Follow The Sykes Birds

Back in the BPV

2012-02-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

site 215

Back in Texas. I might have said back in the "heart of Texas" but honestly, I can't figure out where that might be, geographically speaking. I expect many parts of Texas might lay claim to that distinction so rather than start a gunfight, let's just leave it as "back in Texas". South Texas, or, specifically the Rio Grande Valley. The Central Rio Grande Valley.
It took a week or so to settle back into our site 215 at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort (owned by Bentsen Palm Development). Washed and waxed the RV and truck. Reorganized the RV's interior. Got the bikes out and assembled. Rekindled friendships with old neighbors. Met new neighbors. You know. Just settled back into where we had left off last year.
Amazingly, for the first time in nine years we didn't have an out-of-country birding trip planned. While there's no lack of activities in the park, we're just not the line dancing, quilting, or card playing types. Were we worried about boredom setting in? Hardly. We've always managed to find things to do to entertain ourselves.
This year we looked forward to having many birding friends arrive (mostly from Wisconsin). Word seemed to have gotten out that we knew our way around the birding community in south Texas so our birding friends just naturally wanted to stop by.
Enter Jennifer Rycenga and her partner Peggy Macres who flew in from Half Moon Bay, CA for a whirlwind three day birding blitz. We had recently spent time with Jennifer at the 2011 Monterrey Birding Festival and now, Jennifer was on the tail-end of an attempt to see 500 ABA species in 2011. We knew many of the birding sites and were delighted to chauffeur them around to help her meet her quest. She arrived with 468 species. Searching high and low, try as we might, she left Texas with an oh-so-close 499! Not to worry, though, as she and Peggy had flown on to Florida to visit Peggy's mom...where Jennifer easily picked up #500 (Wood Stork) plus four more species to seal the deal.

Carol, Jennifer, Peggy, Tom

Long time friends Dave and Betty Dunsmore arrived for a week long first-time-in-the-Valley visit. They had rented one of the BPV's cozy casitas that put them within an easy two minute walk to our site. As with Jennifer and Peggy, we convinced the Dunsmores not to rent a vehicle as we were happy to drive them around. Much easier for all concerned since we knew a lot of the shortcuts and ins-outs of Texas driving. We also knew how to easily find some of our favorite local eateries. Most birders, after all, are foodies.

BPV casita

Carol, Tom, Betty, Dave on South Padre Island

Vicki Buchmann and Lynn Koss arrived not long after Dave and Betty had departed. They too stayed in a BPV casita and happily agreed to let us do all the driving. Vicki's husband, Jim, isn't a birder and the same was true for Lynn's partner, Laurel. That has resulted in Lynn and Vicki having been on some of our Costa Rica tours so it was like old home week when we got together. Unfortunately, within 24 hours of their arrival, Lynn managed to take a tumble out of our RV and broke her wrist. But that didn't deter her one bit! She soldiered on with a huge smile on her face for the remainder of the week which included a cross border shopping trip into Neuvo Progresso. Lynn has since had surgery on her wrist in Florida where she is being pampered like crazy.

Tom, Vicki, Lynn at South Padre Island Bird Preserve

Greg Seegert, another of our 2011 Costa Rica trip participants was in Texas for a few days. We managed a half day birding with Greg which netted him a female Rose-throated Becard at Estero Llano Grande State Park. Cathy Mauer and her husband Gordy from Medford, WI were also in south Texas for a week. We shared a morning birding with them at Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Alas, Cathy and Gordy (as well as Lynn and Vicki) failed to see the Black-vented Oriole before it had disappeared. Bummer. It was one hot bird species that pulled in many birders from all over the country while it was present. Bets are that it wound up as a meal for one of several Cooper's Hawks that frequent the park.

Tom and Greg

most of the "Chambliss group" with Tom, Dave & Betty

A group of Carol's friends from her days at Madison Audubon (the "Chambliss" group) who she had not seen in years arrived in the Valley in January. They had checked into El Rocio, a B and B just up the road from our park. They were self-reliant for transportation but we still managed to link up at a few birding hot spots during their week-long stay. Not long after they left another group (the "David and Shelly Hamel" group) from Wisconsin arrived, also staying at El Rocio. They too had their own transportation but relied on our knowledge of local birding areas. In return they favored us with a couple of home-cooked meals at El Rocio plus hours or conversation!

Carol with the "David and Shelly Hamel group"

On January 4 we participated in the Bentsen-Anzalduas Christmas Bird Count (CBC). A bit of a twist this year as we had been asked to secure the BPV pontoon boat for use in our assigned count area on the Rio Grande. Definitely a new experience as we spent a half day scouring the banks of the river with a group of other area birders. 62 species was our tally that contributed nicely to the overall count of 174 species. And once again our CBC count made ABA CBC history as it included a first ever record of a Black-vented Oriole (still being seen at the time - whew!).

the CBC gang on the BPV pontoon boat

Christmas has also been a time when BPV residents historically help local families in need. This year, rather than select a few families to lavish with gifts, Carol, in cooperation with a local food bank, started a park-wide food drive. Based on the fact that Hidalgo County (where our park is located) and neighboring Starr County are two of the poorest counties in the nation, and that people have to eat all year 'round, the food drive was well received. It will continue through the end of February when many BPV residents begin to depart. The food bank is delighted since many donations tend to fall off dramatically after Christmas Day.

Carol with park managers Guy and Juanita

Now in our third winter in south Texas, we've developed a number of acquaintances within the local birding community. One interesting fellow is Benten Basham. In 1983 Benten "Ben" Basham became the first person to break the 700 species ABA Big Year barrier when he racked up 711 species. No one knows how much money Ben spent on his quest but he has mentioned that back then "you could buy a comfortable house and put a nice car in the garage".
Remember, in 1983 there was no wide spread Internet or birding list servs. He achieved his total without benefit of many recent ABA splits (Winter Wren, Whip-Poor-Will, Blue Grouse, Sage Grouse, etc.). In fact Ben helped set up NARBA (North American Rare Bird Alert), and, he developed what has become the ABA code system which prioritizes all North American birds with regard to scarcity (or ease of finding).

Ben Basham

Tom with Kyle, John and José at Estero Llano Grande SP

The five code system included Code 1 (ex: American Robin) and Code 2 (ex: Least Grebe) birds. These were assigned as the easiest to find or birds that were regularly seen but not predictably. Code 3 (ex: Red-necked Stint) birds were tougher to find species that might require a special trip during a short observation season. Code 1, 2, 3 birds were not, Ben suggested, worthy of urgent phone calls. Ben just wanted to know about Code 4 (ex: Yellow-legged Gull) or Code 5 (ex: Zinaida Dove) birds - birds that had been blown in from other countries or continents. If you've read "The Big Year" you'll know all about Ben.
Major membership growth in the fledgling ABA is attributed to Ben when in 1971 he was appointed to be its membership chair. According to Ben his ABA life total is in the 870's and will likely remain unbroken until Attu, when he visited 14 times, is opened once again to birders.
Early in January our good friends and neighbors, Gayle and Harvey, informed us that they had purchased an RV Supersite lot in the neighboring Retama Village. Very sad so say goodbye as they pulled out of their site but happy for them in their new location. But they're not so far away that we cannot easily walk over and visit. Our new neighbors on the opposite side of our rig are Sue and Ray from New York. Delightful folks - we just don't talk much about the Giants beating the Packers...

we were upbeat...at the beginning of the game!

Ray and Sue - Giants fans but we like 'em anyway!

So what's coming up during the remainder of this year's winter in BPV? Well, we have more friends from WI who will be visiting the Valley. Carol's sister Marge will shortly arrive for a ten day stay with us in our RV. No doubt there will be shopping trips galore. And, hopefully the weather will be far more comfortable than during her visit a couple of years ago when the area was subjected to colder than normal temps (read: killing frost). Carol has begun a water color class. And we continue to be volunteer naturalists at the state park next door. We will continue to build our annual 2012 bird list as we search for a few nemesis ABA life bird species that have eluded us in past years...like Red-billed Pigeon and White-collared Seedeater.

Black-throated Sparrow

Brown Jay (at Salineno)

Curve-billed Thrasher

2011 Route West Part 2: Carson City, NV to Mission, TX

2011-12-25T13:20:00.000-08:00

On the morning of September 19 after a few more treats for Golda and hugs with Robin we departed Carson City headed toward Watsonville, CA. A very scenic drive over the Sierra Nevada Mountains down into the Pájaro Valley of south central California (note: pájaro is Spanish for bird).

A long pull at 271 miles took us from an elevation of 4652 feet to 78 feet to the Pinto Lake Park...and much warmer temperatures. Located 95 miles south of San Francisco, Watsonville is known widely for its agriculture, mainly fruits and vegetables. Chances are you've eaten strawberries, blackberries, raspberries or artichokes produced in the fields around Watsonville.

The woman who managed the RV portion of the park told us "it will be the quietest park you've ever stayed in". Perhaps not the quietest overall since we've been in some very remote areas, but, it certainly was the quietest urban RV park setting. The Monterrey Birding Festival organizers had listed the park as a recommended place for RVer's and we could not have been more pleased. Not only was the weekly camping rate low (especially for California) but the park manager was also a birder who provided us with local info about where to find some of our target ABA life birds.

Our motives for attending the festival were multiple. First, it put us in an area of California that held a number of ABA life birds and access to locals who knew where to look. Second, it was relatively close to San Jose from where we had hoped to lure our friend Cecil Pendleton to visit us. And third, we would have an opportunity to get together with a couple, Jennifer and Peggy, we had first met while they were guests at Tandayapa Bird Lodge in Ecuador where we had been volunteer hosts earlier in 2011. Jennifer also happened to be the current chapter president of Sequoia Audubon, one of the festival's principle sponsors.

During our week's stay in Watsonville we managed to meet all our expectations and then some. Cecil did join us for an overnight at our place plus a drive to and from Pinnacles National Park east of Salinas Valley to find free-flying endangered California Condors. We not only found condors but also a flock of Yellow-billed Magpies, another California specialty.

Jennifer invited us to join her while she scouted Waddell Creek/Rancho del Oso. We were doubly pleased because by the time we had tried to sign up for one of Jennifer's festival field trips, they had already been filled.

California Thrasher

Acting on a tip from the RV park manager we spent part of a day at the UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, a reliable spot for California Thrashers, which we had little trouble finding. That same day we bumped into the Seymour Marine Discovery Center/Long Marine Laboratory where we took a brief tour of the facility and scoped thousands of Sooty Shearwaters as they migrated along the Pacific coast.

Surfbird

Monterrey Bay Aquarium

Other tips from festival goers lead us to more ABA life birds like a Surfbird for Carol. And what would a visit to Monterrey Bay be without a trip to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium? While we spent an entire day at the aquarium we still didn't manage to see everything! And as foodies, let's not forget ample opportunities to sample various area restaurants!

Tom suited up for the pelagic trip

Another day was taken up by Tom's first pelagic trip.The tour was with Debbie Shearwater a legendary pelagic tour leader. Pelagics are seagoing birds that spend most of their lives on the ocean, coming to land only to breed. The trip wasn't terribly satisfying due to dense fog but the birds we did see we got good looks at since they had to be close to the boat to be seen at all. On the bright side we didn't get sea sick!

Carol, Tom and Jennifer Rycenga at the Sequoia Audubon booth

Toward the end of the week we started to plot out a route to Texas that would meet our desire to find more ABA life birds as well as a route that broke daily trips up into manageable daily distances. By September 27 we put Watsonville in our rear view mirrors and headed southwest toward Bakersfield, CA.

The River Run RV Park put us within reasonable striking distance of more coastal birding opportunities while we avoided towing our RV through coastal highway congestion. Cashing in on a free night's stay at a Comfort Inn in Ventura, we left our RV parked in Bakersfield and spent the day driving to the coast via Maricopa, CA, reportedly a good spot to find Le Conte's Thrashers (yes, we found them!). Following a restful night in Ventura we were only minutes away from an early morning departure of our daylong cruise (Island Packers Cruise ship) to Santa Cruz Island, part of the Channel Islands National Park.

Buoy breakfast club

view from Santa Cruz Island of our tour boat

Dolphin playing in the boat's wake

Of course it was another bird that drew us to the island - the Island Scrub Jay, the only spot in the world where they are found. And while the cruise itself was not billed as a pelagic trip we still managed to catch an ABA life bird as a few flew in front of the ship: Parasitic Jaegers. Oh, and the scenery wasn't bad either! Unfortunately, our late afternoon/early evening return drive to Bakersfield on congested freeways was less than restful.
Leaving Bakersfield behind we set our sights on Borrego Springs, CA. Our path took us through the town of Tehachapi where we finally caught up with a mutual friend of Cecil's, Karl Schuck, at the Apple Shed for breakfast. Here was another example of having communicated on online for years and finally meeting in person! Karl is deeply entrenched with community theater and the Beekay Theater.

Tom and Karl

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park near Borrego Springs was our next spot on the map where we would park for a few days. It was another long tow as we went out of our way to avoid traffic congestion around Los Angeles but we still managed to become ensnared in multi-lane traffic. We have a new found respect for long haul truckers! Alas, as we navigated toward Borrego Springs we experienced a "misadventure" driving error that put us in an area devoid of fuel stops while we were low on fuel. After consulting (more like cursing) the GPS and with the helpful aid of a local motorist we determined the best course of action was to drop the RV along the road and drive to a nearby town up a steep grade to fuel up the truck. Thank goodness for the BigFoot leveling system which makes unhitching/hitching so convenient!

palm oasis Anza-Borrego

Desert Big Horn Sheep

view from our site at Anza-Borrego

Black-throated Sparrow at Anza-Borrego

We had stayed in Borrego Springs in the 90's (motel) and recalled the state park. The location put us in good shape to visit Joshua Tree N.P. and the Salton Sea. Unfortunately, recent mud slides had blocked the southern entrance to Joshua Tree. The drive to enter via the northern entrance was too far away in the time we had allotted ourselves. But our visit to the Salton Sea provided us with another ABA lifer: Yellow-footed Gull...found after a long, hot dusty hike to a rocky overlook. And Anza-Borrego had a very nice hiking trail that lead to the third largest palm oasis in California located in a rocky canyon that provided very close encounters with desert big horn sheep. By the way, the canyon trail is best taken early in the morning before the full extent of the sun gets a chance to hit the canyon floor.

Following Borrego Springs, our next stop was to be a nearly month long revisit of Tucson which required an overnight in Yuma, AZ at the Palms RV Resort. The tow to Yuma would be our second longest pull at 318 miles.

sunset at Saguaro National Park

AZ-Sonoran Desert Museum landscape

On the afternoon of October 3 we found ourselves parked at Justin's Diamond J RV Resort outside Tucson. The location was ideal with its proximity to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum and a unit of the Saguaro National Park (West Unit). Our site was backed up to 40,000 acres of public lands laced with numerous hiking trails.

view from Kitt Peak

Western Scrub-Jay insistent on looking too

Nancy, Tom, Nancy's friend KP, and Mark, gathered for a Troy Gray performance

For the next month we filled our time visiting our friend Nancy Novak and her friend KP who was moving to Tucson, attending various venues to listen to our guitarist friend Troy Gray, scoping out area birding hot spots, and multiple trips to the AZ-Sonoran Desert Museum ("Free Flight" blog entry from the museum). We had acquired an annual membership during our earlier visit to Tucson in April. Aside from shopping and eatery trips into Tucson we added a visit to the Pima Air and Space Museum, a day trip to tour Kitt Peak National Observatory, and of course Madera Canyon. Mark Langford, another full-time RVer we've met multiple times as our paths have intersected across the country, parked next to us for a week. And, we discovered that a couple we had met earlier while we were parked in Wall, SD, was wintering at Justin's. What a small RVing world it is!

view of the Rincon Mtns from our site at Justin's

On the morning of October 31 after nearly a month in Tucson, we packed up once more and headed toward Texas. We stopped for a few nights in Huachuca City, AZ (Tombstone Territories RV) where we squeezed in trips to the BLM's San Pedro Riparian Conservation Area and a couple of our favorite canyons on the Fort Huachuca (Sierra Vista) military post. It also gave us an opportunity to see first hand the damage inflicted from wildfires we had witnessed in during our visit in April.

Harvey, Carol, Gayle and Tom during our Las Cruces walk-about

In past years we had taken a route that took us south and west along the Texas/Mexico border. This time we wanted to spend a few days in Kerrville, TX to visit Tom's Godmother. That put us on a trajectory that took us through Las Cruces (Hacienda RV Resort) where we spent an afternoon walking through historic Mesilla Plaza with Gayle and Harvey Pagel, who happened to also be in Las Cruces. They're our neighbors from Bentsen Palm RV who, like us, were headed back to BPV for the winter. Then there was a morning spent at White Sands National Monument when the sands reminded us of snow!

scenes at White Sands

An overnight in Fort Stockton, TX (Fort Stockton RV Park) and before we knew it, we found ourselves just outside Kerrville, TX trying out a relatively new RV park (Triple T RV Resort). We made arrangements to visit Nan, Tom's Godmother, on the following afternoon. For a woman of 89 years, Nan has near perfect vision without the aid of eyeglasses and she takes no medications. However, her mental state had visibly worsened and her care givers were concerned that Nan would not be able to continue to live independently. We expect Nan to be moved to a nursing home before our next visit.

Nan and Tom

Lost Maples

Guadalupe River, Kerrville

During the rest of our stay in Kerrville we added a road trip to Fredericksburg and some Hill Country wineries, and the Lost Maples State Natural Area to try for some fall colors. But by November 15 we loaded up and headed for Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort. After our longest day on the road (322 miles) we pulled into BPV and were safely parked on our winter site by late afternoon. It would be good to sit still (well, not be towing) after another event filled year of full-timing!

Vermillion Flycatcher - a regular outside our rear window at BPV

California style full time RV

2011 Route West Part 1: Dale, WI to Carson City, NV

2011-12-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

By July 5 we were set to depart Dale, WI. Our winter destination was again Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort near Mission, TX but we were not due to be on our site until November 15. That left us with plenty of time to meet some of the 2011 travel agendas we had set and to determine a route. The latter was, as usual, a lot less fleshed out except for a "general westerly direction". It's also a proven fact that we tend not to travel in a straight line. The following is a very brief synopsis of our route to Mission (part 1).

Tom and Carol with the Smiths in Oconto

First on our agenda was a long overdue visit with friends Mike and Raven. They've been house guests at our Appleton home during infrequent trips to the Valley but we somehow never were able to make it Upper Michigan. What better direction to travel and go north when we had intended to head west? The drive to Marquette was too long for our maximum 200 mile/day rule (a rule that was broken when the occasion necessitated it). Knowing birding friends Jerry and Karen Smith (also folks who stay at BPV in the winter) were spending the summer at the Holtwood Campground in Oconto we made a reservation for an overnight. Karen and Jerry had also recently purchased a new Cameo so it was a good time to compare rigs - and of course compare birding stories. The next morning we were on the road along the Lake Michigan lake shore headed for the Marquette Tourist Park where we would park for the next three days.

