Day 13- Monday June 20, 2022, Moving from Devils Lake ND to Roughriders Cpg., Minot ND

Finally the heat subsided to 70 F in the morning , and with A/C off it seemed tolerable, again. It never did get to 97 F , and stayed around 92 F which was hot enough. With that stiff wind 20-30 it felt like a furnace in your face. We saw a Harris' Sparrow at the feeder before I put I the feeders in their case, There were no Hummingbirds that ever came. I don't think there were enough flowers in the park!

We were on the road by 9:30 and as Ruth wanted to "attack" the trailer cleanliness, when we arrived at Minot, so we  had plenty of time to do that when we arrived at 2:00.

But I had promised we would stop for breakfast at Burger King for a egg, sausage croissant. Lo and behold after parking the trailer on the street, and walking across to the door, it said "use drive through only." So I walked to the drive through and no answer. 'Nobody home'. The marquee was lit and advertised "Open" . No dice!

We ended up having a very fine biscuit and gravy, with a couple of eggs,  down the street at "Mr. and Mrs. J's". Made out better than Burger Kong me thinks!  

It was noticeable as we drove west still on US 2, that there were fewer pot hole lakes and ponds, but still some. It appeared as though we were able to identify many birds "on the fly" after all these years of perfecting that skill. Crows and Ravens become much easier (Tail shape and nose shape). Vultures are easy, some hawks are , and today I spotted  a Black Tern heading across the bow of the ship as we traveled at 60 mph. Certainly Robins and Cardinals and some woodpeckers are easier to identify, as are Eagles, Blue Jays, Red Winged Blackbirds, (they are so numerous). Ring Billed Gulls, if you can see the beak, can be identified.   It is important to know what birds might be in that area, either by their summer, habitat,  migration time, or permanent status. We did identify 21 bird specie today. None were new on the trip except the Harris Sparrow that we saw in the campground before we left Devil's Lake.

An example of tough identification happened yesterday when we saw our first Meadowlark. Was it Eastern or Western???   (We are on the line between Eastern and Western). The only way to be sure was to compare it to its song on "Merlin" that Ruth has  on her i-phone.. There is a distinct difference although they are similar.

Some of the elevators and silos at Denbigh, ND

By the amphitheater there is the stage at the Visitor's Center

At the Visitor's Center in White Horse Hill Two days ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some history. (Below)

 It was interesting that east of Minot we began to pick up towns that have an English "ring"to them. Towns with the names like, Berwick, Leeds, Penn, Rugby, Surrey, Tunbridge, and York. It seems that an Englishman who worked for the Hudson Bay Co, in the 1700's, was given a grant of many 100,000's of acres across into  (what is now) Canada. He gradually sold off parcels (some after ND became a state when a person could receive 180 acres for $18.00, work it for 5 years and it was his).  Along the Red River of the North, the Germans settled in large numbers and German was a household language up until recently when just singing groups carry on the language. There is a German Festival in the summer in Fargo and MANY German bands! How about the "Oom-Pah-Sters"?

By the way Rugby, ND, is the geographical center of North America.

This area of North Dakota has less pot hole lakes, but more rivers. Some of these rivers are National Wildlife Refuges, (Des Lac, Souris), and we may get to as many as 4 of them from Minot. Each is about 45 minutes to 1 hour distant, and the weather will play a key factor. (Prediction is for rain all tomorrow morning. Weather is a big factor on our trips, especially when seeking birds outdoors.

One of the earlier explorers in this area, LaVerendrye (Pierre Gaultier), said that he was "astonished" by the Mandan (and other tribes)  and the level of development of the natives. They had established trade with other tribes and the white man, using Hudson Bay as the means to do that . (The rivers flow north from this area like the Red River of the North., the Fox (WI) and the Bighorn (MT). The Mandan had identified over 349 kinds of plants that they used for food medicine, dye and rope among other uses. As an aside, LaVenendrye took his four sons with him on the journey. The story of La Verendrye's life is  amost interesting one in the 1700'so in unexplored land.

