Monday December 10, 2012-Inks Lake State Park

Winter has arrived here! I woke about 3 this morning to what sounded like hail on the roof but it was the wind blowing acorns out of the oak trees. I wouldn't be surprised if there is damage to the roof either from the acorns hitting the roof or the sheer weight of them piling up!

I got up and started reading the news online but it wasn't long before I got cold and curled up under a blanket and went back to sleep. I have been sleeping later in the mornings and don't usually get out of bed until 7:30 or 8, which is much later than my normal times.

We chose to clean up campsites and shovel out the debris left in the firepits, which turned out to be a mistake because of the high winds. The wind whipped those ashes up and I think I was dirtier today than when I mowed. The work wasn't that hard but it was cold down by the water. We ran into a man that had spent the night in a tent. He said the wind storm woke him and he went outside to take his awning down but it blew away. He said he went back in and tried to go back to sleep but the wind blew his tent over, bending some of the supports. He was trying to figure out if he needed a new tent and if so, he planned to buy a lower profile tent and was going to change sites to one that was sheltered from the wind. I'm glad we don't have to do that any more, but then we're not "camping" any more.

I was invited to go on another hike tomorrow, so I'll try to get some more pictures to share with you. Talk soon.

So long.