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.
ROADSIDE BOUQUETS -- WHERE THE WILDFLOWERS ARE. Two friends. One a botanist. The other a consultant with a flexible schedule and an interest in wildflowers and flower arranging. We collect and preserve specimens of flowering plants. We find them in vacant lots, roadside ditches, culverts, swamps, woods, hillsides and fields. Along the way we explore the small towns of America. And arrange some flowers to brighten the truck interior or leave behind to say thanks.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Wild life and wild flowers in Glacier
The approach to Glacier is so beautiful. It gives a nice tease about what is to come. We stopped to load up on coffee at one of the many roadside espresso stands. The young lady working there told us she loves New York. We love Montana.
Into the park the scenery becomes very dramatic quickly.
Even when there is evidence of a forest fire the park is beautiful.
We drove along sheer cliff drop offs. When I was sitting on the cliff side I had major vertigo. There were mountain goats along the way and then again at Logan Pass.
None of the wildlife is shy apparently.
We took a brief hike across a snowfield. The trails were still closed because of all the snow. There were beautiful lilies poking out of the newly exposed meadows.
We saw a marmot who seemed to be basking in the sun.
We enjoyed the snow even though we couldn't hike because of it. We thought of the heat wave we are missing and all of you who are suffering. We really aren't gloating. Promise.
We saw some big horn sheep.
There were amazing wildflowers, but we can't collect in the park.
Into the park the scenery becomes very dramatic quickly.
Even when there is evidence of a forest fire the park is beautiful.
We drove along sheer cliff drop offs. When I was sitting on the cliff side I had major vertigo. There were mountain goats along the way and then again at Logan Pass.
None of the wildlife is shy apparently.
We took a brief hike across a snowfield. The trails were still closed because of all the snow. There were beautiful lilies poking out of the newly exposed meadows.
 |
| Erythronium grandiflorum (glacier lily) |
We saw a marmot who seemed to be basking in the sun.
We enjoyed the snow even though we couldn't hike because of it. We thought of the heat wave we are missing and all of you who are suffering. We really aren't gloating. Promise.
We saw some big horn sheep.
There were amazing wildflowers, but we can't collect in the park.
 |
| Astragalus (one of 1000 western species) |
 |
| Campanula rotundifolia (harebell) |
 |
| Castilleja (Indian paintbrush) |
 |
| Dodecatheon (Shooting star) |
We were only in the park for about six hours but felt like we saw a lot. The mountains glowed in the sunset as we drove on to find a motel. And, yes, we had better luck than last night. We are all tucked in.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
High desert then some lodging mishaps
We started yesterday day by leaving room #1 and collecting right by the motel. Dee, the owner, let us take a few wild things from the property, including this Sidalcea. Dee and her husband Dale ran a real nice place. They want to retire so the A la Cozy, built in 1952, is for sale.
Later on we stopped along the way at this site in the high desert. It was very diverse, although at first glance you wouldn't think so.
This was the farm/ranch just across the street. Nice.
We collected a lot of specimens we hadn't seen anywhere else.
Amidst all this was this one single amazing Calochortus. What was this doing here in all this dry heat? We left it since there was only one.
I made a little high desert bouquet. I like working with desert plants because they are so dry you can just tie them with string. Later, I left it on a picnic table at a health food co-op in Spokane.
Later on we stopped along the way at this site in the high desert. It was very diverse, although at first glance you wouldn't think so.
This was the farm/ranch just across the street. Nice.
We collected a lot of specimens we hadn't seen anywhere else.
I made a little high desert bouquet. I like working with desert plants because they are so dry you can just tie them with string. Later, I left it on a picnic table at a health food co-op in Spokane.
Now for the un-fun part. We have been real lucky on this trip, always finding a place to stay when we need it. We really can't plan much in advance since we are following the plants more than an itinerary. Last night our luck ran out big time. (Rick - you would have freaked, although you never would have been in this situation) We pushed to get kind of close to Glacier only to find every hotel for miles around totally booked. One place offered a conference room with no bath for $75. So at 11:30 last night, just after passing into mountain time and losing an hour, we had to drive to Missoula for lodging. That's 120 miles. In the dark, everything looks like New Jersey. Now, as I write this we are making the same drive back all along glacial lakes and Rocky Mountain scenery. Really gorgeous. We are off to a very slow start since we were wiped last night. We have to just drive through Glacier and then through an Indian reservation before we stop for the night.. Tomorrow morning I have to be in a cell service zone for a conference call. Oh reality.
More later. I hope to see bears and will post video if we do. Latin names of above plants to follow. Daniel is driving and I don't want to distract him from the task at hand. Here are two we took a few minutes ago. We are getting close to Glacier so bye for now.
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