Mammoth Leaving Fort Park

Thursday 3 December 2020, at Belton Lake

In the morning our lakefront campsite was especially nice because flocks of robins and cedar waxwings were plopping around in the mud at lake's edge. An occasional robin would sing a partial bar or two, practicing for the summer serenade, but mostly it was just the cheery chatter amongst themselves. There were a few yellow-rumped warblers in with them, and a phoebe. I didn't hear a chipping sparrow but I was pretty sure I had the day before.

Out on the lake the gulls were congregating in a tight group--should I guess there's a school of shad just under the surface there?  The Pelicans and cormorants have moved somewhere else, but I can guess they're still on the lake somewhere. It's too bad this lake is so close to home, because I want to come back and fish here sometime. Supposedly there's a boat ramp up in the ?? river. When we took the trail on Tuesday and returned on the Park Road, if we'd turned left instead of right the road would have taken us to it, but I didn't want to walk Zack so far. But now I'm curious if it might be a good place to fish. I'll guarantee it's a good place to bird watch.

And that's all the bird watching I got--it was time to head out to Cedar Ridge Campground on Belton Lake . I seem to have misplaced my notebook, so I have no statistics on the route we took or how long it required. I was reminded of my solemn promise which has been broken. Again.

Always plan all routes before the trip.

Without a good plan, I let Ed's phone route us and it took us on some weirdo adventure that involved detours through small towns, 4-digit roads, and business routes. We only had a 1-1/2 hour drive, so I didn't think it mattered. And it didn't--it was just silly.

The campsite I was able to snag was not one of our favorites, but I liked it just fine. It's up the hill a little from the one we occupied last time, so it doesn't have quite as a good a view of the water but you can still see it, plus it just might be warmer up higher. When we left the sun was shining and a stiff breeze was blowing, but when we arrived it was completely overcast, windy, and cold as heck.

We did the hookup thingy and, since freezing temperatures were forecasted, Ed hooked up the insulation and heat-wire device for the water intake hose. After that there was time for a quick lunch (me) and a nap (him), before I had to go jogging and he had to start supper. But on steak night, it's always my job to prepare the skewers of vegetables. By the time I did that and got moving, it was after four o'clock. No matter....

Except for all the dumb deer. Molly and I jogged down to the boat ramp, around the cliff in the group area, back to the entrance gate, then back and around. Everywhere we went there were deer. All of those stinking deer. Eventually I determined to make it a full hour of jogging, so we did. But it was getting dark when we returned.

Ed, meanwhile, had seen a turkey. In the campsite!