Wildlife – Page 19 – Wandering Dawgs

We Love Waterfront Camping

September 25, 2014June 20, 2015Posted in Arkansas, Birds, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, RVing, Sunrise, Sunset, Tennessee, WildlifeTagged Bald Eagle, Cedar Key, J Strom Thurmond Lake, Lake Barkley, Mississippi River, Ortona, Seven Points Campground, White Pelican18 Comments

Our favorite places to camp are the campgrounds with a view. There’s nothing like waking up with a view outside the RV or sitting outside in the evening enjoying the scenery around us. We’ve enjoyed campgrounds with views of spectacular mountains, glaciers, forests, and all kinds of water.

For us, the best camping is beside a river, mountain stream, lake, or any body of water for that matter.

We enjoy watching the different water craft go by.

Moon rising at Ortona COE in Labelle, FL

We watched boats going through the lock at Ortona

We sat in our campsite and watched barges on the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park in West Memphis, Arkansas

Coal barge going down the Mississippi River from our campsite at Tom Sawyer RV Park

Sometimes we see wildlife.

White Pelicans behind Sunset Isle RV Park in Cedar Key, FL

Egret on the deck behind our campsite at Sunset Isle RV Park in Cedar Key, FL

Pair of Bald Eagles across the canal at Ortona

Blondie loves it when she gets a chance to go swimming.

Blondie swimming behind our campsite at Petersburg COE

Blondie swimming in Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park, NY

We love watching the sun rise and set over the water.

Sunrise over the Mississippi River at Tom Sawyer RV Park

Sunrise over Lake Barkley, Kentucky from Canal COE

Sunset at Petersburg COE on J. Strom Thurmond Lake, Appling, GA

Sunset over J. Percy Priest Lake from Seven Points Campground

Sunset at Sunset Isle RV Park in Cedar Key, FL

A Few of our Favorite State Park Campgrounds

September 16, 2014January 1, 2015Posted in Florida, Georgia, South Dakota, State Parks, Sunset, Washington, WildlifeTagged Cape Disappointment, Custer State Park, Floridas Forgotten Coast, Iron Mountain Road, lighthouses, Needles Highway, Okenefokee Swamp, St. Joseph Peninsula, Stephen C. Foster State Park12 Comments

We love camping in state parks. Most state parks we have found have big sites, beautiful surroundings, and wildlife.

We didn’t discover state park camping until the only place we could find to stay in Arkansas on our way home on our first RV trip was Lake Dardanelle State Park in Russellville, Arkansas. Our site was big, we weren’t lined up like sardines next to our neighbors, and we had a nice lake near our site. From that night on, we have looked for state parks whenever we travel.

Here are just a few state parks we love.

Custer State Park, Custer, South Dakota – the Black Hills, scenic drives and wildlife.

Mama bison with baby on Custer State Park Wildlife Loop Road in June, 2011

Custer State Park Game Lodge Campground Site 12

Mount Rushmore as seen from Iron Mountain Road in Custer State Park

Along the Needle Highway in Custer State Park

Needle’s Eye on Needles Highway in Custer State Park

Cape Disappointment State Park, Ilwaco, Washington – 2 lighthouses, a path to the beach behind our full hook up campsite, a dog friendly beach on the Pacific Ocean, and a Lewis and Clark museum. What’s not to love?

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, WA

North Head Lighthouse seen from beach at Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington

Blondie enjoyed the beach at Cape Disappointment

A path to the beach was behind our site at Cape Disappointment State Park

Henry enjoying a beautiful sunset at Cape Disappointment

St. Joseph Peninsula, Port St. Joe, Florida in Florida’s Forgotten Coast – beautiful uncrowded white sandy beaches, nature trails, and sunsets.

Enjoying a January day at St. Joseph Peninsula

We could hear the waves from our campsite

We had the beach almost to ourselve

Deer at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

We watched the sunset every night

Stephen C. Foster State Park, Fargo, Georgia – Huge sites in the middle of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.