Tom, Carol, Mike and Raven

Gourmet picnic fare including quail eggs

boarding the schooner

Mike and Raven rolled out the red carpet later that afternoon when we arrived at their apartment located in an historic home near the Lake Superior shore...and the carpet stayed out the whole time we were in town. Gourmet meals at the apartment and a gourmet picnic lunch. Dinner at Casa del Sykes. Hikes at some of Mike and Raven's favorite haunts - how thrilling to observe Pileated Woodpecker parents feeding young in a nest cavity! Visits to the local food co-op, a meal out on the town, and our visit's highlight - a sunset cruise on Lake Superior aboard the Coaster II gratis Mike and Raven. Wonderful lengthy conversations covering a variety of issues and topics. What a grand couple - were so happy to call them friends.

underway - Raven, Mike, Carol and Tom

Carol and Raven on the Lake Superior beach

Mike and his volcano chicken

Many hugs and tears and we were again on the road, this time heading west as planned. Our next stop would be the Crex Meadows SWR located in northwestern WI near the village of Grantsburg. Again, faced with a longer drive, we made an overnight stop at the Bad River Indian Casino where free electric and water hookups are offered on a first come first serve basis. Not terribly scenic but hey, it was free and was better than a Walmart (we have yet to stay at a Walmart and hope we never have to!).
Over the years we've been to Grantsburg in our pop-up camper, in our travel travel and now in our fifth wheel. The city-owned James Mc Nally Campground is a friendly and well run park. However, it happened that an annual festival (snowmobile races...in the summer?) was coming up that would cut our stay short by a day (all the sites were reserved). It turned out to be just as well - the weather was not too pleasant. We spent part of the first night huddled in the cement bathroom/shower building with several other park visitors to wait out a severe thunderstorm. Plus, during our auto tour the next morning of Crex Meadows, the deer fly population had exploded to such an extent we couldn't open our truck windows let alone step outside.
Another agenda item was a quick stop in Manakto at our RV dealer's to have minor tweaks and adjustments made to our RV. This was also the time that the MN state government was shut down, hence all MN state parks and rest areas were closed. Any route from Grantsburg in MN toward Mankato required an overnight. We instead decided to travel as far south in WI to put us within a day's drive to Mankato. We meandered down the The Great River Road which switched back and forth across the WI/MN border. Really quite a lovely drive!
Hearing about how wonderful some of the Army Corps of Engineer parks were, we reasoned that it now would be an opportune time to try one - specifically, the Blackhawk Corps Park located near De Soto WI about thirty miles south of La Crosse, WI. Faithful readers of our blog will recall that our stay at Blackhawk wound up being far longer than we had planned! See this blog entry to refresh memory.
With our commitment to Blackhawk Corps Park fulfilled, we headed to Mankato on the morning of August 18. Keepers RV was expecting us and in no time all the tweaks were finished. But being late in the afternoon we opted to spend the night at Keepers before heading out. Besides, it gave us a chance to enjoy another meal out at a local Mexican restaurant that had become a favorite!

Dave Jones, Tom and Carol - Badlands, SD

We needed to stop in Box Elder, SD at Americas Mailbox, our legal residence, to register the new RV and get new plates at CO D.M.V.. But the drive would be long and we needed to break it up with a few more overnights in between.
The first overnight was in Huron, SD at another city-owned park: Memorial Park Campground. Not a terribly noteworthy stop - just handy. But our next stop, in Wall, SD, at the Sleepy Hollow Campground put us in touch once more with long-time Appleton friend, Dave Jones. We had visited Dave during our first year of full-timing. It was nice to catch up again. During our three night stay in Wall we included a visit to the Badlands NP with Dave acting as tour guide. We also met another full-time RV couple, Karl and Madeline, who were parked next to us. Tom was first drawn to them as he watched Karl working in his "man cave", a large storage compartment filled with a vast array of tools...and a TV.
During the purchase of our RV at Keepers in June, Keepers presented us with a "free" three night stay coupon for Rushmore Shadows Estate near Rapid City. The catch? We would have to sit through an hour-long presentation on why we should join a private club that gave us exclusive access to other private parks like Rushmore Shadows Estate around the U.S. (an RV timeshare sorta thingy). Most of these private parks were located in places we likely would not be visiting but hey, we can deal with free and we're really good at saying "no thank you".

Americas Mailbox headquarters, Box Elder, SD

not a FedEx package - it's our mailbox at Americas Mailbox

On the morning of August 22 we moved on to Rushmore Shadows Estate, parked and signed up for our required presentation then headed off to Americas Mailbox to deal with our RV registration. It also gave us a chance to visit our "mailbox" and get a personal tour of the new facilities in Box Elder from Don, Americas Mailbox owner.
On the 23rd we picked up our new RV plates then returned to the park where we politely sat through the presentation, biting our tongues the whole time. Our third full day was spent sightseeing around the Black Hills on back roads too narrow to negotiate while pulling our RV.

Black Hills, SD

typical sight on Wildlife Loop Auto Tour

grassland knoll, Black Hills

We had held off making a final decision about our westerly route until we had reached Rapid City. We had hoped that another visit to the Pacific Northwest was in the cards with an opportunity to see more friends in WA and OR but in the end, two things nixed traveling so far to the northwest. Fuel costs for diesel had risen and we learned about the Monterrey Birding Festival. We grudgingly put off a Pacific Northwest visit for another year.
Feeling a bit more relaxed we opted to spend a couple more nights in the Black Hills at our favorite SD state park - Custer State Park. Being so late in the year made it easy to get a site. We spent a day doing the Wildlife Loop Tour, having breakfast at the State Game Lodge, and plotting out a route to California.

No trip out west would not be complete without a stop to see our grand kids in the Rockies. And as long as we were headed in that direction we contacted our friends Rick and Cindy Myers in Colorado Springs to see if they would be around. Rick's immediate reply via email was an enthusiastic "yes"! They would be in town when we made our swing through the area.

Robin, Carol and Tom at Culver's

To break up our drive required an overnight in WY. We had recently learned that our good friend Robin and her traveling companion Golda were also headed west to recover her motor coach which Robin had stored in Carson City. She and Golda had been in St. Louis visiting Robin's family. We made a reservation at the WYO Campground outside of Carpenter, WY. Robin and Golda had promised to stop on their way through. Once they arrived we insisted that they spend the night in our rig now that we had a real spare bed (a sleeper sofa). It also turned out that another full-time couple that Robin knew was staying in Carpenter. We all met at the local Culver's for dinner. Hey - Culver's are rare commodity in the west so when the chance presented itself....!

Cindy and Rick Myers at our place for dinner

Garden of the Gods

Tom, Officer Kelly with TJ, Officer Ford, Chief Myers

Officer Ford and Boris

our site Cheyenne Mountain SP

We had made reservations to stay at the recently opened Colorado state park, Cheyenne Mountain. As the name implied it was at the base of Cheyenne Mountain but situated up from the valley floor with a spectacular view of the surrounding landscape. The park was also just a few minutes drive from Rick and Cindy's house. Rick, some of you may recall, was the police chief in Appleton before he left to assume the same role with the Colorado Springs PD.
During our three night stay at the state park we had Rick and Cindy over for dinner, were treated to a meal out by the Myers at Parabvicinis Italian Bistro near Old Colorado City, toured the artist colony at Manitou Springs followed by a tour of the CSPD headquarters and capped off the evening at Rick and Cindy's including a dip in their hot tub. Rick arranged a meeting and brief demo with two of CSPD's K-9 teams at the CSPD Special Units training facility. You know how much Tom loves K-9 teams! Carol and I also squeezed in an afternoon of driving/hiking in the Garden of the Gods. Not to mention (but I will) our state park site was first rate!

Carter, Gama Carol, Pa, Cali

August 31 found us on the road toward Summit Cove to visit Chris, Robyn, Cali and Carter. We wound up spending nearly two weeks parked next to their house connected to their electricity. They kindly offered us the use of their guest room but these days we really feel more comfortable sleeping in our RV - but the use of the guest bathroom was not turned down!

Carter, Chris, Cali, Robyn

and let's not forget Chewy!

Jimmie Vaughan at Copper Mountain

Ricky Skaggs at Copper Mountain

the crew at Copper Mountain

As is the case whenever we visit the kids, their lives are a blur. We walked to Cali and Carter's school to pick them up, went on hikes in the mountains, shopped, spent a day at Copper Mountain with free concerts, babysat, attended Carter's soccer games, and just hung out. A terrific time to be sure. But it was now almost mid September and at over 9,000 feet the nights had gotten pretty cold - time to move to a lower, warmer altitude.

Colorado National Monument

Carol overlooking part of C.N.M.

September 12 we pulled out of the driveway headed west of the Rockies toward Fruita in western Colorado. Another CO state park reservation awaited us at the James M. Robb Colorado River State Park (Fruita Unit) situated near the base of the Colorado National Monument. A couple of nights in the Fruita area gave us ample time to spend an entire day exploring the Colorado National Monument via its lengthy auto tour.

view from hiking trail near Lakeside RV Campground, Provo, UT

We mapped out a course toward Monterrey, CA which would take us past Salt Lake City and the Great Salt Lake, both places Carol has never seen before. It also put us on a direct course toward Nevada, a state Carol had never been in before. Unfortunately the traffic and road construction around Provo, where we had parked for a night (Lakeside RV Campground) didn't allow much for sightseeing. Perhaps on another pass through this part of Utah there will be time to explore Salt Lake City. However, we skirted part of the Great Salt Lake and drove past the Bonnevile Salt Flats.

Near Bonneville Salt Flats. Had all the salt - where was the Margarita glass?

Elko, NV was a convenient place for an overnight at the Iron Horse RV Park. Then it was on to Carson City where we had agreed to meet up with Robin and Golda at the Silver City RV Park where Robin had stored "Bessie", Robin's nick name for her motor coach. We managed to score a site with a line of sight view of Bessie and of course Golda who viewed Uncle Tom and Aunt Carol as dog treat machines (an adroit observation on Golda's part).

Lake Tahoe

Golda keeping an eye on Uncle Tom

and keeping an eye on Aunt Carol

the shy and bashful Robin

We spent almost a week in Carson City visiting with Robin and Golda, venturing out for sightseeing which included a day trip up to Lake Tahoe. We arranged to meet for an evening in Reno at the home of a woman who is a mutual friend of friends we had met at BPV (who now lived in WA state where we had hoped to visit this year). Alice and Michael served up a magnificent repast which included mustard-bourbon grilled chicken, home brewed beer and a fresh baked pie.

oldest active saloon in Nevada


friends Michael and Alice at their home in Reno

With the deadline for the Monterrey Birding Festival fast approaching we now needed to hustle a bit if we were going to make it on time. Part 2 coming up: Carson City, NV to Mission, TX.

Free Flight

2011-10-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

We've enjoyed visits to the Tucson area over the past several years during different times of the year. Besides being a birder's mecca, the area boasts the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, an excellent introduction to desert habitats. The museum hosts a walk-in aviary, a walk-in hummingbird aviary, and hiking trails through numerous plant and animal exhibits which display desert flora and fauna. The museum also houses the Center for the Sonoran Desert Studies which conducts the museum's educational and scientific functions and which serves as a hub for research, education and conservation of the Sonoran Desert Region.

When we were in Tucson this past May we were joined by friends Dave and Betty Dunsmore (their first ever birding trip to southeastern Arizona). At that time Carol and I became annual members of the museum which scored us guest passes which we were able to share with Dave and Betty.

Now, on our way back from California, we again found ourselves in the Tucson area. And being parked at an RV resort a mere 15-minute drive from the museum, we'd be crazy not to visit as often as possible!

Having visited the museum at various seasons of the year we've come to realize that no matter how many times we visit, there's always something new to see and learn. It just so happened that on the weekend of October 14,15,16, the museum was holding it's annual "Festival of Flight". This year the festival had been expanded to include bats and butterflies with the name expanded to include "Wings over the Desert".
Often times during the year the museum holds special 'members only' events. Kicking off the festival this year was a day early members only behind the scenes preview of the "Raptor Free Flight" program.
The 'free flight' program displays various captive birds that the museum has acquired over the years. The birds are rehabilitated species that no longer can survive in the wild but have been trained to 'fly free' in close proximity to people in order to more closely observe and learn about each species.

Ferruginous Hawk

Along with approximately sixty other members we gathered in a section of the Desert Loop Trail set aside for the event. Museum volunteers and staff presented birds one at a time along with detailed explanations about a bird's background, biology and what differentiated it from other birds when it came to hunting for food in the desert. Narrations included specific facts about each bird along with explanations of the different visual cues birds give off before, during and after a flight.

Prairie Falcon

While we've seen all the birds displayed in the wild, how exciting it was to be so close and have the time to observe rather than hope for a glimpse before the birds vanished from view!

Gray Hawk

The birds do not 'fly free' all year and spend a great deal of time in display enclosures, or, might be on view at various learning stations scattered around the museum grounds at various times of the year. The 'fly free' programs are typically done in the fall when desert temperatures are cooler. Like most life in the desert, most feeding/hunting activities take place at dawn or just around sunset. This is particularly true for nocturnal hunters like Great Horned Owls.

Great Horned Owl

While visits to the museum are always interesting, we don't have to travel far for birds. Our RV at Justin's Diamond J RV Park is backed up to 40,000 acres of public land. All we have to do is put out bird seed and water and they come to us!

Cactus Wren

Curve-billed Thrasher

Gambel's Quail


Gila Woodpecker


Chihuahuan Raven

Bobcat

Dragonfly

Desert Pack Rat

Sonoran King Snake

Thick-billed Parrot

We're In The Army Now

2011-08-21T10:12:00.000-07:00

During our two day stay at city-owned James McNally Campground in Grantsburg, WI, we contemplated how we might best fill an eleven day span of time before we needed to be in Rapid City, SD for an appointment.
Any further travel west would have to include an overnight at Keepers RV in Mankato, MN to address a few minor tweaks to our new RV. But that would hardly fill the the span. Spending anymore time in MN would be difficult since at the time all state parks and rest stops were closed due to the state's budget stalemate (they're now open). Our hope to stay in our favorite state park in South Dakota (Custer State Park) evaporated when we learned the park would be full during the time we expected to be there.
We finally hit upon the obvious: why leave Wisconsin? Already on the western side of Wisconsin we looked into options for parking. On our bucket list of places to try included any Army Corps of Engineers RV park. The Corps operates several in the country and the one located near Pool 9 Lock and Dam south of La Crosse looked intriguing. Not only an opportunity to cross a an item off our bucket list, it also positioned us to pursue a fairly straight line to Mankato when the time came to move west.

our work camper site

park map (our work camper site indicated by red arrow)

Our pull to the park allowed us to meander portions of the Great River Road National Scenic Byway along the Minnesota and Wisconsin sides of the Mississippi. By mid afternoon we pulled into Blackhawk Park thirty miles south of La Crosse. Our Golden Age Pass cut our site fee in half. The site we chose was in the newer lower section with plenty of space all around us.

our none work camper site when we first arrived at Blackhawk Park

One of the things about being retired: when opportunity knocked we had the flexibility to listen. A conversation with Denny and Brenda, another full-time couple who were "work camping" in the park's reservation booth convinced us to look into the other work camping position in the park that had just opened up. Work camping is an opportunity to "volunteer" time in exchange for a free campsite. Work camping also may include a stipend although in this instance it was only a free site with complete hookups (water, electric and sewer).
The position was for 30 hours/week doing 'light maintenance'. As a couple we could divide the 30 hours in half - each of us doing 15 hours/week to meet the 30 hour total. We had talked about trying a work camping experience and this seemed to be the time to try. After speaking with Denny and Brenda we walked over to the administration building and spoke with the park manager, Tom Novak and the park ranger, Eric. A few days later we cancelled our appointment in SD and agreed to take on the position for a month.

Ranger Eric, Carol, Tom, and Tom Novak (park manager)

Carol, Chad (maintenance supervisor), Tom, and Tom Novak

"Light maintenance" included several odd jobs "as needed". Most days we had no clue as to what we would be doing until we were told. Some lawn moving, weed removal, painting, morning rounds of the park, collecting water samples from the beach, and paper shredding...whatever was required. We worked under no contract and could leave at anytime. Conversely, if the park staff didn't like our work we could be asked to leave at anytime.
Our immediate supervisor was Chad, the park's maintenance man. A quiet young man, probably in his late 20's (a two tour veteran of the Iraq War) was pretty laid back. Most of our time was spent working with Chad on various projects from his "to do" list developed by Tom Novak. In addition to Tom, Chad and Eric, there were three rangers in training: Alex, Matt and Jon. All were very friendly and helpful. Having that many rangers around also meant we would not be dealing directly with campers which was fine with us.
Our first day on the job was spent driving to La Crosse with Chad to run various errands and be fitted for steel-toed work boots (paid for by the Corps). This was Carol's first foray into the stylish world of work boots. And yes, they had a lady's work boot section at the Rogan's shoe store for her to peruse.

the "ranger" a gulf cart on steroids and our main mode of transport

maintenance building

Our second day was taken up by an online defensive driving course. Passage was required to allow us to qualify to drive any of the park vehicles. Was Carol's need to take the course really necessary? After all, she's pretty defensive about her driving anyway...
Our work days were Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:00 a.m. to Noon. As we're morning people anyway, the early start was just fine with us. Specially since we had started work in the middle of a horrific heat wave which lasted the first two weeks of our work commitment. Early morning meant it was a tad cooler. But not much.
We started each work day morning with a routine. Check and log the high and low temperature and the rain gauge reading and log out the "ranger" (a golf cart on steroids) to make the rounds of the camping areas. Rounds included reading and logging the traffic count meters at the park entrance, cleaning some fire pits (as necessary) and generally reporting anything that appeared out of place.
While most of the park mowing and cleaning of bathrooms was contracted out to a third party company, there remained checking some of the bathrooms to make sure hand sanitizers were filled and battery operated air fresheners were operational.

collecting water sample and painting

Most park visitors were folks on vacation. Their main interest: fishing. Made sense since the park was located along the Mississippi River. Lots of recreational boaters and kayakers as well as commercial barge traffic. For the most part the park was very quiet. The rangers kept a very close eye on things but typically folks were pretty quiet on their own. Not surprising, weekends tended to be very busy. By Sunday afternoon most of the sites were emptied out.

