Making a new friend

Shortly before I arrived at Anahuac, I received an email from one of the reader’s of my blog.  She said she lived in Houston and would like to meet me.  She is a fulltime wanna-be, and was hoping we could get together while I was volunteering here.  Well, today was the day, and I met Pam Hensley in the parking lot of the grocery store in Winnie, TX.  From there, we went out to lunch, and then headed back to the refuge.

After giving her a tour of my rig, and having her meet my more than exuberant traveling companion (AKA Emma), we sat outside and had a real chin wag.  :)  Most of you know how it goes with meeting someone interested in this lifestyle…you are immediately at ease and the time just flies as you chat away. Thanks for the lunch, Pam, and I hope to meet up with you again sometime on the road! 

 

Emma, of course, was thrilled to have another human to get excited about, and it was great to have someone that understood her excitement.  :)  We spent a very enjoyable afternoon together.

 

One of the benefits of having someone new coming to visit is that it forced me to give the rig a good cleaning.  I’m not a total slob, but things do tend to accumulate on my table if it’s just me, and thorough cleaning isn’t always at the top of my list of things to do.  :)  So, now I’m basking in the orderliness of my rig.  Wonder how long that will last!

As Emma, Colin, and I sat outside this evening, I was hoping for a spectacular sunset.  But, I guess any sunset is better than no sunset.  :)

 

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

Still waiting to move on

When I took Emma out first thing this morning, I noticed that there was no rain, but, oh my gosh, the wind was a howling!  I really wanted to be on my way to get out of Oklahoma into Texas, so I prepped everything inside.  I turned on the TV to the local news station, and most of the news was all about the weather!  Lots of warnings and watches, so I checked my online weather source, and the radar for where I was going to travel was not good.  Once again, I debated with myself, but finally made the decision to stay put for another night.  :(

 

When I went to the office this afternoon to pay up for one more night, the gal at the desk told me that she had a call from a camper that was coming in from Texas.  They had called to say they didn’t know when they’d get here because they were just getting hammered with high winds and severe storms.  Whew!  I guess I made the right decision.  In the afternoon, the winds were so bad that I pulled in the slides because I was worried about the slide topper awnings.  We had some rain, but mostly winds.

Things calmed down a bit in the late afternoon, and I was able to put the slides back out.

After dinner, Emma and I were able to take a good walk about, and I looked for some photo opportunities.

Here’s some more old John Deere equipment.  It was a bit of a struggle to find anything interesting after three days.  :)

 

The forecast calls for sunny skies tomorrow, but increasingly high winds by afternoon.  So, my latest plan is to get out of here early tomorrow morning.  I’m even going to set my alarm!  Egad!  What a sorry state things have resulted in.  :)  I leave you with tonight’s hopeful sunset…

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

Finally out of Idaho…

and just in the nick of time.  I drove about 220 miles today and ended up in Evanston, Wyoming.
When I arrived at the park there was a sign on the door that said the office wouldn’t open until 3:00, and that they had shut the water off.  As I briefly walked around to find a site, I noticed that several of the areas had been cordoned off. 
I picked a site on the end of a row so I could leave the toad attached.  This is just a one night stop.  When the office opened, I went in to pay, and found out that by next week this place will be closed for the season.  I also found out there were larger sites available in the back.  :(  It’s obvious this park of the park was built before the advent of big rigs.  I just barely squeezed into this site, and I mentioned to the owner that if someone parked in the site in front of me tonight I would have a problem getting out in the morning. 

So far, he’s parked everyone that’s come in off the road in the back section, so I’m happy about that.  No matter where you park here, you will have to deal with road sounds.  Being in the front, at least I’m a little further away from I-80.  At least they haven’t turned off the water supply to the laundry room, so I did get that chore accomplished this afternoon. 
This park is old, but clean as a whistle.  There are also lots of Halloween decorations around the entrance and office.  There is another wicked witch near the office door that pops out of a caldron and then sinks back inside.  As Emma and I walked past that one, she went into orbit!  Lots of barking and hair on end.  :)  “I’ll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too!”

As many of you know, Wyoming is a pretty wide state, so it will take me two days to get across it.  I’m thinking after four days of travel, I may take a break for a day this weekend once I reach Cheyenne.  I remember reading about a fellow blogger stopping at Terry Bison Ranch RV outside of Cheyenne, but I can’t remember who for the life of me.  If whoever it is reads this, could you let me know how you liked the place, or just let me know who you are so I can check in your blog archives.

