No Coat November

We thought the camping season was over with our late season trip up to the Porkies, but Mother Nature gave us a treat in early November that could not be missed.  Record breaking warmth- multiple days with highs in the 60s (and lows in the mid-40s!!) arrived during the first week of November.  That week would have been one of my busiest field work weeks of the year with our annual wild rice seeding, but we moved it up this year for, get this...better weather.  Very funny to miss it by a week.  Yes, it was colder the week before when we seeded, but at least there was no ice!

The first weekend in November presented an opportunity for some recreation and excellent camping weather with temperatures more like September than November.  We decided to head up the road to Door County with bikes and camping gear for a last hurrah.  The first stop was a 12 mile bike ride on the Ahnapee State Trail, a rail to trail which we haven't visited in quite awhile.  It was odd to be riding in a thin long sleeved t-shirt with all the leaves down, but it was great- not too many people on the trail and great views throughout.  After biking, we visited Bridge Up Brewing and Sonny's Pizza in Sturgeon Bay for a beverage on the patio and take out Greek deep dish pizza, which was excellent.  Also caught the draw bridge going up for a boat to pass through!  We arrived at the Peninsula State Park Tennison Bay campground next, and there was no problem getting a walk up campsite for 2 nights- and in fact, we pretty much had the immediate area to ourselves.  A camping dream come true!  That was also a little weird given that Peninsula is the most visited state park in Wisconsin and the hundreds of campsites are usually completely full throughout the summer.  Navigating the "winter camping" procedures was a little more challenging (self-registering, which restrooms are open, where to get the heated "winter water"), but it got sorted out eventually.  Of course the sun sets at about 4:15 PM, so we got things set up and took a quick ride down to the bay to watch the sunset, then it was dinner and campfire in the dark before early bedtime.  It was very comfortable sleeping with such nice temperatures, but we did have some raccoon visitors to the campsite who tried to open the truck cap to no avail!

Pizza and brews in Sturgeon Bay

Tennison Bay campground and sunset over Green Bay, Peninsula State Park

The next day we hit the bike trail along the Sunset Bike Route in the morning to get ahead of any crowds.  It was fantastic- nearly no one else encountered on the trails, gorgeous views, and a little bit of challenging hilly terrain (yes, flatlanders say things like that!).  We stopped in at the Eagle Bluff lighthouse on the route, which was boarded up for the season.  After biking we stopped at the newly constructed accessible observation tower (which Scott had a hand in acquiring the wood to build through his work) and took a ride further north on "the Island" (we previously learned this is local vernacular for the Door Peninsula north of Sturgeon Bay, which is technically an island because you have to cross a bridge over the shipping channel).  We stopped at Island Orchard Cider's takeout window to buy a few bottles of very delicious hard cider made from apples from Washington Island.  So good!  Next was a walk at The Nature Conservancy's Mink River Estuary Preserve, which we passed haphazardly but had never been to before.  We weren't really prepared and didn't know where exactly to go, but it was a nice hike anyway and we saw a few people out on the trails.  Next was a beer break at Door County Brewing Company over on the lake side (Lake Michigan proper) in Bailey's Harbor.  Interestingly, the weather was much cooler and cloudy over there (lake effect clouds), which really dropped the temperature for sitting comfortably outside.  They did have a nice fire going so that helped a little.  One group of bikers were in shorts and were absolutely freezing so they didn't stay long.  After a bit, we picked up takeout dinner from our favorite restaurant Coyote Roadhouse and took sandwiches back to the campsite for early dinner.  Another sunset, and another long dark night (with less raccoon activity).

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse, Peninsula State Park

Nicolet Bay, Peninsula State Park

Sunset at Tennison Bay, Green Bay, Lake Michigan

One of the interesting experiences camping at Peninsula was the habituated wildlife.  These are packed campgrounds and the wildlife seems to know that people are suckers for feeding them or they can easily steal food and trash.  Before we left, one of the resident turkeys literally walked right up to us, and got really excited when I moved a grocery bag around thinking I was feeding him.  I had to chase him off to get him away from the truck.  A red breasted nuthatch also flew up to me and landed right on my finger the day before (Snow White moment!), and several chickadees hung around regularly.  While it's cool to see wildlife up close, this is a bad sign for the animals.  They become so dependent on people that they don't learn to take care of themselves.  Plus it's dangerous such that they could unintentionally hurt someone or be hurt themselves.  I hope they make it through the tough winter.

