Merry Christmas 2020

Mathis, Texas December 25th, 2020 couldn't have been a nicer day if we were able to special order it. We woke up to a crisp sunny 47 degree morning that quickly warmed to the mid 60's by 9 a.m. As we set out for our routine morning walk along the RV park trails I suggested we hop in the truck and drive the mile to the parking entrance to a wildlife area up the road. I have noticed it since the first time we visited Wilderness Lakes three years ago and today felt like the time to go. 

I have not been birding in months.  I have learned that birding is outstanding on the heels of a couple of windy blustery cloudy days. That was what this morning delivered. The Wildlife area is located in the flood plane below Corpus Christi Lake Dam. As we walked down the trail I began to feel quite relaxed and happy to be in the woods with the sounds of the timber drowning out the man made sounds of the world just a few hundred yards away. I didn't see anything remarkable but basked in the company of some of my favorites. A Great Kiskadee joined us early and followed us, as they do,  calling and flying back and forth across the trail.  I watched thrushes busy turning leaves on the ground in the dappled sunlight looking for breakfast. The trees and bushes were busy with a number or sparrows and warblers. It took me awhile to get my brain in Texas birding mode. At first I didn't recognize the Goldfinches and Eastern Bluebirds in their winter plumage but it all came back to me rather quickly. As we walked near the spillway we came upon a huge oak tree full of activity. I stood and took in the show of a flock of Cedar Wax Wings busily eating away and flitting about. Champ wandered down to examine the spillway  that we glimpse the end of each time we leave and arrive at the park entrance across the road. 

Cedar Wax Wing

Great Egret, Snowy Egret and White Ibis at Wilderness Lakes

Great Kiskadee

Northern Cardinal

Killdeer

Lincoln Sparrow

Orange Crown Warbler

Spotted Sandpiper

I stood there alone in the woods and completely lost myself in my surroundings. The only sounds were a dozen or so bird calls, acorns falling on the ground beneath the tree alive with the Cedar Wax Wings and the distant roar of the spillway. For a moment I felt like I was in the woods in Iowa and the Christmas time homesickness I feel each year waned.

Champ and I found each other again and we headed back to the truck enjoying this quiet area along the Nueces river below the dam.

Corpus Christi Lake spillway outflow

Nueces River below the spillway

Spanish moss covered tree

We spent the rest of Christmas sitting outside enjoying the warm, sunny afternoon. We dined on a roasted chicken, potatoes, asparagus and coleslaw. I made Charro beans for Champ for the first time. Being a life long bean hater I don't cook them. This was a first on two levels. I have never made beans of any kind and I have never made a dish from scratch that I didn't taste as it cooked. When Champ filled his bowl, I had no idea what they tasted like, nor did I want to, but he said they were delicious. I'll take his word for it. 

Enjoying the Gulf view after a Sunday ride to Rockport

First time at the beach in jeans! 

Christmas day rounded out a great week in Texas that included a motorcycle trip over to the coast. Video chats with all three kids and some of the grandkids completed our snowbird Christmas routine. The weather at home today, post blizzard, didn't make it out of the single digits, serving as a reminder of why we do this. April will be here before we know it and we'll be back in Iowa with the kids. In the meantime we will enjoy this odd, secluded winter and look forward to the days when we can start to reinvent what will become a new normal.

Until Next Time... 

 

This winter is going to be a decidedly different pace from past snowbird RV park winters. That much is quite clear.  We settled into our nice corner site at Wilderness Lakes and have met up with old acquaintances and met some new ones.  We are fortunate that the pool is open, and the weather so far has been staying consistently in the lower 80’s. Great poolside weather!

2020 is resulting in closed clubhouses, no indoor activities and of course no potlucks for the holiday meals. To people who don’t leave their families to escape the cold weather, it may not seem like a big deal, but the holiday potlucks are more than a huge communal meal. It is a place of fellowship and sharing and knowing that we are not alone in our mixed emotions of choosing warm weather over family for the holidays. Misery does indeed love company and the potlucks are soothing in that aspect. The stark reality of our choice flashes like an obnoxious neon sign in a hotel window when it is just two two of you trying to pretend Thanksgiving is special. This year that feeling was felt by most everyone with the times dictating distance.  We will all carry on and do what is needed to get through this trying time with as little adverse effect as possible.

