HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE EVERYONE! LET’S ALL BE CAREFUL OUT THERE, IF DRIVING TONIGHT!
Day 112 – Rob put the bubbly in the fridge this morning. Grin. It was 42 degrees and partly cloudy. So far, not totally clear out, but not that brownish haze either. As I write this, Rob is already out taking bird pictures. There’s a lot of beautiful magpies in the bushes near the RV eating red berries. They are large and noisy (like a jay), black & white with brilliant blue/green tails (if the sun catches them in the right light). We’ve already seen hawks overhead. It’s gonna be a good day. Rob hasn’t gotten a picture of the magpies yet, but he did come back with other pictures this morning.
Typical view of a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, San Luis Reservoir SRA Basalt Campground, Gustine, CA
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, San Luis Reservoir SRA Basalt Campground, Gustine, CA
We left around 11 a.m. & the haze had begun to come in, but not as bad as yesterday, We drove on some of the roads in the SRA where we’re camping to check out the access to the reservoir. The reservoir is really huge with water as far as you can see in the haze. It is surrounded by tall dikes and around them are these beautiful hills covered with the yellow-white grasses. Once you’ve driven east out of the campground and SRA, you have the Central Valley before you, flat as a pancake.
We drove to the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), about 45 minutes to the east. Flat farm & agriculture lands everywhere as far as you can see. Straight roads, two-lanes, mostly paved. The NWR was one of several large plots of land set aside to try to protect the remaining wetlands. There are only 6% of the original wetlands left in the Valley. This area is part of the Pacific Flyway where birds have always stopped over during migration, many of them staying here throughout the winter every year. And it’s not only birds. There are herds of Tule Elk, an endangered fox, rabbits, prairie dogs, deer, turtles, etc. which all call these wetlands their home.
There are several Units within the NWR. Some were closed to everyone but hunters who get permits to hunt during the season on Saturday, Sunday, & Wednesday. We hadn’t known this, so we weren’t able to visit those Units because it’s a Sunday. There are many hiking trails (a few closed to all but hunters), and three wildlife drives. These drives were all open to the public & we drove through all of them. We spent the entire afternoon on these drives, after visiting the excellent, new visitor’s center. The first wildlife drive would’ve been really great if we’d come in a month. They flood the lands in sections as the birds & animals arrive. This section hadn’t been flooded yet so it was mostly just dry farmland. The second wildlife drive was great and teeming with birds; we spent most of our time there. The third wildlife drive was a drive around the Tule Elk Reserve. All the Elk were gathered in the very center of the Reserve & were too far away for us to see well – not the best time to be there.
San Luis NWR West Bear Creek Auto Tour Route
San Luis NWR West Bear Creek Auto Tour Route. Sorry… no water this time of year!
The high today was 62 degrees, a light breeze, partly cloudy. We got back to the RV around sunset. Visited with the girls & celebrated New Year’s Eve. No one was camped near us. End of Week 16, Trip #3.
Great Horned Owl ringing in the New Year, San Luis Reservoir SRA Basalt Campground, Gustine, CA