Time in the Mountains JUne 28th 2011

Day 24 June 28, 2011 Banff Alberta

Bikes, hikers, old cars and cycles.

Yes lots of them in the park and on some roads they have the right of way and cars are restricted. This Provincial Park seems to have all bases covered and encourages hiking, biking, and back packing as indeed it should. In 1885 it (Banff) was a stopping place for the CPRR (Canadian Pacific RR), with the main attraction at the time the mineral springs (still here) . The name BANFF comes from the home of the major financier of the CPRR in Banffshire , Scotland. The park is 6,569 Km2. (No I am not converting it!). The Park actually connects with Jasper P.P. to the north which we will traverse this week..

The first foray this day was the Bow Parkway that runs from just outside Banff to Lake Louise some 50 miles to the north. It is the original highway and has now been made into a “drive in the daytime only” parkway. Here there are chances to see much wildlife and we started the first 100 feet by seeing a family of Mountain goats (4 adults and 3 kids) (see pics). They had come right to the roadside to graze on grass and minerals . On this stretch of road the speed limit is 30 Km /h so traffic is very courteous for the most part. One can stop, take pictures, and move on.

Besides a few birds on the roadway, there were many mountains and three points of interest that caught my eye. First was the use of a prescribed burn back in 1993 on a large section of timber (1,000 acres +). This is done to allow the necessary growth that comes after a fire to reinitiate so the wildlife can have food. If the forest gets a heavy over story much of this is smothered and so to speak eliminating the food sources.

The second point was a memorial to the men who were incarcerated in WW1 because of their heritage. It seems that Canada had many Ukrainian refugees from Europe (Austria/Prussia) and that they were concerned about their loyalty and espionage potential. (SOUND FAMILIAR ???) So they placed them in immigrant camps as they called them all over Canada and the Provincial Park here was one of them. There were 200,000 of them in these camps in Canada. Recently the Ukrainian community placed an additional memorial here with only the words “WHY?” in English and three other languages. (The USA has since created some excellent testimonies to the Japanese interment.)

The third big stop on the Bow Road was at Johnson Canyon, a very heavily used commercial stop that does have a beautiful canyon and attending waterway (Johnson Creek) that has cut a deep canyon (500 feet deep in places) with attending walls and white water and falls for many miles upstream. The path is well traveled to see the lower and upper falls. We looked for Dippers here, too, but did not see any. One new bird was a Yellow Headed Warbler, which is new to our birding list. We walked the up and down mile to the lower falls and back. Again new construction (a visitors center) made the parking lot here a disaster.

We arrived at Lake Louise and headed right for Moraine Lake as that is a beautiful setting at the base of the mountains. Took some pictures in the rain, bought some post cards and headed back to the campground. Note the bridges for wildlife over the road. The fencing along the road must have cost many millions. (See pic)

Getting on the internet to send blogs and e mail is tight here . We finally found a spot at ...yes... Starbucks, and competed a quick download . Hey, had to have an iced Latte, eh?

After supper we “tooled” downtown Banff (not our favorite thing) and went to the south end of town where the Bow River Falls are located. This was NOT a long walk but only across the parking lot. (See pics). It was also a starting place for rafters (downriver from the falls) for rafting the Bow River. This river makes a splendid Valley through the mountains. The Bow River eventually runs south into the Saskatchewan River, then the Great Slave Lake and the the Nelson River to Hudson Bay. (long journey!)

Anyhoo,...Lthe te that evening we toured a short Vermilion road that encompasses a series of ponds that are good Moose habitats, but saw only a Common Loon and good views of the mountains at sunset. Earlier in the afternoon Ruth photographed a rainbow in the same area.

That was pretty much it for the day and another great day in the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow a loop road of lakes and ponds and Yoho Provincial Park.

Day 24 June 28, 2011 Banff Alberta

Bikes, hikers, old cars and cycles.

Yes lots of them in the park and on some roads they have the right of way and cars are restricted. This Provincial Park seems to have all bases covered and encourages hiking, biking, and back packing as indeed it should. In 1885 it (Banff) was a stopping place for the CPRR (Canadian Pacific RR), with the main attraction at the time the mineral springs (still here) . The name BANFF comes from the home of the major financier of the CPRR in Banffshire , Scotland. The park is 6,569 Km2. (No I am not converting it!). The Park actually connects with Jasper P.P. to the north which we will traverse this week..

The first foray this day was the Bow Parkway that runs from just outside Banff to Lake Louise some 50 miles to the north. It is the original highway and has now been made into a “drive in the daytime only” parkway. Here there are chances to see much wildlife and we started the first 100 feet by seeing a family of Mountain goats (4 adults and 3 kids) (see pics). They had come right to the roadside to graze on grass and minerals . On this stretch of road the speed limit is 30 Km /h so traffic is very courteous for the most part. One can stop, take pictures, and move on.

