Fall at Swan Lake NWR

Chinese Chestnuts, Pecan Festival, Wild Goose Festival, Spot Lighting Deer, James  Port, Coal Mine Spear

This year at Swan Lake NWR has started out pretty much the same as last year. In that I run and take care of my yearly VA appointments and Lois goes and visits her Momma every other week or so. We been doing some day trips around the area keeping up with our hobby of taking pictures of old buildings. While we are in North West Missouri we had to take a run down to South East Missouri and even though we where going to a funeral it was a very interesting trip. Found MO. HWY 63 and MO. HWY 8 to be a very pretty drives. HWY 8 has Steelville and the Huzzah River. Along with the Meramec Springs area. Lots of old towns and canoeing. Our destination was in the Lead Belt, Park Hill and Desloge, they are old river and mining towns.

 

Took another day trip to James Port, Mennonite Country for sure. You can tell when your getting close to the area, as there is horse hockey on the road.  Lots of junk shops and repackaging of commodities. Had lunch and got lots of pictures of horses and even a barn yard full of deer! Fun looking at old buildings.

 

Spent some time spot lighting deer for the Refuge. You can see a lot of deer in the dark with two spotlights and young collage eyes hanging out the each side of the truck. Was interesting to take the deer count on the Refuge, we had some young people with us who travel an hour or two to come here and help with the counts each year, we spend four evenings taking the censes. I can see why Spot Lighting appeals to good old boys! Its always interesting to be an old man setting among young people and hearing how they view life and its challenges. We also saw a number of Coyotes, Owls and Coons as well.

 

Its harvest time this month and the small roads around here are full of farm equipment that takes up both lanes of the road. You can get humble riding in a minivan and come on to an on coming corn picker that straddles the road from ditch to ditch. Its also interesting to see the farmers staying in the fields all night trying to get as much done as they can before the rains come again. Its pretty flat land here and I could see the machines with large bars of lights and wagons coming and going from the fields. The moon, one night, in a cloudy sky with lighting off to the north east lighting up the front coming in, threading rain at anytime.

 

We are here a month later this year over last, and the weather is well worth the danger of winter catching up with us. Hard to describe the fall days in Missouri where the weather looks cool but a warm southern wind is making it feel so special. We have lived all our lives in Missouri, a four season area. We both have always loved the weather changing every few months. But we are learning how to manage traveling where the climate suits us and our new home as well. Soon we will be leaving the home of a Great Beer (Stag) again also, I cant find my beer of choice anywhere but in and very close to Missouri!

Its been over two months that we have been here and with a clean bill of health form VA we are going to be leaving right after the Wild Goose Festival they have in the Little town of Sumner. I find we get restless after two months of hanging out in any one place. Planning to spend the month of November traveling and visiting our friends that we have made along our way to Goose Island again in December. Internet is always better on the road and I will be making updates more often.

Photos bylois: