Nothing Much Happened

The sun was out this morning. And there was no rain in the forecast either. As I peered over my cup of coffee, and looked out the window, the tops of the trees were perfectly still. A good day for cleaning up the garden and clearing the downed trees out in the woods. Perfect, I thought and then I changed my mind and decided to take Baron for a long morning hike. Days of cold, wind and heavy rains left me and the big guy ready to commune with nature.
We hiked perhaps 6 miles this day at a relatively slow pace. Not another person was to be seen all morning. We had Lake Louise State Park all to ourselves. Neither did the birds, deer or even butterflies seem to be around either. . The summer flowers were long gone to seed and only a few scattered asters were in bloom. Baron constantly sniffed the ground looking for anything interesting. Parts of the trails had standing water from the flooding last week. I guessed by looking at the grass that was laying flat, the Upper Iowa River had briefly risen by about three feet. Other areas and towns further to the west had been completely inundated.

In the distance I could see a cross country ski shelter along another trail. Another reminder that winter is not that far away.

At several points the trail left the open grassland and entered the deep woods. CLICK on the small picture and see if you can spot the large wolflike creature hiding in the light and shadows.

A distant reminder of civilization came into view. Giant windmills converting the prairie wind into electricity.

We ended our walk with a little fetching at the deserted beach. Baron loves to fetch. Rather that bring the stick back to me, he would drop it on the beach, begin growling, and then paw, drag, and leap at it. I actually think he believes the stick is a snake. And they say German shepherds are very smart dogs. I have my doubts, though, about that one.

All in all, it was a quiet day. Lots of fresh air. Hiking with my best buddy. Nothing much happened. I love it.

Nostalgic Camping

Here the sun is setting on the channel from the landing on beautiful Mantrap lake near Park Rapids, Minnesota. The lake is so named because of the myriad bays and channels where a man can get easily lost. A woman, of course, would ask for directions. The picture was taken on a vacation to the lake several years ago. Unfortunately, this year, we, along with friends Gary and Rosie, were plagued with rain, wind and cold. Thus, my hopes for some of the usual great fishing were dashed by the weather.

For a change of pace and on what turned out to be the only decent day of our trip, we decided to head up to Bigfork and visit Scenic State Park. For me this was a trip into fond memories. My parents had taken me and my little brothers camping many times to this beautiful park. That's me and my mom packing the car for one of those trips. Can you believe that hat? I think I was about 15 at the time of this picture. Yikes!

The park then and today is noted for great fishing and hiking trails. It was the first state park to be built by the CCC in Minnesota. It's lodge was considered to be a model for other project across the nation. Of course, we didn't know that then.... it was just a place for all the kids to hang out on rainy days. Much later Mrs. T and I also took our sons there for some of their first camping/fishing trips.

Naturally our first stop on this outing was to visit the lodge and the parks two campgrounds. Although much had changed, those long ago memories came rushing back. Those were the days my friends. Here we all are inside the famous lodge.

Another highlight of the park is Chase Point Trail. This esker or long winding ridge of sand and gravel divides adjacent Coon and Sandwich lakes. Come on along with us and take a look.

A Flutter....A Blizzard

The Baron and I were driving along a track on our way to one of my favorite hiking/birding trails. To the right was a prairie, to the left a long line of shrubs and scrub trees. The flutter of monarch butterflies coming off the shrubs quickly became evident. The flutter soon began to look like a blizzard of orange & black for the next quarter of a mile.

I fumbled to get my little cheapo camera out of my pocket. I like the camera because it does fit in my pocket, while the binocs dangle from my neck. The following pics thru the windshield doesn't come close to doing justice to what I actually saw....but you get the idea.

Like many of our migrating birds, the monarchs gather in the fall for an epic journery. My friend, Mr Science (Gary) gives the following succinct explantion.

MONARCHS PRODUCE FOUR GENERATIONS EACH YEAR. THREE OF THESE GENERATIONS ONLY LIVE ABOUT ONE MONTH EACH, BUT ONE GENERATION(THE 4TH GENERATION) LIVES FOR ABOUT 8 MONTHS AND THAT IS THE GENERATION THAT EACH FALL MAKES A 1400+ MILE MIGRATION TO MEXICO. THIS FOURTH GENERATION WILL MIGRATE TO MEXICO, OVERWINTER THERE, LAY EGGS IN MEXICO AND THEN DIE. THOSE EGGS WILL HATCH MAKING A NEW 1ST GENERATION THE WILL MIGRATE AS FAR AS ABOUT N. TEXAS-LAY THIER EGGS AND DIE. THE NEXT TWO GENERATION WILL REPEAT THIS CYCLE AND HEAD FARTHER NORTH EACH TIME. THE 4TH GENERATION IS BORN UP NORTH AND IS THE ONLY GENERATION TO MIGRATE TO MEXICO IN THE FALL.

His notebook "Nature Notes" on the flora and fauna of Fillmore County, Minnesota can be found at

http://fillmorenature.blogspot.com/

Bluff Country Tours

Meet Joe & Mary. Joe is Mrs. T's first cousin. When people come here on the Hill to visit, particularly from the Twin Cities, we like to show off this beautiful southeastern corner of Minnesota. It's known as Bluff Country for its gorgeous hills and valley's. When those people are more than relatives but good friends and fun to be with as well, we always have a good time. Here we all are at Historic Forestville State Park. This summer we visited several other state parks in the area, seeing lots of wildflowers, drove along the Big River and even had a picnic or was it a beer along the way! Like us, Joe and Mary like new adventures and traveling widely. It's fun to compare notes. Here, we're crossing a bridge in Beaver Creek Valley State Park.
Bluff Country Tours. That's where the action is!

