Maddie & Shadow ~ Two of the best MUTTS of all time ❣(Shadow crossed Rainbow 🌈 Bridge on September 13, 2006.)On Day #455, my wonderful mutt, Maddie & I still think it’s AMAZING out here❣
Maddie recently had her 1st veterinarian appointment in over a year. Other than some mild stiffness, she’s doing great! The only really significant change is that her selective hearing is no longer selective. 🥺 Her ears look very healthy, but she’s lost most of her hearing. I’m considering it to be a blessing for her because thunder & fireworks no longer affect her as much. She’s also not on HIGH ALERT to every sound, so she’s more relaxed now. 🤗
She’ll be 15 in November, so she’s definitely earned her relaxation. 💝
I’ve never seen this show, but I love the concept!
“For every great idea, there are a hundred reasons not to do it — if we let ourselves come up with them. For Issa Rae, the creator, writer, and star of the HBO series “Insecure,” finding her creative voice meant not making excuses. It’s easy to procrastinate, doubt, or find reasons to not chase our dreams, in any part of our lives. Rae’s words here remind us that success often follows, once we get out of our own way, and instead of talking ourselves out of something difficult, find a reason to do it.“
Ready for a roadtrip! I hope my car was bright red❣
If traveling is not an option for you right now, you can always do a Staycation!
“The definition of a staycation is when someone chooses to stay home during time off instead of travelling. An example of a staycation is visiting local museums and restaurants as if you were a tourist in your own town. A vacation in which one does not travel away from home.” (www.yourdictionary.com)
If you Google Staycation, you’ll find hundreds of great ideas! Here are a few fun suggestions! 1. Cook an international themed meal. Listen to music or watch a virtual tour of that country. Enjoy! 2. Prepare an indoor picnic. Bonus: NO ants or mosquitoes! 3. Plan a stargazing night. Bring the bug spray! 🦟 4. Take an online class. Learn a new skill or hobby! 5. Visit a local museum. Some public libraries offer free or reduced passes. 6. Read a book you’ve been wanting to read.
I definitely prefer warm/hot weather to cold weather. The humidity…not so much…
Greetings from 🌞 Massachusetts!
I hope wherever you are today, you’re able to get some relief from this nationwide heatwave. Please stay safe. Keep hydrated!
I’ve had several people reach out to me, concerned about us during this heatwave. Thank you for checking in on us. 😘
Maddie & I are fine! 💝
We’ve still been camping, but I’ve got several wonderful updates to share with you.
I’m still counting the days of our roadtrip because we’re still living our nomadic journey…
Today is Day #447! 💝
First, I started a part-time job a month ago & Maddie goes to work with me every day❣Friends of mine own a very successful, local business & offered me a job, even before we left on our roadtrip. I thought about it while we were traveling, but I really didn’t want to return to Massachusetts & settle down here again. 😕 I loved growing up here, but I’ve ALWAYS HATED the winters. Having been far away from last year’s winter here, I’ve decided to enjoy future winters…someplace else! 🤞🏼
This describes my current frame of mind perfectly. Travelling is the preferred spelling in British English. Traveling is the preferred spelling in American English.
When my finances started to diminish & I decided it was necessary to stop traveling (for now), I began to seriously consider the opportunity to work. When I met with T & D, they assured me that Maddie was welcome to hang out in the office, while I’m working! Done deal! 💕 I’m working M-F, 10-2 & I love it! There’s A LOT to learn, but I’m making progress. Maddie LOVES to go there & is happy to sleep in her own little office all day! I’m very grateful to be working in a really nice work environment, with Maddie sleeping peacefully nearby. I was honest from the beginning that I’m hoping to be headed out again before the first ❄ fall, but for now, it’s perfect.
