The last leg of the Alaska trip - through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan

The last leg of the Alaska trip - through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
The last leg of the Alaska trip - through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
The last leg of the Alaska trip - through North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan
                        
Helen and I are glad we opted to follow U.S. Route 2 all the way from Montana to the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan. From there we stayed on Route 23 to the Ohio border at Toledo. There were lots of interesting places to visit, including hundreds of lakes. My favorite was Lake Superior, especially the Pictured Rocks National Seashore. A combination of clear blue-green water, brightly colored rocks along the shore and a clear, sunny day made for beautiful scenery. That evening we made it to Grand Marais, a picturesque little town with a lovely harbor, and a big public campground. Since the annual music festival was taking place over the next three days, not a camping space could be found. Fortunately we have a good friend who lives there, Mary Handrich. She invited us to park in her yard, enjoy her flowers and enjoy pancakes and sausage for breakfast the next morning. At 89, Mary is still active, enjoying Michigan in the summer and south Texas in the winter. There were some good birding days on this part of the trip. In North Dakota we were able to catch some of the shorebird migration at a flooded field east of Minot. Black Terns were common all across eastern North Dakota. At a campground in Minnesota we biked along a bike trail after supper. The birds were not singing at all and I realized that it is indeed mid-August. However in the morning it was a different story. A nice mixed flock of birds kept me busy for 30 minutes or more. There were at least eight species of warblers present, along with both nuthatches, Purple Finch, Brown Creeper and lots of Cedar Waxwings. We met two young naturalists at the park and were surprised to learn that they both graduated from The College of Wooster and will be back in Wooster this September – small world indeed. By the time we reached Michigan, we also began seeing some of the birds that are common in Ohio but which we had not seen all summer in Alaska. Included in that list were Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Indigo Buntings, Chimney Swifts, vireos, and Turkey Vultures. Our last night out was spent at a nice Michigan State Park, located along Lake Huron about 45 minutes northeast of Saginaw. The campground had more than 200 sites and we got one of the very last ones. Despite the rain, there were lots of people on the beach. We got in one last bike ride, filled up with water and gas and headed for home, arriving at 5:30 Saturday evening. It was a memorable summer but it’s great to be back. Good birding!


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