The quick trip we took last week to North Carolina not only let me experience kiddo’s college graduation, but also broke up the routine of being in a place for more than two months. We set up here at the refuge the first of March and are scheduled to leave June 1st. It didn’t take us long to learn that 8-12 weeks is ideal for our long-stay adventures. Which is helpful since a lot of places we apply for volunteer positions prefer at least 6-8 weeks, some even longer. Regardless of how much we enjoy a place, or the volunteer duties, we generally get itchy around the end of the second month. By then, we’ve seen the biggest things we want to see, done the exciting things we can only do in that place, and found our favorite shops and restaurants. We joke that once we can get around somewhere without using our GPS, it’s time to leave!
So we returned from our celebratory escape expecting a week of dull recovery, sameness of workdays, and doing whatever we could to stay cool in this atypical May heat wave. Sidenote here: I assured Vic, based on my 3+ years of living in San Antonio that Mar-Apr-May was perfect weather in the Texas Hill Country, that it didn’t get OMG Hot until at least July. Heard from the weather guy this morning “This is July weather we are having, folks…” Dull recovery and familiar workdays were not to be had. Here’s how the week went:
Monday: Having pulled our carryon bags from the under bed storage (an RV bed that lifts up on hinges) we had to put them back. Since we were there (literally UNDER the bed) we might as well purge and reorganize the whole thing. Which means taking most everything out first. So very NOT relaxing, nor conducive to travel recovery! But we did it. And had a nice pile of stuff for donation. And room to store the space heaters we certainly don’t need right now! Fine. Ok. That task done.
Tuesday/Wednesday: Gym, chores, groceries, and finally some relaxing while running both air conditioners full blast.
Thursday: It was a workday, but I was determined to get some yoga in. Barely done with my coffee, I set up the yoga mat, put in my earbuds, and started up the video. Nice, easy flow, first this way, then that way…then “What the hell!?!?” A shadowy blob scurried past me toward the kitchen! Hearing me yell, Vic grabs a tissue and runs out from the bedroom, expecting to rescue me from a spider or other multi-legged insect. Thirty minutes later, and after turning the living room into a disaster zone we finally shooed the cute little field mouse back outside. But no time to put the place back together, we’ve got to get to work.
Friday: We hiked Rimrock trail (a first for me). Easily the most difficult trail at Doeskin Ranch (a unit of Balcones Canyonlands NWR), I was excited to conquer it. Granted, it’s only 1.6 miles, but after months of hobbling around in a clunky boot with a broken foot, it was so liberating to be able to scamper up and down the switchbacks with no hesitation (but with the use of hiking poles, for sure!) Ok, scamper might be an over-exaggeration. We took our obligatory post trail pb&j sandwiches to the Shin Oak Overlook (yet another unit of BCNWR) where we were serenaded by several Black Capped Vireo and even managed to get a glimpse of a female flitting about.
Saturday: We packed our chairs and water and made our way to Doeskin Ranch again, but not to hike, just to sit and help visitors find suitable trails. On my way out, I’d grabbed my trusty digital camera just to give me something to do while we sat at the trailhead. We joke with guests that there’s really no need to lug those super-duper high-power cameras up the ridge, just sit here and wait. Several weeks ago, I’d heard a Painted Bunting, but never got a glimpse of him. Today, however, even before we heard him we saw a couple of Cardinals and some other bird in the brush not far from us. I’d already dismissed it as anything interesting, but Vic took out his monoscope and commented about it not being a cardinal but having a red belly. As soon as I put the scope to my eye, I recognized the magnificent plumage. I hadn’t even unpacked the camera yet, and managed to do so both without dropping anything or losing site of the fancy bird. My day was complete!
The next two weeks we will turn our energy toward departure preparations: Vic will focus on any maintenance that’s due while I’ll make sure we have a place to go and a safe route to get there. If the weather breaks, we hope to get the eBikes out at least one more time, and I’d still like to make it up Indian Grass trail (an extension of the hike I did this week), but I’ll be happy if we don’t have to rearrange the RV again for any reason!
Where To Now 