Who We Are

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Our Adventure, Part II

Greetings to all!  It's me, Maggie!  Today I'm taking over the reins to tell you more about the really cool adventure we had.  (If you need to get caught up, please read here and here.)

When Cam left off yesterday, I had spotted a sign for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge.  Mom had been wanting to go there for a long time, but we hadn't made the trek down yet. According to its website, "Quivira was established in 1955 to provide and protect vital habitat for migratory waterfowl in the Central Flyway." It consists of 22,135 acres and contains a unique combination of rare inland salt marshes and sand prairie. That's right - salt water habitat, right here in Kansas! Awesome.

When I spotted the first sign, we were still 88 miles away, but as we got closer, Mom got more and more excited. Eventually, Cam had to use two paws to hold her down:

IMG_4206CamMeHR-V
"Easy, Mom!  Easy!  Stay!"

Just as we were about at our destination, Dad called out, "LOOK!  Up there!"  Mom searched the skies, then pointed her iPhone out the window and shot this:

IMG_4213Pelicans
Look in the cloud area!  A flock of birdies!!!

We watched as the birdies seemed to be going the same way we were.  At first, I thought maybe they were stalking us, but then I remembered where we were going, and thought they were probably following the signs to Quivira, too!

As soon as we pulled in ...

IMG_4216MagsQuivera
"Yeah, I think you can get out for a quick shot, Mom.  Cam, let her go."

So Mom readied the camera, got out, and took this shot:

IMG_1138Pelicans
American White Pelicans!

We had barely arrived and already Mom was thrilled!

We decided before we took the drive through the refuge that we all needed to stretch our legs a bit.

IMG_4223MagsCamQuivera
Me and Cam

We stopped near the Kids Fishing Pond.  Note, in case anyone who plans to visit Quivera is reading:  nice, clean facilities for all four of us ... if you know what I mean.  OK - back to the adventure!

Here's a look at the Fishing Pond:

IMG_4224KidsFishingPond
Kids Fishing Pond at Quivira

Cam hung around a bit:

IMG_4227KidsFishingPond
"I just wonder ... if I throw a line in, will I catch a kid?  They seem fun."

Meanwhile, Mom was snapping away.  There were lots of sunflowers in bloom:

IMG_1161Sunflower
Sunflower

...and whatever this is:

IMG_1157Wildflower
Can anyone ID this?  Anyone?  Bueller?  

It was pretty, whatever it was!

We all loaded back up into the HR-V.  Our next stop was this observation tower:

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Observation Tower on the Little Salt Marsh

Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs.  Next time!

On our way out, Mom was delighted to see this birdie:

IMG_1173RedHeadedWoodpecker
Red-Headed Woodpecker!

We do love redheads, you know!

That was the very start, before driving into the heart of the refuge.  We'll be sharing those photos over the next few days, as Mom processes them!  Let's get belted in and ready to roll!

IMG_1179MagsMikeHR-V
"Show me your war face, Dad!"
"GRRRRR!"


Stay tuned!

Yours sincerely,
Margaret Thatcher

18 comments:

  1. What a wonderful adventure. I recognized the Pelicans, because they come in spring and stay through summer here. That woodpecker was so very pretty! Can't wait to see the rest of the pics.
    Have a great day!
    Noreen, Hunter, Lily and Copper

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  2. OHHHHHHHHHHHH my stars and stripes...Maggie all this time you talked about the ocean in Kansas...I thought you were pulling my paw...low and behold where there is salt water and pelicans there must be an ocean!! Great iPhone shot Mom.
    Cam good job holding mom down. A red headed woodpecker bravo bravo and it posed for you too. Mom has seen on on the suet feeder years ago.
    Hugs madi your bfff

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  3. OMD...would someone PLEASE come over and quiet our Mama down??? What a cool adventure, MAggie...we may have to shield Mama's eyes over the next few days when we look at the pictures your Mama took...our Mama gets a bit "overexcited" about nature stuff....

    Is that flower some kind of Columbine...??
    Smileys!
    Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo

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  4. what a wonderful place for a walk and great pics

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  5. Wow, we bet your mom was in heaven! That looks like a wonderful place. We can't wait to see more pics!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  6. This looks like a most excellent adventure!

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  7. Oh my Cod! Our mommy noticed the war face and then scrolled down to see you saying it and now she's laughing hysterically! She's so weird! How'd she notice the war face with all those birdies we'll never know!

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  8. That looks like a lovely place. We appreciate how much work it is to keep the mom in check though. They can get awfully excitable, can't they ?

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  9. Woooo Hooo. This is getting better and better.
    Blessings,
    Buddy

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  10. Oh Oh Oh!!! how Exciting! We can't wait to see more
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & mabel

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  11. OMD!!!! OMD!!!! OMD!!! How exciting!!!!! And thank your Moms for takin' such cool pictures! Those burdies are just beautifuls!!! I can't waits to see if you caught any shrunken peeps...that would be SO cool! I hears they are fun too!
    I can't waits to see more!!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  12. OMD I AM DYING LAUGHING OVER THAT LAST PHOTO! DakotasDen

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  13. How exciting for your mom! We can't wait to see more! Love your dad's war face as he's ready to roll, Maggie☺

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  14. Do you need a permit to fish for kids in that pond? BOL!! We can't wait to see what else your mom captured pictures of. There probably are a million pictures to sort through.

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  15. OMD, what fun times! That sounds like heaven for your bird-kerazy momma.

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  16. OMC, salt marshes in Kansas? I have never heard of this refuge, so this is very interesting to me. I love the pics your Mom got. I will look forward to more of them.

    P.S. Clean facilities are VERY important, in my book. :-)

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  17. You are hilarious
    Lily & Edward

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  18. We just started to look at all the pictures from your adventure and PELICANS in Kansas????! Wow!
    Who knew!

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