We had originally planned to drive back to Iowa Thanksgiving weekend and surprise one of the grandkids by showing up for his birthday. As the time drew near and cases spiked in our home state, we all made the decision not to travel and were glad we had intended it for a surprise, so we didn’t have to let him down. Then the real surprise came.  Schools closed and with no notice parents all over were faced with trying to facilitate home based education with their own jobs and obligations. After a few conversations with our daughter, we decided to send me back to Iowa to help. Before I knew it, I had a flight booked for early morning the day after Thanksgiving. Flying was uneventful and I was impressed with the measures American Airlines had in place to make the trip a sanitary as possible. Champ dropped me at the curbside at the Corpus Christie Airport at 6am and we said our goodbyes for will be the longest separation on our nearly 20 years together.  Up to now 4 days has been the longest we have been apart.

This morning I am starting the second school week with the boys. It is a brave new world, this online learning. The school day is a six-hour blur of Zoom meetings, for everything from CORE learning to PE and Art. Using school provided Chromebooks to take pictures of paper-based assignments and post them to the online learning portal and of course keeping the kids engaged with all the distractions of home that don’t exist in the classroom.  Cat’s jumping in their lap, being within earshot of each other as they do different work on overlapping schedules. We have worked it out and all things considered it is going well.  As a grandparent I shudder when I think too hard about what all young parents are dealing with and get angry at the thought that daycare centers are aloud to be open, ignore mask recommendations and blatantly tell parents they may or may not see to it that the kids do their schoolwork, all the while charging a premium because they know parents are stuck. If a petri-dish, disgusting daycare center can get away with all that, why the hell can’t they hold classes at school? Like many things this year it makes absolutely no sense. In a selfish way though, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. It has been a once in a lifetime experience to be here and engage with the boys on the level I have. We are making memories and I know my presence here is helping, despite my heart that aches to be with Champ in Texas and knowing he is missing me as much as I miss him. I feel fortunate that we were able to offer the help.

Art Class on Zoom

In their home work stations

Birthday boy! 

I have taken advantage of my sequestered time here at my daughters to break away and spend a safe evening with my good friend Joyce and will get to spend my son’s birthday with his family later this week. I’ll see our oldest son as well before I head back to Texas in a few days. Each morning I walk the sidewalks in the neighborhood getting in my morning 5000 steps, I am bundled up against the mid 20-degree temps in one of my son-in-law’s coats that he is letting me wear during my stay. It’s a far cry from early morning 60’s in Texas, but invigorating!

What will undeniably be the most memorable moment of the trip was when I climbed into my daughter’s car at the airport. She had purposely not told the boys I was coming. Both were sleeping when she arrived at the curbside pickup lane. Isaac, the six-year-old woke up as I was getting in the car and asked how I got here. As we were talking about my trip on the plane, the birthday boy Hunter who is nine, woke up from a deep sleep and was clearly bewildered at my presence. He stared at me closed his eyes and reopened them as if to try to figure out if it was a dream. Then he asked, "Did we drive all the way to Texas?"  My daughter chuckled and said ‘no’, and I watched him try to process it with his sleepy eyes and his curled brow.  I finally told him I had flown to Iowa and was staying for a couple of weeks.  I laughed and he sat in the backseat trying to wake up and process the fact that Grandma had come to visit!  As long as I live, I’ll never forget the look on his face when he woke up and saw me in the front seat of the car. Those are good memories.

Champ is spending his days working on projects like modernizing his outdoor stereo. The cabinet is now home to a soundbar that is wired into the motorhome dash stereo that pipes Sirius XM outside. The antiquated Radio/CD player is in the dumpster.  He piddles as he calls it and I sit in Iowa wondering what little improvements he will have made in my absence. He tells me the cats are in mourning, not understanding where I went or that I will return. It’s a weird feeling to process that I am ‘home’ because I am currently in Iowa. But I am looking forward to going back ‘home’ meaning the motorhome where Champ is in Texas. In this life, Home is a very fluid concept!

Until Next Time…

The 2020 Winter Nest

 

Last spring when we travelled home from the Rio Grande Valley, COVID19 was just beginning to rear its ugly head. I remember saying in March when this all started that I was confident things would be on the downhill slide by the time we left in early April. Well, we all know how that went. I know everyone is tired of talking about it, but one must admit, this has been a game changer for everyone. None of us is living our lives in the same way we were this time last year. I know people who have come off the road because of this and two brave souls who started this lifestyle in the middle of it.