Tennison Bay campground's way too friendly turkey.

The next morning, it was up early to pack up and head home.  What a nice reprieve and a more positive camping trip for the end of the season!

On the tribal lands of the Pottawatomi, Menominee, and Odawa peoples. https://native-land.ca/ 

Porcupine Mountains

Despite the craziness of this year, another September rolled around and it was time to continue our fall tradition of visiting Lake Superior (i.e., Superior September).  It started unintentionally with some early tourist visits during our first few years in the area, and now it can't be missed.  This was the 7th Annual Superior September trip- hard to believe!

Camping was the name of the game this year due to COVID, so the Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were on tap.  Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park (locally referred to as "the Porkies") is a wilderness area in the western part of the UP of Michigan.  Designated wilderness describes an expansive roadless area where only light impact outdoor recreation (and non-motorized) is permitted in order to promote solitude and protect the natural resources.  The Porkies are located in a remote portion of Michigan as well, so we had planned to bring all of our food and mostly just relax and enjoy the sights and sounds as a last hurrah before winter.

I found out that Porcupine Mountains is also a frequently visited park despite it's remoteness- especially this year when everyone decided to go camping.  The only time I could reserve two nights at a campsite during a period that worked for us was beginning on Sunday, October 11.  Usually that second weekend in October is your last somewhat reasonable option to get to the northern climes before winter weather becomes a factor.  I jumped immediately when I saw there was one campsite left at the campground that was right on Lake Superior!!  Considering the late season, I remember thinking this is either going to be really awesome or I'm going to regret it...

We decided to extend the trip to one night earlier (Saturday) by booking a campsite in the Northern Highlands- American Legion State Forest in northern Wisconsin.  This way we already had the park pass for WI state parks and would be in a good position to get to the Porkies earlier the next day.  We got a later start from home thanks to a mouse in the garage situation, but the day was nice and sunny with pretty mild temperatures.  The leaves along our route north and west were absolutely fantastic- probably just at or just past peak.  We made a couple of stops to drop off some things to Scott's coworker, fill up on gas, and grab some last minute supplies before heading to the campground.  While in Woodruff we stopped at Rocky Reef Brewing Company for a drink on the patio.  Our campsite was located only a few miles away on Carrol Lake, which according to the state forest website was a great area for fishing.  We also had a campsite right on the lake which was beautiful.  We cooked a pasta dinner and enjoyed a campfire (and impromptu concert from the next campsite- which was really good, actually) before bed.  Temperatures dipped into the upper 30s and it was moderately windy, but it was comfortable with our winter bags.  The next morning we had breakfast, packed up the site, and Scott did some fishing before we hit the road.

Carrol Lake Campground, Northern Highlands- American Legion State Forest, Woodruff, WI

Photo by Scott

Carrol Lake. Woodruff, WI

Next we made our way to Ironwood, MI the last town we would encounter before the Porkies.  We also stopped for a patio drink at Cold Iron Brewing- great berry shandy!  There wasn't much around as far as local restaurants so we brought camping food in to make lunch.  Then it was on our way to the Porkies and into Eastern Time (i.e., "real time").  We hit the Visitor Center first to get some information and a map and viewed their exhibits.  One described how Aldo Leopold, a prominent figure in the conservation world, advocated for this area to be designated wilderness for the American people in his essay The Last Stand.  Pretty cool.

We stopped at an outpost to buy firewood and arrived at the campground to set up- it was really busy with check ins.  As we drove in we realized the campground was largely an open field layout without too many trees.  Different, but okay- I was expecting a forest!  We eventually found our campsite right on Superior as described.  The winds were starting to pick up but the temperatures were really mild- in upper 50s and comfortable.  We cooked dinner over the fire and enjoyed that until dark.  Time for showers and bed- definitely listened to Lake Superior all night long.

