Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Devils Lake


Sometimes people do strange things like climb the world’s tallest most dangerous mountains because they’re there. Well,  we recently, with our friends John and Joann, took the overnight Amtrak from Winona, Minnesota to Devils Lake, North Dakota because it’s there and we could. 

Devils Lake is a town in northeastern North Dakota and it has a lake of the same name. It’s the second largest lake in the State behind the giant reservoir Sakakawea.  It’s special because like the energizer bunny it just keep on going and growing.  It’s growing as in it was  forty thousand square acres a decade ago and now over it's 240,000 acres and in the process of drowning out hundreds of farms, roads, and even towns.   The lake, now having almost reached the maximum overflow height of its closed basin, threatens serious flooding downstream in Minnesota and Manitoba, Canada. There are were and remain big legal controversies.  We checked it all out.
Another big attraction in the Devil Lake area we visited was Sullys Hill, a National Game Preserve.  Established originally in 1904 by President Theodore Roosevelt as a National Park, it was designated by Congress in 1914 as a big game preserve to conserve two of North America's most majestic species: American bison and elk.  The bison was almost extirpated  from its original millions and the elk range drastically reduced and entirely so from North Dakota. 
John, Joanne and Barb take a break on the steep climb to the top of Sully's Hill for a grand view of the surrounding countryside. 
And as the sun set a monster bull elk stepped out onto the road ride in front of us.  Wow!!!!
 
 

21 comments:

  1. That's scary about the lake. Yay for the bison and elk!

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  2. the wildlife is very cool. i know about that area in n. dakota being terribly flood-prone. fema does a LOT of work up there - seemingly every year.

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  3. Neat that you take the train just because it's there. There's been lots of controversy about this lake.

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  4. I think the lake is just going back to it's natural boundaries before man got involved and built stuff all over and diverted the water. Just like old Lake Agassiz in Fargo Moorhead during the flood years.
    That is some huge Elk:)

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  5. Love the pic of you all in that spot .
    Seeing the Bison and Elk is great !!

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  6. I love train rides and don't take them often because of finances, but I really enjoy them! Love the wildlife! I always enjoy seeing your adventures!

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  7. Nice photos of the wildlife. I'm glad the bison and elk are back on their old range.
    Devil's Lake sounds like it's living up to its name, becoming a monster!

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  8. The bison looks huge! Great pictures, TB. Thanks for taking me along on your adventure. :-)

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  9. Looks like you all had a nice trip. I loved seeing the elk and bison when we went to Yellowstone...

    Devils Lake is kinda scary... Don't think I'd want to live south of there ---or anywhere in its path.....

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  10. I'm pretty certain it's mating season for elks, so happy that Bull Elk didn't charge you. Nice place you live in!

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  11. We stayed in Devil's Lake in 2007 on our way to the Ohio Air Show. I was not comfortable with it at all. All that water spooked me. Nice wildlife shots!

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  12. Unusual to let it get bigger than [planned, love the critters.one Lake I just went to has 5 towns under it,but they were almost ghost towns being former coal towns.

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  13. Sounds like a wonderful excursion!

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  14. Water has a way of reclaiming its own space - sounds like Devil's lake is doing that. People have to learn to respect nature.

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  15. Kind of agree with Far Side. We often think we know better than nature. Saw it happen in Florida.
    Love the close encounters with bison and Elk. Wow.

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  16. Nature provides so much interest. What a problem with Devil's Lake. Elk are wonderful to view but I bet these elk wouldn't charge anyone -- they are probably habituated to the visitors. -- barbara

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  17. Have an elk walk out like that unannounced would be a little bit frightening.

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  18. Those pictures of the elk and bison are neat -- the elk looks huge. The lake sounds scary. I guess it just shows you can't fool Mother Nature.

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  19. Great looking spots. I'll have to add those to my lists as well. Hubby and I just got back from Winona---and Brownsville....to see the Swans migration (cuz SOMEBODY wrote on that little gem last year and got us thinking....)
    And what was so funny, when we were outside of Great River Bluffs State park at a gas station, I saw a couple that looked like a Mr and Mrs Troutbirder........which I'm guessing it wasn't........
    My gosh, it was cold though--13 degrees Tuesday when we were there. But the swans were magnificent and THANK YOU for sharing your trips. It gets us out there.

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  20. What a great little trip! I do hope someone figures out what to do before the lake becomes more dangerous for those around it....sad.
    Love seeing the bison and Elk; LOVE that they are safe there!

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  21. I hadn't heard about Devil's Lake; thanks for the info.

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