Blackhawk Park scenes

So how was our experience? Work camping opportunities vary widely. While the work was physical it was not all that demanding. Nothing wrong with an honest day's work. OK. Half day of work. Light maintenance wouldn't be our first choice in any future work camper positions. We're more skilled at leading hikes or doing interpretive work. Lots of national parks and wildlife preserves have such openings. Just a question of finding them and applying. Bartering for site fees made a lot of sense. A stipend would be nice but not necessary.

The southwest Wisconsin area (most of WI for that matter) is rich in Indian lore and culture. In particular the Black Hawk War which concluded badly and unjustly for Chief Black Hawk on the site of the present day Blackhawk Park.
We found park staff very friendly, accomodating, and supportive for us old farts. We have friends in La Crosse and in nearby Lansing, IA with whom were were able to spend some time. We spent a long weekend driving to visit family and friends. One weekend in the Fox Valley to see Graham and Jennie, Charles, Alrick and friends Dave and Betty Dunsmore (who put us up). The other weekend at Marge's (Carol's sister) and a visit with Carol's daughter in Madison.

"canoeing" with Alrick, Jennie and Charles (Green Bay)

working on Star Wars LEGO starship

Birding was a bit slow but we enjoyed putting out our feeders which were quite popular with our feathered friends. We had found a hanger which attached to our back window via suction cups that held our hummingbird feeder. Dueling hummers at eye level were most entertaining.
Our commitment was for a month which took us through mid-August. The next work camper would was to arrive and take our place on August 21. During our last week we shifted to work Mon-Wed and left on Thursday morning August 18 for Mankato where we spent the night to have work completed on our rig. (This had to occur on a weekday when the service department worked)
Would we go back to Blackhawk Park? A very nice park to be sure. Our only complaint: lack of a cell signal and therefore Internet access. We depend on the Internet for banking and staying in touch with friends and family. Fine to be out of touch for a few days but not for a month. Our best access was at the public library in La Crosse (as were opportunities for serious grocery shopping also in La Crosse). But La Crosse was thirty miles away. Not terribly convenient.
However, opportunity knocked and we felt good about answering and experiencing work camping. We've talked about trying work camping ever since we started our nomadic lifestyle. We'll still be listening at the door. And now we have our steel-toed work boots!


overnight guest Larry Darling (arrived with beer and Carr Valley cheese!)

took a cruise on the Mississippi Explorer

view from Pike's Peak SP (MN) toward Wyalusing SP (WI)

Backtracking: Briefly Back to Texas

2011-07-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Carol speaking with Joan Campbell. Joan was on our 2008 Northern Ecuador trip. We happened upon Joan and her husband as they were birding in Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park where we volunteered.

We spent our next to last day in Ecuador saying goodbye to the staff at Tandayapa, riding back to Quito, and included a swing past the Tropical Birding home office to say thank you for all their help. Later that evening we caught up with two former Tandayapa guests for dinner. They had also left Tandayapa the same morning and, like us, were in dire need of a pizza. Fortunately, there was an old established pizzeria within walking distance of our hotel.
Along with having to amend our airline tickets for our earlier than anticipated return to the U.S. we had also contacted Bentsen Palm Village RV. Our 'regular' site would be occupied through the end of Februrary and unavailable - yet we would still need a place to park. Not only did our BPV neighbors go to bat for us by helping secure a site close to where we normally parked, they also pulled our rig out of storage and reconnected the water and electric. They even went so far as to have fresh flowers and baked goods sitting in our RV when we arrived! All we had to do was open the door, bring in our luggage and tumble into bed!
Back in Texas we lost no time slipping back into birding mode. Before leaving Ecuador we had learned that a Black-vented Oriole, a rare Mexican visitor to the U.S., had somehow made its way into our RV park. We'd hoped it might still be around when we returned. Sure enough. Carol discovered the bird the next morning in nearby trees. Another life ABA bird sighting a mere three hundred yards from our RV! How easy was that!
Over the course of the next weeks we enjoyed many afternoon, evenings and a few day trips socializing with our BPV friends and neighbors. And let's not forget watching the Packers win the Super Bowl!

A group of RVers spent an afternoon cruising the waters off South Padre Island where we joined a pirate crew.

The Lower Rio Grande Valley had suffered another killing frost in our absence which had again set vegetation back a bit. But the severely flooded state park next door was once more mostly open again. Before departing for Ecuador we had signed up to be volunteers in the park (Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park). We checked back in with the office where we picked up our volunteer badges and Texas State Park Volunteer t-shirts. Our volunteer responsibilities would be similar to the ones we had in Ecuador - help people find and ID birds. No busing of tables though. As the Lower Rio Grande Valley is a hot spot for birders we even bumped into many familiar names and folks from Wisconsin and beyond. It is a small birding world after all!

Friends Connie and Chuck enjoying a meal at Dirty Al's. They are work campers at Estero Llano Grande State Park about 30 minutes away from our site at Bentsen.

However, our return to Texas was short-lived. A year earlier we had planned another birding trip to Costa Rica with a group of Wisconsin birding friends. On March 13 our kind and patient neighbors, Gayle and Harvey, once more ferried us to the McAllen Airport. Following a connecting flight in Houston we flew straight on to San Jose, CR where we caught up with our birding group. Fresh out of a nasty Wisconsin winter they were delighted to be back in familiar territory - the warm embrace of the Bougainvillea Hotel. For several in the group this would be their third trip to CR. Billed as a "best of" trip it included several past favorite birding spots and lodges as well as some new ones that our friend and guide, Richard Garrigues had pulled together. It wasn't difficult at all for us to once again slip into tropical birding mode!

As Easy As One, Two, Three

2011-06-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Our third year at the Ward's in Dale and something has changed

When we went through the process of choosing our popup camper years ago, we attended several RV shows. You know...to see what RV manufactures offered as their newest innovations to woo potential buyers. Even after we purchased our popup we didn't stop attending RV shows or observing what other vacationers like us were using. Maybe it's an RVer thing, this "the grass is greener" obsession, although, we've noticed the same behavior with boat and car owners who also continue to attend annual manufacturer shows. So it wasn't surprising that our obsession with RV shows also didn't end with the purchase of our KZ Spree.
During our two years of wandering we kept track of our experiences along with those of other full-timers. We witnessed all manner of RV's that folks like us had chosen for their road abodes. Travel trailers similar to ours, fifth wheels, and motor coaches seemed to be the predominant groupings, each with their own subset of variations. Many pluses and minuses to consider. We kept track of our likes and dislikes.

Parking this year at the Ward's "Snug-Inn" was challenging

Our continued interest in RVs and the RV industry in general remained justified. After all, as was stated in our first blog entry in May 2009, part of our RV experiment was to determine if a nomadic lifestyle would suit us. And now, two years after we began, the short answer is yes. We have found our vagabond existence to be mostly agreeable. And we offer as proof that we have managed not to kill each other while living in what some have viewed as a confined space.
Once we concluded to continue our wheeled wandering, the decision then became in what kind of an RV would we continue? Our current trailer, despite a few shortcomings, really was fine. But if we were to continue we also realized a bit more space would be welcome along with more creature comforts. This was after all, our home. Still, whatever we chose had to allow us to remain mobile enough to access the more out of the way destinations we've come to appreciate.
When it came down to it, the decision about what RV style to choose from wasn't all that complicated. A large Class A motor home would be, well, too large. Besides being high maintenance and overly expensive, they would require towing a second vehicle for transportation wherever we parked. The same held true for the smaller Class C motor homes. The latest travel trailers on the market did not offer floor plans that felt comfortable so we opted for what many full-timers use, a fifth wheel.

New GMC parked at Marge's home (Carol's sister)

As with most decisions in life, there are consequences. Ripple effects. We understood that choosing a fifth wheel would require a different truck. One with a diesel engine. That immediately ruled out our trusty Toyota Tundra and Toyota in general as they do not make a diesel powered truck for the U.S. market. That left the big three: Dodge, Ford and GM (Chevy and GMC).
Suffice to say there were no lack of opinions among our RVing friends as to which breed to choose. On our way back to WI from TX we stopped in Tucson, AZ for a month (subject of a future blog post). We used part of our time in Tucson to visit truck dealers, an enlightening adventure. As with our RVing friends, sales people also had their opinions as to which brand would best serve our needs. Balanced against industry reports, truck magazine reviews and our personal inspections, we settled on a GMC 2500HD which we purchased at Quebedeaux GMC/Buick (great customer service!). Step one of our three step process was accomplished. After matching our KZ's hitch system to the GMC and acquiring enough 'break-in miles' we headed back to WI with an eye to buying a fifth wheel.
As much as we respected and trusted the terrific customer service we had received at Kings Campers in Wausau, where we had purchased our KZ Spree, sadly, they did not handle the Carriage brand, the company we had eventually chosen. In our search for a reputable Carriage dealer our good friends and neighbors from TX, Gayle and Harvey, suggested the small family owned Keepers RV Center in Mankato, MN where they had recently purchased their new Carriage Cameo. We targeted Mankato on our way back to WI where we pleasantly discovered the folks at Keepers to be most agreeable. As luck would have it they had in stock the very Carriage Cameo model (34SB3) we sought with most of the options we wanted in stock. We placed a down payment to hold the RV. Step two now complete, we continued on to WI to run our plan past our financial advisers to ensure we were not overstepping our financial resources.

Our KZ Spree and new Cameo 35SB3

A few weeks later, and with a green light to proceed, we returned to Keepers to trade our beloved KZ Spree. The whole process to transfer our belongings, have a fifth wheel hitch installed in the truck bed, and do a walk-through of our new Cameo took less than two full days. By late morning of the second day we were hitched up and on the road to Carol's sister's home on Lake Wisconsin near Merrimac, our three step plan now complete. So how is it working out for us? What new and different? And what do we miss about our KZ?

kitchen

desk with electric fireplace

Most noticeable was the hitching process. The Blue Ox Sway Pro system we had used with our Spree had never failed us but it did require more physical steps and parts. Leveling the KZ was always a bit of a challenge even though we had become quite proficient. Leveling the Cameo by comparison was a breeze using the built-in Big Foot landing gear. The Big Foot's "Auto" control button levels the rig automatically via four hydraulic jacks in just a few minutes. No more hand cranking and no more bubble levels!

recliners and larger rear windows

sleeper sofa and coffee table

The "basement" space below the bedroom is far roomier and convenient for storing/accessing outdoor chairs, tables, the portable grill, water hoses, etc. Many of these items formerly resided in the bed of the truck which now, with the installation of the Curt fifth wheel hitch, no longer fit. Additional storage beneath the rear of the Cameo accommodates our luggage when not in use along with other less used items.
Storage in the living areas is also improved. The raised bedroom, now part of a slide out, has a large closet for all our hanging clothes now located in one place. There's a six-drawer dresser. The bed, now a full-sized queen, offers more space to walk around along with easier mattress access for making the bed (always a struggle in the KZ). Two more nearby closets boast space for laundry, linens and cleaning supplies. The bathroom, also raised, is now a separate room (in the KZ we had to walk through it to get to the bedroom). While smaller it still offers plenty of storage space.

view toward dining area

view from dining area

The dining/living area is more roomy with two large slide outs (the KZ had just one). All four dining table chairs fit comfortably around the table (which now can extend when a table leaf is inserted). A sleeper sofa utilizes a real mattress as opposed to an inflatable one. A coffee table with a raised top function, two large recliners with lamp table, more electric outlets, and more wall space for our artwork compliment the areas. There's a fireplace (electric) next to a built-in desk. And the rig has a built-in vacuum system.

hallway to upper level and bedroom (bathroom door immediate right)

The kitchen is where the pinch for space is noticeable. Fifth wheels by design have much higher ceilings, thus, the cabinets are now much taller. This necessitates more frequent use of a step-stool to reach the new heights. On the other hand, the higher ceilings accommodate a ceiling fan. Gone is the large food pantry we loved in the KZ (so deep that a flashlight was required to see to the back). New and different challenges on how to store food stuffs and cooking utensils but the fridge has two more cubic feet of storage.

bathroom cabinets and shower

KZ knew how to build a travel trailer well, but the build quality and finish of the Cameo is superior. It has four seasons insulation, hidden hinges on all cabinets, hardware that is more familiar in "real" houses and overall, at least to our eyes, a much more tastefully decorated interior.

bedroom

The KZ footprint was shorter by three feet so perhaps we're comparing apples to oranges. But while the KZ was shorter, the use of a fifth wheel hitch actually shortened the overall combined length of the truck when connected to the Cameo. The Cameo's height is significantly higher (12' 8" versus KZ's 10' 10") which makes for greater drag when towing although with the GMC we haven't noticed any difference in gas mileage. If anything the GMC is slightly better even with its significant increase in power and low end torque. Of course we have to be even more mindful of pulling into gas stations with low overhangs...

The Cameo has more outside surface area to clean but the attached roof ladder makes for easier roof access. Its window design does not allow for windows to open as fully (horizontally side-to-side) as the KZ did but the design allows for more opportunities to leave them open when it rains.
Currently we're parked at Todd and Cindy Ward's home in Dale, WI. Our third visit in as many years. Centrally located to friends, family and all the other appointments we have, the Ward's are most gracious hosts. Cindy's dad, Lyle, added a 30amp plug so we could run our air conditioner (although this spring has been cooler than normal).
We anticipate that with this new setup we should have a another five years on the road (health willing) before we will have to decide if we wish to continue. In the meantime we look forward to more grand adventures in a space more suited to our lifestyle.

"How dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rust unburnished, not to shine in use!"
- Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Ulysses"

¿Dos Meses?

2011-06-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Originally our volunteer gig was to span three months. December through the end of February. Imagine our surprise when an Immigration officer stamped our passports with a departure date for early February!? How could this be? Our return airline tickets, we pointed out, were for the 1st of March. Her eventual response was, with the wave of her hand to move on, "don't worry about it". We weren't sure what she meant by that but we DID worry about it. Eventually we sorted out that our tour in Southern Ecuador earlier in the year had counted against our 90-day visa limit. Who would have thought? We certainly hadn't factored that in nor had the Tropical Birding staff. The Tropical Birding staff also told us not to worry. Extending a visa was a simple matter and would only cost us a few extra dollars per person to do so. However, one of the Tropical Birding guides shared a different experience. He had recently investigated extending a visa for his girl friend who would be in Ecuador for four months volunteering at another lodge. Instead of just a few dollars, Ecuador was now charging $240 per person to extend a visa. Yikes!
Upon further investigation we learned that changing our airline ticket for an earlier departure would cost about the same. The volunteer host who was to replace us would overlap our stay for the latter part of January and all of February. Clearly, three volunteer hosts would be overkill. In the end we opted for changing our tickets knowing we still had to deal with returning to the RV park a month earlier and dealing with getting a site. Love these ripple effects...

Carol in the kitchen with Ryan Merrill, the volunteer host we replaced

So how was our stay at Tandayapa? Would we do it again? December turned out to be a slow month (it typically was we learned) with just a handful of guests coming and going. There was to be a week lull with no guests so we took advantage of an invitation to be house guests of Iain and Christina, the lodge owners, in Quito for three days. A nice diversion which gave us the opportunity to play pure tourist, visit old town Quito and tour several old churches and museums. Oh, yeah. And there was pizza and McDonald's...!

José and his son Casey

Christmas and New Year were very quiet. One highlight was having José Llanos, our guide during two previous Tropical Birding Ecuador tours, spend Christmas at the lodge with a small tour group. José's wife and young son had also arranged to be at the lodge to help celebrate. The staff outdid themselves helping decorate the lodge with Christmas lights and a somewhat dog-eared fake Xmas tree. How odd to be listening to Christmas music with hundreds of hummingbirds buzzing around outside!

Rosa, Isabel, Richard, and Angel

Speaking of the lodge staff, they were delightful. It worked out that most of the time we shared our meals with them in the small kitchen. Not that we didn't enjoy dining with guests - it really was more of a practical solution since we frequently helped bus tables. Besides, it allowed us ample opportunity to work on our Spanish. We never realized how much body language played a role in speaking Spanish.

Pablo was also handy in the kitchen!

The lodge staff consisted of a lodge property manager, Pablo, two maintenance men, brothers Richard and Angel, and two housekeepers/cooks, Rosa and Isabel. Pablo, the only one fluent in English, was usually only on the property Tuesday through Friday. The rest of the time he was in Quito. Angel and Richard, principally responsible for building and trail maintenance, lived on the property. Richard in a house next to the Car Park with his wife and two small children. Angel stayed in the lodge.

Tom learned his way around the kitchen, too. Here brewing up another batch of hummingbird go-juice.

Rosa and Isabel lived with their respective families in the tiny hamlet of Tandayapa (population give or take fifteen). Everyone's work schedule revolved around the number of guests present and their needs. For example, if a tour group required breakfast before departing the lodge at 5:00 a.m., Isabel or Rosa would have to trek up from the village in the dark to make sure breakfast was ready for the group to make their 5:00 a.m. departure time. For groups requiring early departures several days in a row, a spare bed was in the rear of the lodge to avoid the treks from the village.
Isabel, the younger, and Rosa the elder, took turns covering the morning and afternoon shifts. Most mornings it was usually Rosa. She would leave around 2:00 p.m. when Isabel arrived to handle preparation for the evening meal. Dinner was typically at 7:00 p.m. but sometimes sooner or later depending upon a guide's requirements. Before anyone could leave for the evening, the kitchen needed to be cleaned and if there were box lunches required for the next day, they were to be prepped and ready the evening before. Suffice to say these folks were very hard workers! But they always seemed to have a smile on their face!

guests Jennifer and Peggy from so. CA w/José and their driver

As volunteer hosts we were not required to wait tables but we still often helped fill in the gaps when things got busy. Whenever we could (usually most every day) we helped bus tables and do dishes. Besides, remember, it gave us more opportunities to practice our Spanish! It also gave us more opportunities to interact with guests. And while we were not obligated to help with breakfast, when there was a large group early morning outing, we always pitched in, specially when guests had an early departure time for their last day at the lodge.

TB guide Gabriel Bucheli with guests Linda and Jimmie from TX

We also assisted with room scheduling, room assignments, answered guest questions about billing and payments for laundry, T-shirts, beer and wine purchases, and any additional transportation arrangements, etc.. For those guests without benefit of a guide we introduced them to the trail system and helped with bird I.D.'s around the lodge. And when guides arrived with tour groups we offered them any pertinent information on unusual recent bird sightings.

