Steve and Judy's Travels!

From: Steve Taylor [mailto:spt@thetaylorcompany.net]
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2009 7:03 PM
To: Bill Taylor (Bill Taylor); David Taylor (David Taylor); Tom Taylor (Tom Taylor)
Subject: John Martin Reservoir State Park
Morning bird walk: Canada gooseTurkey vultureMississippi kiteAmerican kestrelKilldeerRock pigeonEurasian collared doveMourning doveCommon nighthawkBelted kingfisherWestern kingbirdEastern kingbirdHorned larkNorthern rough winged swallowCliff swallowAmerican robinNorthern mockingbirdLark sparrowNorthern cardinalRed winged blackbirdWestern meadowlarkCommon grackleBrown headed dcowbirdBullock’s orioleHouse finch It was a nice walk.

  A nice morning bird walk at Lake Colorado City State Park before we left.  21 birds:  northern bobwhite, turkey vulture, mourning dove, common nighthawk, golden fronted woodpecker, ladderbacked woodpecker, eastern phoebe, western kingbird, scissor tailed flycatcher, cliff swallow, barn swallow, bushtit, cactus wren, northern mockingbird, curve billed thrasher, canyon towhee, black throated sparrow, northern cardinal, great tailed grackle, brown headed cowbird, bullock’s oriole.   Climbing our way up the interstates.  We went a long way north to get to Interstate 10 the first night.  Interstate 20 the second night.  Now we’re at Interstate 40.   A large clean asphalt big-rig park in Amarillo.  Look at the rig next to us.  I paced off the length.   It’s ten feet longer than us.  Diesel, but not a pusher.  A 50 foot puller.   Another warm day; triple digits.   720 miles since Port Aransas.   Tomorrow… North.    

  Wow.  We went outside at 79 degrees this morning.  Brr!  We haven’t been outside below 80 degrees in a month.   Highway 83 North.  Bear left at Eden.  Now we’re 470 miles into this trip.  105 degrees (but it’s a dry heat).  We’ll check for birds later.     I’ve *borrowed* some lines, from one of those multi-forwarded emails that makes the rounds, to describe the paradigm shift travelling from Texas to Colorado.   In Texas, you can rent a movie and buy bait in the same store.  ‘Y’all’ is singular and ‘all y’all’ is plural.  ‘He needed killin” is a valid defense.  Everyone has 2 first names.  Everything is either ‘in yonder,’ ‘over yonder’ or ‘out yonder’ and it’s important to know the difference.
In Colorado, You carry your $3,000 mountain bike atop your $500 car.  You tell your husband to pick up Granola on his way home so he stops at the day care center.  A pass does not involve a football or dating.  The top of your head is bald, but you still have a pony tail.   Life on the road.

Tomorrow…  North.    

  We’ve done it.  We left the beach.  Now we’re in the hill country.  I updated the google map on the blog (the “where are we now” link).   We’re 250 miles from Port Aransas.  At this rate, in two or three more days, we’ll be out of Texas.   This is not high season here.  It’s 98 degrees.  Not many people left.  Not many birds left either.  Got an evening count of eighteen.  Saw a Chihuahuan Raven.  Haven’t seen one of those lately.  Highlight: green herons.   Tomorrow…. North.