Champ Volunteered at our regular summer gig at Saylorville and once things were underway it was a normal summer work camping wise. Full campgrounds, a couple of frisky thunderstorms and of course the historic Derecho. The only thing that differentiated the rest of the season was severe drought and low lake levels as apposed to the historic flooding of the past two summer seasons. We left Iowa on Monday having not seen several people we would normally spend time with during the summer. It felt weird to think it will be 2 years since we have seen some including our oldest grandson and his family, assuming we see them next spring when we return home. That was the hardest part.

Along the way we accepted and then withdrew ourselves from a winter gig at a big resort in Mesa, AZ. I’m starting to think we will never get to Arizona but am determined to make it happen next winter. This year is totally on me. I started having doubts about being in a big metropolitan area and did what I normally do. I looked for something cozy and familiar.  That feeling came in the form of booking our winter at Wilderness Lakes RV resort a few miles out of the little town of Mathis, Texas where we spent two good months three years ago.

The trip south was pretty awesome. We travelled four consecutive days with no adverse weather and no incidents. That almost never happens. Me purchasing my motorcycle this summer set a chain of events in motion. We traded my Equinox for the pickup with the intent of hauling both bikes in the bed. Thanks to the talents of Champ and his son Randy, plus Randy’s welder and plasma cutter the boys were able to do the fabrication necessary to adapt the tow plate from the Equinox to fit the Dodge pickup we bought. Champ installed the hardware in the bed of the truck to tie down the two motorcycles and off we went.

We pulled out of Iowa towing about a ton more than we have in the past. I am happy to report that yes, you can flat tow a ½ ton pickup with 1100 pounds of motorcycles strapped into the bed with a gas powered motorhome. No problem. Mountains might be an issue at some point, but we decided if that poses a challenge, we’ll just unhook the truck and drive them separately through the mountains.

All loaded up and ready to roll

The trip was quick and to the point. Even though we didn’t dawdle and sight see we did get to spend a wonderful evening with my cousins in Kansas and caught up with one of our adult grandsons in OKC who was there with the tree company he works for cleaning up the devastation from an ice storm the previous week at a golf course in the area.

A fun welcome at my cousin's home in Kansas

Boondocking on our first night

The election debacle rages on, COVID is about the same here as it is at home. But at the end of the day we are in our winter spot. The new swimsuit I ordered online was waiting for me when I arrived today. The pool is open and afternoon highs are in the  90’s. Trails for walking wind through the woods that surround the park, and the winter will unfold into a new kind of snowbird reality. The next couple of days will be a blur of setting up our winter nest and meeting our new neighbors.  

All landing gear down in Texas

Until Next Time…

Early Snow

 

There is a tired old joke about a first-time snowbird who straps a snow shovel to the grill of his car and drives south until someone asks him what it is. Any snowbird’s ultimate goal is to avoid snow and cold all together. It is a nice fantasy, but the truth is we still see snow at some point each calendar year. One year we had 3” in south Texas around Thanksgiving. Granted it was gone by Noon and the guys were pitching horseshoes in 60-degree temps that afternoon. We have seen April snow in Iowa more years than not since we started escaping.

Not amused

What I never expected to do ever again was drive in heavy snowfall with near white out conditions. After all we leave by late October each year. A dusting can be expected once in awhile based on my 50+ years enduring the year-round Midwest climate, but today was ridiculous.

It started snowing while I was at work. Since moving our rig to our son’s place for the last couple of weeks I am commuting 40 miles south my last few shifts. After some unwelcome early season snowfall yesterday, the weatherman said there was a 40% chance of another dusting. The dusting was in the form of heavy wet snow around 4” by the time I left at Noon. Needless to say, I don’t own a brush or ice scraper any longer. I cleaned the truck off as best I could, blasted the defrost and headed out.

As I made my way north out of the city and away from the storm, I saw 5 active accident scenes in the first 3 miles, one with two ambulances. Same story every year. People get caught off guard by the first real snow and end up in the ditches and tangled up in guard rails. The commute reminded me of the old days when I drove in adverse conditions all winter and dreamed of the day when we could get out of this godforsaken, frozen hell in the winter. At the farm there were mere flurries that weren’t sticking to anything. A vastly different scene than the one I left behind in Ankeny.

