Camping At Groton State Forest In Vermont

 I spent a couple of days camping in Groton State Forest in Vermont. What impressed me the most about this forest was that it has 7 state parks within its boundaries. The area has lots of ponds, lakes, and scenic overlooks. This photo was taken at a place called Owls Head. A short trail leads you to the top and offers views of Lake Groton, kettle Pond and the Green Mountains.

 The Civilian Conservation Corps lined the trail on the way up with convenient stone steps and built this tower at the top. All this work was done in the 1930's and has stood the test of time. I wonder why they didn't try a similar program during this past recession? 

I spent most of my time around the park just hiking and looking at the scenery. There were a lot of people from out of state driving around looking for Fall foliage. 

 I stayed in a cabin at Ricker Pond State Park. I found a few species of birds on the day of my arrival including Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Red-breasted Nuthatches, a pair of loons that always seemed to be on the opposite side of the lake, a Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Creeper, a healthy population of American Robins, and one lonely mallard that liked to come out at sunset. 

 There was a Red Squirrel that was kept me company. I think he was trying to tell me where all the birds were hiding but unfortunately, I don't speak fluent squirrel so it was difficult to get a conversation going.

At the end of the day I headed back to the cabin to contemplate my plans for the next day. That's me sitting in the chair by the fire  performing one of my magic tricks.