I'm back in Minnesota, don't cha know,,,

I left Swan Lake NWR at 9:45 on Monday with the plan to camp about half way to Minnesota in Des Moines, Iowa. As I arrived in Des Moines, about 2:30, I was pretty much still in the city and decided I didn't really want to stop yet. So, I headed on. I usually only travel about 200 miles a day, but I ended up traveling 385 miles and arrived at Rice Lake State Park around 7:30. It was a long day of driving, but all but 70 miles of it was on the interstate, which I think is a lot easier than driving back roads. I set up in the B-1 site that was my favorite during the seven years I camp hosted there before I retired.



A couple of interesting things happened along the way. I've never hit anything with the RV, but Monday was a first. A blackbird flew up from the median and smacked directly into my windshield. I'm afraid it was fatal for him and made me literally jump in my seat! Also, when I decided to bypass the campground in Des Moines, it kind of challenged my plans to arrive at Rice Lake with empty tanks. I had dumped the tanks on Saturday with the intention of dumping them again along the way to Rice Lake. You see Rice Lake doesn't have a dump station and I would be there for at least a week. Luckily, one of the rest areas that I pulled into in Iowa also had a trailer dump station, so I solved that problem...but not without a little bump. As I pulled the lever for the black tank, the connection at the receiving end separated and the contents started going outward rather than downward. It was a good thing that this particular dump station was set up to handle these kind of mishaps and things turned out better than I could have suspected. :)



I haven't been to Rice Lake in two years, and it was very apparent, as I filled the fresh water tank, that if anything, the mosquito population has increased! I got about six bites just filling the tank.

I decided not to take the satellite DISH with me on this trip, so , as I set up, I put up the antennae and turned on the TV to see what stations I could get. It was a shock to me to find I really couldn't receive any stations. The last time I used the aerial was before the official switch the digital TV. Luckily, the only station that sort of came in was a station explaining how to get some reception. Little did I know that I had to rescan for stations because stations now have different numbers. I did as suggested and was able to get quite a few stations, just not NBC, which is the station I like to watch in the morning. Any way, I'm settled in for a week.

Today, the first thing on the agenda was to find a vet for Emma. I called the vet I used when I lived in Kasson, MN, and was able to take her in for a 9:45 appointment. She is now on antibiotics and hopefully that and a dose of cranberry juice everyday will return her to normal.

Daniel, Crystal, Robyn, Avery, and I went out for lunch in Kasson, and then Robyn, Avery, and I headed for Rochester to find something for me to wear to the wedding and to run some errands for Robyn. We were successful all around, and got back to Robyn's dad's house around five. Emma spent the day playing with Dan's dog, Buddy, but was happy to hop into the car and return to the RV.

It has been a busy two days, and I'm pooped tonight. I hope I can sleep in a little tomorrow morning. I do need to get to the park office and register and pay for my site. It's a good thing they know me.... :)

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

Sunday's Blast from the Past...

I know I said I probably wouldn't post today, but I had forgotten that I was planning to do some pictures from places earlier in my journey on Sundays. So, after I did my five week stint at Richmond Lake Recreation Area in South Dakota, I hit the road with a time line of two weeks to get to near the Washington coast.

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One of my stops along the way was Medicine Rocks State Park in Montana. This park was kind of off of the beaten path (about 25 miles south of US 12). The draw for me was free camping.

Of course that meant no hookups, but it was a beautiful spot and someone had left a great pile of firewood, so I had a nice campfire that night.

There were many sandstone outcroppings that stood quite high and all were shaped by the wind. Stretching to the west of these mounds were the great plains. The Native Americans considered this a place of great medicine. It turned out that I was the only one to camp there that evening.

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

A break in the weather?

It was another long ten hour day at the visitor's center today. I only had a total of seven visitors, and the outside temps were in the mid nineties. There are supposed to be scattered thunder storms tonight bringing slightly cooler weather for tomorrow...only a high of 85. The air conditioner in the offices couldn't keep up with the heat, and the inside temp rose to 80. I turned on the overhead fan to keep from sweating.

