low tide the Gulf reveals a casualty of a long forgotten storm............


Morning, gettin ready to head out toward Texas.

 

[INTJohn]

Drove into Tx and spent 3 days & nights at Magnolia Beach. Its ok place, free on the beach, gets a lil crowded for me sometimes. Don't wana b there on the weekends. Nice place to ship watch.
  


Left there and took the ferry to Port Aransas on Mustang Island which leads you to Padre Island National Seashore...........

 

[INTJohn]

Padre Island is one of my fav spots to kamp/park on the beach and there's 2 spots you can do it for free. North Beach & South Beach. There's a pay "campground" in between which is just a long tarmac place to park really & its usually full - least when I've been there which is fine with me or them peeps might be crowding the beach up by me. Haha. I've stayed at South Beach before and driven as far as 30 miles to Big Shell but No more; while I always take a short 5 mile drive or so when there I prefer North Beach.

 
Left: You are liable to see almost anything camped at South Beach
Right: my view at my spot at North Beach

 
My South Bch spot.     A totem somebody made from a piece of driftwood. Kool,eh?

 

[INTJohn]

Correction on the pik above showing my "blue dot" location - it should read "My North Bch spot".

I left Padre Island Seashore a lil bit sooner than I really wanted to but the next couple days weather was calling for windy conditions and sitting all day inside the truck vs being beach sandblasted by 25mph winds wasn't my idea of a good day at the beach so I moved on to South Padre Island (SPI).

SPI during March is is one of the few places I give myself a "Social Fix". March is Spring Break for the college peeps and SPI is one of thee main Spring Break party places in all of USA. I let my hair down and party like a rock star with the "breakers". You can park 24/7 on much of the beach (Beach Access #5, etc) or there's other spots that I won't divulge - sorry.

I absolutely love the young people & they're all just a beach blast. Love them telling me what they're studying, their plans for their lives, what they're studying, where they're from; their dreams, visions & goals for their lives. A pleasure to be around, interact with , their energy. I party with them mainly at the 6 hour Long Beach Party held at Clayton's-The Biggest Beach Bar in Texas.

https://claytonsbeachbar.com

Once in a great while like a couple years ago some of them can talk me into one of the nightly concerts........ haha.



A few pix that are typical.......

 

[INTJohn]

Monday, 16 March I left SPI. The Covid-19 Event was beginnig to hit full stride and karma was telling me it was time to go as I could sense the beach party and spring break in general was going to get shut down........

Did my laundry, washed the dried salt water spray off the truck, loaded up the food supply, filled up with fuel & water and HE GOWN! Drove all the way across Tx and spent Monday Eve at Loozyanna Welcome Center.
Woke up Tues and drove all the way across La to hang out in Ms back at Long Beach, etc. The morning of 19 Mar I drove back into Fla and hung out at Big Lagoon St. Park and this is when the Fl St. Parks were all ordered to close at 5 pm vs the usual sundown time which at this time of year is around 7pm due to Covid.

I was thinkin does covid only work 2nd shift? What is Covid going to do to me between 5 & 7 pm that it can't do between 8 am & 5 pm???? Made no sense to me and I thought just close the parks all together or leave them alone...... then the beaches were shut down tho the St. Parks remained open till 5pm........


These 2 pix taken at Pensacola Beach area are typical. 
There wasn't any reason for me to hang at the Coast if I can't enjoy a Beach so I decided to move inland & enjoy the beautiful North Florida scenic State Park wilderness forests so thaz wha i did.
INTJohnny Luzsha baybee

 

[INTJohn]

Headed north and spent time at both Falling Waters St. Park & Three Rivers St. Prk having to leave at 5pm & spending the nights of 21 & 22 Mar at the I-10 rest area at 161 mile marker.  On Monday morning, 23 Mar when I woke up & checked the park status found that the Governor of Fla had completely closed all the state parks, all the campgrounds & the Nat. forest campgrounds were all closed as well.

I'm thinking where's a guy supposed to go to "Social distance" & isolate? Drove to the Osceola National Forest, West of Jacksonville and found a great place way back in the middle of nowhere off a trail where I spent the entire week of the 23rd March till sat morning, 28 Mar. The entire week I saw a truck drive by on Wed & a quad went by on Fri- that was it for traffic. I thought there might be more traffic on the weekend so left Sat morn & drove to Four Creeks St. Forest and spent the weekend there.

At this point the entire country was Shutting down, there was panic & Covid Kra Kra. I spent Sunday night bunked up in the North Bound I-95 Ga Welcome Center and when I awoke at about 4:45 Monday morn I decided it was time to head back to Michigan one month early. I usually don't return to Mich till May 1st but due to Covid, returned a month early.

