beluga

beluga

Monday, May 4, 2020

Continuing east

Storms.   This trip east is always a bit nerve wracking in the spring.   No matter what route we pick, it will take us through areas that are ripe for nasty Spring weather.....Squall lines sweep through with heavy thunderstorms and/or tornadoes.

he shakes and rattles when storms approach

Since after lunch the TV has been running red banners across the screen warning of impending doom - Lewis is not a fan.   He had such a nice morning playing "fish" outside the the lush green grass.

a little second cup tug o war game with Lewis and his fish

don't tell him he has grass on his nose, he's quite vain

We're at a very nice little campground in Danville, Missouri.   We arrived late yesterday afternoon after a long and windy drive from Salina, Kansas.    We decided to stay put for another night to rest and recoup.    The check in woman was very careful about sanitizing and even gave me a freshly cleaned pen to sign the credit card slip.    Our site is large and grassy with a fishing pond behind us and a few other campers well away from us.





Lewis and I took a walk in the woods before the bad weather closed in.   So pretty and peaceful.





We made two stops in Kansas before arriving here.   I find it (at least the parts I can see from I-70) to be rather pretty- rolling and green and full of little ponds and streams.


Our first night in this state was in Goodland at a KOA  we use regularly as we pass through on our way home.    It was completely empty - we were the only ones there.


I did have to go into the office (yes, with mask) to check in but the gentleman there wore a mask, gloves and sat behind a glass barrier.     Dave was waiting outside with Beluga's door open and a can of Clorox wipes ready for me to wipe down the paperwork before taking it inside.   Our usual procedure.

We weren't totally alone, however.    Lots of birds, singing and zooming through the trees and working on nest construction or maintanence, kept us company and reminded us that it is really Spring!


Western Kingbird on the look out


an extravagent Oriole nest

That night we realized that the birds weren't the only creatures outside.     Moths!   Huge, frantic moths were everywhere.     Inside, outside, everywhere.   No wonder the birds were present in such numbers and were so active.


I, personally, captured or killed atleast 15 inside Beluga that evening.    The next morning we found we'd missed plenty.       As Dave opened the door to toss one outside, a Kingbird swooped in and grabbed it right out of the air! 

More came aboard at our next Kansas stop in Salina.    When Dave opened outside compartment's doors, moth's flew out - I'm sure birds kept an eye on us as we "fed" them on our move across the state.




We're beginning to run low on a few perishable supplies such as milk, bread, orange juice, bananas.  We'll make do, no grocery runs planned until we get home in a few days.   We have learned one useful lesson about perishability, however.     We found out that you can keep bananas edible for quite a long time if you store them in the refrigerator once they reach your desired level of ripeness.     Once there, they turn black, they look perfectly awful, too awful even for use in banana bread, but the insides stay perfect!   Who knew?

So, that's where we've been and where we are today.   Tomorrow we pack up and head out for points east, leaving a trail of Kansas moths in our wake.....








12 comments:

  1. Nice that you have an established procedure to deal with the paperwork and such with a new encounter. I'm sure we've stayed at the same campground in Salina ... but without the moths!
    Continued Safe Travels!

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  2. Moths!!! I do not love me some moths. We had an infestation of them in Pueblo CO a number of years ago. We would hunt them down and then when we thought we had them all one (or more) would come flying out from who knows where and the hunter killer process would begin again. I'm sure we left a trail of them in our wake like you did. Good luck with the weather and safe travels.

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  3. I did not know that about bananas, thanks for that. We used to buy them for cereal, they'd get over ripe and go in the trash. Now we know!

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  4. Hate having to get rid of any bugs that think you've given them a home.
    Safe travels around the storms and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

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  5. Guess the stink bugs have turned into moths! We had a moth problem last spring in the MH. We slept with the flyswatter in bed with us. They would tap on the ceiling over the bed once the lights were out. It wasn't fun trying to sleep knowing a moth was flying around above. It took weeks to get rid of them. Hope you left them all in Kansas.
    I didn't know that about bananas. We will be giving it a try.

    Poor Lew. He looked so frightened under the table. Glad he had a good second cup before the storm.

    You are almost there!! Safe travels.

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  6. wow, you have Clorox wipes. Did you get them in Boulder? I was finally able to get a few masks but still haven't found wipes.
    The campgrounds look so lush and green. The benefit of Spring storms ….

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    1. Dave bought a pack of 4 cans quite awhile ago - before. Before we knew we'd all need them. It was all this partictular store had in stock so he brought them home. We're so glad he did!

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  7. Glad to see you're making your way back OK, you're in our thoughts as we see the bad weather out there.

    We have some moths now too, but not as bad as you describe. They're tough little critters - yesterday I hit one with a fly swatter and it just laughed at me and flew away! Fortunately we have dozens of birdies in the yard ready to dispose of them properly.

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  8. Ugh... we've had so many different bug infestations at various times... the worst were the ladybugs. Those lasted for months. And stink bugs.... little punks. Every time you think you're done with them, "bzzzzz...." Hopefully, your moth problem will be short lived. Of course, pretty soon, we'll all be facing the "murder hornets", because this is 2020 and that's the kind of thing that happens in 2020.

    Safe travels.

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  9. We actually enjoyed our drive along Kansas, who knew its a pretty state especially when you stop for a while. The quiet campgrounds and less campers is what we missed in our travels but wondered how long its gonna stay that way or would you be seeing similar scenario on your way back west this fall.

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  10. Those moths look like a big meal for the birds! You'll be so popular everywhere you go :-) Sorry Lewis is having to endure those nasty storms (you and Dave too!). Love all the green and rolling hills. That castle was quite a find - ol' Jim is quite the industrious guy. Definitely on the list. Still hoping to spend some time in the area this Fall.

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  11. I love the oriole nest and the dogwood blossoms and the cool cross section of the log. The moths, not so much. Looks like you guys made the best of the quick trip back home. OX

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