Sunday afternoon

The early morning showers gave way to mostly cloudy, then partly cloudy, and by 11:30 we were off to explore the trails in the park.  A two-hour walk took us along the West River Trail, southbound, cool in the shade (and with many gnats) but hotter and hotter in the sun.  After a cold drink back at the campground and some relaxation, we went to the river for a swim, which Ranger enjoyed greatly.  He got to cool off, plus play "chase the stick" until he tired of it.   As I type this, he's taking his afternoon rest, along with Dan.  

Cell service and internet are very weak here, so I am at the Visitors Center at the top of the hill.  I tried to post a photo but without luck.  Hope to add some when we are at a location with better, quicker service.

Saturday arrival in Vermont

We arrived at Winhall Brook Campground in mid-afternoon on Saturday.  First impressions were good; the office staff were friendly and helpful. The campground is close to Londonderry, VT in the Green Mountains, and it’s run by the Corps of Engineers.  Most of the campsites are on grass, in an open field, but by luck our site is tucked back into trees, affording some cover from neighbors on either side. 

It was a sunny afternoon, mid-80’s, and many people were at the “beach” which has no sand but is a cluster of small rocks along the river.  The Winhall River is a narrow, rocky river with swift current and some deeper pools, and the beach is where the Winhall empties into the West River.  Dogs are not allowed on the beach, but a short distance upstream, near the bridge that allows access to the south shore (where our site is) there was a similar flat, rocky area where adults, kids, and dogs were splashing around and having a great time.  We will definitely want to take Ranger for a swim when weather permits.

“When weather permits” because this Sunday morning, as I type, it is raining lightly.  Fortunately we have plenty of books to read and came prepared for some bad weather.  Cell service is very limited and I have not been able to check the hourly weather report, but I am hopeful that we’ll be able to get out for a walk along one of the hiking trails later in the day.  Can’t complain about the temperatures: it was 69 when Ranger and I got in our early morning walk, just before the rain began.

 Winhall River

Friday on the road

The first day out was mostly driving.  We traveled through Fredericksburg and Warrenton, making a stop in Winchester at Camping World to pick up a few things. Then through West Virginia and Maryland, into Pennsylvania, and through Harrisburg and Allentown/Bethlehem.  Our reservations were for Dingmans Campground, along the Delaware River in northeast Pennsylvania. 

The campground is not too impressive, with roads that need grading and lots of standing water; they have had the same days of rain we did in VA.  That meant, of course, many mosquitoes!  After a good coating of Off, we were able to sit outside for awhile, visiting with Bill who came over for burgers and beer.  We escaped the bugs while eating by going inside----Ok, it was really to enjoy the air-conditioning.  It is HOT and humid!  Both dogs enjoyed the cooler air, though Flower did make herself at home in Ranger’s bed under the dining table.

The sites immediately around us were unoccupied, so we had privacy and quiet for a good night’s sleep.  

Getting ready

Fourth of July, and we'll have a busy day of packing and preparing for our upcoming three-week camping trip to New England.  Tomorrow we plan to be in Dingmans Ferry, PA for one night, where we'll visit with brother Bill before heading to Vermont.

I awoke to a perfect morning, clear and high 60’s.  Ranger and I walked up past the horse stable area, seeing goldfinches and bluebirds along the way.

By the time we had breakfast and cleaned up and were ready to head out for a hike, it was heating up.  We took the River Trail again, an easy flat walk, and again found lots of birds, including yellow warblers in the trees along the river.  We walked beyond where we had left off on Monday afternoon and picked up the Culler Trail within sight of the park boundary.  Much of this was out in the sun, and it was hot.  Ranger managed to cool off in a large puddle/tiny pond resulting from a small brook running through the meadow to the river. 

 

 Actually the above photo was taken of him swimming in the Shenandoah River---a nice way to cool off.

After 2 ½ hours of walking we returned for lunch and some quiet reading time.  It got hotter and hotter, and we finally retreated to the RV and turned on the air-conditioning. (Ah, camping!)  It had gotten to 94 inside, and a thermometer set outside went up to 97. 

We met a couple from a few sites down who are from Midlothian, and they are avid bird-watchers.  They came up near our site to watch and photograph the Baltimore orioles on their nest.  They recommended that while in Maine, we stop in Ellsworth at the Stanwood Bird Sanctuary (“Bird’s Acre”) for some great birding.  They also commented that they had come to Shenandoah River last May and returned this year, just because the birding is unusually good. 

A warm shower to rinse off the day’s sweat sure felt good, and it finally cooled off nicely for sleeping.  

Ranger woke me before 6 am, hrumphing at the door to be let out.  We headed out into a cool morning (50’s) with heavy fog lying over the river.  We took the road beyond where we turned off into our site, heading toward the “cabin area”.  These turned out to be very nice, sitting on a hill above the meadow we walked through last night, some rather small (perhaps 2 bedrooms and a living space?) while another was more like a lodge for larger groups.  I’m not sure what they charge for them, but they would be a nice place to spend a quiet week’s vacation.  (Note: I can’t check any of this on the Internet, as sitting down here in the campground, there is no cell reception and thus no Internet.)

 After a leisurely breakfast, we went out to explore some of the hiking trails.  We first took the Campground Trail up the side of the hill, ending up at Culler’s Overlook which allowed a great view into the river valley.  Another half-mile took us to the large visitor’s center which---for its size---was fairly empty.  They did have quite a display of stuffed birds including a number of those we had seen but also many different owls.  Continuing on a loop, we reached the picnic area along the river and took the Bluebell Trail back to our RV.  This last trail was full of mosquitoes, the first we’d been bothered with, but we did add a new bird to our list: the Northern Waterthrush.

The afternoon was hot with a rain shower in mid afternoon. We read and napped, then took Ranger for one more walk along the River Trail.  The evening continued overcast with intermittent rain, so we had a quiet evening of reading and DVD’s and popcorn

 We left home at around noon and after a drive of about 3 hours arrived at Shenandoah River State Park.  It is about 15 miles south of Front Royal, off Route 340.  A light rain fell as we approached the park, but it stopped in time for us to set up.

The RV campground is new as of 2011, and the sites are good-sized and spread apart, though out in the open without much vegetation between.  We chose site 17, which turned out to be a good one, in that there is a Baltimore oriole nest just across the road and we’ve been able to watch those brilliant orange birds come and go. 

The campground host stopped in to greet us.  He is at this park through May and then going home.  Surprisingly, he said that the state parks have been having trouble finding people who want to be campground hosts, so no one is coming in behind him for either June or July.  He also mentioned that the place was totally packed over the Memorial Day weekend, all 32 sites taken.  (At this point, there are 7 in our loop and 4 or 5 in the other loop, so it’s relatively empty.)

 We donned raincoats and headed out to explore. We picked up the Bluebell/River Trail near the other loop and walked the flat path along the river, where we saw many birds and heard them all around.  In one short walk we noted about 15 types, including summer tanager, red-headed woodpecker, and cedar waxwings.  There are bird boxes everywhere for the many tree swallows that swoop and soar over the large meadow. 

After hamburgers for dinner, we had a nice campfire.  (Wood for sale at the campground host’s site.)