Interstate 35

If I only had a brush

Driving north, I met a number or rigs pulling south for the winter. Snowbirds like me wishing they had left last week. Still it beats the heck out of the trip of those who wait until after the holidays to leave. In true Midwest fashion it is supposed to be around 70 on Thursday. I’ll take advantage of that day to arrange my compartment and garden stuff that will go with me to Texas. The weather can and will do about anything this time of year. I’m glad I will be here for a granddaughter’s birthday who has never known us to be here for her special day. I’m grateful we are not pulling our truck and motorcycles down the interstate today in this mess. Most of all I’m grateful that my new Infrared space heater is supplementing the furnace nicely as we ride out this unseasonal cold spell in good ole’ Iowa.

The plant tables look so lonely today

It is so hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, I was basking in 100 degree heat in the Garden Center. These last weeks, I do very little in the Garden Center but am spending most of my time inside helping set up Christmas and stocking hardware freight. I have 3 shifts left, before I say goodbye to my coworkers for the winter. Like smoke through a keyhole, the weird 2020 season has all but vanished. 

Until Next Time...

 

 

The Great Debate

 

People who are full time or who stay extended periods of time in RV’s, such as snowbirds will often find themselves in a conversation about weather to leave the drain gates open or closed on the waste tanks. For the black tank there is no debate. You leave it shut! Dump, rinse and flush it once a week or so and you should have no worries, unless a grandkid drops a hot wheel or cat toy in there. (No, I am not speaking from experience.) The galley and shower tanks are up for debate and everyone has their opinion. We have argued on the side that it is fine to leave them open and let the water flow freely down the hose into the sewer outlet. Close them every now and then, like when you are on the road and all should be good. Until yesterday.

When we bought this unit, it was 11 years old. It had been used exclusively as a snowbird unit. Four months out of they year it resided somewhere in Florida and spent the rest of its life in a machine shed of a farmer, we know as Lars from the service records, in eastern Iowa. I know now that he never ever shut the gate on the gray tanks. Flash forward to this summer.

The few times we have been in a campground with no sewer we have always wondered what the deal was with the galley tank. The kitchen sink and washer/ dryer is on a dedicated tank. We knew it was only 18 gallons but have never been able to make it through a weekend without it filling. We chalked it up to after several years of being on full hookups almost all the time we just don’t conserve like we used to and aren’t as aware of our usage as we were in the days when we could go 7 days on our storage tanks. This spring on the way home from Texas, we began to suspect we had some buildup in the tank. No big deal we thought. Nothing a little Liquid Plumm’r and some sloshing down the highway couldn’t handle, right?  It would be nice if it had worked that way.

When we left for Duluth in August, we ran a sink of water and dumped about a cup of drain cleaner in the tank. When we arrived, the tank wouldn’t drain. After leaving the gate open overnight some seeped out. We closed the gate, ran more hot water and Liquid Plumm’r the next day before we left for the day and let it do its thing. That afternoon we pulled the gate lever and all kinds of chunky, nasty stuff could be seen in the clear fitting connecting the hose to the sewer intake. Voila’, problem solved! 

Not so fast. For, good measure we tried the same thing on our five-hour drive back from Duluth. This time, no action at all. Two things worked in our favor. First, we were back on our home pad. Second, Champ can fix virtually anything. He zipped the screws out of the panel underneath found the connection from the tank, took the fitting off and extracted a long core of nasty stuff that looked like a mixture of frozen Crisco and sand. After putting the fitting back on things ran freely.  We decided it would be good practice to close the gate once a week or so and let it fill so the solids that collected, including laundry lint from the washer, had a chance to flush out.

We pulled out this past weekend to join our family and friends at my brother in law’s acreage for a weekend of too much food, and drink, lots of fun. Again, for good measure we dumped that last of the jug of Liquid Plumm’r in the tank before driving the 40 miles home. That’s when the shit show started.

The tank wouldn’t drain. No problem, Champ has this down now. Panel off, fitting off and… let’s just say it went downhill from there. In 50 degrees and rain we realized the tank outlet was clogged terribly. In the process of trying to flush with the connection off and clear the clog he lost is poker, in this case a 14” long Philips screwdriver, in the tank. Not good. As he was cussing himself for losing his grip on the slippery poker, I heard dripping coming from the other side. I opened the main compartment door to the horrifying sight of a literal river of gray, chunky, nastiness one has to experience to appreciate flowing like a waterfall off the ledge of the upper part of the compartment where he stores all his tools and man stuff. Water always finds a path. What came out of my mouth isn’t suitable for all ages and even made me blush, not an easy task as those who know me well.

