A Very Chill Thanksgiving... Literally

 

Chapter 94: Thanksgiving, Just Us (and the Bears)

After years of loud, cozy Thanksgivings with friends, this one was just Nelson, me, and our emotional-support bears, Don Don and Grumpy. Somehow, I was still very excited. I had been planning for days.. especially the steak. A USDA Prime New York Strip, sourced after a long, disappointing Walmart steak era.

This tiny fridge was ready for Thanksgiving!


We rolled into Roaring River State Park in the cold, surprised to find it packed with campers who apparently also reject normal Thanksgiving behavior. Thanksgiving Day itself was calm and blue-skied. We walked the river instead of fishing, watched a couple of suspiciously ownerless dogs roam around, and felt mildly sad for them while also not wanting to adopt a park dog in November.


Dinner, however, was flawless. The steak hit perfect medium-rare, the fat melted like it understood its purpose, and the only seasoning needed was salt and confidence. We opened a very emotionally traveled bottle of cabernet that had survived Chicago, a train separation incident, a Microsoft outage weekend, and multiple airports. Dessert was a fruity remix tiramisu that I loved and Nelson politely endured. A Thanksgiving win.

Thankful for this awesome steak!


Chapter 95: Black Friday, Minus the Capitalism

Friday morning, Nelson fished. I slept like someone who had earned it. Later, we checked out the park’s “Black Friday Vendor Showcase,” expecting chaos and wallet damage. Instead, it was… wholesome? Four tables. Free samples. Zero spending opportunities.



Most vendors sold lures that weren’t even legal to use in winter, so we left with ziplock bags full of rubber creatures with too many legs. Inside, fly-tying legends demonstrated their craft, handed us free flies, and sold nothing. I was spiritually inspired and financially untouched. After some last-minute fishing, we packed up and headed north to Springfield, both mildly confused but very content.

Chapter 96: Fish, Beavers, and Dinner in Aquarium Clothes

Saturday felt decadent: sleeping in. No fishing alarms. The main event was the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium, which I once dismissed as “that expensive aquarium above Bass Pro.” I was wrong. Very wrong.



There were hypnotic jellyfish, a three-story tank with sharks and turtles, a paddlefish that swims mouth-open with a face only evolution could defend, and a swamp zone featuring Bucky the beaver: round, confident, and deeply offended by a duck in his sun spot. We also wandered through a fly-fishing museum that made me even more committed to tying flies that are beautiful and functionally useless.

Paddlefish (the one behind with the long 'nose') has to be some sort of evolution humor.


We were supposed to go back and change before dinner. We did not. Instead, we showed up to Ariake in full aquarium attire. Thankfully, it was freezing, so no one questioned it. Dinner was outstanding: karaage, lobster pasta, old favorites... and the owner sent us home with plans for next time. We left extremely full and very happy.

Seafood after aquarium visit... it's only fitting!


Chapter 97 : Frozen Valves, and the World’s Largest Fork

Sunday began with an RV-park luxury: a private bathroom with a chair. Naturally, this became a barbershop. Nelson got his haircut, I felt victorious, and we moved on to our checkout routine, until winter intervened.

The sewer cap was frozen shut. Then the grey water valve froze too. Even the hose had opinions about it. I panicked quietly. Thankfully, David the camp host arrived like a winter wizard with an industrial heat gun and saved the day. When the grey water finally flowed, it sounded like a slushie. A true vanlife milestone, unlocked without property damage.

Ice, ice, baby... grey tank.


Celebratory lunch was at Haruto, Ariake’s chill sibling... comforting, unfussy, perfect after a near-plumbing crisis. Before heading home, Nelson recorded his monthly ukulele challenge at the world’s largest fork (don’t ask). I sat in the passenger seat, soaking up sun like a lizard.

Hamachi Kama fed my stomach and my soul.


We ended the weekend parked overnight at a Walmart that said yes without hesitation, pouring a lot of antifreeze, sealing ourselves in, and sleeping deeply. Quiet, low-key, slightly frozen... but exactly right.



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