Thursday, September 1
The crew and I continue to enjoy our field-and-forest camp at Kinney Flats in southern Colorado.
Most of the time, when the Perfect Tow Vehicle isn’t carrying us on forest roads, Bridget, Reggie, and I stay close to camp. Sometimes we stroll the lane that passes our camp or we traipse the open, pine forest and fields.
I pick up Reggie and carry him across a high-grass meadow. Bridget weaves her way through.
It’s cattle-gone-wild!
The crew wakes me up this morning barking at something outside our window. I overslept past daybreak. Sitting up I look out the window.
Oh, another stampede. There they go!
I feel like I’m becoming the Dian Fosse of bovines.
At midday I push back in the lounger and observe the cattle. They graze contentedly in the field next to our camp. Then, for no reason I can decipher, one will get it in his head to trot away from the rest or maybe he trots toward something. Instantly all the others lift up their heads and trot after him. They pick up speed until the entire herd is at full gallop.
Cattle and people do share some traits!
I watch with amazement as the herd crashes, without pause, into a thicket of gambel oak, those small trees that grow in tight clusters under the pines. Headlong they go, right into the thick of it,bellowing, smashing branches, until the higher-pitched cry of one rises above the chaos.
That’s the point at which the bovine mob comes to its senses and individual thought returns. Attempting to understand the bovine mind is a foolish endeavor. It does seem that they ask the same question, “How do I get out of this mess?”
Gambel Oak may be Colorado Scrub Oak or Rocky Mountain White Oak ( for those of you who know trees and like details).
I wish I could capture the birds with my lens.
They rarely are still! They sense that autumn is imminent and, by gosh, there’s work to be done!
So far I’ve seen nuthatches, bluebirds, various sparrows, flickers, doves, nighthawks, stellar jays, purple finches (maybe they’re house finches), the big, black birds that caw (one peered into the ceiling vent), and a bird of prey that circles above the field next to our camp.
Previews of autumn colors appear here and there.
Some people enjoy geocaching, a form of outdoor treasure hunting using GPS devices.
Hunting for colors with my crew, using my eyes and camera, is the way I prefer to “geocache”
Such a variety of “finds” in a small area! With every step, more are found, too many to photograph or to show here, and each one a treasure.
A vague restlessness is the first sign I’ll be itching to move camp.
I probably would move tomorrow if it weren’t for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend. I’ve learned that the Friday before a long, holiday weekend is not a good time to show up at a campground or state park.
The first-come, first-serve campsites are likely taken. More than that, with the inevitable crowds gathering for the last hurrah of summer, it would be like joining the bovines crashing into a thicket of gambel oaks.
I’d end up crying out, “How do I get out of this mess?”
No, it’s better for us to stay at Kinney Flats for the long weekend.
As best I can tell from online research, hunting with guns won’t start until the weekend after Labor Day weekend. We haven’t heard much gunfire at this camp. If we do, I’ll toss the crew into the PTV and drive away from it for a few hours.
That’s all for now . . . .
Whatever you do, wherever you are, I wish you an enjoyable holiday weekend!
rvsue
NOTE: Thank you for the many kind and complimentary comments under the previous post. Please know that your messages are appreciated, even when I run out of steam and stop replying. If I reply to one, I feel guilty for not replying to all.
I’m going to take a break and turn the comments section over to you. Please hold your questions to me, or, better yet, ask fellow readers. Please congratulate, welcome, answer questions that arise, bring up a topic of interest to you, share something of yourself, join the company of blogorinos!
Thank you! — Sue
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1st
Tied for first at 11:16. Congratulations.
Did I make it to first? Seldom comment, but always enjoy reading your posts. Thanks for your blog!
You tied for first at 11:16. Congratulations.
Woo Hoo! Top five!
You are in second place by only one minute. There are two at 11:16 and your comment says 11:17. Congratulations.
Ooo, dang it. So close too! I could’ve been a triplet!