Since my present journey to Anahuac NWR is at a speeded up pace, I’m not always able to check all the blogs I follow, and certainly will be limited on the number of comments I have time to make.  Just know, that I’m trying to keep up with you all, but won’t be very verbal about it until I’m settled outside of Houston.  :)

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

Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway

After almost a week of overcast skies, the sun was shining brightly when I finally got up this morning.  7:30 is pretty late for me, but that’s just about dawn around here at this time of the year.  And luckily, if the sun isn’t up, neither is Emma!  Since we’d been cooped up for quite a few days, I decided we needed to get out of Dodge, and see something besides the parking lot.
Remember when that Biker Babe suggested I take ID 21 to Idaho City about a week or so ago?  Well, that’s what we did.  It turns out this route is the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway.  Now I understand why she suggested it.  It was a gorgeous drive.  Idaho has quite a few official scenic byways, and all of them have been well worth my time to travel.  I wish all states had such publicized routes.  This view is from a little ways past the Boise Diversion Dam.  The water is pretty low right now, but you can see that it can rise much higher.
If you take the Ponderosa Pine Byway the whole length, you end up in Stanley, ID.  I did the Sawtooth Mt. Scenic Byway in early August, so I chose to only go about half way today.  Stanley is part of that byway.
   I imagine that the spring snow run off would change the look of this scene dramatically.
I’m not one for taking too many pictures of old buildings, but I couldn’t pass this unusual place up.   The lady at the Visitor’s Center said that lots of people like to stop and see this building with all it’s “junk” attached to it.  :)  Idaho City was a booming gold mining town in days of yore, and was once the largest city in the west.  It’s not much now.
I always like to stop and drive through some of the National Forest campgrounds.  I’m afraid my present rig is too big to fit in most of them, but I like to visit them anyway and remember when this was were I used to do so much of my camping.  As I drove through, I couldn’t help but think of my friend, GYPSY, who may soon be back on the road in a truck camper.  I think she would love this place in amongst the Ponderosa pines.  :)

Today’s 100 mile excursion provided a welcome relief to my crankiness over being stuck here for a while.  If the weather cooperates, I just may do another of these wonderful scenic byways around Boise before I leave.

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

“Mama said there’d be days like this…”

“There’d be days like this, my Mama said…”  Remember that tune from the 60’s?  Well, my Mama never said there would be 10 days like this in a row!  The saga continues…The sealer kits for the levers actually arrived this morning, and the rig was taken off to have the back levelers removed.  The tech told me he’d bring the rig back as soon as he could so I wouldn’t have to sit in the car with Emma while it rained outside.  He could work on installing the new seals without the rig.  I appreciated that.  It’s a lot easier to while away the time in inclement weather inside the rig as opposed to being cooped up in the car.

I spent my time mapping my next stop on my way to Anahuac NWR in Texas.  Along about 2:30, Sean, my contact in the service department, came knocking on my door.  I hopped up to answer fully expecting that he would want to take the rig back to have the levers reinstalled.  It was not to be.  It turns out that the levelers wouldn’t hold a seal because of grooves on the legs.  Okay, so what does that mean?  It means I have to have both levelers replaced.  They don’t make these things ahead of time.  They only manufacture them on an as needed basis, and it takes 7 days to make them at Power Gear in Wisconsin.  OMG, tell me it isn’t so!  So, dear friends, to make a much longer story short, I will continue to reside in the Camping World parking lot for about the next ten days.  To put it bluntly, this sucks big-time! 

However, I have to tell you that these delays have not been the fault of Camping World.  They wanted to order new levelers from the beginning, but the extended warranty folks said no; try the seal kit.  Power Gear was also remiss in not sending out the kits on the day they were ordered, but waited four days!  The folks here at Camping World have been quite accommodating, and not only took the rig to dump the tanks (after being here 8 days), but filled the fresh water tank, and provided me with directions to the nearest laundromat.   I’m sure they would like to see me gone as much as I’d like to be gone.  So, I’ll be looking for more touristy things to do for the next week or so.  At least I’ve got 50 amps and the DISH set up.  :)

