Blue Goose ~ Day 48

July 18, 2014 ~ Brookings, SD to St. Cloud, MN

Woke up at 0830! A huge RV from New Hampshire was next to me. The owners were towing a small car. I got a glimpse of them and was surprised by what they looked like which I will leave to your imagination.

The McCrory Gardens: I had to check this out as a gentleman told me all about them at Perkins the night before, saying they were in the "top ten" of gardens (I think he said world wide, but maybe just the US). They were impressive, if one likes such venues, with no obvious insects and very few birds but thousands of flower beds and trees, all nicely labelled. I so quickly get fatigued in these places. Perhaps one needs to live nearby and visit in small time increments to really appreciate what they offer. I kept thinking the gardens must be heavily sprayed to keep the bugs away which is impressive manipulation when considering flora. Still, the public wouldn't come if they had to contend with constant bugs, but also the birds don't come. The park in Flandreau along the river was also free of insects. It's a dilemma....

I drove an hour to Big Stone NWR just across the border into MN.

"Big Stone County received its name from Big Stone Lake. The name was a translation of a Sioux name for the outcrops of granite and gneiss found in the Minnesota Valley not far away."

The auto route wound through a variety of habitat. The massive rocks seemed like a tiny bit of the Colorado Rockies popped up here and there.

Big Stone NWR - MN

Once more, while there were occasional birds, the middle of July in the middle of a day is perhaps the least opportune time to see much. A brilliant yellow American Goldfinch perched briefly on a roadside branch next to my car as did an Eastern Wood-Pewee. Cormorants sunned themselves; a few gulls flew about. Big Stone has a recently renovated headquarters and gets first prize for bathrooms, rivaling the one at Necedah NWR, all bright blue and white tiles. The woman behind the desk was friendly and helpful, and there was lovely little diorama showing 8-10 fauna of the area. Some of these refuges have an understated appeal that increases as one checks it out, and this was one of those.

Stopped for munchies and coffee to keep me awake, including a big piece of "Chewy Praline" fudge. Working on it...working on it...not giving in to immediate gratification.

I checked into a downtown hotel in St. Cloud, MN, with a room overlooking the Mississippi River and worked a few hours, taking a break to eat downstairs, where I had an overpriced pasta dish but a good salad. People were extending Happy Hour, TGIFing, eating outside on a terrace and relaxing well into this warm summer evening.

I tried to read an Amy Tan book but left it in the room. I usually like her writing but couldn't get into this one which was The Hundred Secret Senses. I skimmed it though so got the general story line.

Prairie at Big Stone NWR