Day 46-- Looking for a closed road. What?

That was the size of it today, as we learned that the Old US 281 had been closed for a few yeas but that there were many pothole lakes and ponds that held good bird life in them. We wanted to find them.

It seems that in 2009 when the waters of Devils Lake rose to unprecedented levels, many roads were overrun with water and  one of the prime roads that was hit was US 281 that runs north and south through the state to the Canadian border on the north and the South Dakota border on thg south. That meant that the entire section of road had to be rebuilt in another (higher ground) place. The road that remained is in pieces, with some of it intact and some of it under water and much of the roads in between impassable. Those were the stretches that held good bird life for good reason. It's sort of like they say about the DMZ in Korea. As there has been no one in that area for 60 years the birds have made it a haven. So too, with Old US 281. At least to some extent.

In order to gain  entry to the road we drove four different roads that were perpendicular to it and found that every time the road ended and was closed due to an eroded or unsafe road. We ended up going to the north end of the road where it formerly bisected US2 and drove that. We could only travel two miles before we ran into the end of the road as it was over run with water.  But we did finally get to "Old US 281".

THis is a piece of the Old US 281 that is now under water
across the Lake. The birds love it!

A typical ending of one of the cross roads just befre the Old US 281.
If you look closely you can see the old "Stop" sign on the other side.

The day ended with a dinner at "Mr and Mrs J's" which had a very fine salad bar and a menu that was filled with choices as well as "Breakfast all Day" which is very common here.  The trip to see the Buffalo at Sully's Hill after supper  was put off until tomorrow as the winds came up strong (30 mph) and the skies were dark (poor light for photography). A bit later we received a few hundredths  inches of rain.  Tomorrow perhaps? Pictures follow.

                           The end of "Old US 281" looking south. We did finally find it.

We did add to our daily list of birds here and proceded then to find the Old US 281.

Many ofthe farmers were out in the fields working the land and preparing for planting, some already planting corn, beans, and wheat. Most of the wheat grown here is winter wheat planted in the fall.  We tried to find another State Park but were told after we could not find it, that it, too, had been flooded and no longer existed.

                                 Two Pintail Ducks in tandem. The Pintails are not seen 
                                           very often so we were happy about seeing these.

                                An American Avocet that insisted on walking in front of the truck.

                                    
                                             A Ring Billed Gull that aired its wings for Ruth.       

                                   The town of Minnewaugan or "Spirit water" Population 234.

On the road  to get to that area we stopped at an old town that has been "resurrected" so to speak.  That town is clled "Minnewaukan" or "Spirit Water". A town pf 235 it is on the edge of Devils Lake and included in the Flood District.  Devils Lake is called a Basin Lake in that it only loses water by evaporation.

Tomorrow we will look over Stump Lake Management Wildlife District (WMD)