Besides a few birds on the roadway, there were many mountains and three points of interest that caught my eye. First was the use of a prescribed burn back in 1993 on a large section of timber (1,000 acres +). This is done to allow the necessary growth that comes after a fire to reinitiate so the wildlife can have food. If the forest gets a heavy over story much of this is smothered and so to speak eliminating the food sources.

The second point was a memorial to the men who were incarcerated in WW1 because of their heritage. It seems that Canada had many Ukrainian refugees from Europe (Austria/Prussia) and that they were concerned about their loyalty and espionage potential. (SOUND FAMILIAR ???) So they placed them in immigrant camps as they called them all over Canada and the Provincial Park here was one of them. There were 200,000 of them in these camps in Canada. Recently the Ukrainian community placed an additional memorial here with only the words “WHY?” in English and three other languages. (The USA has since created some excellent testimonies to the Japanese interment.)

The third big stop on the Bow Road was at Johnson Canyon, a very heavily used commercial stop that does have a beautiful canyon and attending waterway (Johnson Creek) that has cut a deep canyon (500 feet deep in places) with attending walls and white water and falls for many miles upstream. The path is well traveled to see the lower and upper falls. We looked for Dippers here, too, but did not see any. One new bird was a Yellow Headed Warbler, which is new to our birding list. We walked the up and down mile to the lower falls and back. Again new construction (a visitors center) made the parking lot here a disaster.

We arrived at Lake Louise and headed right for Moraine Lake as that is a beautiful setting at the base of the mountains. Took some pictures in the rain, bought some post cards and headed back to the campground. Note the bridges for wildlife over the road. The fencing along the road must have cost many millions. (See pic)

Getting on the internet to send blogs and e mail is tight here . We finally found a spot at ...yes... Starbucks, and competed a quick download . Hey, had to have an iced Latte, eh?

After supper we “tooled” downtown Banff (not our favorite thing) and went to the south end of town where the Bow River Falls are located. This was NOT a long walk but only across the parking lot. (See pics). It was also a starting place for rafters (downriver from the falls) for rafting the Bow River. This river makes a splendid Valley through the mountains. The Bow River eventually runs south into the Saskatchewan River, then the Great Slave Lake and the the Nelson River to Hudson Bay. (long journey!)

Anyhoo,...Lthe te that evening we toured a short Vermilion road that encompasses a series of ponds that are good Moose habitats, but saw only a Common Loon and good views of the mountains at sunset. Earlier in the afternoon Ruth photographed a rainbow in the same area.

That was pretty much it for the day and another great day in the Canadian Rockies. Tomorrow a loop road of lakes and ponds and Yoho Provincial Park.

Day 23 2011, Wanna Cross over into Canada?

Last evening at Pend Orielle (ID) Rocky Mountains across Columbia Lake (BC)

The Rocky Mountains west of the continental divide in British Columbia

Castle Mountain approaching Alberta from west

Day 23 June 27 2011 Crossing the border into Canada.

So how was the border crossing you ask, Well hand on and we will tell you in some detail. VERY interesting, indeed. But first let’s get to that point some 25 miles north of Bonner’s Ferry ID. We did get a good start at 8:15 and were into Bonner’s Ferry by 9:00 AM. We crossed the Kootenai River , not for the last time as it now comes down out of Canada where it is spelled Kootenay and is very long and makes a hairpin turn in USA and returns to Canada. It eventually drains into the Columbia River system and the Pacific Ocean at Astoria OR. This is similar to what the Fraser River does as well. I digress!

Before we reached the border at Eastport Idaho, we stopped at an ver look of the Kootenai Valley. What a wonderful sight from high on the bluff with wheat fields and hay and cultivated fields showing their patterns . Then we arrived at the border.

They are “redoing” the border here at Eastport and it as a mess, temporary roads and tight turns and temporary buildings, but efficient in its own way. All vehicles pulling a trailer or motorhomes, had to stop, be checked o the computer inside the building and then hand the keys t the inspector while he goes through the trailer. Of course we had no guns, drugs, ammo, etc, but he did find Ruth’s Krispy apples she had just bought and those were confiscated. We had to remake the bed as their os storage under the ebed and he found it. He did not find the storage under the breakfast table where we store our vacuum and extra juices. (All the travel stuff (loose) in the kitchen is stored on that pad and it was intact. About 30 minutes to do that and we were given our passports back and headed for the Free Duty store to exchange some money into Canadian (.94 for the USA dollar) . They had a temporary shed to drive under but it was 8’ 6” and when I started to pull in I realized that my vents would not make it so I backed out.

