Cabin fever is real, folks! After spending 2+ weeks cooped up and freezing at the farm, we had to get out for a day trip to clear out the brain fog we were both experiencing. It was finally above 50°F outside, so we decided to test out some new audio/video equipment and head to the closest state park with a big lake, Wind Creek State Park.
The road to the state park is winding and beautiful, aside from the occasional dump truck passing us, we were so happy to have warmer weather and nature to appreciate, even if just for a few hours.
One of my favorite things about visiting “tourist” or “public” parks in the middle of the typical “work week” is that there are far fewer people. When you add to this going in the “off-season,” it means even less human activities are happening. So, this was a perfect Tuesday in my book.
We saw maybe 10-20 people the entire day and all of them had better things to do than notice us. Glorious! The marina was deserted and the beaches of the lake were wide open for exploring.
Of course, work still has to be done, but it is so much easier to do when you have this view. Each time we take a trip in Loki, even if it is only for the day, we learn something new. On this day, I had to log onto a Teams call with my boss and realized that we were parked under some tree branches. Starlink doesn’t play nice with trees. The meeting was successful anyway and then I was free to explore the park with my two best buds.
Two kindred spirits to us, renting kayaks in the middle of the week. Nice! This day, we did not rent them, but it would have been a great day for it.
At Wind Creek State Park stands an old historic grain silo that once belonged to local farmer Sid Hertzfield before the area was flooded to create Lake Martin. Today, the silo serves as an observation tower where park visitors can climb to the top and take in breathtaking views of the lake.
Little known fact: Scott is not fond of heights. Well, technically, of falling from heights. On this day, he was so excited to see the view from the top that he made it halfway up before he realized that he was climbing up. I was proud of him for making it to the top and getting some great shots.
Overall, the day trip was a success and we were feeling much better about life in general once we arrived back to the farm. The equipment testing went well (video is in the works), the weather was windy, but beautiful, and we arrived back at the house with renewed visions of our plans for future travels.
Sometimes, a quick change of perspective, like a day trip to a place close-by is all it takes to shake off the cabin fever and cobwebs in the head. For us, it gives us hope and a renewed outlook for our future adventures we have planned.