After collecting myself and making a conscious decision not to cry, I put on a pair of rubber garden gloves and started taking everything out of the compartment. I hollered at Champ that we had a huge problem, he didn’t want to hear it he had his own mess on the other side. I started taking apart all his custom storage spaces, racks, compartment etc. Everything covered in rancid gray sludge that can only develop over years of cultivation in a waste tank. After I had the compartment empty and the rain continued, I fetched our pressure washer out of the Village shed and started pressure washing the carpeted compartment. What’s more water now anyway? In the meantime, Champ had cut a whole in the side of the tank and we got the full view of why we are having trouble. It looked like a cavern in there. Stalactite and Stalagmites of hardened gray sludge live in there. Our 18-gallon galley tank is now a cavern with a small shallow river of dish and laundry water running though it day to day. I would guess there is less than 5 gallons of actual storage left in that tank. At least of gallon of that is in the discharge pipe running from the outlet to the gate valve. It looked like something from a science fiction movie in there. The Liquid Plumm’r has been working on the formations and as it loosens the hardened sludge it clogs the 2’ discharge fitting. No Bueno at all. For all I know the solution to cancer may live in there. I can’t see anything surviving that rancid, freak show of bacteria in there.

Nasty beyond words. Oh, the smell! 

Like another planet in there. 

A pressure washing, wet dry vac, and fan and it is slowly drying out in there. Odor absorbers are the compartment as it dries. Scentsy burners and Essential Oil diffusers discharge fall like aromas inside.  Our long streak of warm dry weather that would have helped it dry and air out has been replaced by cool, damp fall weather. Nice timing Mother Nature.

Champ has a plan to take the underbelly apart and remove the tank this winter when we get settled in Texas and we’ll flush it out and get the chunks out of it once and for all and start over with a relatively clean galley tank.

Next time we find ourselves inserted in one of these debates about whether to leave the gates open or closed for long stays, we will have a good argument for leaving them closed and drain them every few days. I even have pictures of something no one really wants to see. At least you don’t have to experience the smell looking at a picture! As for last evening, sometimes you can't get the shower hot enough or use enough soap to truly feel clean after some jobs. That too shall pass. 

Until next time…

That Time of Year Again

 

It’s that time of year again. 2020 has been anything but routine.  Full timers trying to make their winter plans  has been just as tenuous as everything else. Our plan went from solid in March, to unknown mid- summer to finally a solution that we call our Plan D.  We are lucky, there are some we know who are still not sure what they are doing for the winter. Still others aren’t even sure they will be in a warm climate.

We are happy with our decision and looking forward to a winter in a familiar place. We vowed not to return to the same destination twice until we had fully sampled the expanse of the southern United States, but again, this is no ordinary year.

The season change is evident in the Garden Center where I have worked this season.  The summer flowers and trees are long gone. Recently, we made short work of a load of over 1500 Mums in various sizes and combination planters thanks to an advertised sale. My boss told me to expect a huge load of Pumpkins and more Mums the middle of this month that will fill the plant tables. I am getting regular upper body workouts stocking 25lb bags of grass seed, 100’ rolls of hose and jugs of lawn chemicals; all of which are selling as fast as we can get them on the shelf. Like always, I learned a couple of cool new things this summer. The most useful was learning the value of a Pallet Jack, now my favorite implement in the garden center. I also learned; the color of a Hydrangea bloom can be manipulated from Blue to Pink simply by amending the soil to change to Ph. Cool huh?

Pumpkins have arrived

Fall flowers

Wildlife hitches a ride in on the plants this toad greeted me this morning when I was adding water to the fountains

Our fellow full timers are starting to move about as I write. A friend we met on our first job in Texas Hill Country in 2016 made the leap to full time RV living, late this summer and is staying nearby waiting to head south. Other friends we met in Florida two years ago, stopped for the weekend here at Saylorville as they make their way through Iowa. Even though the weather wasn’t the best while they were here, we did get to introduce another couple to the beauty of Central Iowa in summer and the spacious, lush sites at Prairie Flower campground. They make it a point to visit State Houses as they travel about and were able to tour ours while they were here. We got a chance to introduce them to some of our Volunteer compadres here at Saylorville, by hosting a happy hour as well.  Like other friends who have visited Central Iowa for the first time when they planned a stop to see us, they would like to return. 

