So close and yet so far...

We were off to a good start, leaving Ann Arbor at a reasonable hour and confident that we would make it to the Catskills tonight for an easy drive to the city tomorrow.

We snacked in the car on a yummy Michigan breakfast treat.  We also had Starbucks and saw the NYTimes for sale there so we knew we were close to home.  First paper NYT we have seen since we left home.

After Michigan, we admired some of the Ohio barns...

We stopped here to collect a water lily and a few other things...

So all seemed OK until the transmission started to slip in Pennsylvania.  The Red Bomb is conspiring to keep us on the road.  This is the sight you don't want to see at the end of a road trip.

We had to stop.  Being Sunday, repair shops are closed.  We are staying at a Holiday Inn Express tonight  (Warren, PA -- it's downtown is on the National Historic Register) and will get the truck to a transmission repair place early in the a.m. and hope it's a simple fix.  I know Daniel is concerned it might not be easy but we will deal with whatever comes our way.  The good news is that the Holiday Inn is like a five star resort compared to all our other accommodations on this trip. Tonight will be the first time we are staying at a multi-level lodging.  Usually we park right at our door and go right in.  Today we had walk up a flight of stairs!  And get this -- there is actually a restaurant in the hotel.  Another first.  We are both hungry, I am showered and might actually wear that little black dress that I have been thinking was a foolish thing to pack.  More tomorrow.  Either from Warren, or more optimistically, from home.  Wish us luck.

Michigan seems like a dream to me now

We are tucked into a Motel 6 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  Here's our trip so far.

Now we are pushing to get home on Monday.  So each day we try to do a few things to make it interesting, and of course, we collect some specimens to reflect local ecosystems.  Not far from the hotel in Ipsheming we found this right of way.  As you can see, the great lake area is basically all sand dunes.  A guy was out with a dune buggy kind of ATV.

Daniel collected specimens as well as some berries for our mid morning snack.  These raspberries (Rubus) are soft like velvet.  They are a little tart and have a deep rich berry flavor.

 I collected some specimens and also made a tied arrangement.

Moving on, we needed some snack foods and stopped in Chatham, a very tiny town.  We went to the only food store, a co-op that is owned by the town.  The employees of the store are actually employees of the town.  We imagine that Chatham lost its only food store at some point and the town figured that without being able to offer essentials to people they would lose all.  So they stepped up and created a co-op.  We talked some to the people there but wish we had learned more.  I returned to bring the little bouquet I made earlier and they seemed to really appreciate it.  It was a very nice small town and this store is likely its heartbeat.

We drove on with no agenda but to put on some miles.  After a few hours, near the shore of Lake Michigan, we stopped at a roadside rest stop.  Classic blue Rest Area sign announced it.  We went in, walked on a boardwalk through a few yards of wooded area and came upon a spectacular beach.  We put our feet in the water quickly so we could say we did and went to leave.   Just before we got in the truck to go we decided that we just had to swim, that we would regret it all day if we did not.  The water was shallow and clean and clear.  The sand was soft and ripply.  We could walk out quite far before getting in deep enough to swim.  This beach is located at the northenmost part of Lake Michigan.  The whole stretch along the Upper Peninsula was surprisingly untacky.  It was mostly protected National or State forests.   No condos or highrises.  The beach is public and easily accessible all along the length of the Peninsula.  It was quite nice.

On the way to the beach

We left the UP (as the Upper Peninsula is called) and went over the famous Mackinack Bridge.  

After that is was a straight shot down the center of the state on the interstate.  We are at that point where we need to make tracks.  I'll leave you with a picture of fireweed, a quintessential Michigan wildflower.  You see stands of it all over upstate.  

Two Voyageurs

As I write this, I am sitting in the shade at a picnic table by a beach on the shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin.  Daniel is taking a quick nap in the truck.  Last night, when we stopped early, I slept and Daniel didn't so he's behind on sleep.  I can always nap while we drive, but Daniel has to be on high alert.  He has driven well over 6000 miles at this point.

So let's catch up.  We left Norman's One Stop and Motel in Orr, Minnesota (Home of the Giant Blue Gill) this morning after I took care of a conference call and Daniel dropped his Android in a scum pond near the motel while collecting plants.  Not a great start to the day.  The phone dried out nicely after a while (fingers crossed) and we left, stopping 75 miles away at a Ford dealer to have a fan belt pulley replaced while we had lunch.  Turns out the dealer's owner was a cousin of the owner of Norman's.  There was a train track and some nice weeds, I mean wildflowers, nearby.  We collected there and then had lunch at the Adventurer.  I had Puttin' on the Ritz Walleye (coated in Ritz crackers and deep fried - we have both developed a taste for walleye on this trip) and Daniel had elk steak.  After lunch I made an arrangement for the lady at the dealership.  The boot container was picked up at a tag sale in North Dakota.  We weren't sure if the boot was bisque fired or just dried out clay and told her she ought to keep an eye on it in case it gets soft.  You can see how the water has seeped through in the photo.  I'd hate for it to melt all over the counter.