After I closed up, Emma and I sat outside the rig and at least a breeze began to help mediate the oppresive heat. I refilled the bird feeders, and went about a few preparations for my departure on Monday. I dumped the tanks and cleaned and stored the dump hose, which resulted in numerous mosquitoe bites. The spot where I cleaned it was close to the woods and it was near sunset, so I was fresh meat for those little buggers.

After that, I tried my outside CD player once more and was shocked when it worked! I tried it about two weeks ago and couldn't get it to play a CD. That lifted my spirits and I listened to some Peter, Paul, and Mary while I did a few more mud wasp checks. Those wasps are still going into the refrigerator vent, but I can't find any mud tubes. I did find some tubes in the outside area where the dump outlets are, and scraped those off. I also checked another storage area and found some evidence of a rodent chewing on things. I'm hoping my moving to Minnesota for a week will eliminate some of these little challenges. :)

I'm planning on doing laundry and taking down the front sun shades in the morning before going to work. I called Rice Lake State Park today and talked to Joel, the park manager about the possibility of a site being available next week and over the holiday weekend. (I hosted there for seven summers before I retired) and he told me it shouldn't be a problem. I knew all their reservable sites were taken for the 4th weekend. That was a relief to find out. I probably won't post for a few days unless something really unusual happens...........

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

Early morning visitors and more geese arrive

Right at the crack of 6:00 a.m., Emma began her early morning jumping on and off the dashboard and muttering. It turns out there were more than rabbits and deer in our yard. My oldest son, Daniel, and his canine companion, Buddy, had arrived! They had driven all night from Denver to get here.

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Emma and Buddy had a marvelous time playing together most of the morning. It was good to talk to Daniel and we really enjoyed our time together. Finally, about 11:00, we decided to go on a tour of the refuge. I put Emma in the motorhome so she could cool down from the 95* temps, and recuperate from all of her carryings on this morning. Then, Dan and I hopped into the car with Buddy in the back, and did the driving tour. As we were going down the road, we passed a refuge pick-up truck with the YCC students inside. I knew that they had been on a mission today to pick up another load of young Canada geese this morning, so I pulled over just in time to see them offload all the new inhabitants.

At first, the young geese seemed reluctant to exit the trailer. One or two took a tentative step to freedom...

And it wasn't long before their brothers and sisters followed suit....

Soon, the first batch was heading for Silver Lake....

But, there were still more inside...

A few of the older goslings were on the left, and the youngest were on the right...

After watching the older ones, the littlest ones made up their minds....

"Time to get out of here!!!"

In no time at all, they paddled and flapped their way to a more secluded cove on the lake. None of these geese can fly yet, but it won't be long. Once they learn to fly, chances are good that they will return here to the refuge after migration and hopefully nest here next spring.

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While I was watching the unloading of the geese,

Dan took Buddy out in the nearby field for a run so Buddy wouldn't make the goslings more nervous.

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After we covered all the refuge roads and sights, I took them down the road with the catfish impailed on the telephone post that I showed a picture of a few weeks ago. When Dan saw what was left of the remains of the fish, he suggested he stand next to it to give an idea of just how large this catfish was.

So, here it is...that was some big fish.

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We returned to the rig and I fixed a shrimp dinner on the grill, and then Dan and Buddy once again hit the road. Dan wanted to make it to Minnesota tonight so he could rest up before his busy week ahead. Emma and I bid them goodbye, and hurried back into the rig to cool off. We'll be seeing them again in a few days.

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

And the heat goes on....

It's been two more days of temps in the middle 90's with high humidity. Yesterday, I worked on repairing the ripped awning with my ever ready roll of duct tape (not sure if it's duct or duck).

Today, just before seven in the morning, the electric went out. I checked to be sure it wasn't just me. Turns out the whole refuge was effected. So, after about two hours, I turned on the generator as the temps were rising again. I needed to run it today anyway, so I did for about two hours. By that time, the electricity source was back on, and I switched over again.

In the afternoon, I went to Chilcothe for some groceries. Daniel called later in the day, and he is on his way to visit for a day. He should arrive about the time I get up in the morning (6 a.m.). I also noticed, this afternoon, that Emma is having issues with urination. After e-mailing a friend that is a vet, she suggested that maybe it is a urinary infection. I guess I'll have to try to find a vet locally tomorrow if her distress continues. It seems there is always a challenge to deal with.

