Guernsey Lake - Full and Fun, for the End of Summer

Guernsey Dam is full and looking great once again. The water always seems to clear a few days after the silt run giving the lake a beautiful deep blue color.

Sure Hope That's Not a Snow Cloud

The cool weather has not seemed to dampen the spirit of campers and boaters, maybe one last big campout before Labor Day.

Turtle Seems Uninterested in What the Ducks Have to Say

The hot days of most of the summer kept us off the trails for several weeks but now with cool nights and daytime temperatures moderating, we are getting ready to resume our normal hiking days in the park.

Back In The Water Again

The inch and a half of rain last evening was very nice. I always enjoy the lighting and thunder, reminds me of my growing up days in southeast Nebraska. The inch and a half of rain was nice also.

From Black Canyon Point - I Photo Edited to Look Like a Painting - I like it,
 Maybe Because I Have No Artistic Skills

Silt - Sandpipers & Snipes

My Knowledge of Birds is Limited, but these guys are fun to watch- Maybe Sandpiper or Snipe

The water in Guernsey lake is still low, in places not much more than the river running through.  The good news is that the lake will soon be full again. This is the last week of the silt run, and it will not be long before boats are back on the water. We still have a few weeks of warm weather, even if the kids are starting back to school. Seems like this summer went by quickly, hot, hot, hot and now all of the sudden, cooler nights and at times, sorry, the feeling of fall in the air.

Will Be Nice to See Water Here Instead of Sand and Mud

We spent some time in the park this weekend, including a pleasant walk on the deserted beach. Funny all the interesting things we run across when the water is down.

A Bit of Wood a Touch of Dry Moss and Some New Growth - I like it!

Even the wildlife seems to change with the lowering of the water.

These Little Sand Toads are Unique Creatures

As always another beautiful sunset. After our walk, we drove up on the North Bluff to the Castle and watched the sun disappear in the west.

Leaving the park in the early evening, just after sundown, we would be very disappointed if we did not see a few deer or turkey on our way back to town. We were not disappointed. 

Nice Mule Deer Doe and Fawns

On another note, a fire of many acres burned in the corner turning into the park from the highway. Unfortunately, with the burn the power pole that held a huge Osprey nest the past two years (they raised a little one this year) was burned to the ground. I am sure the birds survived with no trouble, but now without the nest, we probably will not see them again next year. 

Osprey On the Nest

Another great day in Wyoming - oh - and at Guernsey State Park

Sunset From the Castle

The Civilian Conservation Corps at Guernsey State Park

CCC Worker Statue Number 53 of 65 in America

As I look at society and the world of work in our country now, I am amazed at what was accomplished by the CCC in the 1930s. Two camps worked nearly four years in putting together, what today is, Guernsey State Park. Camp Nine was located between the Museum and the Spillway on the east side. Camp Ten, the west side camp, was situated on the south side of Skyline Drive at the foot of Mae West Hill.

Plaque on the Statue Base

The following three paragraphs are from my book – The Civilian Conservation & the Building of Guernsey State Park – With Folktales and Stories of the Park. Take a look at a free sample here.

  By 1935 there were 2,650 CCC camps in the United States with camps located in all of the forty-eight states. Young men, most with their first real job earned thirty dollars a month. Although a good number of people called this salary a dollar a day, it is not strictly accurate as weekends were off for the CCC men.  This would mean most worked twenty to twenty-five days per month, making their pay slightly more than a dollar a day. On a national level, there were some protests, thinking this salary too low, even for what many believed was a government handout. For the most part, the men were happy to have work and no records, which I have run across, report organized protests from workers in any of the Civilian Conservation Corps camps.

The Magnificent CCC Museum Built by Camp Nine

Of the $30.00 the men were paid, each month, they were allowed to keep $5.00, the rest was sent home as relief for CCC member families. The $25.00 each worker's family received every month was one of the first real attempts in America to jump start the economy during the hard times of the Great Depression.

America's Most Elaborate Picnic Shelter - The Castle - on the Parks North Bluff

 The five dollars the workers kept each month might not sound like much in present day, but in the 1930s the men were able to buy camp, vouchers used to purchase articles at the camp store.  Any money left was used during weekend trips to town.

Here I Am Talking About My Book and Guernsey State Park

Want to see more? Take a look at a free sample here. 

The View From Mae West Hill on Skyline Drive

Silt Run Birds

The silt run causes the park to go to the birds – in a good way.

Blue Heron searching for lunch in shallows

Most people seem to stay away from the park when the water goes down but not us.

Lot's of shoreline and not much water with Silt Run in full force

 This is an excellent time for bird watching. It is the only time of the year to see numerous Blue Heron and Pelicans, although they are always around, usually up the river.

Silt-laden water takes on a gray look - Pelicans don't mind

Today we watched a group of four Herons and another mile up Lakeshore Drive we watched five more.

Blue Heron Landing

As for the Pelicans, almost too many to count.

Birds seem to enjoy the new sandbar beaches

When we got home to rain and hail, hope the garden survived okay.

 

I like odd colors in the garden - how about a black petunia?