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A camping story I wrote to a friend about camping in Aug of last year
Took Stauson to the park this time. Fiday night is was suppose to rain but, not until later.
Around 8:30 Friday night I put Stauson in the pickup and went for a walk down the trail to where that big cottonwood tree sets with the bench underneath of it. It was hot so I wore my shorts. Once under the tree I stood there quietly for awhile. The wind was blowing gently and the all the leaves in the tree were rustling in the breeze. The crickets were all chirping in unison in the grass. In the distance a thunderstorm was moving in and you could see the lightning and hear the boom of the distance thunder.
It was like a symphony ! I’m not sure how long I stood there lost in thought.
Then , out of the corner of my eye, I saw something. As I looked over I saw that there was a deer standing not 15 feet away from me. When I saw it, it also saw me. Startled I jumped , the deer jumped , and SNORTED. Then it high tailed it off to the south through the tall grass. That’s when I woke up out of my daze looked around and realized,,,
It’s getting really dark out here !
And, I’m a half mile from the park in my shorts with no flashlight or even a cell phone. The ferocious Raccoons and Skunks are going to overwhelm me knock me down, kill, and eat me. By morning they will have picked me clean and there would be nothing left but me bones. And, I don’t even have my ID on me. They would never even figure out who I was. So, I decided it was time for me to high tail it back to the campground too.
Then, I got bit on the leg by a mosquito. It was at that point that I started to hear it. That low hum that happens when all the mosquitoes start to fly up out of the grass at the same time. It’s usually not a problem because I have found out if you keep moving you can easily out walk them. So, I started back to the campground but, I had to stop to scratch and that’s when another mosquito bit me. Then I figured it out! The mosquitoes and all the other animals were working together. First the mosquitoes bite you until you’re so covered with bites you collapse and lapse into unconsciousness. Then all the other animals move in and eat you alive. I quit stopping to scratch and kept moving until I made it safely back to the park. Thankful to be back in one piece I dived into my camper and went to bed.
( I sure have one heck of an imagination don’t I? It’s a lot of fun for me thinking all this stuff up , it’s based on reality. I really did go for a walk, listen to the sounds, and forget a flashlight. )
Saturday it rained all morning and I slept in till late. I was getting board and wanted to go for a walk. About the time I decided to just go for a walk in the rain it quit raining. I made it down to the tree and back again. It was fun watching the birds all sing and play after the rain. Then the sun came out so I took Stauson to Elinor Bedell state park in Iowa. They have a lot of hiking tails there. I took Stauson for a walk and he heals quite nicely as long as I have that pointy choker collar on his neck. At one point we even met other people and another dog on the trail. The other dog growled at him and he barked at it but, he stayed on my right side and we passed each other without incident. Then I put him back in the pickup and walked the whole trail by myself. There are several miles of trails there and I hiked them all. I then went to some of the other parks and took short hikes to look at things.
I was beat and even though it was only like 5 pm I was thinking about going to bed. When I got back to Robeterson I saw some friends had pulled into the spot next to me. I had 4 beers and talked to them until about 8PM and then told them it was time for me to start making supper. 1 more beer, 1 hamburger, and an ear of sweet corn later and I fell exhausted into bed.
Sunday I woke up fairly early to take Stauson for a swim. When I went to my favorite beach I found that had a event going on. I checked out the other beaches but, I wasn’t that impressed. I took Stauson for another hike a different park and then when I got back to my favorite beach it looked purty clear. There were other people there swimming with dogs. But, I stayed way down the shore from them. I led Stauson down to the waters edge and he stopped. I have never taken him swimming before and he looked at me like I was crazy. But, I insisted and he followed me in. Of course he splashed too much too and while swimming toward me he scratched me with his toe nails. I have a heck of a big bruise there now. After a minute Stauson just loved it. He tries to catch the water in his mouth that he is splashing up. It’s hilarious. We swam around for a few minutes and then I tried to tie him to shore but, he barks at me so I put him back in the pickup. I made a few laps but, people were showing up so I headed back to the camper. After noon meal I did a little shopping and driving around. At 3 pm I went to a Johnny Johnson’s sandwich shop for 3 pm lunch. At 5 I headed back home
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