Loveland to Goodland

I covered almost 250 miles of ‘land’ today, and went from Colorado to Kansas.  I took the first exit for Goodland with plans to stay at the Mid America Campground, but as I gazed at the campground from the exit ramp I decided to just hop right back on I-70.  No one was staying there and the campground looked miserable right in back of a truck stop.  I knew there was a KOA two miles down the road, so I headed there.  For only $5 more, this campground is 10 times better than the other one.
There are lots of trees here, and I think I’ve discovered where all the robins from up North have migrated to so far. 
Each of the cedar trees harbors multiple robins as they take advantage of the cedar berries that are perfectly ripe for their consumption.
With so many berries to chose from, the robins can be picky.
 It’s a matter of finding just the right berry to pick.
Aha!  That one looks perfect! 
Just like we toss our heads back to swallow pills, the robins do the same to swallow the berries.  I have often picked one of these cedar berries to roll between my thumb and finger to enjoy their pungent aroma.  It makes me think of gin.  :)  They have always been hard little rocks when I’ve done this, but today they were squishy like little blueberries.

What a bonanza for these migrating robins!  There must have been close to a thousand of them in the campground.  Mother nature knows how to take care of it’s own.  As Emma and I sat outside this early evening, we were also treated to the haunting calls of many sandhill cranes.  This was so much better than the sounds of the interstate behind a truck stop!

Tomorrow, I hope to put in about the same amount of miles and end up about 30 miles South of Salina, KS.  I’m very close to a time zone change, so I’ve decided to put my clocks ahead this evening so I won’t feel I’ve lost an hour shortly after I get on the road in the morning.  I’ll have to see if I can fool my inner clock into believing that.  :)
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Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy

Working on a plan

I found it hard to believe that I had 29 visitors this morning!  Wow!  That’s quite a few people out here in the middle of the high desert of Oregon on a Tuesday morning in September.  I was busy enough that I couldn’t call the fix it place in Idaho until after lunch, but I’m all set up to get the levelers fixed next Tuesday.  At first the service department asked me to bring the rig in on Monday, and leave it for three days.  After I told them that I lived in it, they revised their plans and told me to come in on Tuesday.  I asked if I could pull in on Monday and stay in their parking lot for the night, and they said they had several spots for that with electrical hookups.  Alrighty then, I’ll be there fairly early on Monday since the sites are first come, first served.  :)  I haven’t decided yet if I’ll leave Malheur on Sunday or Monday.  We’ll see what the weather forecast is before I decide.

In the meantime, I’ve been trying to decide what route I’ll take from Boise to Houston.  It could be anywhere from 2500-3000 miles to get there depending on which way I go.  I put it on the GPS, and it routed me through Wyoming and Nebraska, but I’m thinking I might like to go through Nevada so I could maybe still stop at Death Valley NP on the way.  The GPS kept me on a lot of Interstates, but I’m wondering how US 95 or US93 might be through Nevada instead.  Have any of you traveled those roads?
I didn’t have very many opportunities to get out of the VC for photos today, but I had a few.  The resident fawn has just about lost it’s spots, and I’m wondering if maybe it is a male since I can sort of see those buttons on it’s forehead.?
I did get another chance at a pic of the black-throated gray warbler today in a more natural setting than the plant cage of  yesterday.  Man, those little warblers barely sit still for a second!
The white-crowned sparrows have arrived from the North, and really take advantage of the seeds from the bird feeder that get spilled on the ground.
I’m still filling the bird baths daily, and this robin stopped by for a dunk.  I haven’t filled the hummingbird feeders this week since they all seem to have headed for warmer climes. 

I’ve got one last day to work the VC tomorrow, and then I’ll have a couple of free days to explore and get things packed up.  I may try to do the Steen Mountain drive and hit the farmer’s market for one last haul of home grown tomatoes.  :)
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Thanks for stopping by….talk to you later,  Judy