Back to Basics

Our "back to basics" trip was a lot of fun, with a few implications. No pop-up camper meant no homesteading, which prevented us from taking a lot of creature comforts. We also went with the knowledge that we may end up struggling to find a suitable campsite. There were many times in the past where we spent the night on the edge of a farmer's field, sharing our space with cattle.

We were fortunate this year. There were several sandbars along the way, and with the recent flooding, each sandbar had plenty of wood to burn. The wood, being bleached by weeks or months on the sandbar, was very dry and burned very quickly. This was a mixed blessing. It quickly gave us coals for cooking, but the coals didn't last very long. We had to stoke the fire during the cooking process. It wasn't optimal, but it worked. And it was certainly better than not having any wood at all.


We saw an odd mix of man and nature on the river too. We saw more eagles than we've seen on any previous trip. And they seemed to be somewhat accustomed to man's presence, because they let us get very close as well. In one case, the eagle simply stayed in its perch and watched us. It never flew away. In another case, we saw three sitting in a single tree. But we also saw more junk on this river than on others. We didn't go a single day without seeing old tires, farm implements and even abandoned cars somewhere along the river.

Despite man's diligent attempt do destroy the environment of the river though, nature was resilient. In addition to the eagles, we also ran across a huge frog breeding ground. As a frequent camper, I am accustomed to the sound of frogs singing at dusk. But I have never heard so many frogs singing in the middle of the day, and I have never, ever, ever actually seen so many in one place. It was also definitely mating season. It was interesting to witness all of those males waiting for their turn to have at the females (who were waaaay bigger than the males), and it was amusing to see males go at it. One male would jump on another, and I could almost see them both saying "Hey, you're not a chick" as they leaped away from each other in disgust. They weren't particularly picky what they jumped though. I saw them go for rocks, and one even went for my boot. For a moment, I almost thought they were horny toads. (Sorry for the bad pun.)

In addition to the eagles and frogs, we saw a bat flying around in the middle of the day!

While I mention the man made stuff, I should note that it wasn't all bad. There was an old motor mill, made in the mid 1800s that seemed to fit in very well with the surroundings.
That's all for today. Tune in for the next installment, when I talk about our misadventures.