Union Bay Campground, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, Ontonagon, MI

The night for me was kind of restless despite how relatively warm it was because of the loud whipping winds and waves picking up in response and crashing on the shore.  I realized why there aren't many trees in the campground...winds off the lake!  I am pretty sure gusts were upwards of 50 mph at times.  I was in and out of sleep all night.  Then around 7 AM raindrops started to fall as rain was expected for the day.  Moments later, a series of 3 loud booms of thunder and lightning REALLY got us up, out of the tent, and into the truck.  The thunder quieted 15 minutes later but rain and winds remained steady.  After grabbing a quick breakfast, we drove up to Lake of the Clouds, the signature viewing area of the park.  As we approached, signs posted indicating a crowded area ahead and long wait to see the views.  Luckily, that wasn't a problem due to the weather, but they must have been experiencing high volumes of leaf peepers in recent days.  The leaves were still beautiful, even in the rain.  When we got to the viewpoints, the winds were ripping pretty ferociously and rain was pelting us sideways in the face.  Surprisingly, our photos turned out pretty good despite how wild it was! As we were heading back to the truck, the rains really let loose.  Despite wearing rain jackets, we were soaked.  

Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park

We returned to the campsite and asked for the weather report at the check in station since we couldn't get data service on our phones.  Rain all day, which was also confirmed by my dad via text.  We sat in the truck for awhile and debated what to do.  We had the campsite for another night, but we were already soaked and expecting 6 more hours of the same.  We wouldn't have enough time once it ended this evening for a hike as we had planned to do for the day, and no way to dry clothes and other gear.  Based on the forecast, we probably would have a hard time getting a fire going for dinner as planned too.  Also there wasn't much to do for indoor alternatives in the area instead, plus of course COVID.  The winds were still pretty wild and we had to jump out of the truck and into the rain a few times to hold onto the tent as it bent over sideways.  So, we made the tough decision to leave early and make our way home.  We were both so disappointed, but it seemed like a better option than being miserable for most of the day.  It rained the entire 4 hour drive home too.  At least we got to see the Porkies, although hiking will have to wait for another time.  

A memorable Superior September indeed.  Northern Wisconsin just received snow a few days after we visited!  The Lake does it's own thing, and you can take it or leave it.  That was my first time leaving a camping trip early and now our second trip of the year (2 out of 2) that was shortened due to weather issues (Winter escape that went south).  

"To those devoid of imagination a blank place on the map is a useless waste: to others, the most valuable part. " - Aldo Leopold, Conservation Esthetic, A Sand County Almanac

The Porcupine Mountains are located on the tribal lands of the Anishinaabe people (Lake Superior Chippewa).

An owl adventure

For the last two years, we had a pair of nesting barred owls in our yard.  It has been so fun to watch them and hear them regularly during the nesting season.  It's amazing too how comfortable they are in a neighborhood with all the sights and sounds of kids playing, lawn mowing, cars, etc.  We were glad to start seeing the owls again in the early spring (first sighting on March 19) calling to each other and hanging out together.  In April, we started only seeing one, suspecting that the female was sitting on a nest.  They chose a nesting box in our next door neighbor's yard both years- interestingly enough, one that was in a little bit of disrepair and was missing the roof.  It turns out that barred owls like a box design with only 1/4 roof, so it was the perfect spot!  A sighting of the male bringing food to the box confirmed our suspicions.  By early May, we could hear young inside the box begging for food.  We had one really interesting night where I think we watched them hunting and bringing food to the box for hours.  They seemed to be very good hunters and were quiet and stealthy bringing their deliveries to the nest.