Thank you, T & D… 🤗🐾🤗🐾🤗
Secondly, Maddie & I are continuing to camp out in the state forest! State park regulations only allow 14 days of camping in any one campground, between Memorial Day & Labor Day. Unfortunately, we used up the 14 days, while I was still considering our next moves. 🙄
I made friends with K, an awesome member of the campground staff & she mentioned us to the Park Superintendent, S. He offered to override the 14 day restriction & let us camp there, from Sunday afternoon to Friday morning! The campground is always full on the weekends, but very quiet during the week. It’s been great & I truly appreciate the kindness of K, S & the staff who make me/us feel safe there. 🤗
One of our many campsites in the state forest. 🏕
It’s less than 9 miles to work… 😊
Our commute is about to increase to 22 miles. 🚙
With no other campgrounds within a reasonable area, we needed someplace to hang out on the weekends. A dear friend of mine invited us to her home. The 4th of July weekend was our first visit. Maddie & her pups instantly became best friends. ❤
Maddie & one of her new best friends, sleeping tail to tail. 💞
W had been trying to find someone to care for her 3 beloved Scottie dogs & 2 house rabbits, so she can attend 3 separate functions, within the next few months. After spending the first weekend with W & her furry companions, she decided her search was over! As of early August, Maddie & I will be staying with them for the next few months. It’s a perfect solution❣ W can relax & enjoy her trips, knowing that I’ll take excellent care of all of them. As much as I’ve loved camping, I’m looking forward to a solid roof over our heads, a nice hot shower, air conditioning, refrigeration & other “luxuries” that we often take for granted. We’re all thoroughly enjoying each other’s company & did I mention that W is a really good cook? 😁
3 sweet Scotties & an invited guest. 😊
The fully enclosed backyard is HUGE & Maddie is loving the space to run around with her new buddies. “Our” room is downstairs & has it’s own doggie door. She started using it immediately, so I won’t have to get up to let her out at her usual 3am awakening. Win/win! 👍🏼👍🏼
I guess this is it for now, but I want you to know that I haven’t lost my Wanderlust!
(I’m also including an update re: the future of this blog at the end.)
Flag photos from our roadtrip. 🇺🇲More flag photos from our roadtrip. 🇺🇲A beautiful flag I saw on July 3rd. 🇺🇲
I hope everyone enjoyed a Happy & Safe 4th of July weekend! 🇺🇲 Maddie & I spent the weekend with a wonderful friend, her 3 Scottie dogs, 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels that she was dogsitting & her 2 house rabbits!It was amazingly peaceful. 💕 When Maddie & I returned to our campground, Kathy (she works here & we’re now friends) presented me with a plateful of her delicious homemade meatballs, potato salad, cole slaw, lemonade & a festive cupcake! Yummy!
Thank you, Kathy! 🤗
I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to continue this blog, now that we’re (temporarily) stationary here in Massachusetts. I originally started writing it as a way to track our journey & share our adventures with family & friends at home. Several people have reached out to me recently, asking if the blog has been discontinued. 🤔 I still have quite a few posts to share, so I’ve decided that I’m going to keep writing it! At the very beginning of our trip, I often had poor or no reception & I was also teaching myself how to write a blog. Many of the updates I’m going to continue to share are now a year old. Hopefully, it’s better late than never! 🤷♀️
Last year on this date, we were hunkered down in a Red Roof Inn in Jacksonville, N.C. We’d been evacuated from our campsite in Flanners Beach, New Bern, N.C., due to Tropical Storm Claudette speeding in our direction. 😳
We spent 3 days there, grateful to be safe inside a building, rather than in a tent. The storm lingered in the area, producing severe thunderstorms & torrential rain for most of the 3 days. 🥺
What a difference a year makes! We’re now back in Massachusetts & today’s weather was gorgeous!
I hope today was the first day of a wonderful summer ahead for everyone! 💕
Maddie & I have now unofficially completed our yearlong journey!We just spent 3+ weeks camping in a state park, 7 miles from where I grew up in Massachusetts!
Over the years, Harold Parker State Forest in Andover, MA has been a great location to walk my dogs, first Shadow & then Maddie. It’s a beautiful, safe place to walk, less than an hour north of Boston. It has 35 miles of trails & 11 ponds, hidden away in a quiet, pine forest. I had never been in the campground area before now.
