Heartland to Home!

Continued from last post.....

June 4th
Jackson Lake State Park, near Orchard, CO

SO yes we got an electric site here under this big Cottonwood turned out to be so buggy! And we had these gypsy moths hitching a ride with us for days!  They crept into every crease between the doors and the door insulation strip....hundreds of them!!  If I had investigated a wee bit more we could have gotten a site by the water that had more sun but less bugs....A trade off of sorts.  But we had our fans to keep us cool, and the screen kept the bugs out the moth attack happened after the sun went down I assume. Remember that COE campground in Kansas where I saw all those butterflies, I had to move to a different site cause they were getting in the van.

June 5th 

Jackson Lake 

The Lake was ocean like huge, with waves!  Lots of DC Cormorants, White Pelican, California Gulls, 

White head, dark eye, orange dot on lower mandible with a black smudge near it, dark grey back, black wing tips, yellow legs, 

Ring Billed Gulls, Barn Swallows, 

and Lark Sparrow 

Lark Sparrow is one of my western favs, the ones in Colorado are plumper and look more refined compared to the ones down in TX and AZ, they are leaner and more rugged looking. 

Just gliding by... 

On the way out we stopped off at the dam where sometimes Curlew Sandpipers have been seen, not today we had more Yellow Warbler in the trees, and White Pelican in the air...

In the morning we left after taking our time, and traveled along Hwy 6 that loosely follows the South Platte River.  Along the way we took a quick look at Prewitt Reservoir...and the fun thing I saw there was a distant Heron Rookery with awkward looking brand new herons trying out long legs.  

And more White Pelican

We picked up Hwy 138 in a North-easterly direction to just west of the town of Crook, and Tamarack Ranch State Natural Area.  It is mostly set aside for hunting but this time of year it's safe to enter!  We took a road into the riparian area of the South Platte.  Lots of Redheaded Woodpecker, like 8 we saw. 

Along with the Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird, I found this Philly Vireo that ended up being just a Red Eyed,....danggit! 

I really didn't see the line as that strong, till I reviewed a different shot of him...and the lemony belly distorted my thinking. I've never seen a red eyed back home with a lemony belly they are always English Linen Tan!

...this one below is definitely a  Dicksissel singing out on the millet spikes.  I love the ones that there is no question on what it is don't you? If it's an empid, sparrow, or gull you can bet I'm wrong 50% of the time.
(add vireos too) and we won't even go into all those dang yellow warblers.

Eventually the heat drove us away...we made our way northeast to Nebraska via I-76, and to this lovely boondock by Lake McConaughy.  I imagined I was  Robinson Crusoe, but this was Nebraska not Mas a Tierra.  

 

Our Robinson's Crusoe Camp on Wednesday the 5th. 

Still if felt like a deserted island, we could see an organized campground about 5 miles away on the Western Shore of the lake. The dogs and I took a dip in the water to cool off, and then sat out to dry off before turning in for the day...when the no see 'ums began to feed on us. 

The morning the 6th kept us moving East and though the farmlands of Nebraska and into Iowa, all we did all day was drive, and stop for more gas to drive some more...gas on this return trip ranged from a high of $3.09 in Walden, per gallon, to $2.45 in SC.  We rolled through towns large and small.  I-76 had emptied into I-80 back along the CO/NE state line, so we followed 80 East.   Thursday we stopped at Anita Lakes State Park in Iowa, (pictured below) for the night...we got an electric site for $16.  A really nice park and later a terrific thunder storm cooled it off so nice we didn't even need the fans, It was a little scary when one of the park rangers came around banging on our door and said go to the bathhouse if the winds got any worse there was a tornado warning till 8:45 pm!  I should have taken photos on the next day about 9 miles east of the park 2 semi's had been blown off the road and each one lay on it's side...pretty scary stuff...

We had a Common Yellowthroat in our camp.

  

And more Dicksissel 

And some tree swallow at the nest box, 

 We stayed a bit late that morning, but eventually back on the highway.

The heartland is dotted with alternative energy sources these days...

And some old fashioned things too!!

This big barn begs for a Quilt Block don't you think?...near Davenport, Iowa I took I-74 south and east past Bloomington, IL and to Le Roy, Moraine View State Park, in Illinois Where we stayed on June 7th our final camp on this trip, just before our southerly turn onto I-57, no photos of that camp as we arrived just at dark, we walked, ate, then it was lights out and sleep.

Friday June 8th we left early like just after dawn...and it was hammer down time, which I despise, but what I do while all these miles roll over my odometer is to recap all the awesome sights I have seen and relive the best moments!   (sort of go into a trance, like a Fugue State) I drove all the way home 827 miles, south via I-57 to Nashville,  

Nashville Skyline

picked up I-40 East and then I-26 East at Asheville, NC  then later onto I-20 East at Columbia, and arrived home at 2 am  Saturday Morning!  Long drive but I was ready to be home!!  By the time this posts Mom should be back in her home right next door to me, and sis should be there too I expect a long hot summer and have no current plans beyond taking it all one day at a time! I had a very busy spring with lots of travel and I'm ready for a long "staycation" now. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.