Then the trip got really interesting in a visual sort of way. The mountains of the Rockies began to appear. Remember we are coming from the south and heading north and east to get t Banff area. So we cross from British Columbia to Alberta to pick up highway #1 (The Queen’s Highway) which goes north so we will connect to the Alcan HIghway eventually.

So it was the Moyie River that we crossed eight times which comes out of beautiful Moyie Lake . Then the larger town of Cranbrook as we started to get onto more Lodges, Hotels and large tourist accommodations. Some were “spa “ oriented. The historic site of Fort Steele a heritage town, the the statue of ‘Skookumchuck” the Native Canadian who’s statue stands by the side of the road. He is a legend here. Then the rolling hills and in the distance the Rocky Mountains. We get closer as we pass through Windemere and near Invermere, both resort towns. At Radium Hot DSprings, however the road heads directly onto the Mountains to the east. Got gas here for $1,27 /Liter or about $4.00 US. Last fill in USA was $3.55/gal.

Ruth was able to get some beautiful mountain shots on this stretch and we will share them with you when we get Wi-Fi. (None in the Park) From Radium Hot Springs to Banff is about 133 Km or about 78 miles .(Remember to multiply Km by .6 to get the miles.

We did find the park easily (Tunnel Campground #2) and got set up quickly on site number 423. Although t isn’t as beautiful as some parks, it s surrounded by the mountains and very quiet considering there may be 1,000 rigs here this week. *Canada Day is July 1, and we will be “out of here”. There is no question that the mountains are spectacular and still snow capped in some paces above 7,000 feet. There has not been the run off here nor the rain . Tomorrow we wilo drive the Bow River scenic road and scout for birds,. IT was pretty thin today with only 12 species and no new birds.

Sunday June 26, Day 22 at East Hope Idaho

22 Sunday June 26 East Hope, Idaho

PIctures cannot download. Will try tomorrow!

Well yesterday may have been a “perfect day” but today was not far behind. Weather -sunny and “San Diego” weather IE: 65-75 F, although it did not reach 75 F quite. This was the day to drive up to the Kootenai NWR and see what the northern most city in Idaho has to offer in the way of wildlife. We were off before 8:15 and found the Sunday traffic at that time quite non-existent. Idaho 222W to US 95N and then north out of Sandpoint. It is rolling country between the Cabinet Range and the ranges of Eastern Washington where the Palouse land is famous for its pictorial value.

As we reached the hill coming down into the Kootenai River valley the river seemed full but not over the banks like many in the NW so far. A right turn along Riverside drive and we saw that this road along the Kootenai R. was excellent birding, with lots of flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Cedar Waxwings, and a sitting Bald Eagle that was pretty skittish as that big Tundra drove slowly toward it. (No picture of that one!) The park headquarters was closed on Sunday (due to federal mandates to reduce funding), but after we walked a trail to Myrtle Creek we met the Refuge manager , Diana, who kibitzed with us indicating some highlights we might see. She was on her way to Eastern WAshington for a conference on that areas wildlife and birds. (Sunday work still!)

The road around the 2,270 acre Reserve is circular (!) and abuts Myrtle Creek on the west and the Kootenai River on the west. The Refuge is surrounded by a huge dike. Most of the Refuge is small ponds that are manged the year round for water level, (now at low stage of flood for the summer hatches and fledges). Those are surrounded by grass lands and some sedge and cattails in the wetland portions. We saw a few birds but have been spoiled by Bowdoin, Medicine Lake and other Refuges. The Refuge is used by the locals frequently and we did see and talk with some of them. JIm did see once again the elusive Common Yellowthroat and that made him happy. The ducks were few but Gadwalls, Wood Duck, a family of Coots, and a “blue billed” Ruddy Duck were present. The day was sunny all day so the air was good and the light excellent.

We looked for a Dairy Queen on the way home, but we are in Northern Idaho! There were some ice cream places, but we waited until we got back to the trailer to dive into that Tillamook “Fudge” . YUM. Oh yes and tell Tamara Camp that we found her family’s bar named “Camp’s Bar and Grill” it was in Clark’s Fork. It needs a little work, Tamara.

The day ended with a walk around the campground after “chicken roll ups”. The walk did produce a new bird on the trip (NBOTT) and that was the beautiful Stellar’s Jay. It is black around the head and a sheen colored blue on the tail, and very dark otherwise. It is quiet, and moves discreetly. Ruth found it on top of a camper at first and then in a tall cedar tree. The Calliope Hummingbird was spotted as well. So as I said it was a good day and we can be thankful.