TB guide Sam Woods (rear center) with group

The mission of the lodge in both it's physical layout and operation was to make guests feel as though they were as welcome at Tandayapa as they would be visiting the home of an old friend. We did our best to help folks assimilate into the lodge's relaxing atmosphere - dead easy. Just point them to the hummingbird deck! And we acted as liaison's between guests and the non English speaking staff. Guests arrived from all over the U.S., Canada, Europe and beyond. Greeting and engaging guests in conversations wasn't all that different from what we had experiencing during our RV travels. It would be nearly impossible to relate all the wonderful stories and friendships we experienced - the guests were surely the highlight of our stay at Tandayapa.

a birding/photography group with nature photographer leader Glenn Bartley (lower right)

Perched at an elevation of 5750 feet in subtropical cloud forest, the climate for the most part was comfortable with an average mean temperature of 67 degree. Definitely cooler than we had anticipated. No wonder the staff in Quito smiled when we initially inquired about the need for a fan in our room. And while we were smack dab on the Equator, the elevation kept the temps down. No need for those shorts we had packed. And, it was also the start of the rainy season so there was no shortage of wet weather.

Steve from Ohio had an eye for finding the smallest of critters on the trails

The lodge's location relative to other nearby (within an hour and a half) birding opportunities at higher and lower elevations were enticing. But, lacking immediate personal transportation, difficult to get to. We did manage a few trips off the lodge property to Rio Silanche, Milpe Reserve, Pedro Vicente Maldenero, Mirrador Rio Blanco, and Mindo-Loma. This was in great part thanks to Tropical Birding guides Andrew Spencer, Sam Woods, and Gabriel Bucheli (and various tour group participants) for allowing us to tag along when there was room.

Luke, at age 17, was our replacement volunteer host. A very talented artist, the first piece he did at the lodge will grace the cover of Tropical Birding's 2012 catalog.

Still, birding around the lodge was nothing to sneeze at, with the possibility of over 300 bird species to be seen or heard. The Tandayapa Valley is home to the Choco Region which has more endemic species than anywhere else in the Americas. Tom kept a daily spread sheet of bird sightings. On average 64 species were seen daily and for the two months we were in Ecuador we tallied 318 species, often times with excellent and frequent views. This included several life birds we had missed during our 2008 tour.

Carol, guests and TB guide Andrew Spencer (far right) on Nono Road

The montage of hummingbird feeders located around the lodge were huge hits with the guests. Nesting species like Powerful Woodpeckers and Golden-headed Quetzals were dead easy. And near daily hummingbird incursions into the main lodge always made for exciting up-close-and-personal bird encounters.
After two months of near daily walks on the trails and road, and in spite of eating what we felt to be a lot, we managed to collectively lose 25-pounds. A diet of fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and poultry (very rarely any red meat) was effective. The homemade soups especially were a big hit. We were constantly amazed at how both Rosa and Isabel could whip up a variety of meals (and yummy deserts) at a moment's notice in such a small kitchen!

Nelson with some of the TB staff loading up supplies in Quito

All food supplies were delivered by truck. Nelson, a local who lived in Nanegalito (a twenty minute drive by car) was responsible for most supply deliveries. Some vegetables and fruits (mainly those used to stock bird feeders) came from Nanegalito. The bulk of shopping, however, was done in Quito by Tropical Birding staff at Quito stores. Once a shipment was ready, Nelson would drive to Quito and deliver supplies at the bottom of the lodge steps. All supplies were then schlepped up the steps by staff and yours truly. This included all drinking water used at the lodge. No doubt this factored into our weight loss program as well. Nelson made multiple trips to and from Quito on behalf of the lodge so his trips were also a convenient way to ferry folks when there was room. Nelson was the person who originally delivered us to Tandayapa and who then drove us back to Quito when it was time to depart.

You never quite knew what to expect when exploring the trails each day

By the end of two months we discovered we were ready to head home. The utter lack of any reliable Internet or phone service had been wearing. And besides, the Packers would be in the Super Bowl and we'd be able to watch the game in the U.S.! We have no regrets about our experience and would highly recommend volunteering at Tandayapa to anyone who has the time and inclination. Would we return to Tandayapa for another volunteer stint? Probably not with so many other volunteer opportunities in the world. Our experience, though, has certainly whet our appetite to seek out other locations. But, a visit to Tandayapa Lodge during a future return tour to northern Ecuador? It isn't out of the question!

Los Colibris

2011-04-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

By far the biggest attraction at TBL were the hummingbirds. A montage of color and motion engulfed the feeders that adorned the upper deck located off the lodge's Great Room. One could expect to daily see sixteen species. And while the number of species seen daily was astonishing, so too were the number of individuals jockeying for a spot at any of the four feeders. Activity seemed to increase in tempo when it misted or lightly rained. At those times we stopped counting. Over two hundred and fifty might be present without knowing how many more were sitting in the surrounding foliage.

Green Thorntail

A large whiteboard mounted on the outside wall adjacent to the doors from the Great Room listed all hummingbird species seen at the lodge along with a short notation as to when a species had last been recorded. A total of thirty-one species to date. Some, like Green Thorntail, Gorgeted Sunangel, Hoary Puffleg, Green-tailed Trainbearer, Mountain Velvetbreast, Purple-crowned Fairy, and Collared Inca were rare visitors (none of these ever showed during our stay at the lodge - at least not that we could see). Others like Tawny-bellied Hermit, Green-fronted Lancebill, and Wedge-billed Hummingbird could be seen on the lodge property but did not frequent the feeders.

Western Emerald

Andean Emerald

Present in greater numbers were Western Emerald, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird, Andean Emerald, Purple-bibbed Whitetip, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Buff-tailed Cornet, Booted Racket-tail, and Purple-throated Woodstar. Present daily but in far fewer numbers included Brown Violetear, Green Violetear, Sparkling Violetear, White-necked Jacobin, Empress Brilliant, Green-crowned Brilliant and Violet-tailed Sylph. Less regular (not seen daily but at least a few times during any given week) were Green-crowned Woodnymph, Speckled Hummingbird and Velvet Purple Coronet. More seasonally apparent and absent for weeks or months at a time were White-bellied Woodstar and Little Woodstar.

Purple-bibbed Whitetips

Purple-throated Woodstar (female)

While the lodge was provided an abundant supply of hummingbirds to observe, further afield and throughout the Tandayapa Valley (depending on habitat zone dictated mainly by elevation) many more colibri were to be found within a few hours drive from the lodge: White-whiskered Hermit, Stripe-throated Hermit (formerly Little Hermit), Long-tailed (formerly Long-billed) Hermit, Purple-chested Hummingbird, White-tailed (Andean) Hillstar, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Ecuadorian Hillstar, Black-tailed Trainbearer, Purple-backed Thornbill, Tyrian Metaltail, Long-billed Starthroat, Sword-billed Hummingbird, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Black-throated Mango, Rainbow-bearded Thorntail, Sapphire-vented Puffleg, Golden-breasted Puffleg, Black-breasted Puffleg, Great Sapphirewing, Blue-chested Hummingbird, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Blue-headed Sapphire, Giant Hummingbird, and Purple-collared Woodstar. The chances of any of these species showing up at TBL were slim to none.

Brown Violetear

Buff-tailed Coronet

White-necked Jacobin

On average, hummingbird feeders needed to be replenished three times daily. Tom learned how to make the sugar solution and fill feeders. How exciting to walk up to a feeder buzzing with hummingbirds and to have to nudge them off perches so that a feeder could be removed for filling. Hummingbirds also landed on refilled feeders before they were completely hung up! Several quizzical hummers - specially the Booted Racket-tails - would zoom in and hover inches from Tom's face then buzz off. As sweet as he was, when no sugar water was to be found, they quickly lost interest. Wearing a red article of clothing almost guaranteed a close encounter with a hungry hummer.

Fawn-breasted Brilliant

Sparkling Violetear

Rarely did a day pass without one or more hummingbirds making their way into the Great Room where they needed to be rescued. These interlopers were usually captured by hand. Guests reveled in being able to hold a hummingbird before releasing it outdoors.

Booted Racket-tails

Not long after we departed TBL a film crew from Birding Adventures TV arrived to film a couple of programs about the hummingbirds of Tandayapa. The segments recently aired on TV and can also be seen on YouTube. In some of the scenes: Rosa (the kitchen wave); Luke Sietz, the replacement volunteer after we left (Luke is seen standing between Iain and the film host James Currie). José Llanos, our friend and TB guide for our two previous tours of Ecuador joined in the action as well. Many of the scenes around the lodge and Tandayapa Valley were very, very familiar!
How relaxing for us to sit on the deck either by ourselves or sharing the company of guests, with a cuppa coffee, tea, or something stronger, observing all the color and motion the hummingbirds provided. A fair trade, we'd say. We fed them sugar water and they fed our souls!

Empress Brilliant


Empress Brilliant

Violet-tailed Sylph

Velvet Purple Coronet

Rufous-tailed Humminbird

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird

Green-crowned Woodnymph


Green-crowned Woodnymph

Brown Inca

Purple-chested Hummingbird

TBL Senderos

2011-04-14T15:07:00.000-07:00

Tandayapa Bird Lodge (TBL) montane cloud forest property was spread out over approximately 64 hectares (160 acres) with roughly 6 kilometers (4 miles) of trails. We had visited TBL during our 2008 Northern Ecuador tour but, like many tour groups, most of our time was spent off property exploring nearby birding hot spots. Our time away combined with daily rainfalls conspired to not allow us any opportunity to explore TBL trails. That would soon be rectified.
While TBL had a cursory map of lodge trails it made available to guests, Ryan Merrill, the volunteer we replaced, drew us a more detailed sketch of the trail system. Ryan also spent time walking the trails with us, pointing out various highlights. TBL had bird checklists which covered the Tandayapa Valley region along with a recently updated annotated bird list. An illustrated bird guide (McMullen and Vásquez) that covered the 700 or so species of birds (along with Choco region endemics) typically found in northwest Ecuador was available for purchase. The latter significantly narrowed bird species options in the valley when compared to using the country-wide Ridgley field guide.

Trail heads

The TBL trail system consisted of five trails that for the most part emanated and terminated at the lodge. All trail heads began along a path that lead away from the upper observation deck through a flower garden. One's hiking ability and physical condition dictated which trail to take. Hikes might last a half hour or more than five hours depending on one's route and desire to dawdle. Most sections of trails were narrow and steep so walking quickly was not advisable. Besides, one never knew what birds might be lurking in the foliage so it was in one's best interest to dawdle.

Tanager Trail through the coffee plantation

Tanager Trail tunnel of vegetation - nice place to find a Whiskered Wren

The two shortest hikes involved the Tanager Trail and Hide Trail. The former sloped upward behind and above the lodge through a recently planted shade-grown coffee plantation. Like the lower observation deck, Tanager Trail offered a bird's eye view of canopy, especially nice when a feeding flock was present. Tropical Parulas, White-tailed and Rufous-tailed Tyrannulets, Golden Tanagers, Barred and One-colored Becards were just a few seen from Tanager Trail. The trail dead-ended at the boundary with a neighboring property. We checked the trail on a nearly daily basis. How nice it would have been to have a bench at the crest of the trail in the plantation to sit and wait for feeding flocks to appear.

early morning glimpse of mountains from Hide Trail

view from observation point just off the Hide Trail

Uniform Antshrike (female) catching an insect

The Hide Trail, the most level of all the trails, lead to the lodge's "hide" or blind, roughly a five minute walk away. The blind consisted of a small wooden building on stilts with a tine roof. Four steps lead up to a canvas covered doorway. Pull the canvas aside and step inside to discover a few chairs and wooden benches that faced a floor-to-ceiling screen wall that looked out over the lodge's compost pile. A light in front of the compost was left on 24/7 to attract insects, mainly moths, which in turn attracted insect eating birds. Regulars included Immaculate Antbirds, Uniform Antshrikes, Masked Trogons, Streak-headed Woodcreepers, Spotted Barbets, and Russet-crowned Warblers. Several of these species would cling to the screen to snatch insects, often within arm's length of anyone sitting quietly on a bench or chair. On occasion one might be treated to a Rufous-breasted Antthrush skulking in to grab a quick meal. Each morning and well before daybreak, either Richard or Angel trekked to the hide to scatter a small number of worms for the star of the show: Scaled Antpittas. As many as four were seen and/or heard.

Potoo Trail

from time to time we encountered trail upheavals

By far the longest, the Potoo Trail looped around and exited onto the Tandayapa Valley Road which then required a hike back up the lodge's steep driveway. The two remaining trails, Antpitta Trail and Nunbird, branched off Potoo. Antpitta Trail looped around and connected again with Potoo. Nunbird branched off but dead-ended on a high ridge. The most strenuous of all the trails Nunbird climbed steeply but unfortunately had become blocked by a mudslide. Further travel on Nunbird could be undertaken but not without great personal peril. We didn't feel the need to push ourselves beyond the section that had become unsafe.
Some of the goodies found along these trails included a Golden-winged Manakin lek and a Cock-of-the-Rock nest (the young had fledged just before we arrived at TBL). Time of day, weather conditions, and the appearance of feeding flocks dictated how many species we encountered daily. One entire day spent with Ryan traversing all the trails (some more than once) netted us 108 species. Highlights: Nariño Tapaculo (one practically landed on Tom's boot), both Golden-heaed and Crested Quetzal, Slaty Antwrens, Rufous-breasted Antthrush, Ornate Flycatcher, Beautiful Jays, and Cock-of-the-Rock.

section of Nunbird Trail

Tandayapa Valley Road, a favorite hike for us and one we took on a near daily basis. Much less strenuous than the trails, the road climbed gradually to the Upper Tandayapa Valley. Six kilometers up the road was another establish lodge, Bellavista. It was enough of an elevation change to put one in a different life zone - and of course new different bird species. In the tropics, as with states in the western U.S., short distances of elevation rather than long level distances played a key role in habitat change.
A kilometer beyond Bellavista was the intersection with Research Station Road, a good place to find the incredibly vocal Plain-tailed Wrens. One more kilometer further lead to an area well known for finding Occelated Tapaculos. Tapaculos are typically described a loud, plain looking mousey little birds typically heard far more often than seen. Occellated Tapaculos fit this general description with one exception. They are anything but plain looking.
Another even more sought after endemic species in this same general area was the Tanager Finch. Another highly vocal but hard to see bird, A handsome, large finch-like bird with a broad silver-gray coronal stripe and distinctive eye-stripe that reached to the nape. A ferruginous body, brighter on the breast with a gray belly and blackish tail, its range is severely restricted to northwest Ecuador and to a thin strip in Columbia thus making a highly sought after specialty bird of the valley.

Carol at the base of the lower part of the waterfall

hiking up Tandayapa Valley Road with guests Tony and Joanada

Our walks on the road didn't take us a far as Bellavista. We restricted our walk to a couple of kilometers to the base of a large waterfall where White-capped Dipper could be found. Along the walk we discovered a Tawny-bellied Hermit lek. Views from the road at the lower valley were spectacular and where we would often see flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons and Roadside and Barred Hawks soaring. When feeding flocks appeared we often had the advantage of looking down on birds rather than straining to look up into canopy. Entire mornings could be spent walking the road with great edge birding. White-winged, Blue-capped, Golden, Golden-naped, Beryl-spangled, Black-capped, Golden-hooded, Bay-headed, and Flame-rumped were some of the more regular seen tanager species.
A walk down the road took us into the tiny town of Tandayapa, the valley's namesake. An intersection in Tandayapa lead to Nono Road. A bridge over the river just up from the intersection was a good spot to look for White-capped Dipper or Torrent Ducks. Further up Nono Road was an ideal location to call out Lyre-tailed Nightjar. Think of a Common Nighhawk only with ridiculously elongated tail streamers 3-4 times the length of its body. Tom's close encounter with one of these nightjars occurred one early evening at sunset by playing the nightjar's call on his iPod. A male Lyre-tailed swooped off its perched so suddenly and so closely that the tail streamers actually brush against Tom's hand he was using to hold his iPod. He thought for a moment that the bird was actually going to land on his hand!

section of Nono Road near Lyre-tailed Nighjar roost

During our stay at TBL Tom maintained a daily checklist spreadsheet of birds seen or heard around the lodge buildings and during our hikes. While we didn't get out to all the trails on a daily basis due to weather or time, we observed and recorded several species that here-to-fore were thought to be less frequent. We also managed to collectively lose 25 pounds out walking! If you're looking for a great weight loss program and incredible birding, we highly recommend an extended stay at TBL!

White-throated Quail-Dove sorting through the compost

Sweet Home, Tandayapa

2011-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00

It didn't take us long to recognize a pattern of first impressions that guests vocalized when they entered the lodge's expansive Great Room, the hub of most lodge activity and social interactions. "This is so much nicer than what we saw on the TBL web site!" Not that they were ever concerned by what they had seen on the web site. It was a lot like looking at photos of a Cock-of-the-Rock. No matter how nice the photo, it never compared to seeing it in person. The lodge's layout, according to Iain and Christina Campbell, the lodge's owners, was designed to make people feel at home - not unlike visiting a friends house. That was another common reaction that guests had after they arrived - it had a homelike quality.
The northeast corner had five dining tables. Each table could accommodate from one to four guests, or, tables could be pulled together to seat larger groups. If needed, more tables and chairs could be brought in from the upper veranda.
Five heavy sofas arranged around two large coffee tables filled the southeast corner. Handy for groups doing their daily checklists. Nearby, a bookshelf held various reading materials, guidebooks, travel books, and a combination CD/Radio/MP3 player and speakers. Have an iPod with some favorite music or bird calls to share? Plug it in. Here too was an inviting fireplace. Inviting yes, functional no. Alas, an ill-designed flue turned the Great Room into the Great Smoke Out when a fire was attempted. Many guests (including yours truly) lamented how nice it would have been on damp days and evenings, to have a cozy fire. Mostly a psychological mindset since the warmth would not have reached very far into the overall space, but still, nice just the same.
In the southwest corner stood a small bar with four bar stools. Its original intent was to provide another intimate area for guests to gather. Now, it had evolved into an quasi office space where various lodge paperwork and office materials were stored. The bar stools had become handy places to hang outerwear or rain jackets. The top of the bar, a convenient resting spot for binoculars and cameras. The area also displayed bottles of wine for sale along with T-shirts sporting the lodge's logo. Next to the bar was a low table upon which rested a collection of pamphlets, catalogs, postcards and a large wooden box for guests to leave cash tips for the lodge staff. We hasten to add that while we were considered "staff" we did not qualify (nor did we wish to) for any gratuities.
Rounding out the room was the northwest corner, just to the right of the main entrance. Here was found a small refrigerator that contained beer and soda for purchase, a coat rack, and a corner hutch that displayed a small collection of artwork and photos. Between the northwest and southwest corner was the hallway that lead to the lodge's nine guest bedrooms. All guest rooms had a private bath but there was also a public restroom, complete with showers. A supply room at the end of the hall contained most of the lodge's linens and paper supplies along with a couple of bunk beds which staff used from time to time when they had to stay late and be on task early.
Room number nine, the first room on the right as you entered the hallway, was reserved for volunteer hosts. Except for the three days we spent in the 'Car Park', this was our room for the duration of our stay. While the location in the lodge was handy, it shared a common wall with the kitchen. When kitchen staff arrived at 4:00 in the morning, a near daily occurrence, well, we quickly came to understand why number nine was for the hosts. Number nine also had twin beds that left us feeling as though we were throwbacks to the 1940's and 50's when married couples were depicted in the movies and TV sitcoms unrealistically never sharing the same bed. And while most guest rooms benefited with a view of gardens, our window opened onto a brick walkway and wall. Then again, we were rarely in our room during the day so our room without a view was hardly an issue.

