Tuesday at Belton Lake

 October 6 2020

The agenda for the day was fishing, but the weather was weird. It was very overcast and very cool. I forgot to bring my jacket on the boat, but I was able to use Ed's (when he took it off.) I was still wearing it at about noon, when the clouds lifted and the sun blasted down its evil waves of heat  upon us. It was (almost) unpleasantly hot for the rest of the time out there.

When we had launched the boat, we'd discovered that there was another day of the fishing tournament underway. A large number of boats were gathered around the dock and hovering nearby--I asked a guy walking out there and he said that they were on a break. Sure enough, in a little while a car horn sounded and all the boats took off again.

We went downstream and then turned left up a little creek, partly to get away from the wakes created by all the boats coming and going at high speed, and partly just to see what was there.  It turned out that there really wasn't much of anything there. Houses on cliffs on the north side of the lake; low banks on the south and a bunch of cabins, which I believe were part of Cedar Ridge Park.  And no fish to speak of.

Later we went exploring, hunting for another good spot near the boat ramp, but found no big fishes anywhere. No birds, either. Although I think this was the day I saw three small falcons cavorting by the water's edge.

Taking Molly for a walk was painful, and not just because my leg hurt from Sunday's fall. I went at about 4:30, assuming I'd get back before the deer came out and Edward arrived. But the deer were out at 4:30. Technically, at this campground, I'm not sure they have a schedule. They hang out on the grass in the pavilion area, and all day long they cross the road and cross back.

Molly is learning, but not so quickly as she needs to, not to lunge forward on a leash. I made her stand and watch the deer until she could calm herself down enough to walk beside me. Cruel, but necessary if she's ever going to get to go anywhere. Bird watching is impossible with her, but I wasn't suffering too much at the present because there weren't all that many birds to watch.

Our walk got cut shortish because whichever way I turned, there were deer. But that's okay because Edward returned and we went to check out the Disc Golf Course called Heritage Park. Not having any kind of map of the course, we didn't know where to start. The hole they (not we, I skipped playing for reasons involving dogs on leashes) played first was #2, and it was extremely long even for a par four. I think they each shot seven or eight, but no one was keeping score.

Then hole #3 went right through a deeply wooded creek bed. By then they were beginning to understand the lay of the course, so they chose to skip hole #3 and do the next one, #4, then #18, then #1. Those holes were pleasant although it wouldn't hurt the caretakers to do a little more mowing in places.

It would have been fun to do the whole course, but night was falling and Zack was getting tired, and both guys were getting hungry.  I suspect. Me, I'm always hungry when camping. Meals are variable and physical activity is increased even if we don't do anything special. For example, dogs can't be put in the back yard to walk themselves--every step they take, I take too. The steps up into the front door are huge; climbing in and out of the boat is a major ordeal, and even climbing into the Ford F250 pickup truck takes me both hands on the strap and a jump.

The guys ate the chicken, sausage and rice casserole I'd made with no complaints, and Edward overate it, but I didn't think it tasted very good at all. It was incredibly bland to start with, and freezing and reheating didn't improve it any. I guess Edward could consider it home cooking as opposed to fast food, so it was somewhat good for him. Without a single green vegetable--just onions, a little red bell pepper, and a cup of cooked beans.

Birds so far:
Grackle, Great Tailed. Mockingbirds. Vultures, Turkey and Black. Eastern Bluebird. On the water, l Great Blue Heron, Neotropic Cormorant, a strange little water bird that I didn't get a good look at, and Kingfisher (only one.) A flycatcher that had a very yellow belly but no crest--it could have been Couch's, but I didn't think to look carefully, Two or three Kestrels in and out of a treetop near the water.