Tomorrow we cross over onto Canada where US 95 becomes Canada 95 at the Eastport (USA) and the Kingsgate (CA) port of entries. We willlet you know how the border crossing goes in Northern Idaho! See you then, eh?

Lake Pend Orielle in Idaho Friday June 24, 2011

Day 20 from West Glacier, MT., to East Hope Idaho

OLD LAKE MISSOULA ...FOR GEOLOGISTS AND MATHEMATICIANS

The drive from West Glacier to the Idaho border by the way we went is about 220 miles. That takes us south on US 93 through Polson, then through the Clark Fork Valley, a beautiful valley surrounded on both sides by the Lolo, Kaniksu and Kootenai National Forests alongside the Clark Fork River all the way. The peaks of the main mountains top some 5500 to 6500 feet. This valley is the result of a the outflow of the Ancient Lake MIssoula. The Lake was **4300 feet above sea level and about 2000 feet deep where the jam was formed by the glacial debris. It was about the size of Lake Ontario today. It emptied its water (glacial melt) in a very short time (days) and at one time the flow was at a rate believed to be 8-10 cubic miles of flow per hour. At its’ greatest flow the Mississippi River flows at “only” .02 cubic miles of flow per hour. The Lake Missoula flow equaled all the flow of all the streams in the world. (There is only one other place today that does that. That is the tidal flow in the Bay of Fundy two times per day.) At any rate the Lake Missoula flood was the largest single outpouring of water in known geologic history. This valley has many other geologic wonders like the basketball sized rocks that were pushed along at 45 mph, and the “gulch filling” with sand (large single sand dunes) that has been left and seen today between the hills.

Gas in the Valley was about $3.58/gal

This year like much of the Plains, here in the Northwest the water is at flood stage much like ND. The Pend Orielle Lake is about 8-10 feet above normal and docks, farms and marinas are under water while the many Osprey platforms along the water are only 1-2 feet about the water line preventing the Osprey from nesting on them. Here at Island BView RV it is the same with all the docks and marina under water. We are surrounded by deer in a local refuge and they walk right through the yard! LOts of them right out the kitchen window each day.

We arrived at Island View Campground at 3:00 as we gained another hour (PDT) and set up camp easily in a very quiet mostly wooded, long time used, campground. Many of the tenants have been here 25-30 years and counting.

Ruth and I took a short trip into Sandpoint to get a part I needed for a sewer hose that was broken and had supper when we returned (Taco Salad ). I watched for birds and although we did better than yesterday, we still only ID’d 24 including first sightings of a Black Billed Magpie, a Rufous Hummingbird and a Golden Eagle. The first and last ones were while traveling in the truck.

We have identified two good birding sites. One at the Bonner’s Ferry NWR , north of here, and just a few miles away at the Corps of Engineers site at the Clark’s Fork Estuary. We will try the latter tomorrow.

** Today Pend Orielle Lake is 2300 feet above sea level. Yes that's pronounced "Pend Oray". I'll have pictures tomorrow.

Last Day in Glacier ...Heading west!

Clearing snow at Logan Pass in Glacier

Day 19, June 23, 2011 West Glacier , MT.

We truly took a “Day Off” in the sense that we did not actively pursue bird identification. Interestingly enough, we did ID only 8 birds today but two of them were new on the trip. They were the Evening Grosbeak and the PIne Siskin. Both were seen at two feeders in Hungry Horse residences when we went “scoping out” the area a bit. Sometimes we will pick a road or side trail to seek out birds. This was one of those time.

Mainly today we did a few necessary things, and started with a breakfast in the trailer of sausage and eggs and toast. (A good breakfast is always necessary!) Had we gone to the KOA “Cafe” here, that would be about $10.00- per head. It was good and it got us started off with good nourished . I will add some thoughts about the meals from

time to time, as they re a big part of the day especially making decisions about what to Aerial view of Hungry Horse Dam eat. Ruth and i share the decisions usually.

The morning was mainly determining a way to get that trailer (see post of dirty trailer in Devils Lake) looking a bit better and remove some of the bugs and road dirt that had accumulated. We used the “bucket” method and with rags, a long handled brush and some “ elbow grease” managed after a few hours to get it looking much better. The bugs will still need some work but it looks cleaner and I am sure it “feels” better.