Have a relaxing break and peaceful Labor Day Weekend!
Very interesting day. There are two comments at 11:16 for first place and you are tied for second at 11:17. Congratulations.
You always take such nice pictures.
WOW! Can’t believe I’m in the top 10, lol.
I liked the cattle and people comparison! Our temps at night are dropping as low as 59, another sign fall is just ahead. Have a good weekend everyone!
I like taking pictures of plants, too. And rocks.
We’re surrounded by elk right now.
We had a wonderful time in Yellowstone about a month ago–how are the fires out there Marsha? Where in the park are you?
We’re at Mammoth and the smoke comes and goes. There are very few areas of the park that aren’t smoky. They just placed a campfire ban yesterday because it’s so dry.
Have a great holiday weekend! Wise to stay put LoL.
Cheryl, Tennessee
Today I get to go to the Wild Life Safari with my son and grandkids. I am just glad the heat wave has passed and it is cloudy today. I hope you have a quiet and peaceful weekend Sue. I plan to stay put for the rest of the weekend to avoid the crowds and traffic.
That’s a great place to visit with kids. We are staying put; excited for our first Seahawks game for the year even tho it is preseason. Starting to rain here— fall is in the air.
I love Linda’s description of the cattle. They’re extremely intelligent, but sure don’t seem to act that way. They could be jittery out on the open range like this.
dang — i was waiting too
I am always fascinated by the wonderful pictures and that no matter where you travel that there is always something interesting to note. I have often asked myself if I could travel in such a solitudinous manner and be so in touch with myself and my surroundings. Does anyone else travel / camp alone and if so, what is it like to do so.
I did, Janet. For a year and a half until I blew my knee out – I’m now waiting to have a knee replacement and then hopefully I’ll go back to the road. I love it, the sense of wonder at each new place I discovered. The sense of freedom and independence you get from being on the road. I was never really alone though, I always had my dog Maya as my co-pilot and I met a lot of wonderful people out on the road too.
Hi Janet,
I enjoy traveling with my wife and best friend, but I could also be content traveling alone. We’ve been together for 32 years, and I hope we have 40+ more together, but if I ever lost her I would sell everything and hit the road–I’m happiest when I’m traveling.
It’s sad that it’s different for women–I believe women can do anything men can do (and often do it better), but they are often faced with attitudes and behavior that men can’t comprehend. Kudos to Sue (and many of the blogerinos) who don’t let that hold them back, but they shouldn’t have to put up with it in the first place.
Well said, Steve, and very refreshing to hear it from a man. No wonder your wife is your best friend!
I camp alone, well alone with my Katie-girl (the dog). But only short trips, and in a tent. Have to say though that I have NEVER seen another single woman camping alone at any of the campsites I have visited. Haven’t seen a man camping alone either…so maybe it’s just that I’m camping mostly in state parks. I have had people come up to me and tell me I’m brave. I don’t know why, I have never felt threatened in a state park. I don’t do stupid things alone, and I am always watchful. Plus the dog barks at everything so I figure no one is going to surprise me.
🙂
What beautiful photos .. what a beautiful world! My “new” trailer is now in it’s covered shed storage, a few initial repairs made, LOTS of learning yet to do, and lots of fun to be had. Next is to officially put the boat up for sale AND trade in the Prius on a tow vehicle.
Sue .. you (and everyone) are so helpful and so encouraging. At 68 years of age, I feel young and ready for new adventures. There are horses to see, cows to watch, birds to follow, flowers and trees to enjoy, water to wander with, clouds to corral, nice people to meet, and a whole gorgeous world to see. Oh sure, there will be those times that aren’t so much fun, but I can’t hardly wait.
For me, the greatest thing about retirement is that it eliminates a lot of the “have to” out of your life. I love my personal freedom to do whatever I want when I want. I worked 2 jobs for the last 15 years of my teaching career so spare time was not plentiful. I find such joy in all the “everyday” chores I have now because I’m not under a deadline. Sounds like you are well on your way to this wonderful time in your life.