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

Some days are diamonds, others are stone...#2

This was pretty much a "stone" day. In no time at all it was 95* today with very muggy conditions. The heat index was 111* and it was suggested that you stay indoors in air conditioning if you could. I did! The AC didn't quite keep up with the outside temps, but it was sure better than being outside.

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This morning, I decided to subscribe to Sirius satellite radio in my car. I've had a six month free trial, and I really enjoyed it. They had sent me a letter with an offer for reduced rates, so I called and signed up. This evening, I checked my bank account and found they had charged me more than the quoted price in the letter. I then called customer service to inquire about this and was told it was because of taxes. The letter I received said all taxes were included. Granted, this is only a matter of $16 over two years, but it kind of got to me. So, I asked to speak to a supervisor, with the same results. I will now endeavor to correspond with corporate headquarters as I think this is false advertising.

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After that little episode, I went outside to sit with Emma in the steamy 90* heat so she could get some outside time. We had pretty much been inside all day and we both had a little cabin fever. I dug out a small fan from storage and turned it on to provide a tiny bit of relief. As I was sitting there, I noticed a spot on my finger that didn't rub off. I went inside to get my glasses, and this is what I discovered:


Yuck!! A tick was determined to attach itself to my finger. I got that bugger off and went back outside.

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As I got comfortable in my rocker, the wind (which had been nonexistent) very suddenly really picked up. I literally jumped out of my chair and began to take the awning down. It was a real struggle, and before I could get it folded up, a four foot section ripped away from the front. I got it up the best I could, grabbed Emma, and headed inside. The weather radio said there was a strong fifty mph wind gust moving through...don't I know it! I pulled in the slides before damage was done to my slide covers, and Emma and I sat out the winds and ensuing lightning, thunder, and downpour inside. I can tell you I was shaking like a leaf while bringing in the awning! I'm glad it didn't totally rip off! I've never been in a situation like that where the skies were sunny with no wind and then suddenly whipped up so strongly.
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That severe weather cell has passed through and I have now put my slides back out. There are still a few showers, but I think I'll be okay for the rest of the night. What a day...........

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

A little excitement out in the boonies

Monday is my laundry day here on the refuge (ho hum). I did have an appointment to meet Steve, the refuge manager, at 1:00 for an official tour of the refuge. When I walked over to headquarters, he said to jump in the truck and we headed out for an accident that had happened on one of the refuge roads.

Apparently, a local teen driver had rolled his father's pick-up off of one of the roads. There were two young people in the truck, and, luckily, no one was hurt. The gas was just pouring out of the back of the truck when we arrived.

The young man's father had arrived and was attempting to flip the truck upright when we got there.

Eventually, he was successful. I'm sure this was not a very good day for the young man in the blue shirt! The police and local fire departments were there also. It turned out, that since no one was hurt, the young man only received a citation for expired plates. It could have been much worse.

There was a ton of smoke coming out from underneath the truck as it was backed up to a point where it could be pulled out. The firemen had fire extinguishers at the ready, but didn't need to use them. They eventually towed the truck off the refuge. I hope that fellow has learned a lesson, and will keep his speed down and pay attention to road conditions.

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All of this was going on in 95* heat, and after a while, I found one of the refuge vehicles that was running and had the AC on and got inside. Boy, it was hot and muggy! Steve and I spent the next two hours traveling all the back roads of the refuge, and I learned a lot about what goes on here to manage the assorted wetlands.

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During our tour, we did quite a bit of talking and it seems Steve is hoping I'll stay into September to help with the school programs. I just may consider that since I have no committments for the fall and I would like to be here for the changing of the colors and the arrival of some of the migrating waterfowl. We'll see what happens....

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After talking to my son, Daniel, today, it turns out that he will stop here on his way up to Minnesota to get married. So, I'm looking forward to seeing him on Friday, and will be preparing some shrimp scampi outside on the grill or fire, at his request. I'm sure Emma and Dan's dog, Buddy, will wear themselves out playing with each other. The forecast is for temps in the 90's all week, so they'll probably collapse rather soon (I hope).

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