Elk and Ducks and Almonds

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

I woke up to another sunny morning feeling much more rested since starting this trip five days ago.  The nights are still cold but I’ve been turning on the heat and setting it on 65-68 degrees.  That, plus my layer of clothing and mound of blankets have been keeping me comfortably warm.

As with any and all RVs, traveling in my truck camper requires careful attention, not only to detail, but to movements I make inside and outside the camper.  Twelve years have gone by since my first truck camper outing in Washington State.  I was 56 then and now will soon turn 68.  I’ve slowed down a bit and need to be mindful about pacing myself and watching where I put my feet (and my fingers and my head!) as I move about.

Staying for two nights at the Sierra Trails RV Park in Mojave was a good idea.  I’m telling myself now that driving every day is not really necessary unless I have a tight itinerary to follow.  That I don’t have this time but as long as I have a destination and a plan, I’m good!

That said, I got back on Hwy 58 W and drove over the Tehachapi Mountains to Bakersfield.  My plan for today -- first secure and pay for a site at my selected RV Park and then go visit the Tule Elk State Natural Reserve in Buttonwillow, about 20 miles west of Bakersfield.  The RV Park I selected turned out to be full (Snowbirds!) and the lady suggested I go to the Orange Grove RV Park, just two exits back east.  This place is perfect – plenty of spaces and hundreds of orange trees everywhere!

Following an errand that I first needed to do I was soon on my way to the Tule Elk State Reserve.  From the website:

Tule Elk State Natural Reserve protects a small herd of tule elk, once in danger of extinction.  In the 1800’s the vast herds of tule elk were greatly reduced in number by hunting and loss of habitat.  In 1874 cattleman Henry Miller began efforts to save them.  At that time few elk remained.  In 1932, the herd was given permanent protection on the land now known as Tule Elk State Natural Reserve.  Elk from the reserve have been successfully transplanted to other areas in California.  Today nearly 4000 tule elk are again free roaming the foothills and grasslands of California.

But for a lot of picnic tables and a viewing platform, there was nobody else around.  Having everything I need in my self-contained camper, I decided to make myself a sandwich and have my lunch there directly in front of a distant group of eight elk.  Peering through my binoculars I couldn’t see any antlers so I’m guessing this group is all female.  They were on the ground basking in the sun, too far away, unfortunately, for a decent picture.  The picture below will have to do…

By 3:00 pm I was back at my orange-grove site and spent the rest of that afternoon sitting out in the sun, jotting down my stats and notes and watching other RVs arrive. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7
Looking out my cabover window this morning as I lay on my back in bed, I noted that the sky was grey and cloudy.  Then, still gazing upward, I saw a flock of birds fly by in formation -- geese most likely.  How interesting, I thought, because I am actually planning to visit a waterfowl/wildlife refuge today.

After getting gas I headed west on Hwy 58, connected to Hwy 99 N, and then turned west again on Rt. 46, driving through Wasco towards Lost Hills.  Sun or no sun, and despite being sandwiched between several big rig trucks (they were headed for I-5), I found the two-lane Rt. 46 to be a scenic drive through multiple orchards of trees that were covered in flowering white petals.  They looked very much like the Cherry Blossoms around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.  There were so many of these groves and I noticed what looked like packing crates in some spots.  What are these trees?  I’ll have to google that later.

The office at the Lost Hills RV Park was closed.  “I’m on an errand…” the note on the door said and a phone number was posted.  I hate when that happens!  Fortunately, I was spotted and this lady hollered to me to come on inside.  Good thing I saw her because I certainly didn’t hear her call out to me.  It was 10:30 am and, but for the weird scenario that she was a bit disheveled and still in loungewear and slippers, she was all sweet and nice and most welcoming.  As I did yesterday, I paid for my site and then left to visit the Kern National Wildlife Refuge Complex, near Delano.

The Visitors Center was, thank goodness, open and this pretty lady with a warm smile came out front to greet me.  I told her I wanted to drive through the refuge and asked about a printed guide.  As I’m prone to do, I signed or gestured along with my fairly coherent speech and that was all she needed to know that I was Deaf.  She responded with an articulation that was so clear and precise I didn’t need to ask her to repeat anything.

As I thanked her for the materials she gave me I thanked her also for speaking so clearly to me.  She gave me that warm and mesmerizing smile and said her late mother-in-law was deaf.  I asked about her background and learned that she grew up feeling somewhat “embarrassed” about being deaf and never did want to learn ASL.  She married a hearing man and everybody in her family spoke to her the way this lady was speaking to me.

Walking towards my truck to start my tour of the refuge, I had a quick flashback to my 1987 NLTP (National Leadership Training Program) experience at CSUN and realized something else that captivated me about this very pretty, kind, and helpful woman.  Her height and physique, the dimple on her cheek, the warm and beautiful smile, and the dark brown hair set in a beehive, reminded me of the late Sharon Carter.  And, come to think of it, Sharon’s mother-in-law was Deaf, too.  The flock of geese I saw earlier this morning must have been an omen that this was going to be a special day.

