Two Tents Down

My thoughts on the "in-between" period after one travel adventure, and before another

I've been thinking a lot about traveling, lately. Creating a blog and 47 (I exaggerate) social media accounts about camping and traveling will have that effect.

Sometimes I can't believe I'm back home. After all the time I spent away from home, after all the belongings I hate to part with, and after all that I've experienced, I can't believe that I'm back home, in the same place I was before. I'm residing in the same house, working the same type of job, doing the same things in my free time, and living in the same city I lived in for the seven years before I left to travel.

These things didn't change. My house didn't change. Milwaukee didn't change. But, I changed. After coming back home, I realized that I'm different. I don't quite fit the life I was living before I left.

I don't think I'm the only person to realize this. I have fewer people in my life now. Upon my return, I realized that many of my friends moved on while I was away. That's one of the downfalls of travel. Friends' lives keep moving and building in one place, while your life grows in a different way.

My point is here, somewhere.

I've been back home for 16 months now. In that time, I:

Newbie number two

Reconnected with family and friends

Made my travel partner my permanent partner in life (Yay! We got married!).

Traveled to Virginia Beach for my cousin's wedding (Congrats, Cuz!).

Attended two other beautiful Wisconsin weddings.

Played three seasons of softball.

Joined a soccer team, for the first time!

Convinced an old job to hire me back, then convinced a new job to hire me on.

Got a promotion!

Lived at my mom's in the suburbs, then moved back to Milwaukee.

Said goodbye to two very special family members, and then said hello to three very special, new family members (Newbies, you know your names!).

Went on many hikes and bike rides.

Went camping a few times, and bought an obscene amount of camping gear (Thanks REI, for relentlessly tempting me!).

Explored two incredible national parks.

Visited two states I had never been to before.

Became Professor Trelawney for one glorious night!

Devoured 17 books (and counting).

Started this blog.

Made a solid plan to hike the Appalachian Trail in 2017.

Even after reminiscing on all the adventures of the last 16 months, I can't help but feel like the monotony of daily life is stifling my wanderlust needs. I got a taste of traveling. I got a taste of a wildness that I had never felt before. Now I'm home, and writing about those experiences.

Though my travels were far from perfect (and even farther from easy), I know that I need to get back out there again, soon. And once my home life is in order, I'll be planning and saving for future exploration.

To put it simply, more adventures are calling!

Dear Readers,

Do you feel the pangs of unfulfilled travel? Have you grown tired of the day-to-day grind? What do you do to ease the wanderlust, while you're doing the home life thing, and waiting for the next big trip?

Feel free to leave a comment, send me an email (twotentsdown@yahoo.com), or contact me through social media (twotentsdown on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).

If you need me,

I'm just Two Tents Down!

Hiking in the Greenbush Area

A few weeks ago, my wife and I headed out on a day hike in Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Park. The park is filled with picnic areas, scenic views, winding hilly roads, and beautiful trails used for a variety of sports..Needless to say, we love going there!

Unfortunately, we have gotten lost on our way to this park almost as many times as we have been hiking in it. The directions on the DNR website are so basic, I've ended up miles out of my way, and had far too many minutes stolen from my hikes.

So this time, I decided that I would document our route to the Greenbush area (from Milwaukee), so that other people don't have as much trouble finding it. Oddly enough, we did not get lost this time, and instead found our way perfectly, with no wrong turns or hang ups. Murphy's Law, right? Not really!

Rhesia went out of her way to figure out the basic area we needed to get to, looked up a map, zoomed in, found an intersection, typed that into Google maps, and finally Siri took us to where we needed to go. Not so simple.

GPS Coordinates of the Greenbush picnic area

Here are the exact coordinates I expertly triangulated (Just kidding! I just used the compass app on my iPhone thanks to theses instructions.):

You can enter these GPS coordinates into Google Maps or a maps app on your Smartphone. If step-by-step street directions are more your thing, I've also included some of those below.

Directions to Greenbush picnic area

I took the photo to the right, as I was getting out of the car. This is the view from the small parking lot. A short walk up that path, are bathrooms and a bulletin board with a map of all the trails in the area, and some ever-changing park alerts.

But you have to get there first! Below, I'm going to offer you Siri's directions, with my own little tidbits added in.

These are directions from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to the Greenbush Area parking lot on Kettle Moraine Drive in Campbellsport, Wisconsin:

1. Head North on I-43 (towards Green Bay).

Stay on I-43 for about 23 miles.

2. Take Exit 97 (towards Plymouth), which is called Hwy 57 North.

You'll be on this path for another 23 miles.

3. Turn left on 23 West (towards Greenbush).

This turn will come about a half mile past a Fleet Farm on your left hand side.
Stay on 23 West for about 7 miles.

4. Turn left onto County Road T.

This turn comes just after a quarry on the right and a trailer park on the left,
Look for a green sign that says "Greenbush".
Stay on County Road T for about 1.2 miles (through the tiny town of Greenbush)

5. Turn left onto Kettle Moraine Drive.

Follow this road for 1.7 miles until you see a picnic area on your right hand side.

Greenbush Picnic Area

You've made it! This quaint and beautiful picnic area is a hub for so many trails. There are tables and bathrooms, and plenty of space to spread out.

Note: If you're parking a car in the lot, you must have a Wisconsin State Park sticker on your window. If you don't have one, you can apply for one on the spot. There are applications and a deposit bin available for the convenience of last-minute visitors of the park. This method is based on the honor system. When you see how beautiful this State Park is, I hope you'll be as inspired to honor it as I was.