We arrived at Lorraine Park Campground in HP on May 9th & sadly departed on June 3rd. Camping so close to home had never occurred to me before, but it’s definitely better late than never to have found this wonderful hidden treasure! 🤷♀️
Our campsites were huge! Each one has a fire pit, a grill & a water faucet, all for $17 per night for Massachusetts residents! Clean restrooms with hot showers were definitely appreciated! We camped in 4 different campsites during our visit. I kept extending our departure date, so we had to move to whatever sites were available. I didn’t mind all the moving. I was just thrilled to find campsites available for Memorial Day weekend, without prior reservations!I met some really nice staff members at Lorraine Park Campground & I look forward to camping there again.We rarely had issues with pesky bugs on this trip, but the very hungry mosquitoes & no-see-ums (gnats) at HP were happy to share their forest with us… 🙄Maddie relaxing on a beautiful, spring day. 💕I’d never want to camp alone. 💕🐾🏕🐾💕💝The campground is densely shaded with pine trees, but I was still able to see a few beautiful sunsets!😁I visited the cemetery just before starting our trip, but I’d never missed spending time with Mom on Mother’s Day or taking flowers to the cemetery, until this year. 🥺 I visited when we first returned to the area, but it was way too hot to leave flowers that day. I went back just before Memorial Day weekend & delivered flowers for Mom & a flag for Dad. While visiting, I thanked Mom for ALWAYS being my Guardian Angel❣ I felt her reassuring presence constantly on our journey & especially when I really needed her… 💝
If you’re still following this blog, I still have lots more to share! 🏕
Technically, Maddie & I “completed” our yearlong roadtrip on Friday, May 6, 2022 when we arrived back at my sister’s home in Connecticut. That was our first stop when we started our journey on May 2, 2021.Our “final” tally was 369 days, 17,059 miles across 32 states & Washington, D.C. 🇺🇲
So, what’s the false alarm? 🤔
My previous post was titled Mission Accomplished, indicating that our journey was over. We definitely completed my original goal, but we’re still camping! 🏕
After visiting with my niece & my sister, Maddie & I headed to the Albany, NY/Massachusetts border to camp with friends! It was a really nice weekend & I was happy to continue camping. When we left that campground, I headed straight to a state forest campground in Massachusetts!
So, now it’s Day #385! 😊
😁Our current location is on the left. Our desert campground in Quartzsite, AZ is on the right. It’s definitely not the heat. It’s the humidity. 🥵
As I’ve mentioned before, I still have quite a few posts in draft mode. Now that we’re back in civilization with reception, I’m going to start catching up again!
This was unquestionably the most wonderful & fastest moving 365 days of my entire life❣ As of Monday afternoon, 5/2/22, Maddie & I are once again visiting with my niece & her husband in Virginia. We’re still heading back to Massachusetts, but for now, Mission Accomplished! Our yearlong journey to see America the Beautiful ✔ 16,000+ miles across 32 states + Washington, D.C.
This was another magical stop on our journey. If you don’t like or LOVE horses, you might want to skip this post. 😁 I took 300+ photos in 2 days, but I narrowed them down to my top favorites to share here! I’ve also included a lot of videos & information about some of the horses. Enjoy! 🐎
EDIT: This is one of the many updates I hadn’t posted previously, due to reception problems, etc. 🙄 Our first visit in July was wonderful, so I recently decided to stop in again on the way back east, “while we were in the neighborhood”!
Now, I’ve just combined the two visits into one update! 😁
The Kentucky Horse Park is a gorgeous, world-class facility.
I had never heard of Kentucky Horse Park, before doing my research for our stops on this journey. Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY is the name I’ve always associated with famous horses. When planning for our future destinations, I always check several sources for dog friendly activities. I found KHP on one of those lists! I absolutely understand the need for prohibiting dogs in some venues, but it saddens me to see irresponsible dog owners that are ruining the potential options for those of us that are responsible with our dogs. Churchill Downs is not dog friendly, but KHP is very dog friendly! There are several restrictions, but they’re totally understandable. Dogs should not be allowed in museums, etc., unless they’re legitimate service dogs. (Don’t get me started… 😬)
I’ve always loved horses, so I was like a little kid winning a trip to Disneyland when I was able to get reservations to camp there for two nights! The campground is part of the park, so there were horses everywhere!