Have a wonderful,peace filled weekend!!!
It is a great campsite …:)
I have really loved Colorado this summer, Sue. Some of it was areas I had not seen. I was hoping for Rocky Mountain National Park and I would love for you to experience the beauty of the Big Thompson Canyon, maybe another year.
Enjoy your long weekend. We typically stay home to avoid crowds on the holiday weekends.
I like the way you put that Jolene…we’ve been in Colorado with Sue 🙂
Have a wonderful weekend Sue and Crew — Hope it’s quiet and peaceful just the way you like it. Might not happen, but one can hope. Burger, The Chiweenie Brothers, and I will not be out and bout. Staying put we are.!
As I sit inside with the AC on…our heat index is 103*…I am so enjoying the glimpses of a promise of fall in your photos. Of course, I will have to wait until late October/early November to see those glimpses in my yard, but still the promise is there.
Your pictures of wildflowers are just gorgeous, Sue. And the golden, russet leaves beginning to turn are just beautiful. I love the pictures of your camping spot from afar. Looks so peaceful and yet to active with nature.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Sue. You are so good to share your adventures and pictures with us all. Take time for you and the pups to recharge and just hang out. I will pray angels around you that no “meaniepoopooheads” (one of my all time favorite words taught to me by a kindergartener during my teaching days) disturb the tranquility of your holiday.
Belly rubs and hugs for Bridget and Reggie, and prayers for you all.
Happy Labor Day!
Hi Sue,
Each photo looks like a care f fully composed piece of art, partly designed by mother nature and partly by the appreciative and talented photographer.
We are packing for my first trip to Europe. We lost our beloved old golden retriever in June. If I’m going to travel abroad this is the time because my heart is starting to yearn for another dog. The house feels so empty and our last RV trip wasn’t much fun without a furry companion looking over@ our shoulders.
Beautiful photos!!!
Again, the pictures are wonderful. You can take the simplest subject and show us the beauty of it. Love the flower and the leaves but the pine cones and pine needles really struck me. WOW!!
Hope you have a peaceful weekend Dear Sister.
Sending lots of love and big hugs.
Happy Labor Day weekend To you and your crew ! Wise decision to stay where
You are. Beautiful pics from Colorado ..
Marilu have an awesome trip to Europe. So many sites to see. A new pup
When you return will help . We only wish they lived longer ..
Somebody asked a question on a Facebook boondocking site asking which state seasoned rvers might decide to settle in, (if they had to), that they would consider the safest, quietest and most laid back. Just wondering what the RVSue followers think?
It seems that Sue has found boondocking spots in all the western states she has visited. I have been boondocking in California for years in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Lots of forest service and state public land that we have stayed in. The coast is not as easy, it is very regulated.
My son has camped a lot in southern Oregon, wow, lots of beautiful places there too!
In these two states the winter can be rough because of snow.mi think that is why so many people head south for the warm winters…
As far as I know, you can’t actually settle on public land, you have to move fairly often, but you can pick an area!
Challenging question: I think one of the big advantages of full-timing is that you’re not tied to anyone place, whether boondocking or in established camps. The west definitely provides more options than the east, but the key is being able to pick and up and move when weather or neighbors become disagreeable.
“safest, quietest and most laid back” are considerations but I think these are also very important:
1) Price
2) Weather
3) Proximity to good medical care, stores, airport (the latter not needed by everyone)
4) Ease of access to other locales (for warmth or to be cool)
Odd that “safety” is mentioned first.
I hope your Labor Day weekend is free of gunfire and other assaults on peace and quiet. At least, if there are other folks around, I hope they are more into communing with nature and less into trying to conquer her. As always, your wonderful photos tell a compelling story; one I never tire of reading about. Blessings!
