Saturday January 30th 2021

It was a little warmer today. The temperature peaked just above seventy degrees after another cool start. I didn’t need the added power of the propane furnace to get the inside temperature comfortable the morning. The electric space heater provided a slow and steady climb.

With the arrival of the weekend I expected the atmosphere of the campground to change. The last few state parks have all become more family and group focused on the weekend. This park hasn’t seemed to change character for the weekend. The campsites are still occupied by couples and singles. There has not been an increase in family groups with lots of kids and animals. I wonder why this park is different.

The day use part of the park did change. Many more people and families were walking or riding bicycles on the trails. The forest was not quiet. The sounds of laughter and conversation carried over the sound of the squirrels and wind. There was no chance of running into any deer on the trail today. When I arrived at the river overlook after a miles walk through the forest, I found a pontoon boat pushed up to the river bank right in front of the overlook. A family with two young kids decided it was the perfect place to have lunch. The birds and turtles were nowhere to be found. Even after they departed the area didn’t have a lot of wildlife visible. I had the area to myself for about ten minutes before a couple of groups of people arrived from the trail. It will be nice when the weekend is over.