In May of 2017, Kris and I set out on a 4 month trip in our Northstar truck camper up to Alaska. I did quite a bit of writing on that trip, and this particular piece comes to my mind often when I think about our trip. I wrote it the very first night, the beginning of our 4-month trip.

Have you ever thought about or maybe even heard the barking watchdogs of geese on a lake?   Last night we arrived at a breathtaking camping spot at Saratogo Lake, Wyoming.   It’s located about 30 miles south of Sinclair, tucked way back in the sprawling open fields and located on a serene lake. We camped right on the lake, where the shore is highlighted by flowing grasses and reeds, leading into the vast blue water of the lake teeming with various species of birds.  This area was developed in 1992 as a sanctuary for birds and wildlife.   The magnificent music of the birds singing all evening and again in the morning and afternoon was a delight.  I’d say for me that one very soothing and enjoyable thing I’ve loved my whole life is to hear birds.   I’ve memories of birds in the trees in the area where I grew up, but over the years the open land was developed into housing tracts along with DDT and the birds and butterflies disappeared.  It’s nice to find places where birds are abundant and grace us with their symphonies. 

Why did I ask if you had ever heard the watchdogs of the lake?  Because last evening, as we strolled the lakeshore we spotted two geese also basking in the grasses along the lake.  When they saw and heard us coming close, they started honking, flew into the water and for at least 10 minutes they continued to honk, (which sounds like barking) until we were far away from them.   Had me think that these geese were on alert, like the dogs in our neighborhood who bark and protect their area when the see or smell something foreign.  So I labeled these geese as “the watchdogs of the lake”.