Beginning on May 17, we had a pretty significant weather event with lots of rain, high winds, and flooding.  It ended up raining pretty hard for nearly 3 days and winds were extremely gusty out of the north, which means they were a lot colder.  On a Monday morning in the middle of the storm, our neighbor called us first thing and said that his box fell off the tree and to the ground.  We immediately went over and found an owlet seeking shelter under the remains of the now broken nesting box.  He was reasonably protected, but the ground was very wet and there was enough of a chill in the air.  We called in some extra advice and decided that we would build a makeshift nest for Owlet to get him/her off the ground and back up safely in the tree.  I knew from my experience interning with a wildlife rehabilitation center in New Jersey that putting nestlings in a basket (with drainage) near the original nest site is the best way to reunite them with the parents.  As much as we want to help, parental care is the number 1 best option for all wildlife.  The parental instinct to feed and care is so strong that often they can overcome their hesitancy about the new nesting situation.  It's also a myth that birds will abandon their young if people touch them- most birds do not have a sense of smell (the turkey vulture is the exception to find carrion) and can't "smell"/tell that their young have been handled.  We gathered the needed materials for the nest and went back over for the operation, and Owlet was right where we left him.

The makeshift nest consisted of pine boughs in the bottom of a dollar store basket that I use for garden tool storage bungee-ed into Scott's tree stand that he uses for hunting.  We set it up about 10 feet up the tree in the pouring rain, and put a wooden roof overhead and a wooden platform in front of the basket.  It looked pretty good.  I knew when I went to get Owlet that would be an important moment.  If he fought me to protect himself, he likely was in good health, so as much as I love owls, I knew that's the preferred way this could go.  If he was lethargic, the situation could have been more serious.  I donned some gloves and picked him up to place in a box for the ride up the ladder to the tree stand and luckily he was very lively flapping his wings and biting me.  Aside from being a little wet, he seemed fine.  The parents were also still in the area and watching us intently.  We placed him up in his new nest and he sat quietly there for the rest of the day, occasionally shaking himself dry under his new roof and preening his feathers.  The most important aspect of the operation was that the parents needed to accept the makeshift nest and come back to feed, as he was still entirely dependent on their care.  We saw the parents around, but did not catch them coming to feed.  I also didn't hear them when I went out with Teddy before bed.  

The next morning, I went out right away and confirmed Owlet was in the nest.  He seemed very alert and watched me watch him with my binoculars from a reasonable distance.  I set up the spotting scope inside to watch the nest while I ate breakfast, and just happened to catch the parent silently come to the nest with food.  YES!  I knew this was a very good sign for the little Owlet.  He spent the rest of the day in his basket nest, just looking around and watching the world go by.  On the third morning, he was still there and just as alert.  As we again watched him while having breakfast, Scott noted that he was standing up on the edge of the basket and was worried he would fall.  Next, he was out of the basket and on the platform.  Next he awkwardly flew down to the ground!  This also was a great sign.  Owlet left the nest under his own power this time, which meant he was ready to fledge.  This is a critical time in the life cycle of a young bird when they are mobile enough to leave the nest and explore but cannot fly yet.  We watched him walk all around, climb logs, and explore his surroundings.  As you can imagine, this is a dangerous time for young birds because they cannot fly away from danger and instinctively stay quiet and hide to protect themselves.  The parents still provide constant care and will still feed him for a few more weeks as he learns his way.  We have been seeing less and less of the owl family now as they move away from their nesting site.  We hope Owlet is enjoying his new freedom!  And we'll be helping to build a new nesting box if they decide to come back next year.

Parent bringing a mole to the nest on May 6.  Photo by Scott.

Owlet's box fell during a spring storm on May 18, but he knew to stay inside!

Photo by Scott.

Appearing a little ruffled, but unharmed and lively during return to the makeshift nest.  Photo by Scott.

Owlet's new temporary home in the same tree.  Owlet curiously watched the photographer.  Photo by Scott.

Grainy photo through the window when parent came by to feed at the makeshift nest during early morning on May 19.  

Owlet decides it's time to go on May 20, this time he leaves under his own power!  Photo by Scott.

The remnants of Owlet's temporary nest, including poo near the bottom of the photo, a regurgitated pellet near the top, and bird parts throughout.

Leopold Week 2020

The first week/weekend of March is set aside each year in Iowa/Wisconsin respectively to honor conservationist Aldo Leopold.  Thanks to my previous training as a Land Ethic Leader through the Aldo Leopold Foundation, I usually host a community reading of essays from his book A Sand County Almanac and public screening of the documentary film of Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time in honor of the occasion.  This was my fourth year hosting at the Brown County Library, and I had the crazy idea this year to add a conservation fair for local conservation groups to share their work, membership details, and educational information with the community. We had 12 local groups sign up to attend, and around 60 people came out to the event!  A great turnout for hopefully the FIRST annual Leopold Conservation Fair in Green Bay!

