Wahoo! I finally made it.

The winds changed overnight, and this morning were out of the northwest as I headed out of Corsicana, TX.  That meant a nice tail wind for a good share of my journey.  :)  Once I got close to Houston, however, the gulf wind prevailed and was really blasting me from the side.  One of the things I like about traveling around Houston is that they paint the road with pictures of what lane is for what highway.  I really appreciate that in addition to the road signs.

After about 260 miles, I pulled into the volunteer village at Anahuac NWR.  What a relief that was!  After a month, I had finally made it here.  Of course, I’ve learned to not expect everything to go smoothly, and I wasn’t disappointed.  :(  After corresponding with Stephanie, the volunteer coordinator, I knew that I had a choice of two sites, and because I’ve been here three times before, I knew which site I wanted.  Well, there was a refuge vehicle with a fire crew trailer attached to it in the site I planned to move into.  Okay, so I checked out the other site (on foot).  First of all, it had a picnic table that I couldn’t hope to move in the middle of it, and secondly, there was a tree that leaned over the rear of the site which meant I couldn’t fit into it.   Ack!!

I knew everyone was on a field trip today, so no one would be around.  I unhooked the toad, and Emma and I sat out at the picnic table in the 90* heat to wait for everyone to return.  In about an hour, Stephanie and all the volunteers returned.  Since I was parked smack dab in the middle of the entrance road, it was immediately obvious that there was a problem.  After another hour or so, a key for the truck was tracked down, and it was moved out of the site so I could move in. 

A couple of the male volunteers helped me get set up, which I really appreciated since I was feeling pretty wilted at the time.  :)  Once the basics were done, I turned on the AC and sat inside for a while until I stopped sweating.  Then I tackled the DISH set up.  I dragged all the equipment out of the trunk of the car, made some adjustments, and using a compass made my first guess of where to point it.  For the first time in over four years, I was right on the satellites without having to do any searching!   I always make a bet with myself about how long it will take me to find both satellites, but today, all bets were off.  I did a little happy dance and went back into the AC.

I’ve been in the high desert for quite a few months, so it will take a little time to adjust to the heat and humidity of the coast!  I was also reminded I was in a marshy area this evening when I took Emma out.  I had three mosquito bites in no time at all.   Ah, I’m just happy to finally be here.  :)

Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy