Goldenrod, Tent Caterpillars, and a Weird Camper

The first half of our ten day vacation was spent in Howard, Pennsylvania, camped in our favorite site in the Bald Eagle State Park.

The view from our site

We didn't have anything specific in mind that we wanted to do at this campground other than relax.  And boy, did we ever relax.

Our campsite, site #9, is fairly private from the other sites on our side of the road, being separated from those neighboring sites by mature shrub growth.  Looking out the side of the camper we had a great view of the hillside and the small groups of deer that would appear daily in the clearing while grazing.

We had perfect weather for camping - not too hot, and not too cold.  Every day at some point we had a campfire, along with good conversation and plenty of engaging books and magazines for the quiet spells.

If the wind kicked up too much so that the campfire smoked us, we would just go inside, turn on the indoor fireplace, and put our feet up in the recliners.  Aren't we so spoiled?

We tried some new camping recipes, and we watched some of our favorite shows on dvd's we had brought along.

On one of the days we decided to take a ride and see what we could see.  This state park is large and is usually a birdwatcher's paradise.  On this day, though, I was more fascinated with the fields of gold.  They almost looked like they were lit up, due to all the yellow from the blooming goldenrod plants.  Yellow, yellow, yellow, as far as one could see.

The other thing I noticed on our drive was the abundance of tent caterpillars.  They just seemed to be everywhere.  I do wonder how much long term damage they do to the plants on which they reside.

Of course, back at the campground we relaxed some more.  If I tire of reading, I can amuse myself endlessly by keeping an eye on the other campers and their shenanigans.  The woman across the road from us was sitting by her fire, all bundled up in a blanket for quite a while.  Next thing you know, I see her unwrap herself and lay down on the ground, roll up in the blanket, and proceed to take a nap.  I guess that was easier than getting inside her tent.  You'll see her in the bottom right of the next picture.

We have camped in the Bald Eagle State Park campground numerous times over the years, and had many good experiences there.  However, the last time we were there was several years ago, and I distinctly remember an encounter with a skunk at our campsite.  

If I recall correctly, we were playing a game at our picnic table, when daughter Sarah suddenly launched herself up and was somehow climbing up the side of the camper.  She had spotted a skunk passing between our feet, right under our table.

Fortunately, we did not see any skunks during this camping trip.  

Five nights passed all too quickly, yet there was more vacationing to come.  

Stay tuned, beach days ahead.