May 6th: Moss Park

We are planning four days of complete relaxation before allowing a final two days at another campsite for cleaning the motorhome and packing for the return flight.  

Moss Park is owned and operated by Orange County as a wildlife reserve and campsite. The pitches are huge and around 30 yards apart. You sit at your picnic bench and the wildlife comes to you. This is where we are. The legs belong to Jane.

The picnic table itself provided the first visitor, a white furry caterpillar that went round and round the table. Just like Dougal from the Magic Roundabout.

A raccoon ambles past and makes for the two communal rubbish bins. Straight away it lifts each lid and hauls out a bag from one, quickly ripping it open and extracting an item of food. Hey, that’s our rubbish bag and he’s got our banana skin. Feeling now responsible for the raccoon’s mess, I run over. Raccoon bolts up the tree with banana skin. I repair bag and put back in bin. I jam both lids on tight. Here’s the culprit, the banana skin held under right paw.

I return to our picnic bench. Raccoon swiftly descends tree and equally swiftly removes lids “securely” wedged on by me a few minutes ago. Raccoon-1, Campers-Nil.

Now enter the cavalry, the Park Rangers rubbish collection truck, zooming round the corner in a cloud of dust. Raccoon bolts; rubbish bins are emptied; tranquillity returns to the jungle. 

A wild turkey appears from nowhere. It approaches warily. Any food? No? (Note: it’s forbidden to feed wildlife.) I’ll be off then. We didn’t need to shout “Christmas Dinner” at him.

There’s no particular order to my description of these encounters. The deer came late evening, in the low sunlight and long shadows, making an attractive forest canvas.

I’m giving the impression that we sat at our picnic bench all day. We didn’t. The reserve contained some lovely walks, with lakes and open woodland. One section was called Split Oak. One often wonders where these names originate, often without finding out. This time, after walking a couple of miles, we came upon a board that told the tale. About 50 years ago, a 200 year oak tree split down the middle due to the weight of its branches, but it continued to grow. This is what it looks like now.

This is a fox squirrel that we saw on another walk. These are bigger and sturdier than the common grey squirrel, and generally rare.

The evening light was quite magical, and this photo is a fitting final tribute to our four lovely days in Moss Park.