There were a couple of comments left on last night’s post that helped to lift my spirits.  JB made me chuckle with his comment about holding the record for being the longest RV visitor to Boise since Idaho became a state.  Well, JB, looks like I might just get there!  MARGIE also gave me the advice to just go out and take some photos to calm down…so, late this afternoon, I did.
I had replied to Margie that there wasn’t anything left to take photos of in this parking lot, but after the further happenings today I thought I’d give it a try anyway.  Hence, the collage of license plates from the parking lot.  :)
I also went back to check on the milkweed pods after two days of rain.  They’re looking a little different now.
Dandelions do seem to carry on through three of the four seasons!  :)
The view of I-84 and beyond from the top of the small rise behind the rig.  There are traffic sounds 24/7, but I don’t hear them much with all the windows closed.
I even found a small marshy area near the road with these maturing cattails.  Thanks, Margie, I’m a little calmer now.  :)

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

A weekend in Boise

The latest report that I got this morning, was that they would fix the wheel bearing today, but the parts for the leveler seals would not arrive until Saturday.  That meant the work couldn’t be done until next Monday!  Okay, I can live with that.  While the rig was being worked on today, Emma and I took our seats outside at the picnic table.  I had forgotten to grab the book on my way out the door, so it was a twiddling your thumbs kind of day.  :)
I was entertained by a pair of screaming red-tailed hawks overhead for a portion of the afternoon.  At least I didn’t forget my camera, but the day was not very exciting.  I didn’t want to drive anywhere because I wasn’t sure when they would be done with the rig for the day.  I was hoping, since I’ll probably be here until Tuesday morning, to move to the site on the end of the row.  That site also has a picnic table, and it is shaded in the afternoon.  I knew the folks in that site were leaving today, so I wanted to claim squatters rights on it!  The other advantage is that you only have folks parked on one side of the rig. 

Things went like clock work, and I was all set up on the end by about 3:00.  I even decided to set up the DISH since I’ll be here for another four or five nights.  Going along with the trend of the week, it gave me fits this afternoon trying to find both satellites.  :(  Oh well, what’s a little satellite searching in 90 degree temps.  I just made sure my ice water mug was filled and I had a towel to mop my brow.  Even Emma is being finicky and not wanting to eat her kibble.  Ack!!

To answer a few commenter’s questions:  No, I will definitely not take a picture of me flying out of the rocker when the sprinklers come on.  :)  Yes, I would recommend the book about 1000 places to see before you die!  And, I didn’t count how many places I’ve already checked off in the book, but let me just say that there are enough places left to last me the rest of my lifetime!  :)  Since I have three days ahead of me with no work being done on the rig, I’m hoping to check off a couple of the places listed around Boise. 
You know it was pretty boring today for me to take a daytime picture of the moon and fiddle around with it.  :)  I hope I’m gazing at the Sea of Tranquility.  :)  I could use a little of that.

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

Good news, bad news, and a shower?

Most of my news today is good.  The folks at Rush Trucking got the new water pump and new belt installed, gave the rig a good workout, and no more overheating!  Hoorah!  The price of all those hours of repair time about made me faint, but I’ve got rolling wheels again.  I knew the delivery of the belt wouldn’t happen until around noon, so I left the motel room shortly after nine and headed for Nampa, ID.  I had several errands to run, and I was familiar with Nampa from my week’s stay in Marsing in August.  I definitely wanted to visit the fresh fruit and vegetable stand again, and I did.  I purchased something I’ve never heard of before.  I bought two Pluots.  They are a fruit that is a cross between a plum and an apricot.  Sounded interesting, so I’ll try a couple.  I also got one of those English cucumbers that are usually a couple of bucks each for 50 cents, and added a tomato, and a purple plum for a total of $1.80!  I wish there was a way to have these fresh tasty items year round.

On the way back to Rush Trucking, I checked out the Camping World lot where I will have the hydraulic lifts fixed.  I’m not too crazy about Camping World doing the repairs, but this is the location that the manufacturer of the levelers recommended.  They do have overnight accommodations for customers on a first come first served basis, so I wanted to check out if there were any sites available and exactly where they were located.  By the time everything got finished and sorted out at Rush, it was 4:30 and right in the middle of rush hour before I could leave and head for Camping World.  Luckily, it was only a 15 mile drive through lots of construction.
I was able to get one of the two sites that had a picnic table.  I chose this site so I could put Emma outside tethered to the table.  Despite the 89* temperature, and the stop and go slow traffic,  the engine heat gauge stayed where it was supposed to.  What a relief that was!
 There are ten sites, and seven of them are filled tonight.  The quarters are tight, but it’s free.  I was sweating bullets by the time I finished unhooking the toad and getting set up.  There are no water hookups, but I do have 50 amps electric tonight so the AC is humming away!
 