Our campsite  #14- At Roughrider RV Minot ND

A view from down the road a bit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We arrived on the NW side of Minot a mile or so outside of town in a park that has been around a while. It is well cared for , with gravel pads, and all facilities. There is plenty of space to allow good  visiblity from the trailer.  We are surrounded by huge Cottonwood poplar trees, where the Baltimore Orioles and Robins are having a great time.

The Roughrider Park from the air. Our site is dead center

The pond behind our trailer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

As I write this a thunderstorm appraoches and one can smell the moisture in the air. MMM Sweet!  Temp has dropped 10 degrees while I write this. From 85 F to 75 F. It is scheduled to get to 58 tonight.

We got settled in, did the sweeping, vacuuming,  dusting, from all  the wind and sand dust, washing      of the floor, and the inside is quite "spik and span" now. 

Supper was spaghetti and blueberry muffin. Simple but after the fine breakfast we had,  neither of us were that hungry. 

Just a few photos tonight, as we traveled only 123 miles.  Catch  you tomrrow as the wifi here is excellent. (Yes I do this on the cmputer!)

Ah that cool breeze feels great!--Jim

Day 12, Sunday June 19, 2022 Last day at East Bay, Devil’s Lake ND

Day 12, Sunday June 19,     2022 Last day at East Bay, Devil’s Lake ND

As the heat was already at 84 F when we left the trailer to go bird watching, we certainly used the AC in the truck. That helped until we had to roll the window down or get out to chase a bird.  Generally we headed in the same direction that we did yesterday (S and W) but took more side roads off of ND 53. This allowed us to see some of those ponds off the macadam highway. Some of the  gravel was good, but none as bad as the road (39th St) going into our campground.  Very wavy and rippled! ‘Washboard’ I think is the term.

A Lark Sparrow and  Willet on the same fence.

A lonetree shot by Ruth (the Plains!)

One of the roads we did not travel.

Back out?

 

There were more ponds but also more roadside trees where we did see some spectacular things. One: a Cooper’s Hawk, was being harassed by three Red Winged Blackbirds. One of them actually hitched a ride on the back of the Cooper’s Hawk for a ways before the Hawk could shake him. A rare sight , but fascinating.

Jim's usual lunch on the road  (and some yogurt)

A Shoveler duck

Bank swallow nests that were active (Other specias as well)

One of Ruth's favorites-Yellow Headed Blackbird

 There are many Red Winged Blackbirds out here, and they are the most numerous bird in the USA.  It shows here for sure. It is estimated that in North and Central America they number 250,000,000. As many as a million are often seen when migrating. In Tennessee one year, a flock of 11 million took over a roosting area of pine.

Today I am going to list many of the less common birds we saw, so you can get an idea of what we are seeing in the Upper Plains of the USA.

Yellow Headed Blackbird
Ruddy Duck
Willet
Redhead Duck,
Shoveler
Pied Billed Grebe
Coot
Lincoln’s Sparrow
Cooper’s Hawk
Eastern Kingbird
Western Kingbird
Bobolink
Cardinal !!
Western Grebe
Red Necked Grebe
Lesser Scaup
Black Tern
Lark Sparrow
Widgeon
Canvasback Duck
Grey Partridge
Bank and Rough Winged Swallow
WesternMeadowlark
Northern Flicker
White Pelican Herring Gull
A buck white tail deer, running for the forest.

These Geese had 11 young goslings

Sure, its big farmland , but we only saw one "traditional " barn.

 

A foot note about farming out here, There is no irrigation for the most  part, The farmers depend on their being enough rain to have good yield. Hence when we see "drought" on the maps, remember that there is no relief for them until it rains.

 Certainly there were few other “regular” common birds seen. The Grey Partridge and the Western Meadowlark we had waited a long time to see again.

Enjoy the photos as each tells a story of its own

Tomorrow we move to Minot ND for a 6 day stay. There are three large wildlife ares there with auto drive arounds, and that will help our ability to see the birds.—Jim





 

Day 10, Saturday June 18,022 At East Bay Devils Lake ND

 Day 10, Saturday June 18,022 At East Bay Devils Lake ND

Today was a day to drive around the Lake (Devil’s) and see what birds we could find on the ponds , potholes and small lakes of the region.