Hi, Sue,
I love the wildflowers and macro studies! So many beautiful things to see if one takes the time to look!
Sending you and the Crew hugs from me and Gracie pup. 🙂
We’ll be looking for a boondocking site for the next couple of days. We are in Yosemite right now, heading out on the east side near Mono Lake, then east through Nevada to Zion in Utah. We’ll need to stop somewhere along the way for a couple of nights. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Hi Casitagirl,
Alabama Hills near Lone Pine is a beautiful boondockiing spot. Tuttle Creek, a BLM campground is also nearby. You will have My Whitney views as well as valley views.
Might consider cathedral gorge sp near pinaca.
Hi Casitagirl,
Labor day weekend could be tough. I haven’t camped in the Humboldt Toiyabe area, but can heartily recommend Snow Canyon State Park in UT. Gorgeous area, with a little bit of everything. But it’s close to St. George, so it could be crowded for the holiday. Of course by then you’re so close to Zion you’ll probably want to press on. Good luck!
Snow Canyon is wonderful, Steve, but the campground is very small. It was full in mid-October when we went there last year. My guess is you need reservations far in advance.
It would be cheaper, less cramped and crowded, and only a few miles away to stay at Baker Dam Reservoir Campground.
The crew and I toured Snow Canyon from that campground.
In eastern Nevada going east on 375 out of Tonopah, you come to the junction with 93. Turn right, go 10 miles to Alamo, a few miles further south to Pahranagat NWR. Free camping. If campground is full (wait if you arrive early, people use it for overnight even though it’s a lovely spot, and it’s likely someone will vacate their site). There’s a RV park in Alamo, as a fallback plan.
Pahranagat NWR camping.
Fall in definitely in the air in Colorado. I just left Estes Park, elevation 7500. Overnight lows were in the lower 40s. Brrrrrrrr..
Love the photo of the grass in front of the tree bark!
How nice to find this as I opened your page. I’d been thinking about this blog and curious to know several things.This post has all the answers to my wonderings about you three, your place and weekend plan, neat 🙂 ! It’s like in answer to my questions I found a delightful long reply nicely illustrated with photos. Lately, more than usual, I can relate to your running out of steam. I hope your small respite is all you want it to be and rejuvenating as well.
Lovely photos!
This weekend my son and his family are coming for a visit. For a kid treat I made the boys, 8 and 6, tepees! I found instructions on a blog called cotton and curls, purchased heavy cotton canvas like fabric, poles…and got to work! My son showed the boys photos of their new outdoor houses, they are already planning to sleep outside in the yard…
It is fun being a kid!
Hope everyone has as nice a time as these kids are planning!
Top 25? Anyway beautiful pics of all the flowers. Why do we need flower gardens? Nature gives us everything we need if we just know where to look. Or even if we don’t know where, look around us wherever we are. Ah – peace! Enjoy your weekend and I hope that it stays quiet for you and the crew.
Wishing I could send you some of our rain, just enough to hydrate things. We’re in the path of the Gulf coast hurricane, hitting us right about now, 9:30 pm. Supposed to make landfall around 3:00 this morning. Getting all the phones charged, water, candles, and batteries already on hand.
My black Golden, as I call her, is not storm-friendly, so she’s pacing around the house a bit. Vet told me to give her 1 or 2 25 mg. Benadryl which should pacify her a bit. I gave her one earlier today to see if she’d tolerate it and she did, with a nice 5-hour nap! Just gave her another one with some blandly-cooked rice and hopefully she’ll calm down now and get a nap. I wonder if her inability to tolerate thunder is why she ended up in a shelter? She may have been someone’s intended helper on the hun, and it didn’t work out so she had to go? Never know…
She also had a bit of an upset stomach, had been eating grass, so I asked the vet. They said to cook some chicken, slowly, in the crock pot, and it was important to boil it down to cook the marrow out of the bones. Apparently the broth off a whole chicken has something that is beneficial to a dog’s stomach because of the marrow. Interesting. I never knew that; and they said to boil some plain white rice, no seasoning, and mix it with the bland chicken.