Yesterday and the day before were really great.  We visited the Voyageur National Park.  I had never heard of it.  Had you?  It is named for the French voyageurs who traveled throughout the islands in 30' long birch bark canoes, bringing cookware, guns, and supplies to trade for furs with the Indians.  They were major suppliers of pelts to fashionable Europeans.  Anyway, the area we visited was on Rainey Lake and the Park part is only accessible by watercraft.  The ranger at the Park visitor's center told us generally about the islands, where to look for campsites and cautioned us about the bears.  He said we were to find a site with a bear box and put our food in it.  Or we were to hang the food 8 feet high and at least six feet away from our tent.  He was quite specific about it.

We inflated our kayaks and loaded Daniel's backpacking tent and sleeping bags as well as food,  water, and other gear.  Really, he has everything in that truck.  We kayaked about an hour to a place called Dry Weeds Island.  Not sure why, as it is all green trees.  We went to the north side of the island and did not see any campsites.  We stopped at one place that looked inviting but we didn't see any bear box.  We decided to move on.  We kept paddling but did not see any more sites.  At most places along the shore there are large rocks so there were few places where we could even land.  Finally, as the day was ending, we saw a small island and decided to try it.  Daniel went ashore and deemed it adequate and probably bear-free.  There were no Park signs and no evidence it had ever been used as a campsite.  But the sun was falling fast and we needed a place to sleep.  So we settled in and hoped we wouldn't get booted out by a ranger.  It was an amazingly beautiful little island.  It is essentially a domed rock with trees growing in little grooves and pockets.  The bare rock was so covered with moss and lichen that we placed our tent on it.  We could see the lake on both sides.  I think the whole island was only 40 feet wide and a few hundred feet long.  Since we arrived as it was getting dark we weren't able to see how long it was.  Visually it looked connected to the next island so we were still a little bit concerned about bears.  The next morning we saw it was a tiny island that would never support a bear.

Our tent pad -- pretty nice, huh?  The lichen is soft and spongy.  

We were well above the water.  We could hear waves lapping and gurgling against the shore all night.  

The lake was close on both sides.  It really was a tiny island.  Later, we felt nice cool breezes all evening and could watch the Milky Way through a screen window in the roof of the tent. 

Daniel built a fire between two rocks so that we could eliminate any trace of it when we left and then made us a nice dinner.  We had provisioned for a camping trip while in Spokane so we had freeze-dried soup and such.

We watched an amazing sunset while I occasionally fretted about bears.  Would they swim over to our island, tempted by the scent of our lentil soup and carrots?  We decided they wouldn't.

In the morning I explored the island.  I have a crazy fondness for moss and found it in abundance.  It contrasted so prettily with the lichen, ferns and blueberry bushes.

I snacked on blueberries, but there weren't enough for our cereal.

These cute little lichen are called red soldiers.

This little pool reflected the beauty of the island nicely.

There was coffee to get me up and going and a fire waiting to warm my toes.

We also discovered that the island had some nightime visitors.  Beaver.  Lots of fresh beaver poop - unmistakeable because they look like chewed up fiberboard.  Who knew that beavers swallow the chips?

We both bathed in the lake which was nice and refreshing.  Daniel showed me how to filter water.  We refilled all our containers before we headed back to the mainland.  Good thing because we were going to need it.

We paddled around.  Off shore I looked back while Daniel launched and could see how little the island really was.

We circumnavigated the Dry Weeds Island and then headed back to mainland - a nice three hour paddle into strong headwinds.  We stopped along the way to rest.  Now we see why it's called Dry Weed Island.  We reflected on how we were so lucky to find our own little private island with soft lichen and moss rather than dry weeds.

Going back really was tough.  We don't have rudders on the inflatables.  The wind was strong so when it hit us laterally it was tough to stay on course and tough to stay together.  I would try to shortcut it across channels and Daniel sought the shelter of the shore.  I would get too far away and fall behind.  Finally Daniel tethered me to his kayak so we could stay together.  I guess that's what it takes to make me follow... anyway it worked and it was much less stressful for me.  We took another break but the waves kept bouncing us off the rocks so we didn't stay long.  We could't really take breaks in open water because the wind blew us back.  See Daniel's kayak?  I under-inflated it I guess.  Oh well.  Next time.

Back on the mainland I made some business calls while we waited for the equipment to dry.  Then we packed up and drove until we got to Norman's

This map shows where we ended last night.  Orr, Minnesota.

Now, as I finish this post finally (the network was very unreliable along the way so I gave up) we are in the Wonderland Motel in Ishpeming, Michigan.  Lake and moose country and I am hopeful about seeing a moose in the morning.