It was a good plan that garnered good results. Around the Lake are many of the above and they were near enough to the road so we could pull off with safety to observe. Amazingly at 9:30 in the morning there was almost no traffic on the macadam roads of Ramsay County. Traffic was never a problem. I think the first 25 miles we saw 3 autos and all of them passed us.

The ponds yielded great results as we started to identify birds that we had hoped to see, but hadn’t thus far.

One of many pothole lakes in ND

Some large ,some small, Pot hole lakes

 

There were many ducks as the Widgeon, Black, Blue Winger Teal, Red Head, Lesser Scaup, Shoveler, Ruddy, and many more. We did notice the absence of woodpecker types as we were in open plain and prairie environment.

This continued  until we reached White Horse Hill Game Reserve  (formerly Sully’s Hill) where the buffalo (bison) roam and have since 1919 when a few were placed there to start a herd. It is carefully documented and cared for, and is doing well. We did see the 7 calves that were born this year with their moms just beside the truck while driving the loop. A wonderful sight to see.
 

We belived this to be the daddy

The Prairie Dogs are entertaining

One of the seven calves of this season.

Ruth was right on top of this mom. (In the truck)

 A few turns further are the Prairie Dogs  who greeted us with chatter of course.

On some of the larger ponds beyond the Game Preserve we saw Western Grebes, and two Tern species, the Common Tern (mostly white) and the Black tern which we did see yesterday.
 

A Western Grebe, one of many

"Buddies"? A Double Crested Cormorant and a White Pelican (They nest here)

The entry to the wildlife area.

 

 

 

That brought us to a road heading back east again to see a Bald Eagle, but there were none to be seen, even though we were told they would be on that road. A side road took us to the little village of Winniewaukan which was totally American Native. (More on Native tribes tomorrow).

Some art work in Minniwaukan

 

 Then, finally, back to the east ,through Devil’s Lake city (gas at $4.74) and to the trailer. A great day and we counted 45 species seen .

Ruth had a meat loaf and vegges ready to go for supper and that was a good meal for us.

The wind seemed to have lessened a bit to 35-40 mph but is still able to knock you off your feet should you be holding a door open!

The campground is full, and “Bill” the owner/manager, indicated that there are 450 sites in three large areas besides the original sites we are camped in.

Tomorrow we will look for some sites closer in and avoid a long drive as we did today. (90miles)

Happy weekend.—Jim
P.S. Ruth’s great nephew’s team (Forest Hills Eastern) won the Michigan State High School Baseball Championship in Division 2, beating GR Christian 3-0.

Friday June 17, 2022. Travel from Bemidji MN to Devil’s Lake ND.

 Friday June 17, 2022. Travel from Bemidji MN to Devil’s Lake ND.

It was about 9:20 when we departed the Royal Oaks campground, with no glitches or forgetting anything. (always the bane of travelers with rigs.)

The morning was sunny with no wind,  65F, and in Western MN and Eastern ND that is  a blessing.The two previous days both areas had some 35-50 mph winds but that has long gone east I heard someone say.

The US 2 highway is generally a good road and for much of the way it is a four lane access highway. (roads crossing at certain points.)

The outstanding feature of western MN are the fields  of growing products, mile after mile and as far as the eye can see. At this time of the year the corn is just coming up, so you can see it all. For about 100 miles continuous, the fields were in full early spring growth. There was winter wheat, spring wheat, corn, alfalfa, and beans. Research shows that after 1940 Navy beans were mostly produced, but in the 1950’s to present the Pinto bean is the most popular. Also along with sugar beets as a large crop, the farmers can use their equipment on both of those crops as they take the same measurements and spacing.
 

