Copper Harbor Sunrise

Laney and I had a blast running the trails and roads in the mornings at Copper Harbor. Laney took the opportunity to jump in every lake she saw. I took the opportunity to enjoy the sunrise.

Grand Marais

After hiking around Cascade River State Park, we headed to Grand Marais for dinner.

I liked this view of the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance.  Carlton Peak is the left most, and Moose and Mystery Mountain are on the right.

We walked out the jetty to the lighthouse.  Laney did some swimming in the cool water.

Laney drying off on the rocks.

Rocks and pools along the jetty

Breakfast Rock at Gooseberry Falls SP

One hundred yards from our campsite was a forty foot cliff overlooking the lake.  This was our favorite spot to eat breakfast, or watch the sunrise, or to just watch the lake.

Looking south along the shore line.

Pools on the rocks overlooking the lake.

Sunrise

View while eating breakfast.

Moonrise over the lake

Sunrise

Sunrise

Storm out over the lake

Looking north along the lake.

Lake Superior Shoreline at Gooseberry Falls State Park

Sunrise over the beach from the lookout point.  One of the great things about camping at the park was getting to enjoy the quiet, early mornings.  Laney and I went for several sunrise runs along the lake, with the camera, of course.

Sunrise over Lake Superior from the lookout point.  The lake was fairly calm on Tuesday morning.

Laney and I wading across the Gooseberry River at its mouth.  The river got narrow and swift before it emptied into the lake.

Laney let a little bit of her lab side come out, and had a good time playing in the water all week.  She would get especially energetic after swimming in the cool lake water.

Laney and I exploring the rocky shore line.

A panoramic view looking north along the coast.

It was fun to see the flowers blooming in the cracks and pools on the rocks along the lake.  Kalm's Lobelia was fairly common on the rocks.

Joy getting ready to jump into the Gooseberry River.  The river was noticeably warmer than the lake.  I heard that the lake temperature was 57.

It was fun to look for pretty stones on the beach.  I swam out in the lake, but I kept coming back to the warmer water of the river.

Laney out in the lake

Laney and Joy drying off on the beach

Shrubby Cinquefoil growing along the lake.

Some of the rock pools on the rocks above the shore.

Cimarron National Grasslands

A windmill on the background of the yucca and sage steppe of the Cimarron National Grasslands.


An American Kestrel perches on a yucca stalk. I made the trip to these national grasslands Tuesday afternoon. I had a couple hours to spend before sundown, which is no where near enough time to bird/explore the area in the way it deserves. CNG is in the extreme southwest corner of Kansas, abutting Colorado and Oklahoma. This area was very hard hit during the dust bowl, after which, the government started buying the devastated land and setting it aside for conservation. Now it is one area of short-grass prairie and steppe that has some natural character in the area.


A Badger looks up from his business in a wheat field. He wasn't sure what to make of me, and kept smelling the air, before waddling off and continuing his hunt.


Another windmill in the distance obscured by heat distortion. I know it is an old effect, but I love the impressionist painting look it has.


I decided that my goal at CNG was going to be the Lesser Prairie Chicken lek. I couldn't work out any way to visit the lek in the morning, so evening was going to have to do. The National Forest Service had set up a blind, and the log book had been reporting at least a couple Lesser Prairie Chicken displaying for the last couple mornings. I hiked/birded around for a couple hours before the sun got low. The birds were occasionally supposed to display on the lek in the evening, approximately one hour before sunset. Sunset happened to be about 8:20 central time. A very nice British couple and I got in the blind a little before seven o'clock. The weather was warm (mid 50's) and sunny, but the wind was brisk. I appreciated the windbreak of the blind. We kept our eyes and ears peeled, but the prairie chickens never showed. It was by far an unpleasant time, though. There was a prairie dog town with a pair of Burrowing Owls on guard. A Kestrel was hunting the steppe. Western Meadowlarks and Horned Larks (pictured above) sang to us. Jackrabbits and White-tailed Deer wandered past.


Slowly, the sun set, and I had to leave. Almost as soon as the sun dipped below the cloud layer on the horizon, a pack of coyotes just over the hill broke out into chorus of yaps and howls. It was quite a magical experience. I hope the Lesser Prairie Chickens can hold on against the coyotes and habitat destruction. If I ever get the chance again, I'll have to come back and try again, and look for the other specialties there like Scaled Quail, Mountain Plover, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Curve-billed Thrasher, Black-headed Grosbeak, Cassin's Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, McCown's Longspur, and Chestnut-collared Longspur.

Cleve Creek

The forecast for Friday night was looking suitable, so I decided to spend the night out under the stars. Cleve Creek campground is in Spring Valley up under the Schell Creek range. The sites are located along a little rushing mountain stream.

I could not manage to capture on film how incredible the stars were that evening. I love places when there seems to be more stars than darkness. Not much light pollution out here. You can make out Orion's belt.

Mt. Wheeler with the sun rising behind it.

A sunrise like this is a nice alarm clock.

The hills up behind the site with the sun hitting them.

Georgia Sunset

I really enjoyed the clouds while we circled south of the Atlanta airport waiting to land. Sometimes the view looked like an epic painting and other times it looked like an alternate world.

Crystal River

Thursday evening we stayed in Crystal River, Florida, on the gulf coast. It was nice to be somewhere in Florida near the coast that wasn't total strip malls. We ate dinner out at a little seafood place out in the salt marshes. The last image is an aerial from google maps, showing the how the gulf, salt marshes, and upland areas are all interspersed. The food was good, but the drive out and the sunset would have covered for some pretty average fare.View from the restaurant before dinner.

View from the restaurant after dinner.

Aerial map of the area.