I close this post with a question for you.  What do you think General Mills does with all these wood chips?  We saw this as we passed through Duluth and wondered.  Boxes?  High fiber cereal?  I'm going to start checking labels more carefully.

Too pooped to post in Minnesota

Been camping and kayaking in Voyageur National Park which is in Minnesota on the Canadian border.  We had a great time, but had a very long hard paddle back today.  We are totally wiped out.  We just checked into Norman's One Stop and Motel.  Our room has one wall made of logs so we know we are in the right place.  Unless I wake up later tonight I will post pics and tell about Voyageur tomorrow.  Gotta crash now.

We are now well over a 1000 pageviews since we started this trip.  Thanks to all of you for following along.  Can't believe it's winding down.  We expect to be back in NY on Monday, but with collecting detours, who knows.  Stay tuned.

No Fracking Way!

Before we get to the fracking story, an update on where we are and the botany.  As I write this we are in the truck just east of Rugby, North Dakota.  We traveled from Glacier yesterday on Route 2 (the "High Line") which runs across the north of the country, near the Canadian border.  We ended last night west of Minot ND.

Unlike the scenic byways we took to get here, Route 2 is straight as can be.  Still, it is pretty country, lots of open sky and rolling prairie.  We started out yesterday morning from Cut Bank, MT.  Cut Bank is near Fort Disappointment, so named because it was where Clark hoped to make celestial observations about the location but bad weather made that impossible.  Also it was the only place on the whole expedition where L & C encountered hostiles and two Indians died in a scuffle over horses.  We imagined that they must have collected plants from the exact spot where we did.  Located on the banks of a bend in the Cut Bank Creek.  There was a train trestle nearby and a classic ranch in the distance.  It was a dry, desert landscape that yielded no fewer than 50 different species, nearly all of them new species for this trip.  We do collect duplicates sometimes because they help fill in the distribution map, especially for those species that are on the edge of their range.  A great spot.

Mentezelia

Eriogonum

Townsendia

Truck du jour

Daniel was super happy.  Of course I made a little bouquet which I left this morning at our campsite.

We stopped in a little town and explored a creek that was loaded with Persicaria and other goodies.  Later we saw vast ponds chock full of Persicaria.  Acres of the stuff (the swath of pink.)

We hit the road with the goal of getting to Minot, ND by nightfall.  As we did some advance Googling for accommodations we realized that we were once again, out of luck.  Traveling across northern ND we started seeing all these oil fields under construction or in operation, pumping something.  When we stopped in Williston, Daniel, a good Texas man, recognized a boom town when he saw one.  All the cues were there.  Lots of RV's.  Lots of pick up trucks.  Crowded gas stations.  Lots of plates from Texas and Colorado.  The rough necks were in town.  Lots of them.  And taking up all the hotel rooms.  On the outskirts of the towns we saw corporate barracks of worker housing.  We saw Halliburton outposts.  It is all about fracking and northern ND is booming.  Here is what Route 2 in ND looks like these days between Stanley and Minot.  What a fracking nightmare.

Jobs are important, I know, but fracking is unproven economically and environmentally.  Fracking is a process of extracting oil from the shale or sand by using a combination of water and chemicals to separate the oil.  When we were collecting in upstate NY several weeks ago communities seemed to be aggressively fighting fracking, which is where I first saw the No Fracking Way slogan.  In the meantime, this is what ND is giving up.  Makes me wanna cry.

We had to deal with the no room at the inn situation.  We found a campsite at Lewis and Clark State Park which is located on Lake Sakakawea.  Daniel was able to set up the tent in the dark without delay.  He was smart enough to put on the rain tarp in case, and yes, it did rain during the night.  It was a very pretty place.  Here is the view as we drove away.  The sad thing is that at night you can see the glow of all the fracking fires off in the distance.  That's just wrong, as my dear Cassie would say.  

For those of you who doubt, here is proof that I camped with good cheer.  Actually, I was grateful for the tent.  If not for it, we would have been sleeping upright in the truck.  

Late morning we stopped on a long dirt road for a brief break and some lunch (goat cheese, hummus and olive sandwiches off the back of the truck.)  There was another fixer-upper, some pretty flowers for a truck bouquet, and a vast open stretch of prairie.

I am sure many people see this landscape and think Hmmm, I wonder how much oil is in all that sand under the prairie.  

Driving on though Minot, which is located in a low lying area we again saw flooding and felt a little deja vu.  It's a gloomy enough drive with the rain.  When you know it will add to people's misery it just makes it so much worse.  The water was lapping the shores on both sides of this road.  

Last update for this posting:  we are now in Roseau, Minnesota.  Tomorrow we will hit the Voyager National Park.  After that it will be a major push for home and probably time on the interstates.  No collecting today at all.  Just rain.