Fields of beans in NW MN

More beans

Spring wheat

 

One stretch of the RR in that area was being redone with new RR ties.There were about 20 “automatic tie laying” RR cars all working about a 1/2 mile stretch of track. We wondered what do they do when a train is scheduled to come through.  (They work so fast that they get out of the way when the train comes). Again, in researching this I found (some of you know this) that there are actually 4 types of machines that do the work.

The rail anchor puller …(It can pull the spikes of 7 ties in a minute!)

2.  Tie Cranes, …that remove the ties once they are free of the rails.

3.  Tie inserters/extractors… (these work vertically to remove the tie from under the rail).
 
4.  Spike inserters …. use hydraulics to quickly drive down spikes in the tie plate and tie.

All of this replaced the work crews (hundreds of thousands) that used to do all of this by hand and at a very much slower rate. It was a huge cost for the RR.

Entering North Dakota, the land began to undulate a bit. Less large farms, more lakes and ponds,  and wood lots. There also appears to be  more tourism, fishing and of course winter sports in these frigid north wind swept plains. The fishing shanties by the lake here, are small houses for staying in for many days all hauled out on truck tires.

North Dakota’s main source of income, however, is TAX SEVERANCE from the taxes on oil and gas that is drilled from the ground. (Williston area where we will stay two stops ahead)
 
North Dakota’s economy is based mainly on farming that includes farm equipment and processing farm products.

We arrived at about 2:30  the campground in East Bay, Devil’s Lake. Actually it is in a small PO called Warwick, ND.

One of very small rains silos in ND

Welcome across the (What River ) to North Dakota!

Our Campsite on Devil's Lake.  (#28 site)

 

We are in a shady spot under an Ash tree, just down the hill from the Office, and about 200  feet from the Lake which we can see easily. (Both the town and the Lake have the same name. The Indians named it “The Great One” or “Lake Holy One.” But the settlers (white man) named it thusly, as it has no outlet and is situated on a a deep chasm .The main activity here seems to be fishing as it is right out the front porch.

Supper was my choice of toasted cheese sandwiches, (Muenster cheese) and tomato basil soup.

I finished re-reading a terrific WW2 book , written by a Marine (Sledge) who was in the battles of Pelileu and Okinawa. Critics deem it the best account of a front line “grunt” in any war. It is gruesome ,realistic, yet revealing of the Marines in war. (Sledge,  who was there ,wrote the book based on notes he kept in his Bible.)

Tomorrow we have buffalo and other wildlife on the docket as well as birds around the lake.

Happy weekend,—Jim

Day nine , Thursday June 16, 2022, at Bemidji,MN

Thursday June 16, 2022

It was another beautiful day, albeit the wind was still at 20-25 Mph, the sun was shining and the temps moved from 52 F to 72F during the day.

A day to get out and see some birds,  But ,let me first tell a bit about 'how" Ruth and I do our bird watching these days. As we total 167 years in age (you figure it out!) our mobility is much less than it was even 5 years ago. That means we have to make adjustments instead of  looking for those birds on long hikes through the trails and in the woods. So we have developed a method that seems to work for us. Generally here is how it pans out.

1. When encamped it is customary to scour the campgrounds for good birding habitats. Each campground has some particular spots that might be a better prospect for finding birds. Campground managers or hosts can be a great help.  I like to walk the edges of the campgrounds as the shrubs and bushes behind the trailers often are good habitats for the birds coming and going. Campgrounds have level roads for the most part.

2. Locate areas in and around the campground (City?) you are staying to find where the locals birders (Audubon or like organizations) indicate their local "hotspots" are usually found. Don't avoid local parks as they can be good sources. (That allows us to walk on solid, level ground usually. Few parks are hilly.)

3.  We have found that just driving the rural roads can be quite beneficial. usually with little traffic , pulling off to the edge is tolerated, and allows a better chance to "look for" that bird that was heard.

4. Our best source for birds has always been National Wildlife Reserves, (NWR), of which we have been to over 100. There are more than 800 NWR's in the USA. Not only are they filled with wildlife, but many have auto roads that allow you to drive around them with the ability to stop at your liesure (mostly) and view the wildlife from your vehicle or by getting out to get a closer look at the birds, flowers, animals and plants.