Blue-winged Mountain-Tanager - a regular to the feeders

The Great Room had four large pictures windows that offered wide views of bird feeding stations and foliage that surrounded the lodge. Gazing out the windows one might, at any time, catch a glimpse of a Cock-of-the-Rock, Masked Trogons, Red-headed Barbets and numerous songbirds that included a variety of tanagers, euphonias, and brush-finches. Meals were frequently interrupted with "Quick! There's a (fill in the blank)" which resulted in guests leaping up from their seats. Guests quickly learned not to be caught at mealtime without their binoculars or cameras.

Tawny-bellied Hermit

Streak-capped Treehunter that thought bug inside the lodge might taste better

guest Lori Smyth with her dream come true - to hold a hummingbird!

From time to time a hummingbird would bump into a window with a noticeable "whump". Dazed and confused, it would be scooped up and gently held until it recovered enough to continue on its way, usually within a few minutes. This offered many guests (and again yours truly) incredibly close looks at these speedsters. Our favorite window-whump was a Tawny-bellied Hermit. Hermits typically do not visit feeders. They preferred flowering plants around the lodge, usually Heliconias, and as a result were not so as easily seen.
Opposite the lodge's main entrance was a second set of doors that lead to the "oh my gosh" deck. Here is where four hummingbird feeders stations were located that offered a breath-taking kaleidoscope of hummingbird activity. On any given day no less than sixteen hummingbird species could be observed. A line of chairs arranged under a roof overhang provided shelter for guests to sit with their favorite beverage of choice in any kind of weather and watch to their heart's content.

Velvet-purple Coronet

Violet-tailed Sylph

Both sets of double doors were frequently left open to allow for breezes in the Great Room. Without screen doors hummingbirds (as well as other birds) would venture in and become disoriented. Removing a hummingbird involved two basic techniques. If a hummingbird hovered low enough next to a window it was quickly scooped up by hand and taken outside. Hummingbirds that opted to perch on the high ceiling beams required a more patient approach using a ten-foot wooden pole. The trick was to convince the hummingbird to perch on the pole's tip then ever so slowly lower the tip while simultaneously walking toward an open door. Over time Tom became quite skilled at using either technique. Screen doors might have reduced errant wildlife but as we had noticed, screen doors were simply not used in Ecuador as they are in the United States.
Just off the Great Room was the entrance to the lodge kitchen. A small but extremely efficient area. We were constantly amazed at the cleverness and flexibility of the staff when it came to meeting guest's needs and their ability to cook in such a small space. Rosa or Isabel, the two women responsible for preparing meals could be found in the kitchen preparing dishes well in advance of mealtime at most any time during the day. A second back entrance to the kitchen lead to another room that housed three refrigerators and a freezer along with shelves of food stuffs.

Upper Veranda shelter

view from Upper Veranda shelter

Next to the lodge's main entrance was a hummingbird feeder lined path that lead to the lodge's newest addition, the upper veranda. This had been added since our stay in 2008. It consisted of a large lean-to shaped structure with one side completely open to a large brick veranda. In the shelter were sofas, dining tables, chairs and a small axillary kitchen. The area was added to accommodate overflow when the main lodge's dining area was full although this only occurred once during our stay. The space also had a dish TV setup which was popular with tour group drivers when they had some free time. During our stay the veranda was a convenient and consistent location to setup a scope to watch Powerful Woodpeckers or Crimson-rumped Toucanets as they ventured to and from their evening roost cavities.
Three more rooms were located outside the main lodge. One was beneath the hummingbird deck. Two more were located beneath a lower observation deck, a short walk away through the lodge's flower garden. These extra rooms were used when the lodge filled with guests but were more typically used by bird guides and/or tour drivers. There were no feeders on the lower deck but it was a nice vantage point to watch for canopy feeding flocks as they passed the lodge.
The Car Park was just as the name implied, a parking area for visiting tour vehicles. Two buildings were found in the Car Park. One was the home of Richard and his wife and two children. Richard was one of two men responsible for maintaining the lodge's buildings, roads, and trail system. Richard's brother, Angel, lived in the main lodge. The second building housed three more rudimentary and spartan rooms. One room had two sets of bunk beds. The remaining two rooms each had a set of twin beds. A single bathroom was shared bath for the up to eight berths. This was the last ditch overflow for guides and drivers - and volunteer hosts - when the main lodge rooms and the three below-deck rooms were filled. We spent three nights in the Car Park. Any complaints of being next to the kitchen quickly disappeared. The Car Park walls were thin and as a rule, drivers snored. Loudly. And sharing a bathroom between eight people was less than ideal.

Car Park - driveway to lodge on left; building on left was a staff member's house; building on right held laundry and extra spartan rooms for guides, drivers and volunteers

The 'bunkhouse' also housed the lodge's laundry facility - a washer and a dryer (propane operated). Here is where we did our laundry. And speaking of laundry, when we lived in Appleton Carol complained about hauling laundry up and down from the basement in our two-story home. Compared to hauling laundry up and down the seventy-seven steps or the steep driveway, specially when it rained, paled by comparison. Lodge staff did all the lodge's laundry in the Car Park but when it came to doing their own laundry, the women used an outside water outflow pipe from a stream near the village. Again, the Car Park laundry didn't seem so inconvenient after all.
One Car Park plus: we could easily pick up over forty species of birds in an hour and a half while waiting outside. And, like sitting in the Great Room, one didn't want to be caught without binoculars. You just never knew when the next time a Black-and-chestnut Eagle might soar past.

view from driveway near Car Park and laundry

Texas to Tandayapa

2011-02-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

Finally, after weeks of planning, our travel day had arrived. Our last minute panic about discovering that Visa was issuing new Debit Cards had been resolved. The cards arrived the afternoon before by FedEx overnight. Temporary changes to banking, shipments of new flashlights and boots - all had been taken care of.

Our travel day started off well despite a 35-degree wake-up at BPV. Most of our packing had been done. Now it was simply a question of packing up the house and moving it. Doesn't everyone have to store their house before leaving on vacation?

Our good neighbor Harvey Pagel helped Tom move our RV into the BPV storage area where we left both our RV and truck (with the truck still attached to the RV). After a handful of folks stopped by to bid us bon voyage, Harvey and his lovely bride Gayle drove us to breakfast and then on to the McAllen Airport.

Overlooking Quito - the green strip is where the Quito airport is located.

Our on-time flight to Houston was smooth sailing. Plane food being what it is these days, or rather, what it isn't, we grabbed something to take with us during our flight to Quito. Six hours later our plane touched down at Quito's Marical Sucre International Airport, only 1/2 hour later than the scheduled arrival time. Two free movies helped ease the pain of cramped seats somewhat but only just. Traveling in Cattle Class is just the way it is these days.

Imagine our surprise when Ecuador immigration stamped our passports with a February 9 departure date. Huh? Turned out that all countries have a visa limit. Nothing new except that because of our earlier visit to Ecuador in February 2010 (our southern bird tour of Ecuador) the time spent in-country counted against our 90-day visa. We had planned on a three month stay and Ecuador effectively cut it to two months. Aside from the fact that our site back at BPV was already rented out for three months and we had nowhere else to park, our return plane tickets were for March 1.

After trying to explain our predicament and asking what we should do about it, the immigration official suddenly said, "Don't worry about it" and waved us through. It didn't leave us entirely satisfied that there wouldn't be a problem. Countries tend to get a bit sticky about people who over extend their visas. Heavy fines, jail, deportation...little things like that. We would have to look into resolving this at some point.

Immigration aside we breezed through customs and with all our luggage in hand, secured a taxi and headed for our hotel, the Fuente de Piedra. Traffic in Quito can be horrifically congested, although well past 11 p.m. the streets were pretty devoid of traffic. It also gave us time to again be in in awe (or fear) of Ecuador's traffic laws. Our taxi driver slowed but did not stop for several red lights yet did stop for others. There was also a festival in progress. Several double-decker buses roamed the streets. The upper decks were filled with live bands and the lower decks jammed with revelers. A few street corners were populated with "hard working women" which we later discovered (not first hand, thank you) to be "hard working men". Fascinating.

We arrived at our hotel around midnight only to discover 1) there was no room reserved for us and 2) the hotel was under renovation. That would explain the plywood walls and plastic sheeting and overall dim lighting. After a series of perplexing phone conversations (in broken Spanish), we discovered that we were at the wrong hotel. Silly us. We were supposed to be at the hotel Fuenta de Piedra 2, a sister hotel located seven blocks away. Never mind that the address given us was for Fuenta de Peidra 1. Back into another taxi we soon found ourselves at hotel FdP#2. Ah. But there was still no reservation. Regardless, we booked a room and would sort everything out in the morning. A quick email (as quick as the slow connection would allow) to the Tropical Birding office to let them know we had arrived and where we were, then off to bed. Travel days always seem to wind up being so long. Made longer still by the roving party buses as they continued to circle the hotel...

About 8:00ish in the a.m. we had some much needed coffee and a light breakfast at the hotel and sorted out a few things. First, there had been a reservation after all. Not under Tropical Birding or our names but under "Tandayapa Lodge". Who knew? The internet connection was a bit faster so we sent "we've landed" emails to family and friends and contacted the Tropical Birding office via the hotel's phone. Outside the hotel, as we waited for a taxi, we found Rufous-collared Sparrows and Great Thrushes to kick off our three-month Ecuador bird list.

T.B. guides Sam Woods, Andrew Spencer and Nick Athanas. A rare scene of serious demeanor working on the next T.B. tour catalog while Iain is out of the room...

A fifteen-minute taxi ride brought us to the Tropical Birding office nerve center, cleverly hidden on the third floor of what appeared to be a residential building, at about 9:30. Over the course of several weeks preceding our arrival we had emailed or spoken by phone with the office staff so we felt right at home meeting everyone. Nick Athanas, one of the TB guides was on hand and later, the irascible Sam Woods arrived, another member of TB's star-studded stable of field guides. Ian Campbell and his wife Christina, owners of the lodge, also were on hand. We have to say that the office gang at TB, while they have a lot of fun, also work very hard.

We immediately set about assimilating. Maria took our Blackberry (unlocked and international model) to begin the process of getting an Ecuador SIM card. Carol and Nick locked heads to schedule a suitable itinerary and set a date for our 2012 TB bird tour of Peru. At one point Carol had the staff chuckling after she had asked about where we might buy an electric fan. "None would be needed" and indeed that turned out to be the case.

Early afternoon, we left with staffer Adriana to pick up a few essential supplies at a local supermercado. Toothpaste, a few snacks, some wine and rum. True essentials. By the way, taxi is by far the least expensive way to travel in Quito. For the three of us, it was only $1 each way.

We had expected that Pablo, the lodge's property manager, would be transporting us to the lodge. However, he would not be at the lodge until the following Tuesday. Instead, another driver, Nelson, would be taking us in his truck. Nelson, it turned out, lived near Tandayapa in the town of Nanegalito, a small town we would become quite familiar with during our stay. We were a bit mystified about who might be explaining to us in more detail about our responsibilities at the lodge. However, the present volunteer would be at the lodge for the next week and would show us the ropes.

Loaded up into Nelson's truck we departed for Tandayapa Bird Lodge. On our way we stopped at a large shopping mall where Carol picked up a sweatshirt (having been convinced a fan was just the opposite of what she needed) and some sandwiches to go. Part of the the hour and a half drive looked familiar as it covered some of the route taken during our 2008 tour. However, this was the 'express' route, and differed substantially from the six hour route in 2008 that had included a stop at the Yanacoha Reserve and birding along the Nono road.

This is where the old lodge entrance, the 77-step winding walk.

The new entrance from the top of the new driveway addition.
Looks daunting? Much, much easier than before!

One immediate difference we noted upon our arrival from our 2008 visit was not having to use the ghastly seventy-seven step climb as the only way to and from the lodge. A new road had been cut into the hill a few months earlier which brought us much closer to the lodge's main entrance. Some steps remained but the improvement was welcome. We were enthusiastically greeted by Isabel and Angel, two of the lodge's regular staff. Ryan wasn't at the lodge but was expected to return by early evening. He was out with a TB guide and the guide's client.

Lacking any staff to have a significant conversation in English we set about settling into our room then adjourning to the hummingbird veranda to begin keying out hummingbird species. Within an hour or so we had comfortably ID'd at least fourteen of the seventeen species one could expect to regularly see.

view from the 'hummingbird feeder' deck, a view we saw daily.


The hummingbird deck was by far the most popular place to hang at the lodge.

A few hours later Ryan, the TB guide and the client returned. Imagine our delight to discover that the guide was none other than Jose Llanos, the Tropical Birding guide we had for each of our previous two tours in Ecuador. In addition to Jose, the driver, Niko, was also present. Niko had been our driver on both tours - talk about old home week!

Ryan was from the Seattle area and had been at TBL for about a month. Over the course of the next week he was instrumental in helping us settle in and learn about the lodge's day-to-day operations as well as the lay of the land - literally. Ryan also generously shared with Tom his collection of digital bird calls which came in very handy during our stay.

Gabs and a 'rescued' Buff-tailed Hummingbird...but his real love is bugs!

Iain and Amy as she hammed it up for the camera

The next day, Iain and his two children, son Gabriel ("Gabs") and daughter Amy, arrived for a visit. Iain filled us in with more lodge history and discussed some of our volunteer expectations before they returned to Quito the next morning. While everything was still quite new, we were beginning to feel as though we were getting a handle on things, and more excited about what the next three months might bring. Now - if we could only sort out the mystery of consistently having hot water for our showers...

Quingentésimo ABA Anual Ave 2010

2010-11-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

Birder: a person who engages in bird-watching; bird-watcher

Lister: one that lists or catalogs

Our family and friends know we're birders. Much of our travel has been predicated on birding. The ugly fact is, we're also listers.

Sometime during the four months after leaving Wisconsin in June, it dawned on us that we were racking up annual bird sightings at a pretty good clip. Perhaps we might wind up seeing as many as 500 species in the ABA count area by year's end. ABA? Count area?

ABA: The American Birding Association, a North American non-profit organization which provides leadership, guidance and a code of birding ethics for birders. The organization does much, much more but for the purposes of this blog entry we'll stick to the part about the ABA's checklist of bird species and the ABA official count area.

The ABA checklist includes birds native to North America, regular migrants, and casual and accidentally occurring birds that have strayed into the ABA count area. The count area is defined as the 49 continental United States, Canada, the French island of St. Pierre et Miquelon, and adjacent waters to a distance of 200 miles from land or half the distance to a neighboring country, whichever is less. Excluded by these boundaries are Bermuda, the Bahamas, Hawaii, and Greenland.

Determining a boundary can get a bit nit-picky at times. For example, if you were to stand on the U.S. and Mexico border on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande River, and you saw a bird on the Mexico side, you couldn't count it as being in the ABA area. But if that same bird flew over halfway across the river toward the U.S. side or further, then bingo - it would be countable

Without going into too much detail, suffice to say the ABA has stringent guidelines, rules and procedures about what constitutes a countable bird. At present the ABA checklist stands at 957 species. So, seeing 500 ABA species in any given year - more than half the species possible - is kind of a big deal to birders like us.

Mind you, there are people way crazier than we are when it comes to chasing an annual ABA tally. Down right competitive. Some folks pursue a "big year", an attempt to see as many bird species as possible in the entire ABA count area. We believe the current record stands at 721 species. We've heard that this year a birder has been trying to beat the current record and has so far seen 714 species...and has spent over $40,000 dollars thus far (including three separate trips to Alaska). By comparison our meager quest for 500 may seem rather underwhelming.

However, consider that our attempt had to be completed in 11 months given that we are to leave the U.S. in December. In fact since we had already spent three weeks in Ecuador in February and another week in Cozumel (both non-ABA count areas) our time to accomplish our goal had been whittled to just 10 months. Also consider that we never went any further east than Ohio or Louisiana; we missed the entire east coast including bird-rich Florida. Of the 49 continental United States we only birded in 17: TX, LA, MS, TN, IL, WI, OH, MN, ND, MT, ID, WA, OR, CA, AZ, NM, and CO. We didn't do any pelagic trips to find ocean-going birds. In fact we didn't start the year with a goal of 500 in mind. It wasn't until we were nearing Texas and hit 490 that we felt we had any shot at all. It should be noted that while Tom had 490, Carol was at 488 having missed two birds that Tom had seen earlier. A Common Poorwill in CA and a Barn Owl in TX.

Spotted Owl

Bird #490 was a Spotted Owl found in Guadalupe Mountains NP followed quickly by Scott's Oriole and Gray Vireo. Wood Stork and Common Black-Hawk were #493 and #494. The count remained stagnant at 494 as we pulled into our winter site at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort in mid-October. New birds were getting to be as scarce as hen's teeth. How come?

Well, we were running out of new birds to find. By now we had seen 49 of the possible 53 species of warblers (2 of the remaining 5 were Mexican accidentals). Of the woodpeckers we had 21 of a possible 23. We had 16 of 17 hummingbirds. We missed the Berylline's, a species we usually see when in AZ but picked up the accidental Plain-capped Starthroat. Go figure. We'd found 31 of 35 possible Tyrant flycatchers - 2 of the missing 4 were also Mexican accidentals. See where this is leading? Of 31 countable hawks, kites and eagles we had missed only 4. 3 of the missing were commonly found in areas we had not been to nor would we visit this year. Oh, and don't overlook the fact that we would miss the bulk of northern finches and owls because of our being loath to be any place that was subjected to snow, ice and freezing cold. We didn't even have an American Tree Sparrow for goodness sake (although we did have 33 of the 40 possible sparrows). Yes, there were still plenty of other birds to see - just in parts of the country we wouldn't be visiting this year.

kettle of Wood Storks

What was going to have to happen was an influx of some of the accidental and vagrant Mexican species if we were to flesh out our list. But attempts to find difficult species like White-collared Seedeater, Red-billed Pigeon and Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl failed. It didn't help that several popular and reliable birding sites were closed due to earlier severe flooding. Even our next door state park was mostly closed due to damaging high water levels.

