October 20
Birds: mockingbird, some sort of wren, Killdeer, Northern Harrier, small falcon, Red-Tailed Hawk, Eastern Phoebe, woodpecker. probably ladder-backed, Pelicans.
Ed and I went fishing, even though it was way too windy to enjoy ourselves. He couldn't find any structure to fish, so after a long time hunting we went to fish the oil derricks. Had to tie up there--the trolling motor will keep us in the same spot, but the wind and waves will push us around a good deal in and around the spot. so using the trolling motor right next to an oil derrick in choppy water would have been asking for destruction.
The warning signs promised dire consequences to anyone climbing on one, but it explicitly said that tieing up a boat was permitted. Made me wonder if they were in operation or not. There was grass growing on them.
Ed caught two little crappie right off the bat. One might have been twelve inches long. I didn't catch anything but I did eventually get myself hung around the "legs" of the derrick or something. I didn't lose my whole setup but did lose the jig at the bottom of my line; it might have been hooked on an old piece of rope some fisherman left just under the surface.
After we came in, at around two, we took a long walk around to see if the prairie dog town had become occupied during the interim. Nope. I can't find an answer for it online, but I'm hoping they maybe just moved location. We did see a gaggle of geese and a couple of small sandpipers...least? Along with the Killdeer.
That evening it became crystal clear that this campsite had a problem, other than the lack of view. It was the campsite of the 2-pronged Sticker Bur. Like fluff on the ground, easy to ignore on the soft edge, but possessing two sharp little thumbtacks that attached to our feet, our shoes, our rugs and our dogs. The dogs were the worst but I can't say we particularly enjoyed them attached to our feet either.
The campsite also has the normal sort of tiny bur, round but incredibly prickly and impossible to remove without pain both to the removing fingers and the site of attachment. Those were easy to see and spot. But these two-pronged burrs didn't hurt all that much. They were just awfully annoying.
Previously I'd often scoffed at the "camper area mats" I'd seen on camping supply websites. They seemed like still one more way to separate oneself from Mother Nature...and what do you go camping for, if not to bump noses with Mother Nature? But now I can see the value in something you can wipe your feet on before entering and exiting the RV. Typically we take off our sandals and leave them at the doorstep, but here, you can't take a chance on letting a bare foot accidentally contact the ground. It's hazardous!
Ed even threatened to leave his sandals on indoors. But we continued to leave them at the door, and would occasionally do a quickstep shuffle and cry, "Ouch!" Then we would stop whatever we were doing and pick the burr out of our feet.
Zack suddenly developed a serious limp in his right-front paw. He could barely walk. After looking many times (looking AND feeling) for tiny burrs in his paw, I gave up. It appeared to be a sprained wrist. I first tried giving him a little bit of lift using the leash attached to his walking harness, but that rubbed on the sort spots on his underneath (another story). Then I resurrected the old ring of cloth cut from the bottom of a teeshirt and looped it around his front legs. Gently lifting on that gave him enough of an ease to his limp that he was able to walk well enough to toilet properly.
Showers, supper and bedtime came too soon. I used the shower in the campground--it was extremely clean and well arranged, and completely empty of people. There were a couple of truck/car campers scattered here and there, but the place was still more empty than full. I only encountered one other person going into the bathroom as I exited one morning.
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