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Wynded Words

~ Home of author Sarah Wynde

Category Archives: Birds

Prentice Park

14 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Campground, Photography, Travel

≈ 2 Comments

A small black bird sitting on a bare branch
A cute little blackbird from North Dakota
A robin sitting on a bare branch
A chirpy robin, also in North Dakota
A brown bird with a long beak
A mysterious and very noisy brown bird. Maybe a sandpiper? In Wisconsin.
A brown bird with a long break, sitting in the grass and looking directly at the camera
Not as great a view of the sandpiper, but a more interesting picture of it.
Serenity, tucked into the trees, with loads of grass in front of her
My campsite at Prentice Park

If I didn’t have a schedule to keep, I might have settled into Prentice Park in Ashland, WI, for weeks. I’m not sure how many sites it has, because most of them were tent sites, but there were 6 RV sites, nicely spaced, with lots of grass, trees, and paved driveways. Water, electricity, excellent walking paths, clean showers that didn’t require quarters, (although no control of the water temp), and friendly neighbors.

Paradise.

But I’ve understated the “water” part. I know I claimed not to be a water snob, and I’m really not, but Ashland has artesian wells. People apparently come from miles around to get water at the local beach. I had only the vaguest idea what an artesian well was, or why it mattered, but on my first morning at the campground, I set out to look for it. Turns out, it was all over the place. The park had at least half a dozen spigots in the ground with water free-flowing out of them. I had a strong desire to look for the off valve every time I saw one, because I’ve spent so long being careful about water. But there were no off valves, the water is just pouring forth from the ground. It felt like such abundance, such wealth from nature.

The artesian water. Cold, fresh, refreshing. I filled up all my water jugs.

I’ve understated the friendly neighbors, too. The showers require a combination code, so when I saw the campground host outside his camper, I went over to get my code. That led to tours of the van, conversations about van life and children, an invitation to a delicious jambalaya dinner, and eventually s’mores around their fire.

I really did debate staying at the campground for a few more days, especially because the hosts were out in the morning, so I didn’t get a chance to say good-bye. (And if you’re reading my blog, LaDonna or Sharon, it was so nice to meet you, thanks so much for your hospitality!) But I wanted to check out the Apostle Islands, as well as visit Pictured Rocks National Seashore. Plus the whole reason for hurrying across Montana was to be able to spend some time in the upper peninsula of Michigan, which people have been telling me about ever since I started traveling. And I do have a deadline — scheduled plans with friends and relatives at the end of June. So after two nights at Prentice Park, I got back on the road.

#49: North Dakota

07 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Photography, Travel

≈ 4 Comments

Far West Fishing Access was so lovely that I decided I’d stay another night. That lasted until I took Z for a short walk and, upon our return to the van, found three ticks crawling on her. Yeah, no. No point in staying at a campsite where I’m completely unwilling to go outside. Instead, I packed up the van and headed out.

I’d been considering staying at a state park in eastern Montana, to support my vague goal of camping at a state park in every state, but another nonsensical achievement was beckoning: North Dakota, state #49 on my personal list of states visited.

I doubt anyone from North Dakota is reading my blog, so I will admit the truth: I had very low expectations of the state. I’ve never read or seen anything to make me think North Dakota is my kind of place, so I was driving through it pretty much to make that checkmark on my list. North Dakota, done.

North Dakota, beautiful? So unexpected! But I spent my first night in North Dakota at a camping spot outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I don’t think these pictures convey the beauty but the first one captures the solitude pretty well, and the second one is at least a glimpse of what it looked like.

tiny van surrounded by grasslands
Serenity, alone in the grasslands.
The grasslands and hills.

I spent a quiet night there, windows open, admiring the stars, but I knew I didn’t want to stay more than a night. The weather report, untrustworthy as it sometimes is, was saying temperatures into the high 80s, and with the van sitting in the direct sun, that would quickly become unbearable. So early on Thursday, we headed off to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

prairie dog, sitting up, looking alert
Wildlife sighting!
An adult prairie dog with two babies by her side.
Not quite as cute as a baby bison, but fun to watch.