Next we headed onto Columbia Falls (10 miles) to get three things accomplished. 1. A haircut for Jim, 2. check two tires that appear to be wearing too quickly on the outside (back truck tires) and 3. Get lunch. We started by stopping at a Wes Schwab Tire and service center (Didn’t they used to paint cars for $25.00?) to see if they could determine (and repair?) the tire problem. Although there was no noticeable difference in the truck handling , I didn’t want to run into an unexpected problem, either. “Willy” greeted me at the door and he actually opened it for me! Wow! When did that ever happen to you at a Tire store, or any store? He examined the tires and we talked about changing air pressure on tires as loads (weights) change from time to time. (Dodge trucks have automatic pressure change indicators so you can do just that- I didn’t know that either until today). So we finally agreed that increasing the tire pressure some 5# will flatten the tire treads somewhat to the road and give a better wear. Sometimes overload can cause that as well. but I don’t believe we are overloaded.

Then to get a haircut so we stopped in the downtown street at “the Barber Shop”, where Barbara proceeded to give me not only a haircut , but pretty much the history of her life from the age of four when the family left S. California for Libby, Montana in January. (Think about that.) We had some good exchanges about Israel (both of us had visited there), Seattle Washington and Camano Island where she will retire in a few years, as well as her two grandchildren and their exploits. It was fun and a good ,trim haircut.

Then it was lunch at Burger King, a treat for us. We were the only ones there so it was a late (1:30) and quiet stop.

The last stop of the day before the bird sightings in Hungry horse was a trip to see the Hungry Horse Dam built in the 1950’s . At 525 feet high it was the second highest on the world at that time. My brother in law worked here in the 1950’s as it was being built. He was a efficiency man and time keeper while there. One nephew was born at Hungry Horse as well. We took pictures for my sister who is adding them to her books for the grandchildren.

It was a good day, and ended with some of that Tillamook Mudslide Ice Cream. What a way to end the day. We have been waiting for that. It ranks just a tad better than Hudsonville.

Tomorrow we head for Idaho and a spot along the Clark Fork River where the Osprey will be waiting for us. We will stop at the National Bison Range southwest of Polson, MT., on the way. OIdaho 222 is a scenic route. Thanks for reading.

Day 17 and 18 Driving to and in Glacier NP

Bear at roadside - Glacier NP

Bear Grass McDonald Lake in the AM Lake McDonald Glacier N.P.

The trip from Malta , Montana to West Glacier, Montana was under a sunny blue sky day. In the afternoon some of those “Montana Clouds” (as I used to tell the children they were), began to appear. They were those fluffy, lined up, cumulus clouds. There were a few road stoppages and one particularly difficult one coming through Shelby that was very bumpy, but the rest of the road was good all the way. A workman on the road commented that the day was beautiful but those gnats were about to drive him crazy. They were pesky.

After Shelby the Rocky Mountains began to appear and you could feel the adrenaline rush and remember what it must have been for those first pioneers coming across the pains and seeing the mountains. Or maybe Rogers and Clark and the men of 1804? Rogers and Clark did get into Blackfeet country as they shot two Blackfeet and “\A” in a hurry. That was the only confrontation they had.

I must pause here to remind folks to keep those residents of many towns along that route (US 2) that are being evacuated from the flood zones, and those who fear that will happen to them in the near future. We are blessed to not have that fear in most of our lives. Minot and Williston, North Dakota and Malta, Montana are the largest cities in the floods wake. Many farmers and residents will lose their farming continuity due to land loss, and property losses are irretrievable many cases.

But we did arrive at East Glacier in the mid afternoon with the mountains looming before us. The signage at Browning was noticeably Native American (Blackfoot) as it was at Fort Peck and Fort Belknap. The Blackfeet number some 10,000 tribal members at present.

We found our campground (KOA just outside West Glacier) after a very picturesque and winding drive through the south boundary of the park, where US 2 skirts the edges of some very high precipices following the Middle Fork of the Flathead River some 50 miles into Glacier N.P.

The following morning we found out that we could not drive up to the Going To the Sun Highway as the winter snow was still being cleared and there was no time table to allow traffic up that road. One could drive to Avalanche Creek Campground, but that was still at low elevations and a long way from Logan Pass. We did do just that and got an early start on the still and cool morning. McDonald Lake was very photogenic ( see pic) as there were no ripples at all and the reflections of the mountains was spectacular. Ruth did get some shots of it as well as McDonald Creek that flows into the lake and out again. The spring run off is very strong due to a moisture content of the snow (deep snowfalls) was at 49.5% as opposed to the usual 25% moisture. We did get some good cataract and waterfall pictures and spotted a few new birds albeit not many, for the day. The new birds seen were the Cassins Vireo, Willow Flycatcher and the Vaux Swift.

In the afternoon as we had ample time, by not driving up the “Sun “ highway to Logan Pass, we elected to seek out a new NWR called Lost Trail. It is being developed (1997) by securing property from old logging sections some 60 miles distant from our campground. It was a leisurely trip and we found that there was no formal development there although the potential was high. We saw a DNRC building not occupied, and later Jim found that the HQ for the NWR was some 20 miles further on the road that we started on. You don’t win ‘em all.!