Biking

The extreme heat and humidity are seriously crimping my outdoor activites recently. Yesterday, Baron didn't even seem interested in our daily hike. He lay panting on the concrete floor of the garage.

This morning I resolved on an early bike ride before the heat of the day settled in. It was off to the Shooting Star trail passing through Lake Louise State Park. I've taken this trail several times in the last few weeks. It has much to recommend it. Beautiful prairie wildflowers, deep woods, birds and most of all.... IT'S FLAT!

So binocs around my neck, point and shoot camera in my pocket, I headed west away from the rising sun. Last week, I took the same ten mile route with Joanne G while Mrs T. and Joanne's husband John picked us up at the end of the trail.

There were several somewhat exotic but potentially helpful prairie sunflowers along the way. The Cupplant's inverted leaves hold emergency supplies of rainwater in their inverted cupped leaves. Also, the very tall Compass Plant, a sunflower, has large leaves that oriente themselves on a north south axis thus helping lost pioneers or bikers find the way home.

More delicate plants along the way included: Hoary Vervain,

and the ever popular purple coneflowers. On the evening Joanne and I had biked the trail, I noticed some flooded soybean fields along the way. Without my binocs I was unable to determine what the shorebirds were as we passed by. This time I came prepared. Although the extent of the water had shrunk drastically since the previous week, some birds were still there going about their business. To no great surprise, there were a number of killdeer, but then I noticed several larger waders.

Shorebirds are quite uncommon in the southeast counties away from the Mississippi. We have few lakes, and the wetlands have, unfortunately, been mostly drained away. I wasn't quite sure I was seeing a Yellowlegs or what kind of sandpipers, so I left my bike behind and began stalking them , camera in hand.

A Lesser Yellowlegs, for sure. And nearby were several Least Sandpipers scurrying about in the grass. Methinks, one of these days, I may concede the point and invest in one of those highpowered cameras where you can count each feather on the bird. In the meantime though biking and birding, exercising and checking out the wildflowers sure is fun. Hope you enjoyed the ride!

New Horizons

It’s fascinating how our interests can branch off in new directions. A satisfying experience, a good book, movie or television show can open our eyes to new experiences. For me, friends have often opened the door. A long time friend and tennis partner got me interested in prairie restoration and birding. My mother engendered a life long interest in reading and music. Camping, at Sawbill, opened my eyes to canoeing in the Boundary Waters wilderness. And on and on....

More recently, our friends Steve and Jewel traveled with us to France. It was my second trip but Steve’s ability to speak French allowed us to see France in a new and more intimate way. A morning in the Parisian suburb of St. Denis, with its cathedral rich in the history of the French monarchy, wouldn’t have been likely possible on our own without Steve.

This week I opened up a new horizon, in a small way, for Steve. I had mentioned the cave/spring in Forestville Park that was the fount of one of my favorite trout streams - Canfield Creek. Although a lifelong resident of the area, he had never seen it and expressed an interest. We made the several mile trek through the woods to the site. In karst region of sinkholes and disappearing and reappearing rivers, the cave from which the stream emerges is a fascinating sight. The mouth lies at the base of a one hundred foot limestone bluff.

The trail to Big Spring Cave was once a narrow fishermans trail. Now with the expansion of the horse campground, that trail has been widened and graveled. We meet many horsewomen on the trail but no hikers or fisherman.

Some years ago, I was invited to help explore a newly discovered cave. Looking for new horizons, I quickly discovered that slithering on ones stomach, unable to turn around until you came to a "room" some yards ahead was an experience I didn't really care for. It wasn't panic claustrophobia that gripped me but it was an feeling I didn't like. Spelunking was a new horizon that I never repeated.

Giants Of The Earth?

This one is for Joan at http://saphotographs.blogspot.com/ Joan lives in South Africa and has two amazing blogs, mostly showing the flora and fauna of that beautiful country. Check them out!

I'd never seen them before but they are all around us this summer. They're called earwigs.

Oops wrong picture.

They're creeping crawly things, usually found hiding underneath. Baron's water dish, for example. They slither off at the slightest exposure and also try to sneak into the house.

They reportedly tunnel in thru the ears and nest in the brain. Take my word for it THIS IS A MYTH. They also DO NOT CARRY DISEASE.

With a rear mounted pincher they are scary to look at though. When I saw my first ones, my imagination got the best of me. Thinking they were babies, I recalled similar looking giant creatures in a movie, marauding through the streets of Japan & America, laying waste the countryside.

Size: "1"
Shape: Long, narrow
Color: Dark brown
Legs: 6
Wings: No
Antenna: Yes
Common Name: Earwig
Kindom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Dermaptera
Family: Forficulidae
Species: Forficula auricularia
Earwigs feed on leaves, flowers, fruits, mold and insects.

Mrs T has proposed dousing the house foundation with a pesticide. Being the "Green" member of the family, I've resisted that idea. Earwigs. Harmless, cute little bugs aren't they?

Our Neighbors

This old retired couple (us actually) got a new HD TV and signed up for hundreds of cable channels. Each summer some nearby goats have kids.

Now the we spend our evenings on the front porch...... watching the goats across the road. There are eleven of them including five kids. The kids romp and chase. They all (including kids) like to butt heads and climb on the various woods piles.

"This is more entertaining than anything on TV these days," one Troutbirder was heard to say.

Of course, what goes around, comes around, and so I've noticed some of our other neighbors have been watching us, as of late, as well.