Keith and Karen visiting on their way through Iowa

Happy Hour 

 

The fickle weather dealt us a hand of extremes last week.  95 degrees and very humid on Sunday was followed by steadily falling temps through Labor Day that bottomed out around 48 degrees and brought much needed steady rain. Air Conditioners got a break and within 12 hours furnaces were burning off the dust. Such is life in the middle of the country as the seasons start to change. After four and a half days of persistent rain and 50 degrees, the weather pattern finally shifted and we are basking in cool fall mornings with highs in the upper 70’s like it should be. The skies are clear and sunny and we know that quickly it will transition to the cloudy frigid winters that consume the Midwest and we will drag ourselves away from our family and head to a warmer climate.

We are seven short weeks from leaving Iowa. Another summer has flown by. We are thankful that we are healthy and safe. We have a plan and a back up plan (just in case). We are looking forward to being able to take both motorcycles south and spend it with people we met a couple of years ago and likely meet some new folks.

Until Next Time…

Riding The Storm Out

 

Full timers talk often about riding out storms. One of the insecurities of all of us is knowing how vulnerable we and our homes on wheels are to severe weather. Yesterday, Central Iowa endured a severe storm unlike we have seen in many years. A cool front approached from the west and slammed into 85-degree air with 90% humidity. The result was 100 mph straight line winds, and heavy rain the endured for over an hour.  In the storms wake are downed trees and powerlines everywhere. Roofs missing and not a single backyard trampoline left in its designated yard. Although they have determined that there were no tornadoes the damage is severe and widespread.

As far as I know there were no injuries to any of the RV Volunteers here. Nerves were a little rattled and I heard a report that one couples camper slid a few inches on the jacks the wind was so forceful. As soon as the storm passed the volunteers all rolled up their sleeves and got to work right away. 

Today, Champ is in the Bobcat with the big Grappling hook, tree picker upper thing. I had planned to spend my day off from Menards working with them, but our daughter needed help with the kids today, so I am spending the day with two grandsons. We did do some work here at the Village. A neighbor, the boys and I took an hour or so and did some cleanup here in the Village. I used it as a civics lesson to the boys and Leslie and I were still able to help in our own way and have some fun together this morning.

The  Containers took a beating but its all back to normal today. 

The entry road to our area yesterday

3" tube steel bent like a pipe cleaner. Straight line wind damage at the beach area

The campsite our friends were in over the weekend. 

Champ's job for the next several day

Hunter and Isaac watching Grandpa work

Hunter helping clean the pavillion area at the Village

Isaac hauling away what brother raked up

With 4 major camping areas the Rangers have prioritized and it’s all hands-on deck today at Prairie Flower removing downed limbs, blowing off streets and cutting down damaged trees that pose a risk. Another campground is so damaged that they are closing it and asking the campers to leave, for their own safety, so they can go in and safely remove the debris and cut down the damaged trees.

We have survived another major storm and today is a beautiful, sunny, calm day. We know there are times when RV’ers don’t dodge the bullet and we always feel fortunate when the skies clear and we are all safe.

Until Next Time…

Duluth Day 4

Duluth Day 4

It has been a very long time since something completely took my breath away when I first saw it. Jay Cooke State Park did just that this morning as I stepped out onto the Historic Swinging Bridge that crosses the St. Louis River. Not because it was a swinging bridge but for the incredible site of the geological landscape created by tectonic plate activity millions of years ago. The water clear and dark pigmented from the iron deposits looked more like root beer flowing over the small waterfalls than the usual sparkling diamond like river water. Huge slabs of rock jutted up from the river bottom. It reminded me of the rock formations at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado except black and in a river valley instead of on the side of a mountain.

View to the south from the bridge

The Swinging Bridge from the trail

Rock slabs rising up from the river bed

We arrived early around 8:30 in an attempt the get our sightseeing in before the crowds arrived late morning. It worked. We saw very few people on the rugged trail. The park was not a destination we had in mind when we decided to come here. It was recommended to us by a couple camping a few sites away who we have visited with almost daily. The first conversation was about the cats. Buster and Annie are great conversation starters as they lie around in our site wherever we are on their tethers. We meet a lot of people simply because they are initially curious about cats travelling.

We spent about 3 hours hiking around the area and marveling at the sheer force of nature. The area has been impacted not only by the tectonic plate shifts over the millennia but also volcanic activity and of course glacial activity. It is an incredibly unique and special area. With many miles of trails of varying degrees of difficulty most anyone can experience this place. I did a little birding along the way and did see a Warbling Vireo for the first time. But mostly we were focused on the rugged trail we were hiking and completely enchanted by the river bed we hiked along side and ventured out into a couple of times.

