travel tales for family and friends. . .

wild horses. . .Theodore Roosevelt NP - North Dakota

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Well. . .That was a Shocker. . .

Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge

On Wednesday, we decided to drive over to

Tamarac NWR, and do the Blackbird Wildlife Trail,

which is a self guided driving tour. . .

Buffalo - escaped from nearby farm

imagine our surprise as we came around a curve,

and discovered a Buffalo Traffic Jam. . .

really?  In Minnesota?  we had no idea. . .

come to find out. . .a herd had gotten loose

from the local Buffalo Ranch,

and had been wandering the refuge for about a week. . .

for more info, more pics, and the unfolding story

check out Judy’s Blog. . .Travels With Emma. . .

There’s a good possibility the buffalo will come to a sad end

if they are not corralled soon. . .

Trumpeter Swans

on to the refuge we go where it is our great privilege to see

these Trumpeter Swans with their signet. . .

I love the way my photo looks. . .almost like a watercolor painting

from needing to zoom in from such a long way. . .

loved the viewing platform at Stop 5. . .Blackbird Lake

we loved the observation platform at Blackbird Lake,

and spent quite a long time there just observing stuff. . .

but nothing exciting enough to show you. . .LOL!

We’ve arrived too late for the Spring Wildlife. . .

and too early for the Fall Wildlife. . .such is our planning

what can I say?

So, that was about it for our exciting Wednesday. . .

A Tour with Judy. . .

Today, Thursday, we drove back over to Tamarac,

for our “official” guided tour with fellow RV’er,

Blogger, and amazing volunteer. . .Judy.

Since we were the only ones who showed up,

we felt very special to have Judy’s undivided attention. . .

wish I had thought to get a pic of Dave opening and closing gates. . .

since, on the guided tour, you get to go to places not open to the public. . .

 

These are the things we saw. . .as I said. . .it’s high summer. . .

Osprey Nest

an Osprey nest. . .last week they were still there. . .this week. . .soronora. . .goodbye!

Trumpeter Swans

the “teenagers” Trumpeter Swan group hanging out on Flathead Lake. . .

Judy explained that they don’t begin producing young until they are about three years old. . .

this is where they hang out together until they get “lucky”  (my words. . .not Judy’s. . .LOL!)

Chippewa Burial Ground and Spirit HousesChippewa Burial Ground and Spirit HousesChippewa Burial Ground and Spirit Houses

this was a Chippewa Burial Ground up on a knoll. . .

the Spirit Houses, though collapsed,

are still totally visible. . .

the small triangle is where the spirit of the beloved escaped. . .

Garter Snake

a garter snake needed to get across the road. . .

Monarch ButterflyMonarch Butterfly

my very favorite thing of the day. . .

this beautiful Monarch Butterfly. . .isn’t it divine?

 

Black Capped Chicadee

loved the black capped chickadees that visited

just outside the window of the motorhome. . .

Visit with Fellow RV'ers

We invited Judy and her Co-Volunteers, Bridget and John

over for fajitas in the afternoon. . .

After we ate and visited, and they were getting ready to leave. . .

we remembered. . .oh. . .pictures. . .so. . .there ya go. . .


What a wonderful, wonderful day for the memory bank. . .

Thanks Judy!

We head out in the morning. . .

See ya next time in North Dakota. . .

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

 

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