The day ended with a Quick Lube oil change (and a patch of a windshield chip obtained near Williston from a truck, and then grocery shopping so the larder is full. The surprise in shopping was that we now can get Tillamook Ice Cream (and cheese) and Ruth did get a 1/2 gallon so we will have a treat soon.

Tomorrow we take a rare “day close to home” with time to do what we would like to do without a long drive. JIm’s going swimming for one,and Ruth besides reading a good book will work on her DVD of the trip. She is composing as we go.

See ya tomorrow!

Stromboli

Day 15 Bowdoin NWR Malta Montana (June 20 2011)

Wilson's Phalarope Ring Necked Pheasant Native (original) Prairie grass

Day 15- Monday, June 20, 2011 Almost the summer solstice!

Bowdoin NWR (‘Beau-dun)

We are in Malta, Montana in wheat and cattle country. It is much quieter! The day shines bright with a very promising sunny day . Ruth and I set out for another NWR , this one being the Bowdoin N W Refuge located just some 4 miles east of Malta. The refuge contains some 6, 616 acres of wetlands and 8,935 acres of uplands (mostly restored prairie). A large lake is the center of it and the Auto tour circles the Refuge in a 15 mile route. Jim started out on the wrong road and found himself driving 7 miles out of the way on “Old US 2” , still a gravel road. “It sure looked like the right road”, said Jim to Ruth. The bonus was however, that we saw more than 2/3 of the total bird count today on that stretch of road. It too, had ponds, groves of Russian Olive trees and grasslands that had the bird and wildlife we were looking for. After returning to the start and getting reoriented, we began the tour anew on the right road.

Bowdoin was named after a small RR siding town located just at the edge of the Dry Lake unit of the Refuge. The lake was once an Oxbow (there’s that word again) of the Pre-Glacial Missouri River when it flowed north to Hudson Bay. The Missouri R. is now some 70 miles south of Bowdoin. The water for this managed Refuge comes from the MIlk River (which flows by our campground), and with an agreement from the Bureau of Reclamation, maintains water levels to assist the migratory birds and other wildlife on the Refuge. We saw some wildlife today in the person of a large Raccoon, some Richardson’s ground squirrels (very small), and more than a dozen deer up close (white tailed). Ring Necked Pheasant were abundant and more than a dozen came our way. The habitat consists of both saline and freshwater wetlands, native prairie (see pic) planted, dense nesting cover and shrubs. These assist the more than 263 bird species and 26 variety of mammals and other fish and amphibians. (There is no sport fishing on the lake and no motorized vessels.) The endangered Piping Plover nests here along with many other species.

We did see on our gravel road tour some new species for the trip. The Cinnamon Teal, the Black Necked Stilt and the White Faced Ibis along with some 48 other species. The rolling prairie and the wetlands interspersed made a very enjoyable day in the sun and sometimes clouds. A large colony of White Pelican (1,000?), Night Heron and gulls (both California and Ring Billed) was on a distant island so no pictures of them this day.

It is what the said it was a “Best” Refuge in the true sense of the word. Tomorrow we do a long drive to Glacier National Park still on US 2 all the way, passing through the Blackfoot Reservation as we enter the Park. Other towns along the way are Havre, where the “Buffalo Jump” (a cliff where the buffalo were killed jumping off) is now a tourist stop, and Shelby another stop on the Great Northern RR (now Amtrak) which had an oil boom in 1922 and the Dempsey/Gibbons prize fight in 1923 which almost bankrupt the town. So Rocky Mountains here we come!

SPECIAL NOTE!!!!

JIm is starting a contest that you can all join. Guess the total number of bird species that Ruth and Jim will see buy the time they return to Michigan on September 15th and win a new edition of a fine Eastern USA Bird Identification guide. (Sibley’s). You must submit your single entry to Jim by e mail by the day they cross back into the USA which will be August 16th. JIm’s email is crazy4birds@comcast.net. Good luck. So far the count is at 138 species identified, so that might help., We will be in ID, WA, B.C., AB, YK, AK, UT,AZ (barely), CO, KS, MO, and IL before reaching Michigan again.

1. The congretions (boulders)

2. The CCC cabin built in 1937

3. The bentonite formations (absorbent soil)

4. The Oxbow on the Little Missouri River

Day 14, Saturday June 18, 2011 VIsiting Theodore Roosevelt N.P.