So now for the bad news.  It turns out the cost of my night in the motel was not $99, but $134!  I guess I’ve been out of touch with motel rates.  Besides the $20 for Emma, I had to pay two bed use taxes…one for her and one for me!  I guess I should have let her sleep on the second bed!  There were several other taxes besides.  Personally, I think that’s a ridiculous amount of money for a night with a bed and a TV.

The second frustration of the day was dealing with my extended warranty people.  I could just wring their necks!  I did everything according to Hoyle, but they threw up every kind of roadblock you can think of.  I won’t go into the details, but suffice it to say I’m not looking forward to dealing with them tomorrow about the malfunctioning levelers.  :(

After three nerve wracking days, I took out my rocker and sat on the luscious green grass in back of the rig with Emma.  Because we were in back of the rig, it was shady there, and I was able to enjoy this relaxing time until…the automatic sprinklers came on!  OMG!  That water was cold and blasted me full in the face!  All I could do was shout out loud and start laughing uncontrollably!  What a Chinese Fire Drill as I tried to collapse the chair and get Emma and myself out of the multiple cold water jets.  I know I was in need of a shower, but really!  By the time we maneuvered to safety, Emma, I and the chair were dripping wet.  It was a great tension reliever!  :)

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

From bad to worse!

It was a little nippy in the rig when I got up this morning at the truck stop, so I decided to turn the generator back on to run the furnace.  Guess what?  It wouldn’t start!  Another alarm went off when I hit the on switch.  :(  Okay, so I decided I’d use my house batteries to take the chill off.  They were fully charged last night.  Ha!  They were just about dead this morning.  Ugh!  So I put on a few more layers of clothes and took Emma out in the dark.  I just crossed over into the Mountain Time Zone yesterday, so it doesn’t get light until after seven.  I, of course, was awake at 6:00.  So, after her first outs, Emma and I sat in the dark for over an hour.  I didn’t want to use up the little power I had left in the batteries for lights.  I had the frig running on propane, but a light was blinking about low power that runs the little light inside and who knows what else, so I shut that down too.

When it was light enough to see my phone, I gave the road service company a call, and a short time later they said I would be getting a tow within 75 minutes.  I was going to be towed to  Rush Truck Repair in Boise, ID.
Country Repair was the towing company, and the truck had a big picture of Superman on it.  I got out of the rig to quiz them on what they were going to do.  I had read all the manuals last night on the requirements for having the rig towed.  :)  They told me that they had done this many many times, and that they would simply detach the drive thingamajig (not drive train, but drive something) so that it could be towed at highway speeds.  It was quite interesting to watch the whole operation, I just wish I was watching someone else’s rig.  They attached their own back lights in the hitch receptacle, and away we went.  It felt kind of odd to be trailing behind my own home!   

It was a good 50 or so miles to get to Rush Truck Repair.  They were able to get it into a work bay by about 1:00, and began the task of trying to figure out what was the matter.  Meanwhile, Emma and I sat outside by the car.  After an hour or so, the manager came out to give me an update, and to let me know that Emma and I could sit inside the rig while they worked.  He also let me plug into electricity so I could recharge the batteries, and turn the frig back on.

They found two problems.  Foremost was the water pump that didn’t work.  He explained to me that this was a very important part in keeping the engine cool.  I guess it also resulted in the radiator not pulling coolant from the reservoir.  Then, he showed me a belt that was pretty beat up on the outside.  It also could have been slipping.  I, of course, really didn’t know what he was talking about.  He said he would have the guys stay late to get a new water pump (that they had to go get) installed, but that he couldn’t get a new belt delivered until tomorrow.  He let it be my choice, but did state that he hated to see me get back on the road with that belt.  I told him that I wasn’t interested in having this experience again in the near future, so I would stay in a motel tonight.  I had asked him when I arrived if I could stay in the rig in the shop if things took more than a day, but that was not possible.  I was surprised he let me stay in the rig while they worked on it!