One of many tree roots exposed and gnarled from erosion over time

The trail was quite rugged. This was an easy area since it was flat through here

This baby squirrel didn't seem to care I was standing right there

Champ enjoying the view while I looked at birds

I am somewhat ashamed to admit that having spend most of my 55 years in Iowa this part of the world only 5 hours from my hometown has eluded me. We have really missed out not coming north with our camper over the years. But it is never too late to change right?

We are back at the campground enjoying our last day here. Tonight, we will brave going out in public in this new COVID society and go to a local historic brewery that’s been in operation since the late 1800’s for dinner. Then home tomorrow. Minnesota has been exceedingly kind to us this week. With picture perfect weather and miraculously no mosquitoes! We came armed with lots of repellent and never had it out. Pretty unbelievable for this area. We will leave here with many good memories, having met a few new people and a strong desire to return. If you want to learn more about this park go to: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00187#homepage  and read more about it.

Until Next Time…

                                                                                                                         

Duluth Day 3

Duluth Day 3

Today was kayaking day.  We were glad we took the advice of the woman at the marina yesterday and waited. Today was about 10 degrees warmer and the breeze was out of a better direction for the kayak trails. We arrived around 10:45 and were set up by a nice man in his early 30’s who looked more like a surfing instructor from California that a Marina guy in northern Minnesota. Nice kid, he showed us the map and when he learned that I was a birder he suggested a route that would help me indulge that part of me. He advised us on the current and how the wind direction would affect us on our route and sent us on our way after exchanging phone numbers in case we needed help.

Four hours passed like 5 minutes. We paddled south and found the island with the active Eagles nest he told us about and then crossed the channel. A big island in the middle of the river was the lunch destination. As we paddled along, we noticed a picnic table, or what was left on one, so we stopped there for lunch. A tutorial sign told us we were at Clough Island that boasted over 150 breeding bird species. It was obvious that it had at one time been maintained but had likely succumbed to budget cuts over the years. Nevertheless, we ate our lunch and I watched birds the whole time. I photographed and recorded to E-Bird a Great Crested Flycatcher, that was considered rare in the area. I was able to get a nice shot of the eagle’s nest with the mated pair and their two fledgling juveniles.

Champ cruising along the shoreline

Heading out of the marina cove into the St. Louis River channel

Juvie, Bald Eagle perched above the nest

Mature Eagle keeping an eye on me

Lunch stop at Clough Island

We learned two valuable things today. We are closer all the time to buying our own kayaks. We have used the ‘sit on top’ type twice and like them. Today day we had the ‘sit down in’ type and were not fans. They weren’t quite as stable. In my case, I don’t know how to travel light on an excursion. I go armed with my camera bag, binoculars, water bottle, cell phone….you get it. The sit on top kind have a nice indention and cover where I can stow all my stuff. Today most of what I took was in a compartment behind me where I couldn’t get to it while in motion. As my camera laid between my legs a drop of water initiated a frisky shock the left a nice burn the size of my fingernail on my inner thigh. That woke me up!

The other thing I learned was the birding is hard in a kayak! You dial in on something and get the binocs for a look. Next thing you know the kayak is turning in the current or breeze and you’re twisting to stay sighted on your bird. Then there is trying to take a picture with the kayak bobbing in the water and of course rotating in the absence of your control with the oars. I did get a couple of good bird pictures despite the challenges.

One of several species of water Lily in the river

The bridge to Wisconsin at the convergence of the river and Lake Superior in the background

Great Crested Flycatcher- fun sighting today

This was the most robust kayaking day we have had. Between the wind and the current and the active boating channels it was a challenging, yet fun and rewarding day that took us another step closer to adding two kayaks to our toy collection. The comic relief came at the very end of the day. As I beached my kayak and stood up to step out, I tripped over the seat, lost my balance and fell flat on my butt in the drink! 4 hours, wind, boats, current in and out of the kayaks several times and not a bit wet till the very end. Thank goodness I had handed my camera that was hanging around my neck to Champ, seconds before. Otherwise, I'd be shopping for a new one and these pictures would not be in this post.  I walked into the office still dripping! 

Tomorrow we will venture 20 miles south to a state park recommended to us by a couple camping near us.

Until Next Time…