5. We have found that State Parks are good as well, but in season the fee must be paid even for a few hours visit. In the off season usually admission is free.  They almost always produce some birds.

6. Another area are the Game Management Areas, and Game Wildlife areas in each state.These are less used, and hunting season should be avoided, but they have good chances of finding birds.  (There are other adaptations which I will cover at another time).

The campus at Bemidji University adjacent to the Park

So today we did head for Bemidji State Park, and stopped at a city park in Bemidji, just adjacent to the Bemidji University Campus (see photo above) on the way. That elusive Red Eyed Vireo was finally tracked down by Jim after 20 minutes of stalking the one tree it was in. They are so hard to see. The campus on the Lake has their own boat and water sports equipment to use.

A northerly route along the shores of the Lake, found us south of the State Park, where we did take a side road (paved) and immediately found a pond with a short, dead end road to park. Ruth immediately spotted a mother Wood Duck with a group of babies clinging so close to her that it was impossible to determine the number. A Mallard Mom and her three also were swimming into the cattails when we drove up. Birds are skittish when their environment is invaded. We ended up eating lunch while watching those birds.

A stop in a parking lot next to the Lake allowed us to see a mother Common Loon and her two young ones, again swimming away as she saw us. (Tough to sneak up on them.). While waiting in the truck, a Yellow Warbler,  and a Eastern Phoebe perched nearby on a cement drainage cover.

One the Northern MN roads we used to find birds.

A yellow Warbler found by a pond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove through a resort drive  that had many parking spots, and then headed for the State Park, driving  the Park where there were few campers, and came up with a few birds including the Hairy Woodpecker. On the way in to the Park, along  the Lake shore we spotted a group of waterbirds on a dock. They were two types of Mergansers, some Mallards and  a few Common Golden Eyes. No Bald Eagles today!

Time to head back to the trailer, so we stopped along the way to get some groceries and a Culver's with a treat of a couple of Concrete Mixers (chocolate and blueberry ) to celebrate the day. We did identify 25 birds, one more than yesterday. (It is getting better)

A hummer (Ruby Throat) came to our feeder at the trailer, and a Veery has been feeding young all day , as it picked up food nearby and flew off to the distant nest. It actually walked a few feet from my chair by the picnic table.

A trout Lily

A Tamarac tree, a deciduous evergreen .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That Ruby Throat Hummingbird at our trailer feeder

 

 

 

 

 

Supper tonight was that "good old" standby...Goulash, that we keep in the freezer ready to cook. 

Tomorrow we head for Devil's Lake ND and hope that the wind has lessened some as we head into it. There is a Buffalo heard there we hope to see and some western birds that will add to the count.

See you then.--Jim

P.S. Ruth Great Nephew's team (Forest Hills Eastern) will play Grand Rapids (MI) Christian for the Division 2 Baseball Championship this weekend. Go Hawks!

 Day 8- Wednesday June 15, 2022 At Bemidji MN

Finally we received some warmer days that made it feel very pleasant. After that cold Stretch in Superior, Wisconsin, it was good to get that warm air and not have to wear sweatshirts and coats.

Actually during the night the temperature never got below 60° which was a first for us so far. Our objective today was to get up to what's called the Big Bog North about 70 miles in some of the great fishing country of Minnesota. There are two large lakes there are in an Indian reservation (Red Lake) called Upper Red and the Lower Red. On the Upper Red there is a large 500 acre bog Called  Big Bog. In this bog is the only caribou herd in the lower 48 states. We did not expect to see it, but it was there. Rumor has that some of the herd now have migrated to along the Canadian Border (30 miles north)

The drive up was uneventful taking US 2 to Minnesota 71 then Minnesota 72 up to the Lakes. We stopped at a fisherman by a  river near where we thought the visitor center with located. We were right it was just a block away or so from where we were. We stopped in at the center to talk to the Rangers who directed us to where we were to go. Doug, the head ranger also gave us information on a very large refuge in northeast Minnesota called Sax Zim. We had been there once before but missed it this time going through.

