By now, the sun was on the verge of setting, so we headed back towards our campsite. We made a wide loop from the dam back around into the campground, going through the lower loop that was closed off. As we did so, we heard a noise that was followed by a large creature streaking out of a tree overhead from behind us. Being concerned about running into bears, it startled both of us. Then we realized it was a large bird, and decided that it was a turkey vulture, known to be in this area.

Returning to camp, I set up the camp stove and the propane lantern, breaking BOTH mantles in the process. Fortunately, we had a package of 4 replacement mantles on hand to replace them. We still had enough light to cook our dinner, but it was dark by the time we washed the dishes. Sometime after it got dark, but before we went to bed, another car pulled in and set up camp over on the other side of the main campground.

Soon the stars were becoming visible. Usually we're up late enough to see a sky full of stars, out where the air is clear. This time, however, because Jeff had very little sleep and because of the long day's drive, we hit the sack early, when the stars were just starting to become visible.

We kept hearing this noise that sounded a lot like a bear grunting. But then we determined that it was a horse at a nearby residence, outside the park boundary. Occasionally it would whinney, clueing us in as to what it really was.