THIS is Sand Hills State Park:

There are LOTS of trails around the Sand Hills. Moe and I made the mistake of trying one in the afternoon when I arrived, and we both nearly died of the heat. Moe got hosed off under the outside shower without even protesting, and we both drank about a gallon of water.

Hiking in the morning was much better. I had assumed that birding on the plains would be simple: birds would conveniently perch on fenceposts or the occasional (probably dead) tree, and I would add new species at every turn. Unfortunately, birds are smarter than that—most congregate where there is shade, and protection.

But a few did show themselves, and that morning, I added three new species to my life list: Lark Sparrow, Dickcissel, and Blue Grosbeak (if you’ve ever seen an Indigo Bunting, Blue Grosbeaks look just like them, except a bit larger, and with chestnut wingbars).

And the prairie wildflowers are lovely!

My first night at Sand Hills, we had another storm: the lightning flashed, the wind howled, the camper shook like a leaf, and clouds roiled above me. I sat up in terror until after midnight, expecting to make a mad dash for the shower house at any moment. The rain didn’t come until after the wind died down. I finally fell asleep, only to discover when I woke that I’d left all the car windows open. Nothing critical was damaged, but all our sweatshirts and jackets had to be hung out to dry, and the car seats took a full day to dry out. The cup holders were small ponds.

It’s Thursday, May 19, so I’m off to Sterling, KS, to meet Russ and to make plans for the remainder of our trip across Kansas.