We headed the 9 miles to the North unit where the Big Bog was located. At the entry is a small lake (Ludlow) with a gravel walk around the lake,. At the other side was the entry to a mile-long boardwalk that goes through the blog.  (It was calm (no wind) and 72 degreesF).  We took a few pictures and headed down the gravel path, but soon discovered that the mosquitoes we're going to drive us out of that walk. We lasted about 30 minutes and headed back for the truck... no birds, lots of mosquitoes and a few pictures.

Ludlow Pond looking across at the entry to Big Bog

Waskish is less than a mile away

Our first Ruby Throated hummer who visited us today.

 

We headed back to the visitor Center where there was a camping area and some cabins and found a place to eat our lunch. Then we headed back toward our camp ground.

As we always look for birds and ponds along the way or birds in the trees, we did spot some very white ones, which turned out to be tundra swans. Along with them were some mallards which we did not have on our list for the day.

Speaking of the day, i'll list a few of the birds we saw today. There are always the usuals you know the crows and the Blue Jays, Redwing blackbirds... but here are a few outstanding ones; Wood thrush, Veery, Redtailed Hawk, Black Billed Magpie, Chimney Swift, Rough Winged Swallow, Eastern Phoebe, Bald Eagle, Tree Swallow, Shoveler, Sharp Shinned Hawk, and at our very own feeder... a Ruby Throated female Hummingbird and a Black Capped Chickadee!!!

So it was a good day, in regards to birding, after all.

For supper Ruth grilled some marinated pork loin cuts and had them on the grill with roasted pineapple– –see the picture––it was for my part, the tastiest and tenderest piece of meat I've ever had except for reindeer. She prepared that with a marmalade sauce that topped it off. The maranade is a dry one in which  three ingredients are added. It was excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course there were turtles sunning.Two escaped earlier.

These are the Pork Tenderloin cuts with pineapple.

 

 

 

 

 

The day stayed sunny, and got a little windy in the afternoon but very pleasant.

Tomorrow we will head to Bemidji State Park where the last time we were here the birding was pretty good.

Hope this blog catches you up and we hope to continue with them each day. ---Jim

Summer trip, 2022, from Michigan to Montana and return. June 6 until July 23.

Entry one, June 6 to 13th, travel from Grand Rapids Michigan to Ludington and continuing to Wisconsin.
 

In order to save time in the morning when entering the Badger ferry  (Leaves at 9:00 AM) at Ludington we stayed overnight at Ponchos Pond RV in Ludington. (A very neat and well cared for park).  It was raining on the way  coming in the afternoon, but by the time we set up the rain had diminished. That campground is only eight minutes from the ferry so that saved us a lot of time in the morning. We arrived about an hour before loading time and that was still at the end of the line of about 20 cars and trailers. We parked the trailer where they told us to as they do the loading. Actually we received a $150.00 rebate as we had entered too many feet for the trailer. There is a lift to get up to the main deck so that made walking a little easier.

The trip across the lake was smooth as there were no waves of any consequence.  It takes about 4 hours.  We spent our time reading, watching for birds, sharing with others and walking about.

 

Karla one of three sniffing dogs (ammo, etc)

Loading the SS Badger at Ludington

Our first night at Poncho's Pond  (Ludington, MI)

 After  embarking in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, we stopped at a grocery store, picked up a few things, and headed toward Waupaca, and  S’more Fun Campground. Two great gals were very helpful. It was very spacious and accommodating and we set up easily.
It is probably good to mention that with the gas prices a bit  over $5 our first thing full tank right around $95.  The second Night for supper we had burgers on the grill, Ruth style. We did see a Bald Eagle and a few other birds all although we weren’t really looking for  many.

The third Day was another short trip to Woodruff, Wisconsin driving on Route 51 almost all the way to up near the Michigan border. We stopped at Walgreen’s  on the way for some items. Traffic was light, and moved along well as it was Friday with people heading for cottages and lakes. This campground had some pretty tight sites so we had to be extra careful backing in.  (Trees, roots, loose cement) That evening we had a taco salad for supper and we made our favorite traveling companion …marshmallow krispy bars. We keep them in the truck, handy at all times.
 

