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Category Archives: camping

Fall Camping

The girls and I had one more camping trip in early October. Due to unseasonably warm weather, fall colors were few and far between. The light was amazing though. Every morning, I took my coffee to the beach and watched the sunlight spread across the mountain and the tall trees. Sky and Luna both posed for photos. Luna managed to go for walks the first four days but by day five, she was tuckered out and did not really want to do much. I think she was relieved when we left the next day. However, she still wants to go camping. She loves the smells and the lake and just being out and about. The best thing about that trip was that we mostly had the campground to ourselves. Hardly anyone else was camping. The worst thing about it was that somewhere a fence or gate had failed and six cows freely roamed about. They would parade through at least once a day. Sky got real good at chasing cows and Luna backed her up with barking.

So Much to See

A few scenes from a recent camping trip. You never know what you will see. Just go. Look!

Camping in the Cold

The girls and I got away for four nights last weekend to a favorite camping spot in the Okanogan Highlands. The weather continues to be cold for this time of year. One morning, there was thick frost on everything and one evening, in addition to rain, there was a good hail storm. Never a dull moment. We kept warm in the camper and kept moving outside. With the chilly weather, few people were camping so we mostly had the place to ourselves. That was nice.

Even Luna enjoyed the time away from home. She’s always been a good traveler and is eager to explore new places. She had a real spring in her step. Sky was excited to be camped next to a lake and I was excited to get in my boat and to see all the birds. We could see and hear the loons from our campsite. It was wonderful.

Spring Camping

Sky and I got away for three days last week. The weather continues to be fairly cool, well cold, most days. The dog water froze outside each night and I was grateful for a working heater in the camper. We walked and walked and walked and saw a fair number of deer. There was one otter that entertained me for an afternoon. We also saw a skunk on one of our rambles in the hills. Luckily, I saw it before it saw us! I identified 64 bird species and am sure I missed some whose songs I didn’t recognize. We had a fine campsite overlooking a small lake with a variety of waterfowl and one lone swan. There were numerous buttercups in bloom and one Astragulus and some tiny lomatiums. The snow had just finished melting and while we were there, we had one impressive snow squall that left the hills white til the sun came out again. Mountain Bluebirds were everywhere! Red-winged Blackbirds, American Robins and Canada Geese woke us each morning with their songs and calls.

Here is my bird list for the three days:

Canada Goose 

Tundra Swan 

Wood Duck 

American Wigeon 

Mallard 

Green-winged Teal 

Ring-necked Duck 

Greater Scaup 

Bufflehead 

Barrow’s Goldeneye 

Hooded Merganser 

Common Merganser 

California Quail 

Ruffed Grouse 

Dusky Grouse 

Pied-billed Grebe 

Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 

Eurasian Collared-Dove 

Mourning Dove 

Virginia Rail 

American Coot 

Turkey Vulture 

Osprey 

Northern Harrier 

Red-tailed Hawk 

Great Horned Owl 

Belted Kingfisher 

Red-naped Sapsucker 

Downy Woodpecker 

Pileated Woodpecker 

Northern Flicker 

American Kestrel 

Say’s Phoebe 

Black-billed Magpie 

American Crow 

Common Raven 

Black-capped Chickadee 

Mountain Chickadee 

Northern Rough-winged Swallow 

Tree Swallow 

Violet-green Swallow 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet 

Red-breasted Nuthatch 

Pygmy Nuthatch 

Brown Creeper 

Bewick’s Wren 

American Dipper 

European Starling 

Western Bluebird 

Mountain Bluebird 

American Robin 

House Finch 

Cassin’s Finch 

Pine Siskin 

Chipping Sparrow 

Fox Sparrow 

Dark-eyed Junco 

White-crowned Sparrow 

Song Sparrow 

Spotted Towhee 

Western Meadowlark 

Red-winged Blackbird 

Brewer’s Blackbird 

Yellow-rumped Warbler 

Autumn Light

Our second site had the best sunrises and sunsets. That incredible October light. All these images were made from our lovely lakeside campsite. My girls look good in the evening light.

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