Wild turkeys are dark with a mostly bronze iridescence, a naked head and slimmer than their domesticated cousins. These birds were once numerous in open woodlands of south and east but have been hunted to scarcity in most areas. Now, the wild turkey is widely established, fairly numerous and managed as a game bird in all forty-eight contiguous states. Roosts in trees.

Male is larger, brighter with colorful wattles and has a more prominent beard. Some western mails have white-tipped tails.

Awake, get dressed, start the jammer and drive south on IH 27 to the Canyon exit and then turn east on SH 217, drive the ten miles to the state park entrance. I give the ranger my Texas parks pass and ID, then I ask the ranger for a day pass, which she prints and hands to me.

I drive into the park, down into the canyon and then down the canyon floor to the second campground and stop at the shower house for my hot shower.

On my way out, I stop at the cafe and immediately see several wild turkeys so I grab my camera and take a few photos.

When I check to see if the cafe is open, I find it is still closed, so I decide to drive back into town and go to the hair salon for a haircut. After that, I drive to What-mart for two breakfast egg wraps and coffee. Finally, I drive to the w-mart, grab my computer bag and go inside for my second cup of coffee, com and key pounding.

Awake, start the jammer, pull forward and stop. Then I step out and check the campsite and find that I did not leave anything here. I then drive north on FR 288 up to the visitor center and take some photos here. Next, I drive back down to the lower river level and drive across the David Thompson Bridge to look at the other campsites. Finally, I connect to SH 37, turn south and drive towards Libby, and on the side of the road is a family of wild turkey, so I stop, turn around and take some photos of two adults and four juveniles.

Later in the morning, I have my daystart, having a second time soaked the oats with kefir; this time adding cranberries and flax cereal. At five pm, I pack out and head for Meriwether Lewis campground and on the Natchez Trace see a wild turkey, which I am able to photograph.

Then, I continue to the campground arriving with plenty of time to prepare my salad from fixings left from last night.

At seven pm, I am inside the jammer eating salad to avoid the gnats. I finish my journal entry for the day and read for a while before going to sleep.

I arrived here yesterday, set up in the campground, take a hot shower and then begin to cook supper when a flock of wild turkey gobbles through the campsite. As the darkening night encroaches, the sound of crickets fill the air.