 Leopold Weekend 2020 at the Brown County Library.  Photos by Scott.

The weekend prior, Scott and I kicked off Aldo Leopold Week by taking a day trip down to  Milwaukee to see a free art exhibit called Sand County Reflections, featuring the work of Wisconsin artists inspired by Leopold's writings.  It was a nice Sunday in early March, so we had to take advantage and get out and about.  We stopped in Mequon (pronounced: MECK wahn) on the way down for lunch at Foxtown Brewery, a recently opened brewery established in a historic building that has been a brewery since 1857.  Delicious food and a cool atmosphere with the historic stone building.  Missed photo opportunity!

Next stop was the Sand County Reflections exhibit at the Schlueter Art Gallery at Wisconsin Lutheran College.  Took a little investigation to find the exhibit location (we actually almost walked into the piano teacher try outs...whoops!), but it was really well done.  Reading the quotes and some comments from the artist about Leopold was a great way to get in the spirit of A Sand County Alamanac.

Sand County Reflections Exhibit at Schluester Art Gallery at Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee

After the exhibit, it was time to continue the brewery tour in nearby Wauwautosa (pronounced just as it looks: WAH WAH toe sah), a suburb of Milwaukee, at Stock House Brewing Company, Fermentorium Barrel House, and Vennture Brew Co.  Fermentorium was also interesting as they had a lot of beers on the menu and some weird combinations.  I took a chance on a hefeweizen that had a coffee flavor to it, even though I'm not a coffee fan at all.  Hmm.  I especially liked Vennture because I realized when we walked in that it's a beer and coffee brewhouse.  I ordered a chai tea latte to round out the beer tour before heading back to Green Bay, which was perfect! 

A fun late winter weekend getaway for a day!

Located in East Tosa for those in the know.  Now we know!

Yay, brewery that makes chai tea lattes!  

Winter escape that went south

I was feeling the pressure/impending doom from the annual approach of winter (this is our 6th WI winter already, in case you were counting) and suggested that we plan a short trip to warmer climes for a few days as a winter weather getaway.  The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday presented a long weekend option and so I started booking a trip to San Antonio, Texas.  It offered everything needed for a fun vacation: warmer temps, historical sites, a national historic site, and lots of microbreweries.

As our departure date approached, the weather forecasters were predicting a winter storm nearly a week in advance (later became Winter Storm Dean) for right when we would be traveling.  This had me worried, but the weather reports often change, so maybe it would be fine.  Just the weekend before we were supposed to get significant snow and had none at all.  So, we headed to the Green Bay airport on Friday evening to get a ride to Chicago to make our next flight to San Antonio.  Despite okay conditions in Green Bay at the departure time, Chicago was already wrecked with weather issues and delays thanks to the storm.  As a result, our original flight was canceled and we were rebooked for the next afternoon.  The storm had started while we were waiting in the airport and road conditions were deteriorating, so we stopped for pizza on the way home to commiserate. Winter Storm Dean foiled our plans for now.

By midday on Saturday, there was at least 6 inches of snow on the ground.  We diligently cleared our driveway and got our things ready again to finally leave for Texas.  The flight from Green Bay to Chicago was delayed a few times that afternoon into the evening, but I figured it would be okay as long as we made our connecting flight in Chicago.  We again arrived at the airport, went through security, etc.  In fact, the TSA agent said, "Nice to see you again!  If we don't get you out of here today we'll have to get you a job application." Ha! Probably what he says to all the cranky delayed travelers.  And then more delays.  Then the gate agent makes an announcement that we are short a flight attendant and even though our plane is there and we are clear to fly to Chicago, we won't be able to leave.  Chaos, rebookings, and more delays.  We finally acquired a complete crew and made it to Chicago around 9:30 PM on Saturday night after missing both our connecting flight and dinner (Green Bay only has one restaurant with limited hours-it closed while we were there).  Despite the fact that O'Hare is the busiest airport in the US, apparently none of the restaurants were open at 9:45 PM.  Interesting.  We ate day old Starbucks sandwiches and wandered around to find a place to camp out.  Then I had my first restless experience sleeping in an airport!  At least they give you a little pillow and blanket (sarcasm).