I would have liked to take the scenic drive all the way around the park, but part of the road was closed. And it was too hot, even early in the day, to drag Z on any long walks. But we paused at the prairie dog town and watched the prairie dogs for a while, and strolled out to a scenic overlook and admired the view. And then we got back on the road and I made my way to an Army Corps of Engineers campground where I’ll stay through the weekend.

A heron by the side of a muddy stream
One last picture from Far West, which I would remember wistfully if I hadn’t found another dead tick in my bed this morning.

Birds of Celebration Park

07 Tuesday May 2019

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Golden eagle's nest

I know that this is very much not the best quality picture I have ever taken, but if you can decipher the details, that brushy bit in the middle is an eagle’s nest. The fluff of white in the center top is an eaglet and the dark shade on top of it is a golden eagle. Yes, it may not be the best picture in the world, but it was amazing to be focusing the camera on it and thinking, “Is that really the nest? Is that white fluff the baby? Is that the eagle? OMG, look at that!”

And there’s my magpie picture, actually taken by S. I love their tails, they’re such beautiful birds.

More details and probably photos later, but this was a brief moment with wi-fi access that I wanted to take advantage of! Back on the road now…

The Birds of Bully Creek

04 Saturday May 2019

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Photography

≈ Comments Off on The Birds of Bully Creek

yellow bird
This bird appeared to have a nest in the tree right next to the van.
Woodpecker
A woodpecker! It was very, very small.
Grey bird, red head
I had so many good pictures of this guy that it pained me to pick just one.

The hour spent playing with my camera at Bully Creek Park might have been one of the best hours of the trip for me. I say “might” because we’re only halfway through, so who knows what good hours might supersede it? But it was awfully fun. These are my three favorite photos from a lovely morning of bird watching. I wish I could have posted them in their best quality, instead of shrinking them so they would upload, but the full resolution images just wouldn’t post.

Blue Springs State Park

14 Monday Jan 2019

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Travel, Vanlife

≈ 15 Comments

I saw the big dark fish in the top left corner first and thought, “What is that thing that it’s sitting on?” It took me a couple seconds to realize that it was actually not a big dark fish, but a very small dark fish compared to the manatee it was gliding over.

Last night, I left the windows open (until I got cold) and stared up through the trees at the night sky while I was trying to sleep. It felt so nice to be back in nature: no bright street lights shining in the window, no passing cars, no sounds of people wandering by.

I’ve been enjoying my January. Lots of people, lots of activity, lots of dinners out and social time. And actually, this visit to Blue Springs is just a continuation of the socializing — I came here to meet up with some fellow Travato owners and talk the camping lifestyle. We spent much of yesterday afternoon sitting around in our camp chairs, chatting.

But this morning, comfortably before dawn, Z and I wandered down through the campground to the boardwalk along the spring. We weren’t the only people there — I bumped into a few others, including some of the Travato friends I met yesterday. But mostly it was Z and me, alone with the manatees and the birds and the squirrels, in the slightly crisp morning air.

One of the birds, maybe an anhinga that wasn’t bothering to spread her wings?

It reminded me of why I’m living this way. Earlier this week I was browsing real estate listings in Mount Dora. Some of the older houses are authentic tiny homes — there was one that was 760 square feet, with two bedrooms, a small kitchen and a living space. Although the kitchen didn’t have a dishwasher, it had plenty of counter space and cupboards. The bathroom had a tub, the backyard was fenced, and the house was walking distance to the library, cute shops and restaurants, maybe even a yoga studio. And if not walking distance to yoga classes, certainly easy driving distance to yoga classes. What more could I want?

Answers: Manatees. Fresh air. Sunrises over water.

Adventure.

On Feb 1, I’m heading west. I will be driving along the southern route, through the southern ends of Alabama and Mississippi, then through Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and into California. Then I’m going to drive up the California coastline until I reach Arcata, in very northern CA. I will plant myself there, in my friend S’s driveway, for a while. Long enough to help her clean out her storage shed and keep her company through the grayest months of the year.