You mentioned peaches earlier, Sue, and I know what you mean. It is a blessing to be able to have fresh produce year-round due to importation, but there is just nothing like fresh local items. My mother grew up on a 300-acre farm in South Carolina during the depression, and they had a peach grove. We still go up to what is left (belongs to family members) and pick our own peaches. Nothing like a SC peach to bring tears to your eyes, and I mean that literally. They have such a taste that it just bursts in your mouth. We then make peach pies, tarts, cobblers, and jam. Just eating one fresh is a taste treat.
BLOGORINOS:
Join me in prayer for the safety of Chuck and Geri and their canine crew, as well as anyone in the path of the hurricane and storm surge.
Hurricane Hermine is about to slam into the Florida coast as I write this around 8:20 p.m. Chuck and Geri live in an RV in East Point on the coast of the Florida panhandle, about 70 miles southwest of Tallahassee.
Thanks!
LATER…. Found this report:
Franklin County – Mandatory evacuation order issued for non-residents for the following areas of Franklin County: St. George Island, Dog Island, Alligator Point, Bald Point, all low lying areas, all residents who live along the coastline or are prone to surge flooding, and all residents who live in mobile homes or RV’s.
East Point is Franklin County. They are under the mandatory evacuation order.
***See update several comments below***
Ohhhhh nooooo. I have many friends there…I have been watching web cams trying to get some sort of information. I pray for Geri and Chuck, and everyone that is in the way of this nasty storm/hurricane. Thanks for the update. I am working until 11:00 pm tonight, so I will be up late watching.
I have had the Weather Channel on this evening. I have been praying for all those affected by the hurricane, but will keep Chuck and Geri in my specific prayers. I hope they got away early and are safe and hunkered down to wait out the storm. It looks as though it will cause problems along the coastline all the way to New Jersey. I am holding my breath this season that I don’t have to evacuate due to a hurricane. Take care.
I certainly hope they are OK and that they are able to write in soon to let us know. Prayers for all in the path…..
Keeping Chuck and Geri in my prayers. When I saw the path of the storm, I immediately thought of them. I hope that they were able to evacuate safely and that their little piece of heaven weathers the storm.
Prayers for Chuck & Geri. Hope they left before all the traffic to get out. Do they still have/live in their RV? My neighbors have 2 condos in Panama City. They are concerned about flooding.
The weather here is going to be wonderful until Monday, then all the heat & humidity returns. Yuk!
Yes, they are still in their RV. I am facebook friends with Geri and she is also in an RV group that I help admin on FB.
Forgot to compliment you on the lovely photos. The changing colors reminds us fall is just around the corner. The leaves are starting to fall from some of the trees, here.
Hope you have an enjoyable holiday weekend and things don’t get to wild and crazy there.
OMGosh!!! I’m so excited!!! We are taking a road trip up Hwy 93 to Elko, NV and then to Brigham City, Utah for the peach festival. I research your travel blog for Ruby Mts and some of your camps and we plan to stay at a couple of them although they will be just overnight. I could not find the hot springs you soaked in but I’d love to visit the a soak too. We leave on the 8th and it will take us about 6 to 8 hours depending on traffic to reach Alamo, NV area….looked at camp sites in the area and loved Cathedral Camp…most are first come first serve so wish us luck! BTW your current travels in Colorado is beautiful…so many beautiful places you and the crew have been!!