Boat ride through the Okefenokee Swamp

Big Pull through site at Stephen C. Foster State Park, Georgia

Alligator in the Okefenokee Swamp

Other state parks that stand out are Itasca State Park in Minnesota, Claytor Lake State Park in Virginia, Beverly Beach and Humbug Mountain State Parks in Oregon, Kentucky Horse Park in Kentucky, and Cattail Cove State Park in Arizona. We’ve also camped in many Florida and Georgia state parks and love them all.

If you are an RV’er or tent camper and never stayed in a state park, give one a try on your next trip. And if you don’t camp, many state parks have cabins for rent and a few even have lodges.

An Unexpected Visitor in the Neighborhood

August 28, 2014August 13, 2015Posted in Birds, Georgia, WildlifeTagged birding, Coastal Georgia, Georgia birding, Juvenile little blue heron, Nature, Roseate Spoonbill, salt marsh, Wading Birds13 Comments

Coastal Georgia is home to many wetlands birds. Herons, Egrets, Wood Storks and Ibis are regularly seen in and around the salt marsh, creeks and rivers here.

One July afternoon this summer I was surprised to see a large pink bird flying over the marsh. It was too far away and flew by too fast for me to to tell for sure but I thought it must be a Roseate Spoonbill. Spoonbills nest along the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana and in south Florida but they are considered uncommon this far north.

A neighbor confirmed that yes, I did see a Spoonbill. In fact, she saw a pair feeding in the creek at low tide. I continued to see the brilliant pink of the pair as they flew by our house almost every afternoon for about 3 weeks. One day I finally saw where one landed so I grabbed my camera and ran out to capture a few pictures.

Roseate Spoonbill with 2 young juvenile little blue herons in Georgia

Roseate Spoonbill

Roseate Spoonbill eating oysters

Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia creek

Tri Colored Heron finds a snack in a Georgia creek

Juvenile Little Blue Heron

Roseate Spoonbill in Georgia Tidal Creek

Other Roseate Spoonbills have been spotted in other coastal Georgia locations in recent years. I know from now on I will always be on the lookout for pink birds among the flocks of Herons and Egrets I see in the salt marsh.

Looking Back on our First RV Trip

August 15, 2014July 1, 2015Posted in National Parks, Road Trip, RVing, Tourist Attractions, WildlifeTagged Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Columbia Icefields, Devil's Tower, Glacier National Park, Grand Canyon North Rim, Grand Teton, Mount Rushmore, Nature, Titanium Fifth Wheel, Yellowstone17 Comments

Has it really been eight years since we bought our RV and took off on our first adventure across our beautiful country?

We purchased our Titanium fifth wheel on June 29, 2006 and spent a couple of nights in the dealer’s lot to get familiar with our new home on wheels. After returning home to Georgia it took about two weeks to pack and get ready for our maiden voyage. With no reservations and no set itinerary we set out on our two month adventure across America and into the Canadian Rockies.

Here are a few highlights of that first amazing journey:

Grand Canyon North Rim - Vista Encantada — Grand Canyon North Rim – Vista Encantada (Arizona)

Bryce Canyon Hoodoos (Utah)

Capitol Reef National Park (Utah)

Canyonlands National Park (Utah)

Arches National Park – Delicate Arch (Utah)

Elk in Yellowstone National Park (Woming)

Old Faithful (Wyoming)

Lower Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

Bison in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

Columbia Icefields, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming — Devil’s Tower National Monument (Wyoming)

Mount Rushmore National Monument in the Black Hills of South Dakota

We were hooked! We knew this was the first of many amazing trips to come.

Staycation

July 11, 2014June 20, 2015Posted in Birds, Georgia, Sunset, WildlifeTagged barrier island, Egret, red-bellied woodpecker, ruby throated hummingbird, salt marsh, Staycation14 Comments

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of staycation is “a vacation spent at home or nearby.”

There are so many fun things to see and do near where we live that we decided to stay home this summer instead of wandering in the RV. Here are just a few things we’ve enjoyed so far this summer.