Speaking of it still being cold out, it's been freaking cold out lately! Yeah yeah I live in Minnesota and should be used to it and for the most part, I am. I don't piss and moan about the weather all that much (I don't think) but lately good old Mother Nature has been testing my driving skills by dumping rather large amounts of snow right on the path of my early Monday morning commute. For the first three weeks in March it has taken me 3+ hours to get home from Wisconsin when it usually takes an hour and half. I'm a pretty confident so snow and ice storms don't bother me. I have an AWD vehicle that I feel safe enough in but not cocky enough to think that I'm invincible to accidents. In other words, I respect the weather conditions and give myself plenty of time to take it slow. But after three weeks in a row of that nonsense, I've over it! Yesterday morning's commute was clear of any precipitation from the sky and I made it home ten minutes earlier than normal. (speeding, perhaps??) Glorious.
This past Sunday we (Blarb, Joe and I) decided to spend the afternoon on the mighty Mississippi eagle watching in Wabasha. I would have been perfectly content watching the eagles from the warmth and comfort of my vehicle but Joe suggested taking the boat and I was immediately determined to make a day out of it. We piled on the warm clothes and set out just after 1pm on Sunday afternoon.
(I'm holding a beaver stick that Joe fished out of the water for me...you can't tell from the pic but the stick has some wicked teeth marks in it!)
It was overcast and gloomy and there was a slight wind which made riding in the boat a tad uncomfortable. The high was twenty-three degrees but when you're in a boat with the wind in your face, it feels like three degrees. I felt my inner-whiny child creeping up inside me and decided it was in my best interest to shut her up lest I get tossed out of the boat. As soon as we were on the water heading towards some back channels where Joe traps and I saw the hundreds of eagles in the sky, my whiny-ness went away right then and there. I'm not kidding, there were close to two hundred eagles in the area according to the National Eagle Center in Wabasha. To describe their beauty is something that I really can't put into words. To say it was amazing and magnificent and breathtaking doesn't really do it justice. To be able to see such beautiful and strong birds in their natural habitat, adults and juvenile birds together, was incredibly fascinating. It was BEYOND fascinating. At one point we stopped the boat about fifty yards from a nest that two adult eagles were tending to and one adult flew away while the other circled above us, giving us their "warning call" for about ten minutes. He/she landed in the nest at once point and was concealed behind a large branch of the tree that the nest was in. I grabbed the binoculars and looked up into the nest and the eagle instantly popped its head around the side of the large branch and stared down at us. Another round of warning calls and he/she was back in the air, circling above and making it known that we were not welcome. There must have been eggs in that nest because Mr/Mrs Eagle wanted us out of there. Simply amazing.
(This isn't my picture because my camera isn't this cool, but this is basically what all the trees in Wabasha along the river look like...covered in dang eagles!)
We chased the eagles through the channels and came to an area where Joe duck hunts and were surrounded by a couple hundred geese and several species of ducks. A flock of giant beautiful tundra swans, at least another hundred, lazed in the water and as we came around the corner they all took off into the air and I can only lamely describe it as stunning and heart-stopping. I had no idea that these magnificent birds migrate up and down the mighty Mississippi every year, making pit-stops where there is open water to feed. (now I'm starting to sound like a love-sick douche...come on, they're just birds) I got goosebumps as they all took flight and surrounded us with their elegant grace. (lol, I'm making myself gag now!) Joe even spotted an opossum on shore and pulled the boat over, jumped on shore and grabbed the sucker so we could see it up close and personal. (after it jumped in the water to try to get away from us, it looked like a drowned cat) That was my second encounter with a wild opossum and while they are slow, dumb, worthless little critters, it was still pretty fucking awesome to be able to touch one with my own hands. VERY cool.
After three hours we were frozen solid, wind-burnt, starving and ready to call it a day. I'm forever grateful that JoeyToots (don't ask) suggested eagle-watching from the boat and I can't ever thank him enough for what turned out to be an amazing and magical day on the river and that I was able to share the day with two of my most favorite people in the world. I love the great outdoors and have so much new-found respect for Mother Nature and all of her beautiful gifts. (except snow storms) As much as I love visiting those warm-weather places (FLORIDA!) I don't think I could ever leave the Midwest permanently. I would miss the changing of the seasons, no matter how much I bitch and moan about them. As much as driving in the snow sucks ass, it teaches me how to be a better and more cautious driver. The sweltering, humid August nights all blur together and even though I know they are hot and miserable, I don't remember most of them. Nothing feels better than going jacket-less on a 45 degree spring day after winter has gnawed at your bones for so many cold, dark months. And the cool fall air will forever remind me of Friday night high school football games. Mother Nature is pretty amazing and after last weekend's three-hour tour, I have more respect and admiration for her than ever. And I'm thankful that I get to experience her beauty in the midst of my loved ones. I'm now a firm believer in experiencing the great outdoors in all types of weather, it really makes you appreciate the beautiful things we don't get to see on a regular basis.
Watching the tundra swans reminded me of the scene in The Notebook where Noah and Allie are surrounded by all the white geese while they row through them in a boat. I felt like Allie and Joe was Noah but then there was a Blarb there so I got confused. ;)
Unfortunately we didn't encounter any Alpacas on our little adventure, which is probably okay. I think if I ever meet an Alpaca in real life I might tip over and cry about it.
(The black one looking at the camera has a fucking attitude problem.)
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