Even though the previous day had been a nasty one weather wise, this Saturday was scheduled to be only 20% rain. (Actually it did not rain at all). We headed south from Williston ND, on US 85 to the north unit of the T. Roosevelt National Park. This meant that we had to cross the BIG Missouri River where US 85 had the river and floodwaters lapping both sides of the road. It was a sight not soon forgotten. Remembering that the oil boom activity of the NW North Dakota was ever present we found that was also true heading south away from Williston. On that road there were hundreds of tankers, bottom dumpers, oil tankers and other miscellaneous trucks that are needed in this type of start up of the oil boom. One truck that we saw carrying a huge 120 foot long oil tank that had a flat bed with 88 wheels under it. That was the most wheels I had ever seen on a trailer. (As it blocked traffic and turned the corner very slowly I had time to count the tires.)

We did eventually arrive after the 70 mile drive . We used our N.Parks pass (Senior) and started the 14 mile drive to the end of the road. Many stops along the way to get pictures of the formations of “capstones”, “Bentonite formations”, “Oxbow of the Little Missouri River”, “Cement concretions”, and some other which can be seen on the posting from the Park. This Park was completed in 1937 by the***CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps ) during the depression. Teddy Roosevelt had lived here, owned a ranch, chased thieves who stole his river boat and walked them 25 miles to jail, , and was inspired by the need for conservation . Hence, when he became the president had the best conservation legislation (executive order in some cases) before or since. As an example he created 5 National Parks and 58 National Wildlife Refuges. We looked for the Prairie Dog town on a trail but found that the water had made the trail impassable so saved that for a later time. We did see some birds and even thought that was not the main effort of the day we did see 6 new birds to add to the list. We observed the; Orchard Oriole , American Pipit, Tree Sparrow, Kestrel, Spotted Towhee, and the Mountain Bluebird. It was a good day and the sun gave us warmth. There were men from MIchigan here on their day off who came (The LItt and Big Muddy Rivers, the to ND for work.

The trip back (afternoon of Saturday) was much smoother and there was less truck traffic by that time.

Day 15, Sunday June 19, 2011 Traveling to Malta Montana.

We were again fortunate to be able to break camp in dry weather and head west on US 2 before the rains came. Before long the rain did come down but not hard, but steady. That was off and on all day until we were more than half way to Malta. We had to cross four main rivers all who banks were overflowing with water and flooded fields were ever present in the river flood plain. (The Muddy, Poplar, Porcupine and Milk Rvers). The prairies were all very green and lush looking. The grasses and winter wheat were coming along nicely, but where there was water in the fields it will be there in this soil saturated land for a long while yet to come. Gas here today was $3. 84, although on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation centered in Poplar MT, the price was a nice $3.60 as there were no taxes. I even got a cup of “senior “ coffee in Mickey D’s for $.50.

We arrived in the campground appropriately named Edgewater RV Park, which was on one of those flooded rivers...the Milk River. It had flooded the Park last week, but now was in better shape. We will be fine for the two nights we stay here. Ruth took me out to supper tonight as a Father’s day treat and celebrate with home style chicken and it was excellent.

Tomorrow we visit the second most prolific NWR in North America called Bowdoin NWR. Stay tuned as this could be one of the best. Weather looks good, too.

*** For those not familiar with the CCC , it was established by FDR as a way to put men to work during the depression (We need something like that now , eh?)

Williston ND, June 17 2011

Day 13 June 17 23011 Williston ND

IT would be important to relate the effects of the big oil and gas boom in NW North Dakota and NE Montana as we tell of the day’s adventures. A few years ago there was a large announcement that this area has large deposits of both oil and gas (some mineral) and bids went out for exploration and development. This has turned the sleepy town of some 10,000 into a veritable “man camp” area of activity. ITG is perhaps 30,000 to 40,000 but no one has counted.The large trucks (double bottom , tankers and bottom dumpers) outnumber the autos by two to one. They’re on the road constantly and many sites where equipment like pipes, and oil rigging infrastructure are located, are being built as fast as they can. Unemployment is virtually zero. Workers are coming from all over the west and from as far away as Mexico.

We did do some birding today again at the Medicine Lake NWR. It is, however, about 60 miles into Montana, across the border, but as we had already changed our itinerary a bit this worked out fine. Medicine Lake is about 25 miles north of Culbertson Montana. The day was rainy at first , but light, so not interfering with birding.