All the shells I had collected since before xmas i planned on dropping off at my daughter's in NC but that didn''t happen as I left the Ga Welcome center near Kingsland and headed straight back to Mich. Spent Monday night north of Indianapolis ; and arrived back at my spot I've named Kamp Koon here in West Michigan on 31 March.
INTJohn

 

[INTJohn]

  
These 3 pix are my week spent "Somewhere, Osceola National Forest


Four Creeks State Forest


"When you come to the fork in the road; take it"; Yogi Berra
INTJohnny Luzsha baybee alway have alway will

 

[INTJohn]

First week of April, 2020;
Back at Kamp Koon a month earlier than expected because of The Pandemic along with the governmental reactions its caused. All is OK & good on my front, tho. No bitchin, gripes, bickering or complaints on my end. A great nights sleep & livin relatively pain free is my idea of a good day. Yep.

To backfill & remind a lil about Kamp Koon tiz my late spring, summer & early Fall hangout here in West Michigan (near Lake Michigan) and is where I park my trailer known as "The Box". Kamp Koon is best described as a "Base Kamp" as I frequently will leave here for days or a weekish at a time hangin out at some Lake Michigan Beach. To learn of how I acquired Kamp Koon goto post #29 of this thread and for some recent pix goto post #33 of this thread. thanx.

Have managed to get enuff food to carry me thru the pandemic for awhile tho now that some of the meat processing plants are closing I'm a lil concerned that I may need to shoot one of the numerous turkeys or squirrels that frequent the area but so far don't plan on and haven't needed to murder any.

Did contact the State Forest Service peeps to get me a firewood cutting permit to cut me some firewood on the state land and they were like; Yeah John, go ahead & cut what you need - just dead stuff tho; don't worry about a permit. Go get want ya want. They're normally kind of strict about a permit but I guess Covid got them lazy, too. Lol. I cut 4 truck loads of nice dead white oak, 8 inches dia or less into 8 & 10 foot lengths; loaded into the back of the truck and have it piled up here at Kamp.

Been kold this week , too. about 25 degrees F below normal for this time of year. Kampfire weather. My usual neighbors are about aswell; the already mentioned turkeys & squirrels, 5 deer show up about every other day. Pair of wood ducks circling kamp getting ready to nest in their tree - I assume it's the same pair as last year. the owls hooting off in the distance, etc.......
Welcome BacK; INTJohnny Luzsha baybee

 

[INTJohn]

Spent the first week gettin settled back in, etc


.....and here's WHY! I don't wana return to Kamp Koon before May 1. Kold & Snow. Woke up to this stuff April 12 I think. Thanx Covid. I spent much of my life workin in the snow & kold of the Michigan Wilderness and I just ain't in tune with it anymore. Its why today I prefer "Warm". OHhhh and a Beach.


Thats me (above) doing a stream meander survey, part of the Muskegon River Wilderness Basin back in Jan. 1995. Had enuff of snow & kold. Next year I won't be back till May - covid or no covid.

INTJohnny Luzsha baybee alway have alway will

 

[INTJohn]

Mid April '20

Been a gorgeous day at Kamp Koon and I spent it slicing up 1 of the log piles I had gathered this past week into kampfire length and then stacking it. Also decided I needed to cut down 2 10" dia, 70ish foot tall poplar trees that were leaning toward where the truck & The Box are parked. I was concerned because I noticed that over the winter a pileated woodpecker had done a number on both of them - just about had them sawn in half and they were rotted inside with ants living in them which is why that woodpecker was so interested in them in the first place. I was like, yeah, those gotta come down before their leaves sprout out and become a huge sail for a T-storm to bring them down where they might do some major damage. They're green so I'll turn em into ash this fall.
INTjohn

 

[INTJohn]

Near end of April, '20
18 April was openning day of spring turkey hunting so for the last 10 days or so I've had to deal with some of the hunters driving around trails and hearing shots off in the distance. Personally, I've never hunted the things, but don't get me wrong, I'm not against shootin them, perse', I've just never bought a license/permit to make it legal and I've never ever gone out of my way to "bag a big tom turkey."

A turkey to me is  more of a "target of opportunity" kinda thing; i.e. I'm putsin around Kamp Koon and one of these things comes sidling along and I happen to start salivatin' about baked turkey fillets well I'm not above grabbing the rimfire and poppin it in the head. But its like never been on my "must have to do bucket list"........

SOooo I've always kinda wondered about turkey hunters in search of the Mighty Ferocious Tom Turkey.
First off they gotta have some big ass shotgun that typically costs anywhere from 500$ on up to 1000$ or more just to shoot the thing with. then they need some 100 or 200 $$ camo suit along with boots, etc. so's they blend intro becoming "one with the woods"; yep a regular jack pine savage turkey killer; you know , I guess so Tom Turkey doesn't like spot & attack them first and maybe, idk, peck them to death or somethin'. Then they carry all of these different turkey calls that mimic varying sounds of Turkey Talk, too. Yep, evidently itsa real scientific wilderness "Great White Hunter/ indiana Jones safari adventure...........

I'm thinkin'  tho, dudes - Idk if you know it or not but you can go right down to WalMart and buy them things for 99 cents a pound - pick the right day you get 2 for 1. They're all plucked & cleaned, some of em even got a lil plastic thing in em, pops up and lets you know when they're done........

Jus sayin............ INTJohn Luzsha baybee