Birkie Trail outing

Part of the American Birkebeiner Ski Trail is a 10-minute ski/walk from my house. Yesterday, it was -16F in the morning, so I waited until 2:30 in the afternoon, when the temp had risen to 10F, to go skiing. I skied the section of the trail that is about 7K from the finish on Main Street in downtown Hayward, starting near Hayward Lake and going to where the trail intersects Hwy 77 East and back. The trail was freshly groomed for skating, but no classic tracks were set. It was a beautiful, sunny, blue sky day and I'm glad I didn't let the cold keep me inside. I'm working up to skiing the 23K Kortelopet later this month for the second year in a row.

Shortly after beginning my ski, I crossed this bridge over a small creek, with one side designated for skiers and the other snowmobiles, illustrative of a cooperative partnership.

The next section of trail brought me to the crossing of Wheeler Road, where one encounters a fairly steep climb.

At the top of this climb is a memorial sculpture and plaque dedicated to one of the Birkie Founders, Dave Landgraf.

The following three images are views from the top of this hill, looking toward Hayward and the finish.

The next three images are looking in the opposite direction. This hill is the last climb before heading down to Hayward Lake and the finish.

After rounding the corner in the distance that curves to the left, the trail climbs to the top of "Duffy Ski Hill," where one is rewarded by beautiful views of the Namekagon River Valley. There is a small cabin at the top of this hill. I'm assuming it's privately owned by the Duffy family.

After topping Duffy Ski Hill, I skied down to the gate that crosses the trail just short of Hwy 77. This was my turn-around point. The next four images are the trail as it winds its way back up to Duffy Ski Hill, a fairly continuous climb with a few dips. I saw just one lone skate skier on my outing.

This marker is just a short ways from the trail gate near Hwy 77.

The next three images are looking toward the climb that brings you to the top of the last hill, the one with the Dave Landgraf memorial.

First snow

Yesterday saw the first snow for this autumn. This is earlier than the first snow the previous two autumns, noted in my phenological journal. In 2011 - first measurable snow (approx. 4") was on November 19; all melted by November 26. In 2012 - first snow was on November 6; no accumulation.

First snow; no accumulation, just visible in patches on grass. Still here this morning.

Canadian Geese and Mute Swans

While we were back east, in NJ, we took my parent's dog, Willow, for a walk every day. We walked to a nearby park where there is a nice loop that circles a large pond. Canadian Geese are regular inhabitants of the park and one day we saw a family with four goslings along the edge of the pond.

We kept our distance so as not to disturb them but with the telephoto lens on my Canon PS 260 camera I was able to get some close shots.

Their feathers look like they would be so soft to the touch, almost like fur.

On our return trip back to WI, we camped at East Harbor State Park again at Port Clinton, Ohio. In the early evening we went for a stroll and happened upon several families of Canadian Geese feeding along the shoreline of East Harbor. A person walking by with her dog scared them into the water. One of the families had six goslings and it was beautiful to see them all lined up in a row with one adult in the lead and the other bringing up the rear. What watchful parents!

On our walk we were hoping to see the Trumpeter Swan adult with the three cygnets that we saw earlier on our trip. I have since learned that these were Mute Swans, not Trumpeters. I was fooled by the orange stain on the neck of the adult. But the orange bill is what uniquely identifies the swan as a Mute. We spotted several Mute Swans; the first was on a nest located out in the water away from shore.

And then we saw an adult with just one cygnet swimming along the shoreline. We wondered if this was the same adult we saw with three cygnets earlier. We hope not...

I made the assumption that the adult was the mother, but I don't know if that is so.

We also spotted several egrets. I tried to photograph one while it was flying, a difficult task.

 Here's one that was standing on shore, hunting for a meal.

A moment after I made this image, the egret darted forward to catch something. I wasn't fast enough to capture it well. Notice what I think is a muskrat in the foreground.

40th Anniversary

Today was our 40th anniversary. We decided to celebrate by, first, going to the Delta Diner for breakfast. Mike had a Dutch Baby "pancake" and I had a Mexican omelet.

While at the Delta Diner I took some more photographs of what makes this place fun, special and unique.

After returning home, we decided to finish up the day doing what we love best, going for a bike ride. In the late afternoon, we departed on bikes to another favorite eatery, the Farmstead Creamery & Cafe, a woman-powered place run by the Berlage women, mom, Ann and daughters, Laura and Kara. They're also known by the name Northstar Homestead Farms and we're participating in their Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. We had a relaxing and delicious dinner before our 20-mile ride home. The weather was perfect for us - sunshine and temperature around 60 degrees. A great day all the way around!