Mammoth to the Gooses!

Monday, 11 January 2021

Time to go to Goose Island!  The morning was cold but somehow didn't seem as fiercely cold as the previous night, and all the snow had melted off the streets. The ground was mushy, of course, but we were only concerned about the streets. Fearing ice, we'd planned to take it easy and not rush away, but that wasn't necessary.

I took a quick walk with Molly over to the boat ramp, and on the way back noticed that there was a second walkway to the bird blind and this one was covered with wood chips. Very walkable and no mud at all. No one was around, so we took a quick look. They had a very nice setup and one of the feeders--a thistle feeder--had a little seed in it. Goldfinches or purple finches were going at it. If someone had only filled the seed feeders, the place would have been a winter birder's heaven.

While I was distracted by the birds, Molly managed to take a massive dump in the corner. And me without my baggies! They had baggies provided at a few locations in the park but I'd not thought to grab one. I was able to remove the evidence with some oak leaves and dump it into a dense mat of tangles outside the blind.

On the way back I was almost sure I saw a red-breasted nuthatch, one of those birds that is common as mud but I've never seen.  Back home at my bird feeder, I only have the white-breasted nuthatch. I wish I'd gotten a better look--I saw the striped head, the heavy bill, and the rusty-pinkish breast. And, of course, the nuthatch behavior. But it was in the trees at the edge of the road and the dappled light obscured my view.

If we come camping here again, remember that #12 is a great spot. #14 is okay but right beside a little boat launch and fishing pier, so it might have a lot of traffic in summer. Right now, of course, it was beautifully deserted. # 16 and #17 are close to each other but would be okay, especially #17.

At about 11:18 we were unhooked and headed to the dump station, and by 11:36 we were on our way to Goose Island.

We took only a quick stop for gas, sour cream and candy bars at a very nice truck stop with a very bumpy driveway. Sorry I didn't make a note of the name of it, but it will be easy enough to find again. And by 3:47 we had arrived and completed our hookups.

Bob and Theresa had arrived just before we did, and they'd parked their little Casita sideways so as to block the (very strong) wind and turn their shelter into a cozy little home. This is an odd park--right on the bay, with little concrete shelters at each campsite. Inside the shelters are the electric hookups and, oddly enough, a very bright light you can turn on.  I don't think we used ours even once.

The parking for the shelters was indeterminate--it was mostly gravel and sand all around, and it was up to the camper to decide whether to park in front of their shelter, behind it, or beside it. We chose to park beside it because our rig is a little longish and if we'd parked "crossways" (in front or behind) we'd have taken up more than our share of the graveled space.

The end result was that out our windshield was a magnificent view of the water. But soon we put up the sunshields and curtains and cloaked our view. With the strong wind it was very chilly, so our curtains were acting more like a heat shield, keeping it warmer inside.

Since we were bayside, not oceanside, the water was calm and we didn't have the crashing of waves to enjoy. But there were the usual ocean birds--pelicans, gulls and a tern or two. And several boats out there. When night fell, we could see lights all out the long causeway (is that the word?) and out on the barrier island. And there was a long fishing pier just a few hundred yards from us. It looked brand-new and I'm guessing it was built after the last hurricane. Wonder how long it will last?