From the website:

Kern National Wildlife Refuge was established on November 18, 1960 and consists of 11,249-acres of natural desert uplands, a relict riparian corridor, and developed marsh.  Situated on the southern margin of what was once the largest freshwater wetland complex in the western United States, Kern Refuge provides optimum wintering habitat for migratory birds with an emphasis on waterfowl and water birds.

There are two one-way paved auto tour roads around the refuge and I took a slow and leisurely two hours to drive on both of them.  I was the only one on the road -- nobody behind me to make me feel like I gotta drive faster or I gotta quit stopping so many times to grab my binocs.

At one section of the road I came upon a narrow wooden bridge.  Eying the dimensions of that bridge with some apprehension, I happened to glance to the right and saw that there was an unpaved loop road around the bridge.  Heck, I’m taking that road.  And then I came upon the second wooden bridge!  The loop road was on the left and it looked a little dicey to me.  Really, Mappie, there’s a reason you dubbed your blog “Camper Adventures!”  I looked behind me, making sure there was still nobody there, and inched my truck forward onto the raised planks.  I knew the width of those planks would be fine for my front tires, but what of the four rear tires?  I got out of the truck, took a look, gave myself a thumbs-up and forged ahead.  The adrenalin rush felt kinda good and I had no problem crossing over the next two bridges that followed.

The overcast day didn’t promise decent photo-taking opportunities for me and just as I concluded my tour, the sun came out.  Ha!

Waterfowl at the Kern Natural Wildlife Refuge.

Wooden bridge, Kern Natural Wildlife Refuge.

Back at the RV Park for the night, I sat outside for a while and then went inside to sit at the dining table and watch the sun set.  The view of the sun through the branches of a tree was quite lovely, I thought.

Sunset, Lost Hills RV Park.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

Fresno was my destination today so I got back on Rt. 46 heading east to the Rt. 43 N intersection at Wasco.  First, I found a spot on the shoulder and pulled over to take a closer look at the trees that I’d noticed yesterday.  I did do a google search last night and learned that these are almond trees.  The white flowers, seen up close, are indeed quite beautiful and when the petals fall to the ground it looks like snow.  And those crates I saw yesterday?  They’re bees!  Checking other online links about the almond groves in this area, I also learned that:

By mid-to-late summer, almond hulls begin to split open exposing the almond shell and allowing it to dry. Shortly before harvest, the hulls open completely. The harvest season for almond farmers is from August to October. The growers have mechanical tree shakers which allow the almonds to fall to the ground.

An orchard of almond trees, near Wasco.

Looking down a grove of almond trees.

Flowers on an almond tree.

Rt. 43 took me through farmland – California’s “agricultural capital,” so proclaimed a sign at the town of Corcoran.  I then connected to Hwy. 99 N and stopped at the Fresno Mobile and RV Park.

Oh, no, not again!  There was that dreadful “Need me? Call me.” sign on the office door.  Just wait a few minutes, MAP, and you’ll once again be miraculously spotted.  Yup, here comes Sam walking towards me and, seemingly surprised that I was even standing there, confirmed that he’s the owner.  He also confirmed my suspicion that this place was full, but when he understood that I’m just traveling through, he invited me into his office.

I could not understand one word Sam said.  It was not possible, nor would it become possible, that I would be able to lipread him.  He had a scraggly full beard and the sunken lips of a person who has no teeth.  He smiled when I told him I couldn’t understand him because of his beard.  I made no mention of his missing teeth.  My folks – mostly Mom – taught me something about manners.  Resorting to paper and pencil, Sam made a suggestion, I accepted, and he guided me into a small spot directly behind a motorhome that he knew wasn’t fixing to go anywhere anytime soon.

And that’s where I spent the night.  It wasn’t cold at all and I slept well.

FRIDAY, MARCH 9

A “camper adventure” also includes the inevitable inconvenience, like the “closed” signs on the office doors of the last two RV Parks.  Well, today…sigh.  I made a decision last night that I wanted to spend this weekend at a different RV Park in Fresno that I knew [because of an email exchange with the property manager] had cable hookup in addition to Wi-Fi access.  I also knew that the office at the Blackstone North RV Park opened at 9:00 a.m.  I arrived at 9:15 only to find it closed and the “Will Return” hand clock on the door pointing to 11:00 a.m.  I found a vacant pull-through site and parked there, using the shore power for my refrigerator.  I didn’t open the slideout but just sat at the table and looked over my maps, contemplating my next destination on Sunday.  The office was open when I walked over there around 11:15 and the lady assigned me to a smaller site.  Walking back to my camper, I stopped at that site to check it out and discovered that it didn’t have the proper outlet for my 30-amp cord.  I went back to the office only to find it – closed!  Huh?  I was just here eight minutes ago!  I left a note on the door and went back to sit and wait in my camper.  The lady came to my door this time, offered a converter to that site’s 50-amp outlet, which I declined (what do I know about electricity?) and, at my request, reassigned me to a different site.

All’s well that ends well and I was glad to finally get myself settled in with electricity, water, cable, and Wi-Fi.  The afternoon even turned out to be warm enough for me to open all my camper’s windows!  My plan for tomorrow -- post this blog.