Stiff Goldenrod

It was time for the annual "leaf tour" with our friends Gary & Rosie. This year we also worked in a hike along the Shooting Star bike trail. Baron led the way. It has been an absolutely stunning Oct. The essence of what we Minnesotans call "Indian Summer." Warm and sunny. No rain. And the knowledge that our Artic type winter cannot be far away.

Rosie, the intrepid photographer, spots a butterfly on the trail and manuevers for the right angle.

While the prarie landscape surrounding the bike trail has that drab late fall brownness about it, I'm alert to patches of color here and there. The fall trifecta of New England Asteers, White Asters and Stiff Goldenrod makes their appearance here and there along the trail.

It's the Stiff Goldenrod that catches my attention this time. Knowing that its was some kind of a late season goldenrod, I couldn't quite put a name on it. Checking my wildflower books turned up the corect I.D.

Stiff Goldenrod (Hard-leaved Goldenrod)Oligoneuron rigidum (Solidago rigida)
Stiff goldenrod is a common plant in midwestern prairies.
• Family: Aster (Asteraceae) • Habitat: open, dry, rocky or sandy areas• Height: 1-5 feet• Flower size: small; arranged in flat-topped clusters 3-5 inches across• Flower color: yellow• Flowering time: August to September• Origin: native

For us northerners late fall can be a special season. A hint of cooling wind from the North. The warm rays of sun. And the "last roses" of summer. Enjoy it while you can!

Then and Now

They were having a reunion after 40 years and all were looking healthy and amazingly well... Remember the 7 children of the Von Trapp family? The Sound of Music' won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 1965 and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced.

40 Yrs Later: The 7 Children in 'The Sound of Music'.

CURRENTLY..... It wouldn't be funny if it weren't so true.. Julie Andrews turned 69 and to commemorate her 69th birthday on October 1, actress/vocalist Julie Andrews made a special appearance at Manhattan 's Radio City Music Hall for the benefit of the AARP. One of the musical numbers she performed was "My Favourite Things" from the legendary movie "The Sound Of Music."

Here are the actual lyrics she used: "Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting, Walkers and handrails and new dental fittings, Bundles of magazines tied up in string, These are a few of my favourite things. Cadillac's and cataracts, and hearing aids and glasses, Polident and Fixodent and false teeth in glasses, Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings, These are a few of my favourite things.. When the pipes leak, When the bones creak, When the knees go bad, I simply remember my favourite things, And then I don't feel so bad."

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd that lasted over four minutes and repeated encores.

Deep Waters

There is a rather large lake adjacent to one of my favorite dog/hiking birding venues - Myre Big Island State Park. The name of the lake is Albert Lea as in the nearby town. There has always been a mystery surrounding this big lake for me. The mystery, quite simply, is this. Why do I rarely see any kind of boaters there. I mean really! Minnesota has tons of fishermen, water skiers, jet skiers, canoeists and kayakers.

Recent rains had flooded many nearby towns earlier that week but I took a chance anyway. Sure enough the dock at the launch area was a least a foot under water. The ramp was still functional though, and with Mrs. T hopping up and over the bow into the boat, we launched out into the lake.

Of course, we were the only watercraft on the water. We cruised the shoreline, bays and middle of the lake for several hours. We saw plenty of ducks and some submerged backyards. Also some beautiful shoreline as the leaves had begun to change color.

I kept the depth finder running so as not to run aground. That proved to be the key to the mystery. With the lake at least two feet above normal, judging by the flooded docks and yards, the deepest spot on the lake I could find was 6 feet. Hmmmm. Mystery solved.

A Regular Customer

He and his family are regular, and I might add voracious, visitors at my bird feeders.


"Hey Troutbirder! Supplies are looking rather low here today. I expect better service than this. Now get on it!"

The Biker

I was standing on the bike trail bridge looking down at the recently flooding Upper Iowa river, when a biker zipped on by behind me.

She looked vaguely familiar so I hurried to catch up. Coming around a bend there she was standing in the trail.

"Hi Sweetie," I hollered. Ok time to fess up. It was Barb, my wife, a.k.a. Mrs T.

This was a special day for us. She hadn’t been biking for several years. It had been a rough period actually. First, there was cancer surgery. This was immediately followed by a serious wound infection, where I had to learn how to "pack it." Then came gall bladder surgery. Then a year later an artificial knee replacement. She had carried on bravely and with great resolve thru all of this. We continued to travel, go for lots of "rides" etc. but biking seemed a little much. This day the tide turned. The sun was shining and after getting our sea legs, we raced down the trail together. Life is good.

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!