We followed TexBirds, the Texas state online bird reporting system and chatted up local birders for tips on available species. We got instructions on where to find a series of rural roads and wetlands which netted Aplomado Falcon, #495, and Purple Gallinule, #496. After a birding dry spell a Ruddy Ground-Dove appeared at Estero Llano Grande State Park. #497 was added.

Another Mexican accidental, a female Crimson-collared Grosbeak popped up at the Valley Nature Center. We spent a couple of hours scouring the grounds along with a dozen or so other birders and were just about ready to give up when we found it feeding high in an Acatia tree and alerted the other birders. #498.

wintering Mountain Plover

Then another dry spell. We attended part of the Rio Grande Birding Festival, mainly to catch up with the lads from Tropical Birding and our friend Erika Wilson from Sierra Vista who was also in attendance. Erika was the birder who so valiantly tried to find us a Spotted Owl in AZ. During the festival we learned the location of wintering Mountain Plovers, a bird we typically found in CO where they breed. Our first attempt failed. But during a second attempt the following week while on our way to South Padre Island, we found one feeding along a dusty, gravel Texas farm road. #499.

Around the same time a Rufous-backed Robin had been seen at the North America Butterfly Association property. We could see the new building and headquarters outside our RV back window from our site in Bentsen Palm Village, we were that close. Alas, after only one sighting the bird failed to appear again. However reports on TexBird had another Rufous-backed Robin being seen at Laguna Astascosa NWR. We were again headed to South Padre Island to meet a friend and Laguna was on the way - sort of. It was morning when we stopped (reports had it being seen only in the afternoons) and we didn't see it. Apparently the bird had never gotten the memo: "the early bird gets the worm".

Reports persisted on TexBird that the robin was still being seen but only in the afternoon, roughly between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m. We decided to make one more try.

On the Thursday evening before we drove the hour and a half drive to Laguna, a cold front had moved through. The overnight low had been 39. On Friday morning a stiff wind kept temperatures lower than normal. In fact a not very often heard phrase in south Texas was uttered: "wind chill". As we drove over we wondered if the weather would be a serious setback. Perhaps the robin had moved on?

At 2:30 we arrived and stood/sat/huddled with a small group of die-hards to await the robin. On the two previous days the robin had been fairly punctual; appearing about 3:00ish and again between 5:30 and 5:45. We sincerely hoped that it would be sooner rather than later but were totally committed to stay until we saw the bird. Hey, we're from Wisconsin. We know cold.
At 3:12 the cry went up, "There it is!". At the far edge of a man-made stream next to the visitor center the robin appeared, took a brief drink then retreated back into the dense shrubbery. Long enought for a positive ID. So on November 26 with just four days left to get to 500 it happened. #500.

High fives all around! Carol, who was at 497 - and now 498 - was most gracious in her enthusiastic response and support that one of us had made it to 500. Not that 498 is anything to sneeze at. It's still over half of the ABA possibles. Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

On our drive back we reflected on some of the "easy" birds that, for various reasons, had escaped us during the year. Buff-breasted Flycatcher, Beryllline's Hummingbird, Connecticut Warbler, Western Screech-Owl, Black-capped Vireo, and a Barn Owl for Carol. There were many more. And the year's biggest rarity? Easily the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. Not only a first-ever record for ABA, we were also in the group of five that counted the tiger-heron on a January 5 Christmas Bird Count that made more ABA history - the first-ever record for this species in any ABA CBC.

Ho-hum birds? A tie between House Sparrow and European Starling. The longest sought species? A previously heard-only Swainson's Warbler back in 1999. Our rule for adding a life bird is that we have to see it, not just hear it. Once a bird is a life bird though, just hearing for the purpose of adding an annual bird is fine. The most unexpected bird to show up, aside from the tiger-heron: a tie between Plain-capped Starthroat and Spotted Owl. Of the 500 species found, 17 were ABA life birds and of these, 12 were life bird ticks. Our previous 12-month annual species tally? 437.

Even with our nomadic lifestyle we are not likely to repeat hitting 500 any time soon. Not without investing in a fair amount of zig-zag traveling. Not that we prefer traveling in a straight line. We rarely do. It's just that to get high numbers one has to move quickly to be in the right spot at the right time. And it's a big count area. Maybe we'll concentrate instead on boosting our overall ABA life list. 700 is a doable goal as we both have well over 600 species (Carol more than Tom). This would mean getting out on some boats and taking pelagic trips.

Had we taken our quest more seriously earlier on who knows how many species we might have ended up with. But you'll hear no complaints from us. Birds are only part of the experience of full-timing and while birding will remain high on our list, we'd be foolish not to appreciate all the other benefits our travels have brought us. Unparalleled scenery, sampling foods of different locales, meeting and making new friends and our continuing sense of discovery.

A little perspective on our 10-month 500 ABA bird species quest. The combined number of bird species seen during two trips to Ecuador that totaled a little over a month: 739. Too bad Ecuador isn't in the ABA count area!

Speaking of Ecuador, we're departing December 1 for a three month volunteer host gig at Tandayapa Lodge in northern Ecuador. We'll return March 3 but after a little over a week's time we will depart again, this time for Costa Rica to shepherd a small group of birding friends. During our time out of the country we will have little if any reliable Internet access. So, our blog is taking a four month hiatus. Hopefully the next entry will occur sometime in April 2011. Until then, Good birding!

Texas 3-Step

2010-11-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

Carol at the original Judge Roy Bean Jersey Lilly Saloon

and Courtroom (circa 1880's - the saloon, not Carol)

Having taken into account a November 1 arrival at Bentsen Palm Village RV Resort and the remaining driving distance of 700 miles we discussed possible routes. We had talked about Big Bend National Park and would have time to stop, but the logistics of getting there and out seemed daunting. Besides, the one bird we could hope to see, the Colima Warbler, more than likely had already migrated south. Last year we had spent a Week at Davis Mountain State Park and about another week at Falcon Dam State Park. Both would again fit nicely in the time frame for us to arrive at BPV by our reservation start date.
However, we had by now been on the road for four straight months including a "quick" drive up to Colorado and a flight to and from WI. Now, faced with a three month stay in Ecuador for which we also needed to prepare, another possibility arose. We could call BPV to see if our site would be available two weeks earlier. And wouldn't it be nice to sit for a while? "Sit for a while" had to be tempered with the fact that we rarely stand still even when parked.

Fort Davis parade ground

It came as no surprise that the managers at BPV were more than pleased to advance our arrival date by a few weeks. The park was still pretty empty at this time of year. Besides, our friend and neighbor Marty had been parked at BPV while her husband was in northern Illinois working for FEMA. Marty was starved for company.

Fort Davis enlisted men's barracks

Carol cooling her heels on the restored fort commander's veranda

Our decision to arrive early wouldn't alter our route; simply shorten the our stays at Davis Mountain and Falcon State Parks. Texas is a big state. Anyone who hasn't driven in Texas cannot appreciate just how long it takes to cover what appears to be short distances on the state map. We plotted that we could cover the remaining distance to Mission in three stops.

overlooking part of Davis Mountain State Park

Our drive from Guadalupe Mtns. SP to Davis Mountain SP was a tad over 140 miles and included a driving break at the Jersey Lilly Saloon, part of the Judge Roy Bean Visitor Center in Langtry, TX. Our three nights spent in the park were relaxed. We stuck close to home and hiked local trails along with a visit to nearby Fort Davis National Historic Site. Davis Mountain was our absolutely, positively last chance for Montezuma Quail. Fortunately for the quail - but unfortunately for us - a wetter than normal season had produced plentiful natural food and cover so quail were not obliged to visit park feeding stations. The check-box on our annual ABA checklist remained unchecked. Drat.

site at Falcon State Park

The distance to Falcon SP necessitated that we stay overnight at the Holiday Trav-L-Park in Del Rio, 230 miles away. We used a pull-through site and didn't bother to unhook our trailer. Located near the massive Armistad National Recreation Area, this was our first opportunity to see first-hand the high levels of water along the Rio Grande watershed. A double-whammy of weather events. First, the remnants of Hurricane Alex in June followed by Tropical Depression Hermine in September, had caused record flooding.
Our drive the next morning to Falcon State Park took longer (270 miles). We once more left our trailer attached for the night. Water levels in the resovior were also much higher than the previous year. We also picked up the fact that the park was relatively devoid of campers compared to last year. A recent tragic and mysterious murder of an American citizen on the Mexican side of the reservoir, probably a victim of increased border violence between warring Mexican drug cartels, may have been partly to blame. Friends had wondered why we even bothered to stay in the park given the recent violence. Actually, with a high number of Border Patrol agents present, we couldn't have been in a safer spot! Besides, the park's butterfly gardens were in beautiful shape. We also managed to pick up another bird species we thought too late in the season to see - Wood Stork.

kettle of Wood Stork soaring over Falcon SP

On Friday October 15, after a stop for breakfast in Roma, and covering the remaining 60 miles, we pulled into to our BPV site. Great to be back and reconnect with familiar faces. Marty was thrilled and immediately set about a welcome back party complete with corn tortillas and margaritas. While most of our friends and neighbors would not arrive for another three weeks or more, it felt good to put down stakes for a while and know we wouldn't have to move the RV again until we stored it December 1 when we departed for Ecuador. The Valley looked green and lush, specially when compared to how it looked when we left in March after most of the vegetation had been knocked down by three killing frosts. Carol's bougainvillea plants, left in the care of the office staff, looked healthy and ready to bloom.

2-barred Flasher at Falcon SP butterfly gardens

With our annual ABA bird lists now tantalizingly close to 500 we hoped we might catch a break and find enough Mexican specialty birds to hit our goal of 500. We could only hope and keep a weather eye on the Texas birding list.

Guadalupe Loop

2010-11-29T08:21:00.000-08:00

our site at Guadalupe Mountains NP Pine Springs Campground

Tucked in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico is the Guadalupe Mountain range. The range includes the highest summit in Texas, Guadalupe Peak (8,749 ft) and the "signature peak" of west Texas, El Capitan, both located within Guadalupe Mountains National Park as well as Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
From Las Cruces we stuck to I-10 until just north of El Paso. Highway 375 bypassed the bulk of El Paso and took us through the heart of the Fort Bliss Military Reservation. "Fort Bliss" - now there's an oxymoron. Once east of El Paso the scenery was pretty flat and uninspiring until we intersected with the Butterfield Trail highway which retraced part of the historic Overland Stage Coach Trail and lead up to Guadalupe Mountains NP.

El Capitan, Guadalupe Mountains NP

RV parking choices were limited in this part of Texas. Friends had suggested we try Carlsbad, NM as a base for exploration. Other friends raved about staying in the park. Since the park was closer and on our route we elected to stop there first to check what they had to offer. No hookups (we would be dry camping) but the rate was only $4/day with a senior discount. RV sites were lined up on a large parking lot but the view was nothing short of spectacular. Fortunately we had arrived early enough in the day to snare one of the few remaining spots (there weren't many to begin with!) in the Pine Springs campground. Later we discovered that parking further north in Carlsbad would not have offered nearly as much and would have made for much further drives to and from areas we wanted to see.

Spotted Owl

We had intended to stay just two nights but after finding out there were many more things we wanted to see we opted to stay an extra day. Our first full day included a hike up Devil's Hall Trail. The larger draw to the park for most hikers was the Guadalupe Peak Trail, a 6 to 8 hour hike up to the "Top of Texas", the highest point in the state. Since we wanted to include other stops during the day, the 4.2 mile round trip to Devil's Hall was more to our liking.
The trail followed the Pine Springs stream bed through maples, Ponderosa pine and now familiar plant varieties of the Chihuahuan desert biota. During the course of our walk we decided to bypass a section of imposing rock outcropping in favor of what appeared to be an easier route around a huge boulder. As we skirted the obstacle Carol pointed and whispered, "Look! An Owl". Would you believe it? A Spotted Owl was perched on a low branch just over our heads. After all our searching in AZ, we had just stumbled upon that which had eluded us. Kind of the way birding goes sometimes.

outdoor amphitheater in front of Carlsbad's "natural" entrance

After we completed our hike we stopped at the visitor center to report our owl finding then headed north into New Mexico to Carlsbad Caverns NP. Our only other "big cave" experience had been Wind Cave in South Dakota. Based on that we were a bit hesitant about Carlsbad. Boy Howdy, what a difference!

red circle indicates where two people are standing

in a section of the "Big Room"

early means to explore the cave; much less visitor friendly

First, a stop at the visitor center seemed best. The huge gift shop delayed our progress for a bit but we eventually sorted out the best way to see the cave. One could take an elevator straight down to the Great Room section, or, enter through the "natural" entrance. Both options included self-guided tours. Ranger-guided tours were an option however they required advance reservations and in any case were already full. The natural entrance lead to a mile-long steep and winding paved trail that dropped 750 feet. It followed what was considered the traditional early explorer's route through a trunk called the "Main Corridor". Somewhat tough on the knees going down; we wouldn't want to have to climb back up using this route!

Adjacent to the entrance was an outdoor amphitheater where visitors gathered at dusk to watch seasonal evening flights of bats exiting the caves. Now, during the day, the cave's entrance swarmed with Cave Swallows, their nests located just inside the cave's entrance. As we descended the Main Corridor trail we passed through numerous and notable spots including the Bat Cave (bats no longer roosted there; they were in other caves not accessible to the public), the Devil's Spring, and the Green Lake Overlook.
Dropping further we realized the depth and scale of Carlsbad far exceeded Wind Cave. Once at the bottom we found a mile-long self-guided tour of the Big Room, a large cave chamber of natural limestone almost 4,000 feet long by 625 feet wide. By now the average temperature was a cool and damp 56-degrees. Located at the bottom was a large cafeteria and gift shop and the most popular stop: restrooms. The second tour was on a more level paved trail and took us through and past the Bottomless Pit, Giant Dome, Rock of Ages, and the Painted Grotto. Artificial lighting greatly enhanced the colors and patterns of rock formations. The size and scope of the Big Room was impossible to capture in a single photo. Like many natural wonders you had to be there in person to fully appreciate the magnitude. Boyhood memories of reading Tom Sawyer came to mind but we failed to find neither Tom or Becky or Injun Joe. Then again, we were in the wrong caves.
We had been warned that the main elevators were being reconditioned and the wait for the smaller service elevators would be lengthy. It was nearly an hour before we were whisked to the surface in under three minutes.
We had heard about and witnessed filmed coverage of the massive dusk bat exodus at Carlsbad over the years and here we were, less than an hour away from showtime. Although hunger pains nagged us, we manged to put them aside. We were not disappointed for the inconvenience. We found seating in the amphitheater after asking a ranger where we might have the best view. Another ranger gave a short talk and fielded questions from the few hundred people that had gathered. Initially small groups of bats appeared but eventually a constant and steady stream of Mexican free-tailed bats flooded out of the cave's entrance. The largestest volume of bats, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, occurred over a 45-minute time span. Unfortunately, use of cameras and camcorders were banned. Signals from electronic devices had been known to disorient the bats which rely heavily on their radar. At times the smell of bats waffed over when bats flew close. Quite a spectacle!

trail to Smith Spring, Smith Spring, and trail back down

The next morning we had hoped to use the Guadalupe park visitor center's free wi-fi but awoke to discover hundreds of members from a regional hiking club had flooded the park. Wow - were we glad we had gotten our hike in the day before! We instead headed out of the campground for Smith Springs and a National Register of Historic Site listing, the Frijole Ranch. Constructed in 1876, it was originally lit by candles and kerosene lanterns and later a carbide lamp system which produced acetylene gas piped through the house. Another bird surprise at the ranch - Scott's Orioles! We thought we were going to miss them this late in the season. Short of seeing Spot-breasted Orioles (we would have had to have been in South Florida!) we now had seen seven of the eight oriole species possible in the ABA count area.

Wolf Spider

one of the "lubbers", giant grasshoppers up to 2 1/2 inches in length

view along lower section of Smith Spring trail

An osasis in the otherwise dry edge of the lower slopes of the Guadalupe escarpment, there are no less than five natural springs that occur within a 3-mile radius of the ranch. We hiked the 2.3 mile loop trail to and from the Smith Spring. Rated easy at the beginning it became moderately difficult as it took us to a shaded grove of trees that included maples, choke cherry, chinkapin oaks, Texas madrones and ponderosa pines. The spring was rimmed with ferns and sedges.
We returned to the visitor center which by early afternoon was less crowded and used the free wi-fi. After lunch we drove a short distance to McKittrick Canyon. Again there were many options for lengthy, strenuous hikes but given the time of day we stuck to the .9 mile McKittrick Canyon Nature Trail loop which lead through massive displays of flowering plants and views of the distant canyon walls.
We surely could have more spent more time at Guadalupe but we also needed to start thinking about our need to get to our winter site in Texas. Our original plan was to spend four months and arrive December 1. However when we accepted an invitation to be volunteer hosts at a lodge in northern Ecuador for three months, we had moved our arrival time up to November 1. It was now October 11 and we were about 700 miles out from Mission, Texas. We had been on the road four straight months and had begun to yearn to stay put in one place for a while.

