.

.
Borrego Springs, CA

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Another trip for ice

After vacuuming and cleaning the inside of the rig this morning, I unlocked the front gate and headed out to get another load of ice.  The little store is about 10 miles away, so I figured the round trip would take me less than an hour.  Turns out, I had a couple of delays along the way in and out so it took a little longer.

IMG_0380I had barely gotten on the road when I had to stop to let this family of trumpeter swans cross the road safely.  This is one of the reasons I always bring a camera with me when I leave the rig.  My motto is “Don’t leave home without it!”  Winking smile

IMG_0381

If you visit Yellowstone, you’re bound to have to stop for a bison jam.  I guess this is Minnesota’s form of a jam.  Wildlife has the right-of-way on a refuge.  This pair of trumpeters has done well to raise three signets this far.  They ought to be learning to fly pretty soon.

IMG_0382

Of course I had to stop a few times for some foliage pictures on the way out of the refuge despite the overcast skies.

IMG_0384

A little further down county road 21, I saw a grandfather type person standing next to a pick-up with the hood up.  Steam was rolling out from the engine.  On the other side of the road was a man and his teenage son walking down the highway.  I stopped and asked if they needed help.  I knew I couldn’t help with the truck, but as it turned out I gave the father a ride to his house about two miles down the road.  It seems a hose or something had burst on the truck motor.  The father and son were going to walk home while the Grandpa stayed with the truck.  I had room for one, since no one in their right mind would want to sit in the back seat with bouncing Emma.  I did my good deed for the day, and continued on my way.

IMG_0395

I picked up three more bags of ice, and on the way home the clouds cleared out and this maple tree just seemed brilliant in the sunshine.

IMG_0391

I liked the contrast of the red leaves against the greens of the white pine and balsam fir boughs.  Can you see the remodeled headquarters and visitors center in the background?  Those are all solar panels on the sloping roof.  Staff was supposed to move back in and the visitors center reopened this coming week.  With the shutdown, who knows when that will now happen.

It was a short, but interesting trip for ice this afternoon.  I was thrilled to see the sun come back.  I’ll leave you tonight with another mushroom comic from my anonymous reader.

mouseroom copy

                                                     The mouse count is now up to five caught.

I’ve got all my fingers and toes crossed that the repair person will set me free tomorrow…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

28 comments:

  1. I love it when the geese or ducks or swans cross the road and all the traffic stops. They know they're bound for water of some kind.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed for you too, Judy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think we all are hoping that the repair gets there tomorrow.

    The maple trees are so gorgeous!

    Thanks for the laugh.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Are these the geese that were born late? Shouldn't they have flown off by now and will they survive the winter if they don't get to leave on time?
    I love the autumn leaves what color you can pick up with that camera.
    Sure hope you get results tomorrow and can be on your way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. My fingers and toes sre crossed too! Those trees are so besuriful

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a thrill to stop for the swans. I had to stop once for a duck family! It made my day. The trees are beautiful! The red maple sure stands out!

    Fingers and toes are crossed for you from Georgia too!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Those trees are gorgeous! Is that a Beaver Lodge in the pond?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now, that is the kind of traffic jam I would like.

    That maple is gorgeous. We're seeing some color here too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Judy have you ever thought of trying Peppermint Oil to deter your mousy friends? We used that in our MH when we were traveling and it really does work. Soak some cotton balls with Peppermint Oil (you can find at health food stores) and place them in your bays or where ever you think they are entering. Mice really don't like the smell and it smells quite nice to us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I will cross my fingers and toes, too. We tried the peppermint oil like Sandy did and it didn't work for us--made our rig smell good though!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Love those brilliant Maple trees. I always get a swelling type heart surge when I see people stopping for whatever animal is crossing THEIR right of way. ... especially people who will stop for turtles ... building up good karma with the good deed l)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful Maple trees. Looks like the mushrooms are on to you!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I forgot how red the maple leaves get- just beautiful. Good luck with your repair person!

    ReplyDelete
  14. fabulous fall foliage shots. . .and the swans were great too!

    here's hoping the repairman is there by now, and you will be able to be on your way. . .

    ReplyDelete
  15. Judy, I got a tip from a follower in a comment: "I just saw this and thought you might appreciate: DIY Tip of the Day: Better Bait. Mice don’t spend all their time foraging for food. They also search for bedding materials. Instead of baiting traps with cheese or peanut butter, try cotton balls. Just tuck the cotton into the trap mechanism. While the mouse is trying to tug it free, the trap is sure to spring. You can use the trap again and again without rebaiting, and your pets won’t be tempted by the bait."

    I'm hoping for NO MORE MICE!, but if I do have another problem with them, I'm going to put one trap with peanut butter next to another trap with lightly balled-up Kleenex and see what happens. Plus, paper doesn't go bad or rancid like peanut butter can after a while.

    Do you know how they are getting in? :(

    PS - The tip came from Barbara at http://babybloggingboomer.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good luck Judy, getting the repair you need. The trees are gorgeous and the trumpeter swans are too!

    Cheers,
    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  17. Those leaves are just brilliant!! Lucky for those folks on the roadside that you were kind enough to stop...The world is so scary these days, I'm not sure I would have, especially alone...Oh, maybe Emma was with you...Hope you get set free soon...We are going to make a break for it after Thanksgiving...hopefully.

    ReplyDelete
  18. The mice are invading everywhere! Noah (cat) got one here and John got two! You are two up on us and that is okay. I imagine if someone sat with Emma in the back seat, she'd lick them to death!

    ReplyDelete
  19. You are reminding me to set a trap in my car. I've had lots of problems with mice living in the car and eating the insulation off wires. I'm waiting to check out - my boss is coming over. Then just have to shoehorn a few more possessions into the car and will be ready to head for Texas early tomorrow.

    Happy Trails to you as well.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I hope this was your last trip for ice. If you stay there much longer, ice will be coming to you... :cO

    ReplyDelete
  21. Great color on the maple tree. I admit I would rather wait for the buffalo:)

    ReplyDelete
  22. What a wonderful traffic delay. The colors of Fall are great. We are also enjoying them in PA.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Colors are beautiful! Sometimes I think they are even prettier when the skies are grey. Nice that you could help out the truck family. And cool you got to photograph the swan family! I hope you do get sprung tomorrow! I'm bet you can hardly stand it! Though you are in such a beautiful place. I guess it won't be so beautiful in November though...better get moving!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Gorgeous photos. And, I love the family of geese; they deserve the right-of-way. Thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for sharing with us, and good luck with the fridge repairs.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great picks as always. Hope your fridge is fixed by now and you have caught or scared off the rest of the mice.

    ReplyDelete

  27. This is so interesting blog. You are best listing knowledge provide at this site. I am very excited read this nice article. You can visit my website.
    Spring TX air conditioning service

    ReplyDelete