January 7, 2016. A Walk in the Woods.

January 7, 2016.  A Walk in the Woods.  It was overcast this morning and weather forecasters predicted rain this afternoon (accurately, as it turns out), so Annie and I set off for a walk in the woods.  There are miles of trails in the park.  There are probably ten miles of bike trails and nearly that many miles of hiking trails. 

On the way to the trailhead, we passed by Dumpster Ally.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the number of dumpsters serving the park residents.  I didn't count them, but the number must approach twenty.  That's a lot of trash.  The park is essentially full and there are nearly 500 campsites, so I should expect a lot of trash, shouldn't I. 

It turns out that the trails are still pretty wet.  You can see Annie picking her way through a couple of damp spots.  After the second wet place, we gave it up and returned to T-Harvey.  On our return, we passed by a fallen live oak tree.  A live oak tree is so named because it doesn't go dormant in the winter.  It stays alive year-round, retaining its leaves.  Despite its uprooting, the leaves and branches on the fallen tree remain healthy.  I suppose there are a sufficient number of roots not unearthed to feed the tree.  Interesting.  We got back to Harvey just in time to put away the camp chairs as the rain began to fall.

Barb and Carl, from Barron, WI, are camped across the road from us.  Barb has been across the street three times to visit.  Today, she brought us a book on camping sites on land operated by the Army Corps of Engineers.  She says the Corps operates some of the best campgrounds in the country.  Better, the average fee is 12-17 dollars per night.  Later, Barb returned to invite Annie to visit a local pottery with her.  Annie had just settled in and encased her knee in an ice pack.  She passed on the invitation.  Barb has a very crisp Wisconsin accent.  She seems very nice.  Barb and Carl are planning to stay here until the end of March.  Barron is in the northern part of Wisconsin.  I suppose they want to stay in the Gulf area until they are sure the extreme cold has left Barron. 

So, that's it for today.  Oh, as one of the pictures shows, the birds returned the day after their National Day.  If you are curious, today is National Bobblehead Day.  I couldn't find any bobbleheads to photograph for you.  Maybe, they too, are hiding on their national day.  Perhaps I'll see some walking around the camp tomorrow.  If I do, I'll take pictures for you.