Our campsite was very basic, but it was convenient to KHP, so it was perfect for us! 🐎🏕🐎“Man o’ War, also known as Big Red, was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who is widely regarded as the greatest or one of the greatest racehorses of all time. During his racing career, just after World War I, Man o’ War won 20 of 21 races and $249,465 (equivalent to $3,223,000 in 2020) in purses. He was the unofficial 1920 American horse of the year and was honored with Babe Ruth as the outstanding athlete of the year by The New York Times. He was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1957. On March 29, 2017, the museum opened a special exhibit in his honor, “Man o’ War at 100”. https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/man-owarI took this photo on 4/20/2022. I thought it was a fun way to capture Man o’War in a springtime shower. 🌷🌷🌷Secretariat was also known as Big Red. He was an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was the ninth winner of the American Triple Crown, setting and still holding the fastest time record in all three races. He is also widely regarded as one of the greatest racehorses of all time. “The stallion with a chestnut coat, three white socks and cocky demeanor not only became the first horse in 25 years to win the Triple Crown in 1973, he did it in a way that left spectators breathless. Secretariat’s 1973 performance in the third Triple Crown race at Belmont Stakes, where he bested his closest competitor by a mind-blowing 31 lengths, is widely considered one of the most stunning horse races of all time.” After his death, the autopsy revealed that Secretariat had an unusually large heart – estimated at 22 pounds, while the average Thoroughbred heart is 8.5 pounds. “This tremendous cardiovascular system, pumping oxygen into his lungs at an abnormally high rate, was clearly a source of his stamina and power.” I remember watching in awe as Secretariat won the final race for the Triple Crown in 1973. I also remember feeling very sad when he died way too young in 1989, after being diagnosed with laminitis, a very painful, incurable condition that inflames the soft tissue of a horse’s foot. 💔 (Obviously, I “borrowed” 2 of these photos!) I felt honored to pay my respect to him at KHP. Secretariat was born to run ❣ https://youtu.be/O57qMR45Y1o Last video of Secretariat: 🥺 https://youtu.be/6oyQPvoXMvsSMr. Gene Carter was a beloved full-time staff member at Kentucky Horse Park until a few days before he died in 2019 at age 93. His favorite bench was dedicated to honor him. I had the opportunity to speak with Paul, a fellow staff member about the dedication ceremony. He spoke lovingly of “Mr. Gene” & told me it was a gloomy day, until the sun broke through, just as the celebration began. He said “Mr. Gene” would have loved the ceremony. At it’s conclusion, a B-17 bomber plane flew directly over the barn & soon afterwards, the gloomy weather returned. Mr. Carter was a Navy submariner during WWII. Paul wondered if the B-17 was sent as a tribute to him, so he did some research. There are only 10 flightworthy B-17s left in the world & no, this one was not sent out for this celebration. The stars certainly aligned to add to the celebration to honor this incredible man. 💕 https://www.wtvq.com/2021/07/17/kentucky-horse-park-honors-beloved-employeehttps://africanamericanhorsestories.org/research/people/eugene-carter https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/gene-carter“Many consider Isaac Murphy the greatest American jockey of all time.” Here is his story. https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/isaac-burns-murphyStaff Sargeant Reckless 🇺🇲 United States Marine Corps Hero 🇺🇲 (Please read her story on the plaque.)https://www.historynet.com/sgt-reckless-the-four-legged-hero-of-the-korean-warGo for Gin is now the oldest living champion Thoroughbred horse. After the death of Sea Hero in July 2019, Go for Gin became the oldest living Kentucky Derby winner. Upon the death of A.P. Indy in 2020, he became the oldest living winner of any of the Triple Crown winners of Thoroughbred Racing races. He turned 30 on 4/18/2021 which equals 85-90 years in human terms & he looks amazing! 💕 💝 Go for Gin living his best life: https://fb.watch/cAkPwrt6C0
EDIT: This is now a bittersweet memory for me. I’m so happy to have seen Go for Gin still looking fabulous in July 2021, but sadly, he died on March 8, 2022, just before his 31st birthday.https://fb.watch/cAkPwrt6C0 💔 https://kyhorsepark.com/news/?Id=7033&Name=GO-FOR-GIN-DIES-AT-31Western Dreamer was in the winner’s circle 27 times & was second or third 29 times. He’s an American Standardbred racehorse who won the U. S. Pacing Triple Crown in 1997. He remains the only gelding (neutered male) of any breed to win a Triple Crown. He was officially retired as a six-year-old in 2000, as the fifth-richest pacing gelding of all-time with over $1.8 million in winnings. https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/hall-of-champions/western-dreamerPoint Given (foaled March 27, 1998) is a Thoroughbred racehorse who was the 2001 American Horse of the Year. That year, he won the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, Haskell Invitational, and Travers Stakes, becoming the first horse to ever win four $1 million races in a row. The only time he finished out of the money was in the 2001 Kentucky Derby, where he ran 5th.” When his jockey, Gary Stevens visited with Point Given in retirement, he tearfully apologized to him for causing him to lose his chance to win the Triple Crown. He called him “the best horse never to win a Triple Crown.” 