Spring Lake RV Resort - nature at its best

This place is amazing

Birds galore – also water snakes, bull frogs, squirrels – share this lovely, lush park with RVers. Spring Lake RV Resort near Halstead, Kansas, has large mature trees, acres of grass for parking, nine lakes (some stocked for fishing), swimming pool, organized activities, and very importantly – Kansas is notorious for tornadoes and it is tornado season – two storm shelters.

After a 140-mile drive from Great Salt Plains State Park, including maneuvering through detours neared Wichita, I was pleased to pull in for a couple of days. Everyone here is friendly and helpful and efficient in a most friendly way. Checking in is made special by the gals in the office and the maintenance guys work hard to keep improving the park and keep it running smoothly.

I had a somewhat difficult time parking and getting Jeremiah level. After a bit of trial and error with my boards, ramps and a shovel, I ended up lowering my left rear dual wheels by digging and raising the other three points. Just one more RVing challenge to keep my brain working.

The park’s ponds and trees attract quite a variety of wildlife. Birds I’ve enjoyed include American Barn Swallow, Purple Martin, Starling, Robin, Baltimore Oriole, two kinds of dove, Canada Geese, House Wren, House Sparrow, Red-headed Woodpecker, Redwing Blackbird, Great-Tailed Grackle, Northern Cardinal, and some LBB (unidentifiable ‘little brown birds’). I got several good photos of the stunning Baltimore Oriole.

Following the advice of fellow RVer and bird watcher Pat Bean, when I arrive at a new campsite I toss birdseed out on the ground to see what birds come to eat. Well, after my first day, nary a bird showed up. Then yesterday a squirrel showed up, probably thinking he/she had hit the jackpot!

It has rained both nights – no wonder things are so lush. Fortunately for me, the days have been pleasant and conducive to lots of walking. I spent time at one of the ponds, hoping to take a photo of a bullfrog. Those little buggers are too quick. Before I could spot them in the tall grasses, they dove into the water. I also tried to photograph a fairly long snake – about 4-foot – that was swimming.

I finished reading ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ and enjoyed it immensely. My current read is ‘The Girls from Ames’. It is a story of women who grew up in Ames, Iowa, and their 40-year friendship. (Author is Jeffrey Zaslow.) Ames, home of Iowa State University, is my favorite Iowa town.

Yesterday evening I joined several camp workers and campers for dinner at an Amish restaurant in nearby Yoder, Kansas. Dinner was delicious.

As I write this, three Canada Geese families are right outside. Two families with what appears to be last year's young and one with this year's babies. The interaction of the groupings fascinate me. One adult in each grouping is always 'on alert' while the rest are foraging for whatever goodies they can find in the grass. And speaking of goodies in the grass, the rains have obviously brought lots of worms to the surface which the birds are enjoying.

As I gather memories, I recall this quote from Author John Grogan:

There are moments in life that fade from memory so quickly they are gone almost before they are over. Then there are those that stick, the ones we carry with us through the years like precious parcels of clarity stitched close to our hearts, becoming part of who we are.

Today is Wednesday, May 26; my day to move to an RV park in Lyndon, Kansas, closer to Kansas City. I'll stay two days, giving me time to do laundry, dump tanks, fill the fresh-water tank, and explore another area.