(Not) sleeping at Chicago O'Hare

We were "up" at 4 AM on Sunday to catch our flight to Dallas (now we were going to Dallas for an additional layover and then San Antonio).  Flights to Dallas and San Antonio proceeded without incident (fun ride on the monorail in Dallas!) and we finally made it to San Antonio at 10 AM, almost a day and half later than planned.  Our car rental was cancelled since we did not pick it up within 24 hours of the rental time, so we decided since we had just a short visit anyway that we would use Uber.  It was fantastic- everyone was so nice and gave us great tips on what to do and where to eat.

Despite the challenges getting there and with only 46 hours to enjoy the trip before heading home on Tuesday, we had a great time in San Antonio.  On Sunday we visited the historic revitalized Pearl Brewery and ate lunch at Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, walked around the farmers market (surprised to see lots of dogs in sweaters despite weather in the 50s F!), visited Roadmap Brewing Co., and toured The Alamo.  You probably know that the Alamo, a Spanish mission, marks the site of a 13 day siege to defend Texas from Mexican advances  in 1836.  The Texian forces, few in number, were defeated and nearly everyone was killed or executed, Davy Crockett and James Bowie among them.  The "Remember The Alamo!" phrase was actually used later during the Mexican War to remind soldiers of the fighters' great sacrifice in the Texas revolution.  The Alamo was neat to see, but also very commercialized.  For example, you lined up to go into the building and a group of workers were there to take your photo and convince you to buy it later.  We were originally planning on a guided tour, but decided to just go through on our own.  Later, we walked the San Antonio Riverwalk, had an excellent dinner at Rosario's for delicious Mexican food, and went to bed early to address the lack of sleep the night before.  We stayed at the Inn on the Riverwalk B&B, which was excellent and a great location to see the local sites.

Inn on the Riverwalk B&B 

 Southerleigh Brewing Company

 "Remember the Alamo!"

 San Antonio Riverwalk

On Monday, we had a delicious breakfast at our B&B and made our way to the San Antonio Missions National Historic Park, stopping at the Visitor Center and Mission San Jose first.  The historic park includes a network of 4 missions, which along with the addition of the Alamo and another location, are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We had a great tour by a NPS historian of the grounds and learned a lot about the missions of the 1700s in south Texas.  Missions were established to recruit/create/manipulate native peoples of Texas into Spanish citizens in exchange for the semblance of protection, and all the people had to do in exchange was change their religion, language, and way of life.  Each of the missions' residents built a Catholic church, all of which are still active churches today serving the descendants of the mission residents from the 1700s.  The structures experienced significant wear and vandalism over the years, but I was surprised at the attention to detail and how extensive the renovations were to make them look similar as they did back then.  San Jose celebrates its 300th anniversary this February.  Wow.

 Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo

Mission San Juan Capistrano

Mission San Francisco de la Espada

We opted for lunch outside on the patio at Blue Star Brewing Company (where I was excited to see a rufous hummingbird!) and then headed to 2 more uniquely designed missions- Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.  Afterwards, we went for a long walk on the Mission Reach Hike & Bike Trail along the San Antonio River- an extensive green space and river restoration project to help address flashiness of the river and return some of the floodplain to more natural riparian shrubland following a history of river channelization and diversion (read more about the restoration here).  Next it was beers at Kunstler Brewing Company, a German brewery (Scott's favorite of the trip), and dinner at Stella's Public House before the walk back to the B&B.

Up early the next morning and back to the airport to do it all over again!  Luckily, travel back to WI was uneventful.  It was such a quick trip but I really enjoyed San Antonio.  It was so nice to see green plants all over and to get a break from winter coats.  Plus the trip makes for a good story and this speed vacation just might be funny someday.  Until the next winter getaway!