Scarlet Tanager and the Mississippi

Difficult to find because they spend most of their time in the high canopy of deciduous forests, I got several shots of some while hiking because the trees hadn’t sprouted leaves yet.  That has changed.  The trees have sprouted and the possibility of spotting a scarlet tanager will be more difficult now.

When Europeans first migrated across the United States, the first great obstacle was the Mississippi River.  I am camped near it and it is flooding.  Snow melt from this Winter and Spring rains have caused the rivers in this area to flood.  All that water is flowing into the Mississippi River, which is expected to crest here on Monday.

The information kiosk in the middle of the photo is about 2 and a half meters high.  Half of it is under water.  The dock in the background is wheelchair accessible and can usually be reached by walking.  You would currently need a boat.  Next part of the trip will be to cross.

First Campsite

According to AT&T tech support, I am camped in a dead zone, so posting is a challenge.  I expected problems like this because of the remote locations I would be camped.  I am currently unable to post photos to Twitter and opening e-mail is very difficult with sites taking as long as ten minutes to load a single page.  Early morning seems to help.

I took the photo above about ten minutes after setting up my camper; home sweet home for the next few days.  I’m not far from home.  Only about forty-five minutes away.   I wanted to stay close at first in case any problems occurred.  Everything was going fine.  My gear worked; my camper’s electrical systems worked so my refrigerator, lights and water pumps all worked.  However, when I hooked my truck to my camper and drove away, I discovered my trailer brakes don’t work.  I’ve made an appointment with a Chevrolet dealership to have the wiring checked next Tuesday, so, I’ll camp for this weekend and begin my trip, hopefully, next Wednesday.

Spring!

The ice is gone from the Wisconsin River in this part of the state.  The ice and snow are mostly gone from the trails and lakes also, and my yard no longer has any snow in it.  On Friday, I went to one of the eagle’s nests to see if the eagles had returned.  I did not see any eagles, but this robin jumped on a barbed wire fence to keep an eye on me.

This is what the trails looked like at Lake Kegonsa State Park on Thursday.  The snow should be gone by next weekend.

Bridge Closed

I had thought about closing this blog a couple years ago.  I’m glad, now, I didn’t.  For those loyal few who have remained with me, who stop in and look at any new post I make, you may or may not have noticed a countdown widget was added about a year ago.  Well that countdown is nearing the end and I plan on explaining soon.

Sunrise: This Morning

Temperatures dropped to –19 F or –28 C this morning.  Currently the temperature is –13 F or –25 C.

Necedah National Wildlife Refuge: Spring and Fall

Spring

Fall