Blue Goose ~ Day 10

June 10, 2014 ~ I35 west of Northfield, Minnesota to Clearwater, Minnesota

I was woke up early since the sun rises about 0530 this time of year but I love early mornings, although nowadays have to scout out clean-ish bathrooms and good coffee. I'd like a traveling Starbucks following me cross country. Go ahead, roll your eyes...

I headed to the Minnesota Valley NWR, one of the few urban refuges...like it is nearly contiguous with the Mall of America in St. Paul / Minneapolis area. I noticed a guy birding before I got out of the car and heard House Wrens drowning out the noise of the jets from the nearby airport. I watched for an hour on an overlook in front of the Visitor Center in the early morning sun. River, deep woods, some open meadow / prairie habit and the marshy bottom lands provide a variety of habitat. People were mostly using the steep trails down to and along the river for exercise. A sign pointed out that the change in elevation was equal to 12 stories on one 0.5 mile trail leading down to the river and that it was "strenuous." Teenagers were pulling Dame's Rocket which is a lovely invasive species...lovely but greedy.

Dame's Rocket at Minnesota Valley NWR

This refuge currently has non-contiguous units along the 34 miles of river, purchased from private owners over last 40 years. I was at the Long Meadow Lake Unit. The boundaries are dynamic, changing as more land is acquired, with the ongoing goal to connect the separate pieces to protect a river corridor for wildlife. One alternative in part of the area in the early 1970s was a landfill, and the landowners were understandably opposed and outraged; thus, a citizen initiative eventually led to this refuge.

I talked for awhile with three men at the Center, two were middle-aged (one a volunteer) and the other was an intern. They had stories about the long process involved and told me that until recently a gigantic tree right in their front yard was still on private property. They told me the watershed of the Minnesota River is the same as the Red River, Since I might not have enough books, I bought Sand County Almanac and The Nature Principle - Reconnecting with Life in a Virtual Age.

I walked the steep trail down to the river bottoms and then back up to the House Wrens and Common Yellowthroats who were singing nonstop. Also saw Wild Turkeys, Great-crested Flycatchers, a Bald Eagle, Catbirds, Goldfinches, an American Redstart....about one warbler species per refuge is my tally so far.

I needed coffee. My store locator doesn't always work well, but occasionally the freeway exits have signs for Starbucks, so exit I did, staying there couple of hours and then got back on the I495 too close to rush hour and getting caught in slow-downs. Faith, do you just get used to this? Of course you do. Big city traffic is not something I have to deal with often and gets me musing about energy, vehicles, humans and time. More trains, America! says she who is driving for a year.

I went north for on I95 until I turned to cut east to US10 but immediately pulled into the Clearwater Travel Plaza, an upscale truck stop with lots of amenities as they say, including a huge bakery with huge baked goods. I found a spot under a tree and decided to stay, making the mistake of eating there also. I unfortunately chose meatloaf with gravy (the kind that gets a skin when exposed to the air) and mashed potatoes (the kind that are a thin consistency), but I wanted a glass of wine and ordered dinner as a side. Off to sleep under a tree shading me from most of the western sun.