🥺 https://youtu.be/6eUDQlOlvY0 Point Given earned an Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year in 2001 and was inducted into the National Horse Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in 2010. At 24 years of age, Point Given is still a very handsome, feisty stallion with a huge personality! He was 1 of the 3 champions brought into the Hall of Champions program we attended. He pranced around like he was heading to the starting gate for a big race! His handler, Paul, did a great job of keeping him under control, but even so, he reared up & “danced” around several times. Later, I stopped by the stable & Paul got him to pose for my photo op. 💕 “Funny Cide is a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. He is the first New York-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby. He was an immensely popular horse and remains a fan favorite in retirement at the Kentucky Horse Park.” https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/hall-of-champions/funny-cide Funny Cide celebrated his 22nd birthday on the day of our April visit, but Maddie & I missed his party! 🥴 I saw the photo above & the announcement on the KHP FB page, right after Maddie & I returned to the car from our 3 mile walk. 🤷♀️ I’ll always remember being allowed to hand-feed him a treat during our July visit. I patted the handsome nose of a Kentucky Derby winner! 😍Barbaro…gone way too soon…💔 The only tribute I found for Barabaro at KHP was this little, cement block, half buried under a bush. I brushed it off & glamped it up with some color editing. I remember following Barbaro’s health crisis like he was a family member, Sadly, he never recovered. I didn’t go inside the museums, etc., so there might be mention of him somewhere else. “Barbaro was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 2006 Kentucky Derby but shattered his leg two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes which ended his racing career and eventually led to his death.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-barbaro-10-years-later-20160509-story.html❣ MISTY of Chincoteague Bay❣
Seeing this sweet statue of Misty has even more special significance for me now. Misty of Chincoteague Bay was a favorite childhood book of mine. The story is loosely based on real people & the wild ponies living on the island. When we visited Assateague Island in May, I bought myself a new copy of the book. Seeing this statue, after having recently visited Misty’s island, was a nice connection. Now that we’re heading back east, we’re going to spend another 5 days on the island❣ Visiting her statue again, on our way back to Assateague Island, truly connects the dots of our journey. 💝
Kentucky Horse Park has a beautiful collection of sculptures. Here is some detailed information on them.
Bret Hanover- StandardbredAmerican Saddlebred Horse The Spirit of the Morgan Horse“Guests of the Iron Works Café are greeted by a horse of a different color. “Orion” was one of 79 fiberglass horses on display during the first “Horse Mania” public art project in 2000. Horse Mania returns to Lexington this summer in celebration of LexArts’ 50th anniversary and the 2022 Breeders Cup Championship at Keeneland.”Supreme Sultan – American SaddlebredHappy Go LuckyThe Hall of Champions lost several of these beloved horses. 💔 Be a Bono: 4/12/21 Da Hoss: 1/2/22 Go for Gin: 3/8/22 More information about the Memorial Walk of Champion https://kyhorsepark.com/equine-theme-park/park-memorials-statues/memorials-walk-of-championsKentucky Horse Park is dedicated to recycling & growing flowers to benefit the local birds, bees & butterflies. 💝This was the beautiful sunset as we were leaving KHP in July.SPRING has arrived in Kentucky! ❤ April 20, 2022Maddie loved soaking up the sun, following our 3 mile walk. 😍
With the weather being so threatening & dangerous recently, truck stops have been a convenient & safe option for us to settle into for the night. After spending the night at a truck stop on Good Friday, due to severe thunderstorms, I decided enough was enough! 🥴
The weather forecast looked decent for the weekend & I missed camping! I found a brochure for Land Between the Lakes & it was a fantastic choice! There are a series of campgrounds in LBL on the Tennessee-Kentucky border & I picked the southernmost one in Tennessee, Piney Campground. It’s a very large campground, but I was still lucky to get a nice waterfront campsite, as a walk-in with no reservation, on Easter Saturday. We had very few neighbors & at $8/night, it was a fabulous deal! By Sunday afternoon, everyone else in our loop had gone home. 😁
Piney Campground in Land Between The Lakes. Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area (LBL) consists of 170,000 acres between Kentucky Lake & Lake Barkley in western Kentucky and Tennessee.
With ZERO reception at the campground to research anything, I’m glad that I’d grabbed a brochure about the area. Spending Easter Sunday visiting bison & elk seemed like a fun thing to do, so off we went to find them! It was less than an hour drive, but it started to rain unexpectedly, halfway there. 😬 I almost turned around, but I took a chance that it would stop & continued on.
There’s a beautiful welcome/education center, gift shop & planetarium there & I was surprised & thrilled to find it open on Easter Sunday! After a brief visit, I continued on, still hoping the rain would stop.🤞🏼 When we arrived at the Elk & Bison Prairie, I paid the $5 entrance fee. As it turned out, it’s easily the best $5 I’ve spent in a long time!
The prairie is a large loop of paved road. Due to the potential danger of interacting with wild bison & elk, visitors are not allowed to get out of their vehicles. Good idea! 👍🏼
This is the 5-star review I posted on Google.