It’s not going to be a leisurely trip across the country — I won’t be spending weeks camping in interesting places — but I’m not going to make it a helter-skelter dash either. If the weather’s nice enough, I’m going to swing north to visit Kyla in New Mexico and learn how to make canvas prints of my photographs. I’m also going to stop in southern CA long enough to say hi to Tehachap and visit her railroad museum.

And if you are along that path and want to meet up, whether for coffee or a meal, to show me your favorite tourist spot in your town, or to offer your driveway for a night, let me know. 2019 is not going to be a year of buying real estate and settling down — it’s going to be a year of adventure!

A sunrise in three parts at Campbell’s Cove Campground, Prince Edward Island

05 Wednesday Sep 2018

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Campground, Photography, Travel

≈ 5 Comments

sunrise

So early that Zelda was still sleeping.

sunrise, part 2

So gorgeous that I ran out of the van in bare feet and pajamas to take a better picture.

sunrise, part 3

Still gorgeous when walking Zelda on the beach, at least an hour or maybe two later.

I have so many beautiful pictures from this campground. I was only planning to be here for three days, but on Sunday, I decided to stay a few more. Today is Wednesday. I did laundry, filled my fresh-water tank, started stowing stuff to get ready to leave tomorrow morning. And I am going to leave tomorrow morning, because I need groceries, including dog food. But every day has gotten nicer, and it’s going to be hard to say good-bye.

Eh, words don’t do it justice. Have a few more pictures instead.

birds on the beach

Birds on the beach

farm with wildflowers

The farm at the top of the hill

wildflowers at sunset

Wildflowers at sunset

beach and blue sky

The other end of the beach

Anthropomorphizing birds. Or just projecting.

25 Sunday Mar 2018

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Campground, Randomness, Travel

≈ 2 Comments

Canadian geese

I woke up to the sound of Canadian geese complaining. Then I spent the next several minutes sleepily castigating myself for negatively anthropomorphizing birds. Surely they were honking or calling or murmuring. Then I woke up a little more and realized that it was still the middle of the night and those birds were definitely complaining. Not sure what they were complaining about — were they drifting in the water? Was some raccoon disturbing their slumber? But they stopped their complaining and I went back to sleep and eventually, when I woke up again, their noises were much more like daybreak murmurings.

I’m in Tennessee, currently at a Thousand Trails campground on the Natchez Trace. I was driving yesterday and remembering the last time I was in Tennessee. I thought then that the state would probably be really pretty in about two more weeks, in spring, but that at that moment, it was bleak and grey, trees all ugly spires of bare trunk with dead, hanging leaves that should have dropped months ago. When I reached my destination, I looked up the date I was last here — coincidentally, but not surprisingly, it was March 24th of last year. The exact same day.

And yeah, I think this state will probably be really pretty in two more weeks, but today, it is the epitome of March showers. Overcast, mildly foggy, everything looking gray. Not pretty, but lovely in a very Goth sort of way. The kind of lonely beauty that makes cups of tea seem highly desirable.

I was planning on spending more time here, but I think instead, I’m going to drift my way south. Or maybe west. But first things first: Z wants her walk.


And later.

I walked Zelda, got back to the van, and instead of making myself some coffee and starting the day, I packed up the van and got on the road. The campground was probably a perfectly nice place. But it’s the kind where people have annual memberships and leave their trailers at their sites year round. Stuff accumulates outside the trailers. Not necessarily bad stuff — potted plants and lights and chairs, golf carts and grills, holiday decorations and signs. But time and weather and entropy combine so quickly to turn pleasant vacation gear into shabby, run-down debris. It didn’t just feel like a trailer park, it felt like an abandoned trailer park. Half depressing and half spooky.

(The bathrooms, however, were excellent — clean and shiny new — and the view was terrific. I had a waterfront site with a lovely lake view. If the weather had been nicer, it might have been a perfectly nice place.)

lake view

So I got on the road and headed south, along the Natchez Trace. It’s a scenic highway along what was once a trail used by bison, Native Americans, and early settlers. At 8AM on a Sunday morning, I was pretty much alone on it and it was lovely. Absolutely peaceful and beautiful. I took a couple breaks along the way, went to a grocery store in Tupelo, Mississippi, and then found myself a campsite at Trace State Park.

