Arista Ramblers: Port Burwell, July 8-10 2016

This was our first adventure to Port Burwell this year and it was a very exciting one for me. We were trying a new site and it was very spacious and had lots of trees for shade. In the past year they have cut down over 800 ash trees in the camping area so some of the sites are now very sunny. Friday evening we managed to get in a few hours of a campfire before the heavy rains and thunderstorm came in. It lasted about 1 1/2 hours and then cleared off. When we went back out the fire was still burning so I added a few more logs and enjoyed more time by the light of the fire.
Saturday morning things were much drier and we hung out at camp until noon when we headed out to do some exploring. We didn't get far when I spotted a Pileated Woodpecker and yelled at Duncan to stop so I could try and get some photos. To my delight I was able to spend quite some time observing not one, not even two, but three of them busily working their beaks on a rotten tree. I was able to get to within ten feet of the dad and his two sons. What a trill it was to watch them interact with each other and be able to see just how big and beautiful they are. They didn't seem to care that I was so close. The little ones seemed to take turns by dads side and then would fly off to another tree and peck away on there own for a bit. I am not sure where mom was as I didn't see her in the hour I spent watching them. Needless to say Duncan was getting a little impatient as this was not part of our plans. I apologized for the delay but this was something I had to enjoy while the opportunity presented itself. It was a little windy and cool at the beach so we just went for a walk and sat for a while before we headed back to the car. We drove into town and I picked up some cheese at the Sweet Shop before we stopped at the ice cream store to enjoy a bowl of yummy ice cream. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and went down to the beach to watch the sunset but the clouds interfered with that plan so we enjoyed a long evening by the campfire instead.
Sunday I went for a walk along the trail and ran into a couple of deer that took off into a wheat field as soon as they noticed me coming along. It didn't take them much time to clear the fence and be gone from my sight. After brunch we relaxed for a bit before packing up and heading to the beach for the rest of the day. It was nice to sit and listen to the waves roll in for the afternoon. I did walk into the water but I found it a bit too chilly for my liking. It was a great weekend and quite relaxing.