Upon arrival, I saw 2 elk way up ahead, crossing the road. As I drove around the loop, I didn’t see any other wildlife. I continued driving until I came upon a pick-up truck & a few cars pulled over. There was a huge herd of bison, grazing very close to the road! I pulled over to watch them & my car was soon surrounded by bison! The pick-up truck driver was a wonderful staff member (volunteer?) who eventually turned her truck around & very carefully attempted to disperse the herd. I told her I was thrilled to just sit there & watch, so she assisted the cars stuck behind me to get through. I spent the next hour plus, soaking up the magic of what I was witnessing. It was the BEST Easter present ever & I’ll never forget it! This experience was probably the best $5 I’ve ever spent. 💝
I took 300+ photos & this was one time that I wished I had a real camera with me. I’ve been thoroughly pleased with my cellphone camera photos, but this was one experience when a real camera would have been great. Here are my favorites! 💕
These were the only elk I saw & in another minute, I’d have missed seeing them entirely. They walked cautiously across the road & then sprinted off into the woods.My first siting of the bison herd. I parked the car on the side of the road to watch them. Little did I know that we’d soon be held “captive” by them for the next hour & a half! 😁This bison just stood & stared at me, for a very long time… 😳For any Patriots football fans following this journey, I named this one TB12… 😉 Technically, we were in Kentucky, but his ear tag is #12 & he’s got a few scars to prove that he’s a tough, old warrior. At first, I thought the bare spot on his hip was from shedding, but now I think it’s a scar. After observing other bison in various stages of shedding, this was the only one that looked like it went all the way down to skin.
As we sat there, the bison started to gather around the car! It was exciting & scary, at the same time!
Objects In The Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear! 😳Hey lady! You’re surrounded! 😁
Maddie was interested in our massive visitors, but kept amazingly calm. At one point, she started to growl softly. I’d been looking out my window. When I turned to see why she was upset, we were surrounded by several bison on her side! She quieted right down & eventually, got bored & fell asleep. 👏 I was grateful she didn’t need to “go out” because that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon!
These are badly edited photos, but I took them through a wet & filthy windshield. 🙄 The pick-up truck driver tried to disperse the herd. She turned her truck around & slowly moved through them. When she passed me, she asked if I was ok. I told her that I was thrilled & content to wait for them to move away on their own. She said the one standing in front of me seemed to be studying his reflection on my hood. I was hoping he liked his reflection. If he thought it was a challenging face, I was afraid he’d ram my car! Eventually, 3 bison were standing there! That’s 3+ tons of intimidating faces & they just stood there for 30+ minutes!Two of our 3 admirers! 😍I’m glad we weren’t in a hurry to go anywhere! This one got way too close! I quickly took the photos & closed my window! I saw many of the bison scratching themselves like this. I’m sure they’re extremely itchy from the shedding process, but I also think they have ticks. 😥 There were signs in the visitor center warning about ticks.“Pardon me, do you have any Grey Poupon?” I’d been looking out Maddie’s window when I heard something close by me. When I turned, #343 was standing right there! I closed the window in record time! Look at the traffic jam behind us! 😊#343 was still standing quietly beside me when the vehicles behind us started to move past, under the guidance of the staff member. There wasn’t much room to pass, so I was hoping my new friend didn’t get irritated & react. From the look on his/her face, I think it was just annoyed. I love the look on the woman’s face! She asked me if I was afraid… No. Why? 🤔The park has already welcomed many new babies this Spring. This is definitely when I wished I had a camera with me.These are photos from the Facebook page for the park. This was the first calf (aka Red Dogs because they’re born with rusty red coloring.) These photos were taken on April 4th. 💝As time went by, most of the bison laid down. I started to worry about them being sprawled out, napping in the road in front of us. Luckily, most of them moved back to the grass for their naps & my escape route opened up.When the roadblock finally dispersed, I was sad to leave! These were some of the final photos I took. Almost all of the bison were laying down by then. The red arrows in the top photo are pointing at calves. The gold arrow is pointing at a very relaxed bison, flat down! The arrow in the bottom photo is pointing at a heart❣
It started to rain again on the way back to the campground, but it cleared up by the time we got “home”. Unfortunately, another unexpected, severe thunderstorm moved in overnight & poor Maddie was freaking out. At midnight, I had to rush us into the car, with the thunder & lightning crashing all around us. 😬
On Monday morning, it was chilly, but clear & we moved on.
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful weekend, but I’m predicting that it wasn’t as memorable as mine❣
Where's Wendy? Livin' in the Edge! 