We stopped at the Visitors center (Hq.) and talked with the staff to orient ourselves. OT is a pleasant building with plenty of amenities. The road around the Lake is some 18 miles, but partially closed to protect the Piping Plover nesting areas. There were many ponds at the edges so we stopped often to investigate. New birds species seen today in the Refuge were; the Upland sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Lark Sparrow, Lark Bunting, Chestnut Collared Longspur, Baird’s Sparrow, California Gull and the Lesser Scaup. Our total was 40 birds today. Later in the day the wind came up (35-40 mph) and we has to close the windows at times due to the driving rain. Some flowers like the White Beardtongue were seen. We saw some of the 10,000 White Pelicans that nest here, but not in such huge numbers due to the wind and rain. On the way out we stopped at the visitor’s center to report birds seen and get a handle on the flower’s ID. This was a true prairie NWR with grasses and prairie plants on the entire Refuge to provide habitat for the local birds and animals. We did see a Beaver today on its “nest” (house). The trip back was very windy with a headwind of 40mph for one half of the way. The day ended with grocery shopping and a dinner in the trailer. Tomorrow we head for the north unit of theTheodore Roosevelt National Park (north unit).This is where TR got his ideas for the conservation work that he did during his terms in office. He even built a ranch and ranch house there. Look that up to see just how many parks, areas, forests he had set aside during his administration. We would not have what we have today without that effort.

The pictures are:

1. Wilson's Snipe

2.Yellow Headed Blackbird

3. 5 Marbled Godwit's

4. Eared Grebes

5.White Pelicans

BIrds seen as of June 14th 2011 on Alaska trip

AVOCET, AMERICAN

BITTERN, AMERICAN

BLACKBIRD, BREWER’S

BLACKBIRD, RED-WINGED

BLACKBIRD, YELLOW-HEADED

BLUEBIRD, EASTERN

BOBOLINK

CARDINAL, NORTHERN

CATBIRD, GRAY

CHICKADEE, BLACK-CAPPED

COOT, AMERICAN

CORMORANT, DOUBLE-CRESTED

COWBIRD, BROWN-HEADED

CRANE, SANDHILL

CROW, AMERICAN

DOVE, MOURNING

DOVE, ROCK

DUCK, RING-NECKED

DUCK, RUDDY

DUCK, WOOD

EAGLE, BALD

EGRET, GREAT

FINCH,HOUSE

FINCH, PURPLE

FLICKER, NORTHERN

FLYCATCHER, ALDER

FLYCATCHER, DUSKY

FLYCATCHER, GREAT-CRESTED

FLYCATCHER, LEAST

GADWALL

GODWIT, MARBLED

GOLDFINCH, AMERICAN

GOOSE, CANADA

GOSHAWK, NORTHERN

GRACKLE, COMMON

GREBE, EARED

GREBE, PIED-BILLED

GREBE, RED-NECKED

GREBE, WESTERN

GROSBEAK, PINE

GROSBEAK, ROSE-BREASTED

GULL, BONAPARTE’S

GULL, HERRING

GULL, RING-BILLED

HARRIER, NORTHERN

HAWK, RED-TAIL

HAWK, ROUGH-LEGGED

HAWK, SHARP-SHINNED

HAWK, SWAINSON’S

HEN, GUINEA

HERON, GREAT BLUE

HERON, GREEN

HUMMINGBIRD, RUBY-THROATED

JAY, BLUE

KILLDEER

KINGBIRD, EASTERN

KINGBIRD, WESTERN

KINGFISHER, BELTED

LOON, COMMON

MALLARD

MARTIN, PURPLE

MEADOWLARK, WESTERN

MERGANSER, HOODED

NIGHTHAWK, COMMON

NUTHATCH, WHITE-BREASTED

ORIOLE, BALTIMORE

OSPREY

PELICAN, WHITE

PHALAROPE, WILSON’S

PHEASANT, RING NECKED

PHOEBE, EASTERN

PINTAIL. NORTHERN

REDHEAD

REDSTART, AMERICAN

ROBIN, AMERICAN

SANDPIPER, SOLITARY

SAPSUCKER, YELLOW-BELLIED

SHOVELER

SNIPE, WILSON’S

SPARROW, CHIPPING

SPARROW, FIELD

SPARROW, HOUSE

SPARROW, LARK

SPARROW, SAVANNAH

SPARROW, SONG

SPARROW, SWAMP

STARLING

SWALLOW, BANK

SWALLOW, BARN

SWALLOW, CLIFF

SWALLOW, TREE

SWAN, TRUMPETER

SWAN, TUNDRA

SWIFT, CHIMNEY

TEAL, BLUE-WINGED

TEAL, GREEN-WINGED

TERN, BLACK

TERN, CASPIAN

TERN, COMMON

TERN, FORSTER’S

THRASHER, BROWN

TOWHEE, EASTERN

TURKEY, WILD

VULTURE, TURKEY

WARBLER, YELLOW

WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED

WAXWING, CEDAR

WILLET

WOOD-PEWEE, EASTERN

WOODPECKER, DOWNY

WOODPECKER, RED-HEADED

YELLOWTHROAT, COMMON