Dillon via Las Cruces

2010-11-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

headed north to CO and the view from Summit Cove

(Dillon lower; Keystone lower right)

We again were best served to Travel I-10 for our 167 mile pull to Las Cruces. Las Cruces? It would put us in a good position for a trip north on I-25 through Albuquerque and Santa Fe to Dillon, CO to visit the Colorado Luetkens clan.
Being the off season for RV'ers wintering in southern states like NM it was relatively easy to find a location that would allow us to park our trailer with a connection for electricity to keep the fridge cold at a reasonable cost. Sunny Acres RV Park near downtown Las Cruces fit the bill perfectly. For the evenings we would be in the RV it was $20/night. For the days the RV was unoccupied it was $5/day. The site was close to the park office where very friendly and accommodating staff kept an eye on our RV.
We arrived in Las Cruces with plenty of time to setup and spend the afternoon packing for our 600 mile drive north. Well stocked with snacks and a new audible book we were off by 8:00 a.m. the next morning. Nice for a change to drive at interstate speeds without a trailer and be able to look out the truck's rear window at something other than a wall of white. Even so, we still wanted to break the trip up into two days with an overnight in Sante Fe coming and going. Besides, Mark, a fellow RVer we had met in Oregon was parked in Santa Fe and we had made arrangements to meet him for dinner.

location of the Native America market place

Santa Fe is steeped in Hispanic and Native American culture. Preserved by the nation's second oldest historic district preservation ordinances, Santa Fe adhered to standards that included preservation of historic materials, harmonious designs, and maximum allowable height restrictions for buildings and signage. That's why gas stations were cleverly hidden and disguised to look more like adobe homes.
We could have spent weeks exploring museums, historical sites and outlaying parks and trails. The Georgia O'Keefe Musuem, New Mexico Museum of Art, the Wheelwright Museum of American Indian, etc., etc. But we only had one afternoon and evening so we limited ourselves to the east side historic district which included the old plaza brimming with high end shops, restaurants and a Native American market place.
Parking was difficult in the narrow streets and, expensive ($1/hour) but once parked, walking was the easiest way around the roughly ten block square area. We had agreed to meet Mark on the northeast corner of the plaza. Once we figured out which way northeast was, there was Mark. From there we strolled through a number of shops which reinforced our impression that Santa Fe was not an inexpensive place to live or shop. Lots of eye candy though! Fortunately as full-time RVers, none of us had room for any of the large sculptures or handmade glass light fixtures.
Little surprise to our faithful readers: by late afternoon food was uppermost on our minds. We had heard that the Coyote Grill served excellent margaritas but we were sorely disappointed. Maybe for the uninitiated but the drinks turned out to be some of the worst we've experienced. We also had heard that The Shed served some of the best local Mexican cuisine. Within ten minutes we found ourselves seated near the bar waiting for margaritas and a table. A vast improvement in the drinks and while our wait for food took a while (it's avery popular place) it was well worth the wait. Besides, we were there for the conversation. Well after dark we bid Mark farewell and returned to our motel.

peppers in Hatch and the Pepper Pot

A must stop the following day was Hatch, NM, which holds the title of Chili Capitol of the World. We had stopped in Hatch in 1999 and recalled peppers hanging from every nook and cranny. Nothing had changed although finding a vendor so early int he morning proved challenging. We also wanted breakfast. Restaurant pickings were slim but we stumbled upon the Pepper Pot. Suffice to say if we find ourselves in Hatch again, we'll make this restaurant a must do.

Gamma and Carter and Cali looking at photo album

Carter's soccer match

hiking with Cali and Carter

North of Santa Fe we swapped I-25 for Highway 285 which coursed through Carson National Forest in New Mexico and later in Colorado the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Onto Highway 24 through Leadville. By mif-afternoon we arrived at Chris's to find Carter peering out the front door. Later in the afternoon we walked to the kid's school to fetch Cali.
Over the course of the next four days we hung out with Chris, Robyn, Cali and Carter. Hikes in the hills around the neighborhood, drives to nearby mountains, a soccer match, shopping, and walks to and from school. Cali had been completing reading comprehension quizzes on books she had checked out of the school library. Very high tech. And, of course breakfasts at the Mountain Lyon Restaurant. Although Colorado had enjoyed a longer than usual mild Fall, hard frosts on the truck's windshield reminded us why we were spending our winters in southern states.

Chris, Cali, Carter and Pa on a 'woodsy'

Cali, Chris and Carter

Cali and Carter visited by Pa

Our time with the kids went all too quickly and we were once more on the road headed back to Las Cruces. After another overnight in Santa Fe, we found ourselves back on I-25. As we grew close to Albuquerque we realized we were driving through the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. An event we've often heard about and seen on TV. Until you've witnessed first hand skies filled with colorful hot air balloons of every shape and size, well, you need to put this on your bucket list. Reminded us a lot of the annual E.A.A. gathering in Oshkosh, WI only these airborne craft moved at a much slower pace.

After an extra night at the RV back in Las Cruces we headed east for Texas. We had toyed with the idea of stopping in Big Bend but at this time of year we had already missed any chance of seeing a Colima Warbler. By now our annual ABA count had grown to be in the 480's. If we ever had a shot at 500, we needed to try for places where our chances for adding to the count were greater. The Guadalupe Mountains, a place we had not visited before, held out hope for one last chance for a Montezuma Quail. A very outside chance.

rear view Cali

Chris and Robyn headed out for some quiet time

reason for a huge hours-long delay on Vail Pass;

burned out motor coach

Portal-Rodeo

2010-11-22T06:48:00.000-08:00

Cave Creek Canyon

Originally we had planned on departing Desert Trails RV the day after we returned from Appleton but given how worn out we were, we opted to stay an extra day. Besides, we wanted a chance to see Nancy again. She had generously loaned Carol pieces of exquisite Southwestern-style jewelry to go with her outfit for Tom's reunion. We needed to return the baubles before we left town. The next afternoon we met Nancy for lunch at Romano's Macaroni Grill at the Ina Road location, a chain restaurant known for its pleasing blend of Italian-Mediterranean flavors. The Tomato bruschettea with Chianti - yum!
Well rested and ready to hit the road, we departed Tucson the next morning and headed east on I-10. There weren't many choices to get to Rusty's RV situated outside the one-time boom town of Rodeo, NM. There were basically two routes. One would have taken us through Tombstone east of Sierra Vista and the other followed I-10 into New Mexico. To avoid Interstate travel was our first instinct. But we had already spent a week at Tombstone east of Sierra Vista so we chose the northern route through the Dragoon Mountains between Benson and Wilcox, a route we had not been on before. The Cochise Stronghold lies in the Dragoons, the site of Cochise's last resting place.

Site at Rusty's RV

We had stayed a week at Rusty's on our way to Texas in the Fall of 2009. Located on the New Mexico-Arizona border the park has wide-open spacious sites with grand views of the surrounding Chiricahua and Peloncillo Mountains. It also put us within easy driving of Cave Creek Canyon, in the southeast corner of the Coronado National Forest and known world-wide for it's birding. This is in a fairly remote part of the country. Serious grocery shopping? A 50-mile one way drive to Douglas, AZ. And, as one prominent local birder put it, the local citizenry is comprised of "cowboys and scientists" which accurately captured the area's political dichotomy. However, the Rodeo Tavern is a nice blend of the two and offered a must-do pizza and authentic western decor. "No Guns Allowed" prominently displayed over the entrance.

Our view of the Chiricahua Mountains

Moon set over Cave Creek Canyon

Rusty and her husband who we had dealt with the previous year happened to be away for a few weeks. The park had been left in the very capable hands of Rusty's parents, Bob and June. Colorful to be sure. They had been full-timers for better than thirty years but now that they were in their 80's (very fit 80's) they had slowed and were happy to hang out and help Rusty. No lack of stories and certainly no lack of displaying their political leanings. Let's just say we left our politics out of our conversations with them. Bob always wore a loaded colt six-shooter on his belt. As was mentioned before, cowboys and scientists. We doubted that he frequented the Rodeo Tavern.
Our site was near the same site in a far corner of the park we had the previous year. The next closest RV was two hundred yards away. The view out our rear window soaked up the Chiricahua Mountains. Sunrises and sunsets were mesmerizing.

Sunrise over the Pelonchillo Mountains

When our former home in Appleton was built in 1870, Frank and Jesse James were still robbing banks. Out west Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse and the Great Sioux Indian Wars were being fought. 1870 was when Wyatt Earp started a law office in Missouri, eleven years before the famous gunfight at the O.K. Corral in Tombstone. In the Arizona-New Mexico territories it was turbulent times as the Chiricahua Apaches struggled to survive as a people. Not far from Rusty's was Skeleton Canyon, the site of Geronimo's surrender which marked the end of the Indian Wars of the Southwest. Near the town of Animas, twenty minutes away, the notorious Clantons maintained a residence used as a base for their nefarious activities. We were smack in the middle of so much western history.

Portal Cafe

Cave Creek Canyon. We never tire of the view of the canyon's entrance in early light. It has to be one of the prettiest views ever. On the way to the canyon's entrance lies the tiny town of Portal, population under 100. Private residences, a post office and the Portal Cafe pretty much define the town. That, and excellent birding.

the new trail view

We discovered another trail this year found at the canyon's entrance across from the park's boundary sign. A trail that wound up and through desert scrub and cactus. Excellent habitat for Bendire's Thrasher which we needed for the year. Last year these thrashers were common. This year none were to be found. Go figure, but that's birding for you.

Unpaved portion of the main canyon road

The road that winds through the canyon leads to a number of small campgrounds and the South Fork Zoological and Botanical Area. Every day we were at Rusty's we took time to search South Fork for resident Elegant Trogons. The 1.3 mile entrance road of South Fork terminated at a picnic area and extensive trail head. The trail followed Cave Creek and is where trogons are are reliably found. Trogons are easier to find in the Spring when they are calling. By late Summer they sit for long periods of time silently perched in shady spots. In the Fall they may have already begun to migrate south. We were becoming discouraged after four days of searching until we finally found some feeding along Cave Creek south of the parking area along the entrance road, 180 degrees in the opposite direction of where they are typically seen. The intersection of the South Fork entrance road also turned out to be an excellent spot to find a Whiskered Screech-Owl one evening.

entrance road to South Fork

Two miles further up the canyon road from the South Fork intersection is the Southwestern Research Station run by the American Museum of Natural History. A small but well stocked natture shop is found here, a delightful picnic stop. There is also access to a side road we had never taken before that lead up through oak-juniper-pinyon forests.
The main road's pavement ends shortly after the research station and continues to climb higher toward cooler coniferous forests, excellent habitat for Mexican Chickadees. Rustler Park Campground is where the road terminated at the top at about 9,800 feet. We had tent camped here in the 90's in July and were subjected to a hailstorm and freezing temperatures.

view from near Rustler Park

Retracing our route back down we took another fork which lead to the town of Paradise, even smaller than Portal. For birders the highlight in Paradise is the George Walker House Bed and Breakfast which has several bird feeders. The road continued on a loop back to Portal. The entire trip took us through five live-zones: Lower Sonoran, Upper Sonoran, Transition, Canadian, and Hudsonian. Biogeographically the Chiricahua Mountains are located at a crossroads between distinct desert and mountain biotas.

Trarantulas - common along the trails

tiny but colorful jumping spider

Other birds we had hoped to find include Crissal Thrasher. Again, easily found last year but not at all this year. The road to the research station was also supposed to be good for finding Montezuma Quail. We whiffed on them too. There had been talk of a Berylline's Hummingbird nest in one of the campgrounds in the canyon but chances were that we were too late in the season to find one. And we were. However, over the course of our stay at Rusty's we managed to add several new annual birds to our list along with plenty of insect sightings...and the scenery alone was worth our stay. There were not many options for us to park in this part of the country but Rusty's is certainly a place for RVer's to consider. And don't overlook the Chiricahua Desert Museum on Highway 80 between Rodeo and the turn to Portal. Don't let the bland exterior fool you. A well stocked gift shop loaded with art, books, clothing, jewelry, pottery, a live reptile exhibit and a recently installed 20,000 square foot botanical garden await. If we can work out our schedule to include a month at Rusty's sometime, well, it wouldn't be bad at all.
Meanwhile, Las Cruces was next on our target list. We needed to find a safe place to park our RV while we drove to Dillon to visit the Colorado Luetkens clan.

Gambel's Quail

Appleton Terrors

2010-11-20T08:19:00.000-08:00

Our flight to Appleton from Tucson included a plane change in Minneapolis. Doesn't it seem that no matter where one is going these days, making a connecting flight involves traversing from one end of an airport to the other? Oh, and deciphering flight status boards. "On Time" and "Delayed" seem pretty clear. "At The Gate", it turned out, was to be taken at face value. True, the plane was physically at the gate but that did not mean it was "On Time". Especially when the crew wasn't "At The Gate".
By the time the crew appeared we knew we were no longer on time (but then we never were really "on time" - just "at the gate"). Worse, a thunderstorm had begun to brew. When we finally boarded, we sat at the gate for-EVER while the tardy crew completed their paperwork. And, it began to rain. Eventually the plane pulled away from the gate but then stopped. Not a good sign. And, it started to rain harder. Using our iPod and Mi-Fi we checked our online flight status. "Departed". Again, taken at face value we had indeed left - "departed" - the gate. But it didn't mean we were airborne. "In Limbo" might have been more more accurate as the pilot announced that it was a) raining hard (duh) and that b) he wasn't sure when we would be allowed to take off. He might know something in fifteen minutes. Or not. He didn't exude much confidence at being in the loop. Polite code for he didn't have a clue? We wondered if the flight attendant might be thinking about grabbing a few beers and deploying an emergency chute. We know we were.
An hour and a half after "Departed" we departed. Became airborne. Graham was in Appleton monitoring our status online...which is why we called him just before we had to shut down our cell phone to say that we would call him when we actually landed and not to depend on what he read on the Internet.

Betty, Tom, Dave, Carol

After retrieving us from the airport Graham dropped us off at the Menasha home of Dave and Betty Dunsmore, long-time friends and birding companions on some of our adventures. They had invited us to stay with them while we were in the area. That nearly had not come to pass. Almost a month earlier Dave had suffered a perilous bout of anaphylactic shock, a negative reaction to his high blood pressure medication. He came within a minute or so of dying but fortunately pulled through. By the time we saw him, we were relieved to see Dave was again his usual self.

Melissa

The next week was a whirl-wind of catching up with family, friends, and appointments. On Thursday morning after being thoroughly stuffed with breakfast at the Dunsmore's, we packed an overnight bag, picked up our Enterprise rental Chevy and headed toward Madison. On the way we stopped at Jerry's in Middleton. We rode with Jerry into town to collect Melissa and see her new apartment, then lunch at Tony Frank's, a Madison historic burger joint. More food (oh, like we needed it!) followed by shopping with Melissa - she's doing so well these days. After we dropped Melissa back at her apartment, we rode back to Jerry's to retrieve our car and sped off to Marge's on Lake Wisconsin where we caught up with family news and spent the night.

just a few of the Mudd colleagues:

lower left to right: Kathy, Colette, Cindy, Corinne, Kim,

Julie and her dog (not staff), Pete, and Angela

Friday was "doctor day" in Appleton so up early at Marge's and we were off. Carol's knee had been giving her fits the past couple of months as well as suffering from a sore back. A trip to the chiropractor did wonders for her back and lead to the possibility that her knee issue might be connected. The orthopedic clinic confirmed as much. While Carol was kibitzing with medical folks Tom stopped in to visit his crazy librarian pals at the Mudd Library. Carol's eye glasses had somehow suffered a defect. "Crackling" as best we could tell. Possibly from the high temperatures in Yuma? A stop at Faces Eye-ware resulted in her ordering a new pair of lenses but required her leaving her frames - thank goodness she had a spare pair to use.
One of the challenges of being full-time is sorting out where to have things mailed which we needed right away. In this instance we were in Tucson but knew we would be leaving the day after we returned. We knew we would also be stopping in Las Cruces, NM, but only to store our RV while we drove to Colorado. We opted to have Carol's repaired glasses sent to Chris's house in Dillon figuring that by the time the glasses were shipped we would be in Dillon to pick them up. Little things like this can be maddening sometimes!
Late Friday afternoon we caught up with the gang of "usual suspects", our fun-loving birding companeros from past Costa Rica trips and who we will again meet up with in Costa Rica in March 2011. The gathering was also an opportunity to acknowledge birthdays that some of the members had recently celebrated. It was dinner as usual at Senior T's. Later than night we tracked down Tom's high school classmates at a pre-reunion party for a few hours of socializing. A long day made longer considering we had already lost two hours when we traveled east the day before, we were happy to fall into bed back at the Dunsmore's.

Elizabeth (spouse of classmate Dave Stringham), Tom, and Joan,

Tom's first love from way back in junior high!

Saturday it was breakfast out and birding along the Lake Michigan shoreline with Dave and Betty. We got back to Menasha in time to change for Tom's reunion. Tom had nearly not attended given our distance from Wisconsin but free air miles and the fact that Tom had been on the reunion committee swayed our decision. Besides, Carol has had so much fun at Tom's reunions since all spouses are made to feel so welcome. Judging from the enthusiastic dancing by the "Appleton Terrors" there was probably an uptick in the number of chiropractic visits the following week.

Wally's Still idea of heart healthy breakfast

and Todd digging in

Cindy and Tom joining in the Irish music

Sunday morning it was breakfast out again, this time with friends Todd and Cindy Ward in Dale. Their property is where we park when we're in WI in the summer. Sunday was just the right time for Wally's Still where no one ever leaves hungry. After rolling ourselves out of Wally's we drove to New London where Michael O'Connell, our favorite canvas painter was playing the Dulcimer with an Irish band. Naturally it involved more dancing (had to work the breakfast off somehow). Then it was back to Appleton to catch up with Graham and Rachel, his girlfriend, for dinner (yes, more food) at our old neighborhood favorite haunt, The Stone Cellar Pub. Excellent micro-brew beers and a chance to wish another Lawrence colleague, the wild and crazy Larry Darling, happy birthday. Afterward a tour of Rachel's home. Little wonder she and Graham have so much in common. Besides their love of hiking and the outdoors, they both are so into retro 50's decor.

Rachael and Graham

Larry and Tom

Monday found Carol headed to a follow-up visit with the chiropractor then off to a physical therapist to learn exercises for her knee and back. Tom managed another catchup visit with more colleagues at Lawrence and his "felonious" friends at the Mudd. Later in the afternoon we drove to Green Bay to visit Jennie, Charles and Alrick. Alrick is so talkative these days. My, how he has grown! Charles is having a wonderful year teaching - part of his day is spent at Alrick's school. He was also finally able to quit his night job at Home Depot. Yay! Jennie took us on a tour of Truly Yours Design and Decor where she's been hard at work to prepare the store for a grand opening. All we can say is that it's a good thing we live in a smaller space otherwise we would have been sorely tempted to go crazy with many of the store's offerings. We returned to Appleton, dropped off our rental car, and Graham returned us to Dave and Betty's. It was hard to believe our visit was ending so quickly.

Jennie and Alrick in front of Truly Yours

Early Tuesday morning Dave and Betty ferried us to the airport. Our flights back to Tucson were on time with clear skies. By early Tuesday afternoon we were back in our RV plotting our next move - the Chiricahua Mountains on the New Mexico-Arizona border.

Tucson - Part 2

2010-11-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Our 80 mile return drive to Desert Trails RV didn't take long. The park, still pretty empty for the time of year, allowed us to get our former site back. Our stay this time would span a two-week period. The first week we planned to catch up with a few things we had wanted to do during our previous week-long stay but had missed. The second week we would leave our RV at the park while we flew back to WI to visit family and friends.

We wasted no time on our first morning trying for more birds. Apparently while we were away in Sierra Vista, heavy rain storms had moved through the Tucson area. Florida Wash, dry during our last visit, now had standing water that attracted lots of birds, among them a Gray Flycatcher. Of the thirty-four possible tyrant flycatchers we could possibly see in the lower forty-eight states this year, we now had seen thirty. Of the four remaining, two occur rarely in the U.S. and the ranges of the other two do not include the southwest or Texas. Our chances to add any more flycatchers in the ABA area this year are pretty slim.