I picked the park based on the fact that I like state parks, that I didn’t want to keep driving, and that the sun was showing through the clouds when I walked out of the grocery store. All excellent reasons, but it turns out that somewhere within this park is the birthplace of Davy Crockett. I’m sure there are reasons to disapprove of Davy Crockett these days, but the Disney song is running through my head. And I just read the wikipedia entry on him and he was the only representative from Tennessee to vote against the Indian Removal Act (aka Trail of Tears) and was thanked for it by a Cherokee chief, so yay. I will continue humming cheerfully.

And even though the sky has clouded up again, I feel much happier here. The lake is currently gone — undergoing renovations apparently — so my waterfront spot is really just a “looking out onto a grassy pit” spot, but it is peaceful and quiet. I remember — again from last year — sitting in a campground somewhere in the south and realizing that there are places where those noisy birdsong relaxation medleys that always sound so fake are actually real. This is one of those places. If it weren’t for the hum of the computer, the only sound I’d be able to hear would be the birds chirping and squeaking and whirring and making all those different mysterious sounds they make. Not complaining, though. They sound quite happy! (I could be projecting, though. šŸ™‚ )

The Fear of Missing Out

20 Monday Nov 2017

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Personal, Randomness

≈ 3 Comments

The Fear of Missing Out: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Instagram showed up in my inbox this morning. (Follow the link! Read the article. Then come back, because this will make more sense if you do.)

It felt really beautifully timed. Like the universe was telling me something. Except not really, because I like traveling and I love my life, but it was a good reminder that every life involves trade-offs. We’re all making choices, every day, about what we want to be doing and how we want to do it. No matter what, we’re going to miss something.

A while ago, I mostly stopped posting to Instagram because I discovered that it was making me feel… disconnected, maybe? Fake? I didn’t like looking at a meal or a view and thinking about it within a framework of what other people would appreciate about it. A fantastic dinner that was maybe not aesthetically pleasing in a photo didn’t stop being a fantastic dinner, but when I imagined posting the picture, it was with justifications and explanations. And when I looked at a view and rejected it because I’d never be able to get a good picture of it… I didn’t want to disdain my life because it wasn’t pretty enough to share, if that makes any sense. Instagram can’t capture the intangibles — the taste of good food, the smell of autumn in the air, the feelings of community and friendship.

But maybe I’ll learn to love it again, because what I liked about it when I first started using it was that it worked for me as a reminder to appreciate the moment I was in, to celebrate the meal that I cooked instead of just shoveling it in, to pause and admire the view instead of glancing out the window and moving on.

Today is going to be a highly practical day: picking up a prescription (I hope), doing some grocery shopping, dumping the tanks, washing dishes… but it started with peacocks.

a peacock

Robin

15 Thursday Jun 2017

Posted by wyndes in Birds, Photography, Randomness

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I received the most delightful voice mail message today. It contained the words, “basically I’m just calling to say you were right and I was wrong.” I’m not sure why that amuses me so much — it’s mean of me to be amused, in fact — but it was expressed so… so… so precisely. It’s exactly the right vocabulary for a good mea culpa.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to find out exactly what I was right about so I’m sitting around on tenterhooks waiting to find out the details. The call was from R, of course, and while I’m appreciating the concession to my rightness, I’m also a little worried. I really would prefer not to be right about altitude sickness being a problem for him. As it goes, amused triumph mingled with worry is translating into a lot of snacking, a lot of internet browsing, and not nearly enough writing.

I’m tempted to start reorganizing Serenity yet again: I still haven’t managed to get everything into proper places after cleaning out my storage unit, so there’s work to be done. But I also know that work is just a distraction from writing. And if I’m going to go the route of distraction, I could also go pull up some weeds from the blueberry patch — distracting and helpful, a much better bet.

Or I could blog. And look through photos. And maybe post an entirely random robin?

robin

A random robin. I think he’s telling me to get to work.

And then get back to work.

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Just catching the sunrise
A little patch of flowers in the wasteland.
Spring is on its way. Yay!
The second rainbow on the right is a little hard to see in the photo so look close.
Pre-Epcot breakfast, made by Frisbee. Total SuperHost. All the stars!

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