Ruth cooks burgers the first stop in WI

The crew secures the Badger in Manitowac WI

 

 

 

Ruth gets a out the window shot of a 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                       Bald Eagle exiting.

 On Day four we headed for Superior Wisconsin where we will stay three nights. This was all on Route US #2, This was a campground we stayed in before called Northland just out side of Superior.  It is run by Cindy and Mike.  Most Campgrounds use a credit card but this one is all cash and the owners are selling and  retiring after this year. (Cindy has non treatable cancer.) There’re lots of birds in the campground and in the evening I saw nine birds. We made a couple of stops in town, looking for a bolt that we needed to hang things and in the evening for supper it  was “Eddie's World Famous Ribs” that was nearby and we stopped there for Whitefish and a dessert of  Creme Brulé. During this time Ruth's grandnephew Caleb, and his team won enough games to be in the semi finals of the state championship of Division II, Michigan high school baseball. They play Goodrich next weekend.

Sunday, June 12 was the fifth Day of our trip still at Superior Wisconsin.. We spent today traveling to Wisconsin Point  via Moccasin Mike’s Rd.  The day was windy and cool especially near the water it was. Not many people about even though it was Sunday. When the wind blows off the Lake (Superior) from the northeast and it is in the 50’s, it is bitter. It was a good day for Bald Eagles as we saw 15 Bald Eagles that day. It was very windy on Wisconsin  Point and we did not stay very long. Later we found two waterfall sites nearby one named Omnicom State Park with the waterfalls of the same name and the other was at Pattison State Park the falls are called Big and Little Manitou Falls. There were many up and downhill paths. We tried putting that bolt in at the trailer , but found out it ended up being just a little bit short. We'll try again tomorrow
.

Campsite in Bemidji MN

Omnicon Falls near Superior WI

Wisconsn Point Lighhouse  near Superior WI

 On Day six we awoke in the morning with a very very heavy rain for about a half an hour to 45 minutes after which it stopped and even though it's still windy it's drier. It was a good time to get some things at the store stop it a hardware to get another bolt (which worked well), fill up with gasoline at $4.79, Attempted to fill up propane king but the worker wasn't there so we'll do it later in the day. It seemed strange being in the trailer most f the day, but we did get some things done.I got nt blog started, and Ruth did the bookkeeping.

On the home front two our friends and family volunteered to pick and freeze Strawberries for us as we will miss them next week when they start to pick. Deb and Steve May will buy two lugs for me , and  Margaret will pick two lugs for me, and freeze them for later. That will be enough for the strawberry combinations we make. Strawberry, Cherry/Berry, Rhubarb/ Strawberry, and perhaps some more “Strawberry Amaretto”?

Tomorrow we head for Bemidji MN.  It is still suppose to be cool, but if it is decent we will get some birding in at Big Bog, Bemidji State Park and even Itaska State Park  (The headwaters of the Mississippi River). I will get a few photos posted when we get some Wi Fi.

Final entry in this post.

We left Superior WI  on day 7, with the temp still at 43F, and as we cross the St Louis Estuary and River the fog rolled in off Lake Superior.  Because the Lake angles toward the towns of Duluth and Superior,  any NE wind lowers the temperature greatly.  Last evening the surrounding 20-30 miles away from the lake had temps in the 60’s (F). As we moved away from the Lake, and away from the fog, the temps increased and of course the fog finally lifted.  Passing through Grand Rapids MN, was interesting and there is also two other towns named as in Michigan… Saginaw and Sand Lake. This is definitely a fishing, hunting, vacationing area of the north. (More on the lakes and aboriginal tribes tomorrow.)

We arrived,  and after setting up, decided after 7 days it was time to do a washing of the clothes. We did so, as the three washer  laundry was unoccupied.  A brief rain shower fell before supper, but we have wi-fi, hence this post will be posted!

Tomorrow we willl aim for “Big Bog” Recreation and Wildlife area