Good home cooking continues to be found as we put the Midwest behind us. To celebrate paying off our trailer at a US Bank branch in Sheboygan, WI and to put a couple persistent hangovers at ease after way too many with the Schwabenlanders, we stopped in Brillion, WI for fuel and decided to grab lunch somewhere.

There was Mom’s Place Family Restaurant in a plain building with laundromat next door. And there was an authentic looking roadside diner with Rudy’s written in neon and a sidewalk sign promoting the daily special of Roast Chicken. The choice was simple.

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Wisconsin has turned out to be a favorite state, and by the time we arrived in Belgium WI, about 40 minutes north of Milwaukee, lakeside, we thought, “hey, we could really live here.” The area is gorgeous. Rolling hillsides and farmland, quaint towns, roadside farmer’s markets, trees, and quiet county roads winding through the countryside.

My brother-in-law grew up in this old farming community (pop. 2000), and almost all 9 of his siblings, and parents, still live in the area today. Sherry, my brother-in-law’s sister, and her husband Dave generously let us set up our rig on their property. They have an incredible block of land out in the countryside, 40-acres that have been in the family for years, complete with horses, a pond, a garden, beautiful landscaping that the two have done all themselves, and trails in a forested area. It’s the perfect example of what Jim and I are looking for when we land somewhere.

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We’ve been thinking of various new business ideas for ourselves when we complete this journey. If at that time I am still interested in starting an RV park, somebody please remind me about Sunshine Valley.

On our corn-stealing morning run when staying near Eau Claire, WI we just had to check out the campground down the road from its dilapidated sign. The first thing we noticed was the For Sale sign at the edge of the property. Then we noticed the “Closed” sign at the campground entrance. Then we noticed how much work someone had put into this little campground and how long it had been since anyone had obviously even parked a tent there, not to mention an RV.

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I have to share this New York Times article I just got from the Redwood Technology Consortium mailing list about location-neutral rural transplants since it focuses on urban refugees transplanting themselves to Steamboat Springs, CO – in Routt County where we really enjoyed our stay at Seedhouse Campground.

We were considered urban refugees ourselves when we moved from San Francisco to rural Eureka, CA ten years ago. And since we served clients with graphic design services via the web at the time, you could have also called us location-neutral since we could have chosen to run our business from anywhere.

Looking at the size of towns we’ve been admiring lately, one might once again consider us urban refugees even coming from Eureka. That is if we end up in a place like Fergus Falls, MN or Belgium, WI. Whether or not we remain location-neutral when we finally plant roots somewhere again depends on exactly what we plan to do when we get there. And that depends on exactly where there is. The only challenge will be finding land at property prices that haven’t been driven too high by all the refugees that beat us there.

In campgrounds across the nation, at dusk when the light is just right, if one listens carefully, the chirp of the Twilight Honker can be heard announcing nightfall and the paranoia of fellow campers. With a scientific name like Honkalarmus Paranoiac, one can imagine frail little birds taking flight at the slightest hint of danger. The truth is, these annoying beasts are the result of discourteous, mistrustful campers everywhere.

It is inevitable that you will hear someone setting their car alarm as night falls in any campground. What’s funny is to hear the next few car alarms being set by others who heard the call. What’s not so funny is when someone sets off their alarm disrupting the relative peace and quiet of evenings and mornings in the great outdoors.

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