Anyway, he then went and made reservations for me at a Holiday Inn Express that allowed dogs!  So, I quickly gathered a few things and headed over to the motel.  There were only two rooms left, and I got one of them.  It’s been about three years since I’ve stayed in a motel (pre Emma days), and Emma has never stayed in a motel, or a sticks and bricks for that matter.  I was very proud of how well she behaved as we came in and she had her first elevator ride.  Just maybe she is finally growing up a bit.  :)  Tonight’s stay is costing me $99 ($20 of which is the pet fee).  Gone are the days of a $29 room in a fairly large city.  :(

Oh yea, I had to call the other repair facility and was eventually successful in delaying my appointment for a day.  So, tomorrow when I pick up the rig, I’ll backtrack about 20 miles and try to boon dock in the dealer’s lot.  This will all be worth it if I can get most everything taken care of.  At least that’s what I keep telling myself.  :)  Getting the Splendide washer/dryer fixed will once again have to wait, however.  No one seems qualified to work on that item.

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

Packed up and ready to go

I spent the day today getting everything ready to head out in the morning.  It took a good portion of the day to do all the outside stuff and most of the inside stuff.  I didn’t think I’d make a post tonight since it was pretty mundane stuff and I didn’t plan to take any pictures of things like dumping the tanks or getting everything stored away.  Most everything was done by about 6:00 this evening, so Emma and I spent some time sitting outside before sunset.  That’s when I noticed a movement in the sage brush surrounding the fire crew bunk house.  Something was flopping around up there that wasn’t normal.  As several of the other volunteers stopped by to wish us a safe journey, that ‘something’ began walking towards the RV pads.
It turned out to be a white pelican, and it was making it’s way right toward the RV pads!  Once Emma noticed it, I put her inside so she wouldn’t spook our visitor.  What in the world is a pelican doing walking down the refuge road?  It came right down the road to the pads, and stopped briefly to inspect each one.
It didn’t seem to mind that a couple of us were following it along with our cameras clicking.  I don’t know if it was injured or not, as it seemed to amble along just fine.  What an unusual occurrence this was!  I tapped on Sue’s door so she could come out to see what was in her front yard, and she said she was sorry she didn’t have any fish! 
As it made it’s way through all the sites, I just hoped it would get to some water and be safe for the evening.  It’s wings didn’t appear to be broken, but this is not normal behavior for a pelican.  As it strolled in back of the last RV, the coyotes began their nightly chorus.  Vaya con Dios, mi amigo!  :(   (Go with God, my friend)

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

How long are you going to do this?

This is what Terri, the office manager of the refuge, asked me today.  She was referring to fulltiming, and volunteering at National Wildlife Refuges.  My answer was “Until I die in the traces, or can no longer drive the rig.”  I realize that things can happen, and my plans may change, but I really enjoy this lifestyle and hope I have many years left to enjoy it.  I’m a life time member of Escapees, and told her about that and the CARE program in Livingston, TX.  (If you don’t know about Escapees and CARE, let me know and I’ll do a post about that)  I’m hoping not to end up living with one of my kids in my old age and becoming a burden to them.

It was another day of working in the Visitor’s Center today, and the electronic counter on one of the entrance doors said I had 44 visitors today.  Since it counts people as they enter and leave, I probably really had only about 25 folks stop in.  There is another door without a counter, and some people enter and leave that way. 
Early on, I noticed one of the Lewis’s woodpeckers fly into one of the elm trees surrounding the VC.  I grabbed my camera and ran outside since that would mean he might be in the sun.  I’m not sure I’ll get a better pic than this of this dark colored woodpecker, but I’ll keep trying.  None of the red in his plumage showed up in this angle.  :(

I had a visitor today ask if we had a form to leave comments for the refuge manager.  We don’t, so she just wrote her comments on a piece of paper, and I took that to the appropriate person.  That resulted in a little project, thank goodness, for me.  I’m developing a comments form that will be available for visitors.  That sure beats playing spider solitaire all day long when no one is visiting!  The biggest challenge I face in doing this is working with an ancient version of Microsoft Word.  I told the volunteer coordinator that that’s why I always had a secretary in my former life.  They could have whipped up this form in minutes, where as it is taking me hours!
Once I got home, Emma was more than anxious to get out of the confines of the rig.  We sat outside for several hours, after taking a good walk around.  I just wish I could hear, smell, and interpret  everything she does.  Here she is on vigil status protecting our home!  :)

I have tomorrow off from the VC, and I’m going on a tour of the refuge with fellow volunteers, Jan and Karl.  They have volunteered here for 14 years, and are amateur (not really) archeologists.  They’ll be showing me petroglyphs and an authentic sod house among other things.  I’m pretty excited about that, as we will be going to areas of the refuge that are not available to the normal visitor.  Cool Beans!!