We had seen Lucy's Warblers earlier in the year but found by far the best looks of this western warbler along the trail to the Whitehouse Picnic Area which snaked along Madera Creek (the creek was still flush with water). But it was the Berylline Hummingbird we sought further up the road at Kubo Bed and Breakfast, usually a reliable place to find one. Reliable, that is, for other birders but not us. Once again we missed finding one. The reality that we may not see this species this year and come up short on our goal to see all seventeen hummingbird species (we currently had fifteen of the seventeen) started to sink in. We drowned our sorrow with lunch in Green Valley at Rigoberto's, a small hole-in-the-wall cafe. Nothing fancy but great Mexican fare in gigantic proportions for very little money.

Catalina Highway

Carol spent the next day with her friend Nancy. It was THE shopping day to find an outfit for Tom's upcoming high school reunion. That would be an outfit for Carol, not Tom. Late in the day Tom was finally included when we all met at Brooklyn's pizzeria. Located on Tucson's historic 4th Avenue, parking was tight and the streets narrow. A jam-packed Friday night crowd made for a lengthy wait but pizza is, after all, one of Tom's favorite food groups. He - we - were not disappointed. If you think birding is our passion, you should by now realize that food ranks right up there too.

relaxing with Nancy at Nancy's home

Saturday found us again in company with Nancy at her home in Oro Valley in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains. During our previous stay in Tucson Nancy had wanted us to meet her guitarist friend, Troy Gray who occasionally played at the El Charro restaurant on North Oracle Avenue. Troy wasn't scheduled to play until this week so off to El Charro's we went.

Troy Gray

Troy was seated outside in the garden/bar/plaza. Listening to his nuevo flamenco style as we walked up reminded us of a favorite guitarist, Jesse Cook. For the next three hours we were regaled with Troy's music and during music breaks, his charming conversation. Turns out he and Jesse Cook are in fact good friends. We left with an autographed CD. Troy's music is available for download on iTunes - look for "Troy Gray", the name of the album.

Saguaro N.P.

Sunday we revisited the lower section of Mount Lemmon. Birdy, but nothing new. On Monday we struck out for nearby Saguaro National Park where we targeted the Gilded Flicker. It's listed as "commonly found". After searching extensively, we'd say "commonly found" was a bit of a stretch but nonetheless we eventually found some. This brought us to having seen twenty-one of the twenty-three woodpecker species that were possible in the U.S. We missed Nuttal's on the west coast; Red-cockaded would still be possible in Texas but not without a lengthy drive up the Texas coast.

The other hummingbird we lacked was a Costa's. Now that it was getting late in the year, hummingbird-wise in Arizona, our last opportunity to find one would most likely be at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, just up the road from our RV park.

The museum is an excellent introduction to anyone finding themselves in the desert southwest for the first time. With almost two miles of trails in twenty-one acres of Sonoran Desert, the museum weaves together a zoo comprised of interpretive displays alive with animals in natural settings , a natural history museum, and a botanical garden. It took a bit of scouring but we unearthed a Costa's Hummingbird. Sixteen down with one to go. Fat chance.

passion flower

Faced with packing for our flight to Wisconsin, Monday wound up to be our last day out and about birding. On Tuesday we focused on laundry and prepping the RV for the time it would be stored. On Wednesday morning we drove to the Tucson airport, parked our truck in long term parking and took a shuttle to the terminal. Next up: Appleton!

Spiny-tailed Iguana (about 16 inches long)

Sierra Vista

2010-10-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

site at Tombstone Territory RV

sunset at Tombstone Territory

Tombstone Territory RV Resort was in our sights. We had visited the park in October '09 when we caught up with Jerry and Karen Smith, fellow WI full-time RVers and birders who were staying in the park at the time. The park offered spacious sites with unobstructed views of surrounding desert, plus, reasonable driving distances to several popular birding areas in and around the Huachuca Mountains.
Within minutes of setting up our hummingbird feeder, Black-chinned and Anna's Hummingbirds began battling for ownership. In the surrounding desert scrub, Blue Grosbeaks and Lazuli Buntings were seen feeding. Carol took off to replenish our larder while I kicked back and enjoyed the scenery.

Ash Canyon B&B feeding area

We wasted little time on our first full day by visiting some favorite birding haunts. First up was the Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, which had grown in notoriety for its multitude of feeding stations. While guests have priority at observation areas, the general public, for a small fee, is welcome. Fees are used to help offset the tremendous costs involved maintaining feeding stations and well worth the price of admission.
Our target bird at Ash Canyon was a Lucifer Hummingbird, which we picked up almost immediately upon our arrival. As we sat and chatted with Mary Jo, the owner and hostess, another couple arrived to join in the viewing. It turned out to be Rick Romea and his wife Cindy, both locals. Rick is active in local birding and environmental issues but was most notably known to us for his article in ABA's Birding Magazine (Vol 41, No 5, Sept 2009), "Full-Contact Birding in the Tropics: Notes from a Crabby Birder", a tongue-in-cheek take on birding trip group dynamics. Cindy had chosen to keep her maiden name, a name anyone from Wisconsin and Milwaukee in particular should recognize: Sprecher.

Praying Mantis at Ramsey Canyon Visitor Center

the Grand View at Ramsey Canyon

After lunch at a local eatery, The Outside Inn, we headed to Ramsey Canyon, a Nature Conservancy property. Birding turned out to be pretty slow but there were loads of butterflies. We had forgotten that it was this time last year when so many different species of butterflies had begun to appear. An interesting aspect of butterfly watching is that the same butterfly can look entirely different with its wings closed or open. Trying to photograph butterflies can also be, well, trying, as they fly and fold or unfold their wings quickly.

Arizona Sister - closed and open

Prior to our arrival to Sierra Vista, Bettie Harriman, co-owner and "mother hen" on the Wisconsin Birding Network, had given us the name of a dear friend living in the area, Erika Wilson. We had arranged to meet Erika at a pre-determined location and carpool to Miller Canyon. Erika is active with ABA and currently serves on its board. If anyone knew where to find a Spotted Owl, one of our target birds for the day, it would be Erika. A pair of Spotted Owls has been seen regularly in the canyon all summer.
Access to Miller Canyon was through the Beatty property (Beatty's Guest Ranch). The Beatty's have an apiary (collection of hummingbird feeders) that are world renowned. We were here for White-eared Hummingbirds, another of our target birds. As with Ash Canyon, a small per-person fee is required to access both the canyon trails and the apiary. As for the Beattys, well, let's just say they are colorful and eccentric and leave it at that.
The trail up the canyon paralleled a rocky stream lined with maple trees which gave way to pine trees at higher elevation. The trail was stone-covered and fairly steep in places thus slow going. Just as well since we spent a lot of time stopping frequently to scan the dense foliage for owls and Carol's knee was giving her fits. Both up and back down the trail, covering over 4 miles, we searched and searched but in vain. They were no doubt around but probably had chosen to roost a bit deeper into the inaccessible recesses of the canyon.

native Coral Bells with cactus

We found the apiary arranged in front of a set of bleachers equipped with portable padded seats (not unlike those used at sporting events) beneath an open-walled tent that blocked direct sunlight from hitting us. Viewing with others present we quickly picked up White-eared Hummingbirds, another life bird ABA sighting for Tom. This now brought us to fourteen hummingbird species on the year, just three species shy of the seventeen possible in the lower forty-eight states. Beryllline, Costa's and Plain-capped Starthroat remained to be found. We could have picked up Berylline's at Beatty's as they had been seen recently but not today. And how unusual would a Plain-capped Starthroat be? How about once in a Blue Moon. Maybe less.

On Saturday we stopped at Fort Huachuca military base. Birders are welcome on the extensive bird rich property through the main gate by showing proper ID (driver license) and proof of auto insurance. Today we concentrated on Hauchuca Canyon where we hoped to see an Elegant Trogon (reported to have been seen the day before) and the elusive Montezuma Quail. The road up the canyon dead-ended at a picnic area and a hiking trail head. Not surprisingly we whiffed on both birds. The year before we had nearly run over a covey of quail in a residential section of the fort on the way to this same canyon. You have to be in the right place at the right time for either species, specially quail.
Leaving the fort we proceeded to drive the Patagonia-Sonoita Loop. Our first stop was in Patagonia at Paton's feeders, another well-know apiary. Violet-crowned Hummingbirds were on our radar. These were easily found among dozens of Black-chinned, Anna's, Broad-tailed and Broad-billed Hummingbirds. Suddenly Mike Mausten, a local birder also on the scene exclaimed, "Plain-capped Starthroat on 9". Feeders at apiaries are conveniently numbered to facilitate drawing attention quickly to a feeder when something special shows. This was a totally out of the blue and unexpected find for us. This rare sighting of a Mexican species allowed us to finally wrap up our life ABA sightings of the 17 ABA hummingbirds possible. However, annually speaking, we were still short a Berylline's and a Costa's. Perhaps we would see them once we returned to Tucson. Our drive through the remainder of the loop netted us a few more species: Thick-billed and Cassin's Kingbirds.
On Sunday morning we again met Erika along with a small group of area birders to tour the water treatment settling ponds. Typically closed on the weekends, special dispensation was afforded the group for access. We added two more annual ticks, Baird's Sandpiper and Ash-throated Flycatcher among the 55 species seen during the two hour walk.
Afterward Carol and I drove to the nearby San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Managed by BLM this 56,000 acre preserve was designated a Globally Important Area in 1996 by the American Bird Conservancy (ABC). It's estimated that over 4 million birds annually depend on the area during migration. By the time we had arrived it was too hot in the day for any meaningful birding. We made use of our time by purchasing two T-shirts to replace a couple than had grown worn. Birders never seem to have enough T-shirts anyway.
On Monday we paid a return visit to Fort Huachuca and Huachuca Canyon, plus, Garden Canyon, for another shot at Montezuma Quail and a trogon. The road up Garden Canyon is rough and tumble but lead to two important birding trails. The first, Scheelite Canyon, a steep and rugged hiking trail built and maintained by the late "Smitty" Robert T. Smith, a local birder and conservationist whose years of selfless service protecting the area's resident Spotted Owls made him a local legend. There is a simple plaque honoring Smitty at the entrance to the canyon. Carol's life sighting of a Spotted Owl was with Smitty. Given Carol's troublesome knee, a hike for the owls this time was out of the question.

At the end of the road that lead up Garden Canyon is an upper picnic area and the trail head for the Sawmill Canyon Trail. The trail climbed more gradually at this point through classic pine-oak woodland, a good place for Buff-breasted Flycatcher or Greater Pewee. No luck seeing either but we enjoyed the scenery.

looking up Carr Canyon

Sierra Vista and San Pedro Valley view from atop Carr Canyon

On Tuesday, our last full day in the Sierra Vista area, we drove up Carr Canyon for another shot at Buff-breasted Flycatcher and Greater Pewee; both frequent high elevations. To reach the top (EL. 7,200 feet) one must drive a very narrow, twisting road originally built at the turn of the century to open the area up to gold and silver mining. It was reconstructed in the 1930's by the CCC. The road, while challenging to anyone who suffered from a fear of heights, offered spectacular - dare I say breathtaking - views of Sierra Vista and the San Pedro Valley. Primitive campsites are to be found at the top. We missed Buff-breasted Flycatchers that had no doubt begun migrating south but we manged distant views of Greater Pewees.
We returned to Tombstone Territory RV by late afternoon and while Carol went off to do laundry and collect a few needed food supplies, I settled in to search the surrounding area for birds and prepare the RV for our return to Tucson the next day. While we had not begun our annual bird list with the goal to see 500 ABA bird species this year, we were now starting to get tantalizingly close.

sunset in the west with a rainbow in the east

Tucson - Part 1

2010-10-19T12:55:00.000-07:00

our site at Desert Trails RV

Mercifully away from Yuma's extreme heat we headed east for Tucson, uncharacteristically traveling an Interstate for the bulk of our 240-mile drive. This is when our Audible.com subscription is most effective, helping while away hours of boring Interstate. Our current selection was David Baldacci's "Absolute Power". The book had been made into a movie starring Clint Eastwood which we had enjoyed seeing, but, the book turned out to contain some far different and essential plot twists. Well worth a read. Or should I say, listen.
Deserts Trails RV, located near the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Saguaro National Park (west district) is an older established park. Several of the sites had lots of vegetation ("cover" in birding parlance). Within an hour of setting up and putting out bird seed we had Gambel's Quail running amok in our site. Snow Birds don't consider August in Arizona to be a prime time to visit but that was fine with us - the park wasn't crowded. And contrary to what Snow Birds may think, July-August in Arizona is the best time to be in Southeast Arizona birding.

Gambel's Quail

Our first day was spent catching up on some necessary shopping and reacquainting ourselves with the area. Just for fun this included a stop at the Tucson Apple Store in an upscale mall, "La Encantada", which had the nicest bathrooms Carol had ever been in (or so she claimed). Tucson Apple was her first opportunity to play with the new iPhone 4.0. Her immediate take was that we needed one. Or two. When Verizon starts to offer the iPhone we'll take the plunge. For at least one. Her next hands-on Apple experience (Apple Stores do this so well) was with the iPad. When the next gen iPad comes out with a built-in camera and a USB port, there will be an iPad in the Sykes household (too bad one won't be out in time for our Ecuador trip!).
Lunch? We chose El Charro's Cafe. There are now five locations in the Tucson area but we opted for the original cafe site near historic downtown. Great Mexican food, generous portions, and dirt cheap. Highly recommended. On our way back to Desert Trails we stopped at the Tucson Audubon Chapter office and gift shop. It boasted a very well stocked bookstore and scads of volunteers on hand to provide us with a wealth of updates about local birding opportunities and locales.
Carol was able reconnect with a friend from her days living in Middleton who had moved to Tucson a few years ago, Nancy Novak. Nancy and Carol got together for a grand day out: lunch, shopping, and a haircut. Nancy had hoped to schedule dinner one evening for us to meet/listen to a musician friend of hers due to play at another El Charro location. Our schedules didn't quite jibe so we put off dinner until Carol and I returned to Tucson after our planned week-long visit to Sierra Vista.

approaching storm Saguaro National Park

As we frequently do in the late afternoon we settled in for our happy hour and to take in the surrounding sights and sounds, binoculars and/or camera at the ready. This is specially enjoyable when we find ourselves in a not overly crowded RV park. During our first afternoon we noticed a rattlesnake curled up near shrubs not more than five feet away from our door. Given one's disposition toward snakes this might have been unsettling when the snake began to uncurl and move. Fortunately, snakes are cool with us, or, we with them.

Western Diamondback and an excited Curve-billed Thrasher

As the snake began to move we realized that it was partially in a hole. Make that stuck in a hole. As it writhed to and fro to escape, we surmised that it had chased a rodent into the hole, swallowed the rodent, and now, having not entirely digested its prey, was stuck. How amusing to watch the snake struggle to free itself with birds continuing to feed, nonplussed, on the ground nearby (save for one raucous Curve-billed Thrasher that squawked at the hapless snake). Judging from the part of the snake visible above ground the snake measured around four feet in length. By morning, it was gone.

Saguaros at Saguaro National Park

It had been some time since we had last visited Mount Lemmon, a mountain in the Santa Catalinas, its peak 6,600 feet above Tucson (9,157 feet above sea level). Driving up Mount Lemmon one can experience six different life zones: Sonoran Desert, Semi-desert Grasslands, Oak Woodlands and Chaparral, Pine-Oak Woodlands, Ponderosa-Pine Forest, and Mixed Conifer Forest. It was high time we made a visit and try to pad our burgeoning annual bird list with some harder to find western wood warblers.
After an hour's drive through morning Tucson traffic we reached the foothills and the entrance to this portion of the Coronado National Forest. Our first stop was the Molino Basin Campground for Bridled Titmice. Passing several overlooks we wound our way up to Rose Canyon. Typically a very birdy place, we found it devoid of usual suspects. Next up was Incinerator Ridge, a 4-wheel drive track (2-wheel drive if you don't care about your car). The results here were terrific. A thunderstorm approached but given our elevation we looked down on the storm clouds and lightning. The storm skirted around to the north while we picked up Grace's, Olive, and Hermit Warblers at the top of the ridge. Retracing the ridge road back to the main road we ran into a small mixed flock that contained Painted Redstarts, Townsend's and Red-faced Warblers. The latter with in-your-face looks.

overlook of Tucson from Mount Lemmon

Further toward the top of Mount Lemmon we stopped at the Palisades Visitor Center and purchased a copy of Kenn Kaufman's "Finding Birds In Southeast Arizona". During the remaining time we spent in Arizona this proved to be an invaluable resource of bird location info.
The Ski Valley Resort and Lodge was next up for our lunch break (the lodge also maintained a number of hummingbird feeders). Excellent food fare with a German flavor. The curry shrimp soup and German potato salad - yum! Following lunch we continued to the summit of Mount Lemmon and panoramic views of the valley. Returning to lower elevations we added a stops at Summerhaven, a small community on the rebound following a devastating fire in 2003, Inspiration Point and the aptly named, Sykes Knob. By late afternoon we were back at our RV tallying up our new birds and enjoying happy hour. Sans snake.

desert blooms - the desert was lush and green with all the recent rains

Most evenings after happy hour we stow our chairs and table, often under the RV. In the desert southwest it's always a good idea to carefully check stowed items when retrieving them. Items like shoes or boots which might attract spiders, scorpions and biting insects. As I carefully pulled open one of the chairs, a good-sized tarantula was found clinging to the chair's canvas material. Unlike snakes, I'm not cool with most spiders. Specially big ones. Ever see the movie "Arachnophobia"? That was billed as a "comedy, thriller, horror" film. Right. Somehow I failed to see the humor. I did manage to get a grip and take some photos of Aragog's cousin. Telephoto lens, of course.

uninvited guest

Over the course of the next week we visited and revisited several of our favorite birding spots, including Sabino Canyon and Madera Canyon in the Santa Rita Mountains near Green Valley. On the way to Madera is Florida (pronounced "flor-EE-da") Wash, a good place to pick up Varied Buntings and Rufous-winged Sparrows. Madera Canyon is a deep, densely wooded canyon often good for Cassin's and Botteri's Sparrows and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers (we found all).

looking out at Elephant Head Mountain from
entrance to Madera Canyon

Barrel Cactus at Sabino Canyon

Sabino Canyon

Carol's tootsie break on the road to Sabino Canyon

We had made flight reservations from Tucson to Appleton to visit family and friends and to attend Tom's high school reunion. Our plan was to leave our RV parked at Desert Trails RV. But our flight wasn't for another few weeks. We opted to pack up the RV, head further east to the Sierra Vista area, to pick up more southwest birds for our annual list before returning to Tucson.

Sykes Knob