Does anyone know what cows evolved from? Stupid is not the correct description. I think
they live on a different time clock, an eternal one perhaps, definately there’s a more accurate description besides stupid, simply aware perhaps.
answer to your question – lol
A: Modern domestic cattle evolved from a single early ancestor, the aurochs (OW-rocks). These fierce animals stood six feet tall (2 meters) and lived until recent times. In 1627, a poacher hunting on a preserve near Warsaw, Poland, killed the last surviving wild auroch.May 1, 2002
Prayers for Chuck & Geri. We had just moved to Ft. Lauderdale, FL (husband’s first teaching job) when Hurricane Andrew hit. We were preoccupied with moving in and, being from the midwest (where there is a tornado warning nearly every week), we paid little attention to the doomsday weather prophets. By the time we realized it was for real, the stores had sold out of emergency supplies. So we just masking taped X’s on our windows (so if they blew in the glass would not be quite so lethal), filled the bathtub with water, and prayed. 10 days without services taught us a lot about preparedness. As experienced RVrs, I’m betting Chuck and Geri are prepared for whatever comes. Just the same, it will be good to hear they are O.K.
UPDATE:
Early morning report: “Hurricane Hermine made landfall early Friday morning just east of St. Marks, Fla., as a Category 1 storm with 80 mph winds…” (St. Marks is 60 miles northeast of where Chuck and Geri live in East Point.)
I assume Chuck and Geri are fine. They know how to prepare for a storm. However, since East Point sits on a peninsula jutting out into the Gulf near the hurricane’s expected landfall last night, being able to get off the peninsula and away from the worst of it was what concerned me most. Stuck in a traffic jam is not the best way to ride out a hurricane.
Thank God the hurricane was not as bad as it could’ve been. Prayers for everyone affected by the storm. . . .
Heard from a friend who grew up in Florida and whose Mom is still there that the worst has been a greater than expected water tidal surge with flooding more than expected . My friends Mom was supposed to be 3 miles from the evac zone and after it was too late to get out the authorities changed it to include her home! Scary stuff.
It’s always nice to hear from Chuck and Geri, and will be especially so when they can check in here next time. Hopefully, it won’t be long until they do. I, too, trust they knew what to do and fared well. Any disruption in their routine, or just the holiday weekend , might of course, delay their being in touch. If anyone does hear from them, I hope it’s mentioned here.
Hi, weather,
I sent Chuck and Geri an email and will let everyone know if I hear from them. You’re right about disruption keeping them from communicating. In time they will make contact.
Thank you all for your good wishes and prayers! We dodged the bullet and did fine here! I wrote more about in in Sue’s next post! Thank you all once again! So sorry I didn’t read my email and respond to your worries earlier. We love you all!
Happy to hear all is well.
Love the pictures of the flowers! I also love the picture of your “home” out in the field…very peaceful. I am sending up prayers for Geri and Chuck…and everyone in the path of the storm. I am staying busy. I rented a ditch witch to put in underground electric WAY out to my garage…almost done. Had a yard sale to sell a bunch of stuff that came with my house…made enough money to pay my car insurance for the year!!! Have a great weekend everyone! Stay safe everyone.
Hi Sue! Lovely pictures! They make me want to go explore in that area soon. And yes, cows are unique on their own, but so cute, most of the time.
You should be pretty safe from gun hunting for awhile longer. All anybody can do starting in September is archery, with very few people with tags to do muzzle loading (ie not a rifle… think Revolutionary War style), and black bear hunters (very very few people can get tags to do this). I know a lot of hunters and don’t know a single one who does muzzle loading. October is rifle season but I’m sure you’ll be outta there by then, it can get snowy and cold by then anyway!
Yeah, that Labor Day Weekend thing. I’m glad I have a nice, quiet, free place to spend it on the property of part-time nomad I met on the road a couple of years ago. A fine host and good guy.
“I feel like I’m becoming the Dian Fosse of bovines.”
OK, that made me laugh. Hope all is well with your holiday weekend.
Prayers to you Chuck and Geri.
Brrrrr! 43 degrees this morning in Wapato, WA. Fall is coming fast. Have to get all the home chores done this month so we can be on our way for more RV ing. Can’t wait for the adventures that lie ahead.