I leave you with tonight’s sunset….
                              on a drying Walla Walla sweet onion on my picnic table.  :)

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

Changed my mind

My plan for this morning was to take a trip up the Steen Mountain Drive, but when I got up, I just didn’t feel like doing that trip today.  So, I didn’t do it!  :)  I decided I’ll do it some other day in the next few weeks when it isn’t a holiday weekend.

Instead, I decided to stay home for most of the day and do the laundry, and start a jigsaw puzzle in the volunteer building.  I love doing the borders, but sometimes lose interest in puzzles with too many pieces.  The smallest one I found was 500 pieces, so I started it out.  I prefer 300 pieces, so maybe some of the other volunteers will help finish it when they do their laundry.  :)  Not very exciting, but some days you just need to chill.
Late afternoon, I decided that Emma and I should drive the auto route with the sun in the western sky for a change.  First thing we saw was this doe mule deer.  Don’t know what happened to her ear.
Not surprisingly, we saw quite a few deer at this time of day.  It won’t be long…
before this fellow will be coming to visit those does.  :)
At Wright’s Pond, a young pied-billed grebe was pestering it’s mom for supper.
I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye as we continued on, and backed up to see what it was.  It was a greater sage grouse hiding in the grasses.  I just couldn’t persuade this bird to show me anything but it’s head.  :)  What interesting patterns on each individual feather. 
The trouble with trying to take photos of diving ducks like this grebe is that one second they’re there, and the next second, they’re gone!
I enjoyed a nice view of a great blue heron moving to a better spot, with a great egret in the background.  Behind this pond, if you remember from last week, are…
the silhouettes of the cowboy and the cattle.  Come to find out that the rancher that owns that property erected the silhouettes in spite because he hates the refuge.  Personally, I think it adds a nice touch to the scenery.  :)

I guess fall is here.  The high for today was only 62* with brisk northerly winds.  The forecast for tonight is for a low of 28*!  Yikes!  This evening, I turned off the water at the hookup, and switched over to my on board tank for the night.  I don’t need frozen pipes!  Perhaps this chilly evening will eliminate the mosquitoes and deer flies.  That would be a blessing!  :)  I have so many itchy lumps, that I feel like a dot to dot picture!  :(

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

Malheur Visitor’s Center

It was a full eight hour shift at the Visitor’s Center for me today.  Having had only seven visitors actually come in the door, I guess you could say that it was a little slow.  :(  Nothing like working the Visitor’s Center at Pea Island NWR or Laguna Atascosa NWR!  Kind of reminded me of Swan Lake NWR.  Oh well, I brought my lap top along today, and was able to catch up on my blog reading.  You can’t keep busy restocking merchandise if nobody buys anything.  The highlight of the day was selling four cans of pop to staff members.  :)  How sad is that? 
The Visitor’s Center has a huge deck surrounding it, and I’ve been told that it is packed with visitors for the spring bird migration.  The building, was constructed by the CCC in the 1930’s, and has a unique tiled roof with many colors.  The refuge was established in 1908, so is among the oldest refuges in the nation.  This building was used as the home of some of the earlier refuge managers.
These are the views out the front picture windows.  Not too shabby, I must say.
That’s the museum building on the left, and the public restrooms on the right.  These buildings were also constructed by the CCC.  The museum has a wonderful collection of stuffed birds of the refuge, and an egg collection.  It reminded me of a small version of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, NY.  Most of the birds were taxidermied (don’t think that’s an actual word:)) by one of the first refuge managers.  It’s a nice collection.
Remember my story from the other day about the mother yellow-headed blackbird?  Well, I now know where all the fathers were!
They were all here just in front of the deck at the Visitor’s Center pigging out at the bird feeders.  Looks like they don’t get along together any better than the hummingbirds do.  :)
There are also a lot of hollyhocks blooming around the VC for the hummers to enjoy. 

Tomorrow, the volunteer coordinator is taking me on a tour of the refuge in the morning.  After that, I’m going to have to try to figure out what to do about my latest attack of the motorhome gremlins.  This time, there appears to be a leaking out of my hydraulic leveling jack fluid on the back driver’s side jack.  :(  Ugh!  It doesn’t sound like that’s something I can fix myself, and here I am again in the middle of nowhere!

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