I like to think and sometimes say my
life style has to be among those least affected by the coronavirus pandemic. I
have no worry or fear about myself and am able to view much of life in a sort
of a detached fashion as an "objective" observer. My only concern is the safety
and well-being of family members and friends, which is always present with or
without a pandemic. Among the things I often do is pick up a canoe and a paddle
and look for open water. Here are two photographs from such a recent venture.
They were taken at Lewis and Clark Lake on the Missouri River in South Dakota.
Actually, the far-side of the lake is Nebraska. My canoe, incidentally, is larger than most. It is an 18-footer meant for two people and lots/lots/lots of gear for extended journeys -- and, it has been on a few.
May you stay forever young
The bluffs along the Missouri River have been described
as "fossil rich." All manner of "wildlife" from the Mesozoic and Cenozic eras,
including not only raptors and tyrannosaurs, but prehistoric turtles and
megafauna mammals have been found in states along or near the Missouri River.
Numerous specimens of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops have been discovered in the region. The Ceratopsian, or horned-frilled dinosaur,
which possessed one of the largest heads of any creature in the history of life on
earth, has been found. South Dakota land also has yielded scattered remains of the
armored dinosaur Edmontonia, the duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus, the Ornithopod
dinosaur Osmakasaurus and the head-butting Pachycephalosaurus.
Well, you get my drift ….
Beyond that, shifting to much/much/much more recent times, it may seem incredulous to think of
encountering explorers and fur traders coming along the Missouri River toward
you or to wonder if Native Americans mounted on painted ponies are watching your every movement from the
shoreline, but it is not at all difficult to imagine people from centuries past
camped just around the next bend.
All right .... enough words about dinosaurs and fur traders. This
started out to be a few paragraphs about one approach to spend some time in the
midst of Nature during the coronavirus pandemic or, anytime, for that matter.
Just to make certain I did not fall asleep at night and awaken in the morning
with guys in buckskins standing around staring at me, I ended my evenings with
a bit of contemporary music blowing in the wind along the river. Here are some
pieces of it ....
Hmmmm .... I wonder if Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant
William Clark could hear the echoing refrains .... or John Colter, the first
known person of European descent to enter the region which later became
Yellowstone National Park and to see the Teton Mountain Range ....
Yep, I wonder .... for an incurable romantic it is
nice to hope some part of them still lingers within the river ....
11 comments:
What a Nice hike!Seems like you have enjoyed yourself:)))
Like that big canoe.Gives Places to many things tent, backpack, ect ect
Did you go camping as well?
Really Nice Music again today I thought it was Neil Young (sec look it was the cover)With that" Hey Hey My My" I remember the song very well living in Oslo and cruising The Oslo Fjords with a speed boat with teenage love mood in the eyes yes hey hey my my:))
Wish you the best day over there!
I think it would be safe to say this was a paddling excursion rather than a hiking venture, Anita, and, yes, it involved three nights in a sleeping bag with one in a tent due to rain.
Lewis and Clark Lake is part of the Missouri River, which means there are both the wind and the current to contend with, as opposed to an ordinary lake where there is only the wind. When it comes to canoeing, I describe myself as a "purist," which is to say all paddling and no motoring, although I have been tempted to use a motor when I have known part of a journey would be going against the current of a river. This trip was leisurely and with the current = easy and fun.
I like all the music here and usually prefer songs by the original band/vocalist, however, some later versions by "interlopers" actually are better to my ears and in my mind. Strange Kind of Women is an Italian group which does mostly Deep Purple music and Deep Purple is among my favorites .... again = easy and fun.
Thank you, Anita, for coming and for writing a comment. Next stop for me is Memorial Day -- hope to see you then/there ....
That top photo is beautiful! I was one of those kids who would have loved to discover dinosaur bones. I still like dinosaurs. In fact, I have a dino jigsaw puzzle waiting to be pieced together as well as a LEGO set to be assembled.
I camped in a tent when I was in college once (in Cade's Cove), but never since. My husband said his "camping" overseas was enough for a lifetime.
Yoo hoo Surprise!I want to leave another comment because I forgot to tell how beautiful the first photo is..The Cliffs amazing!
I can almost hear you paddling and the sound of the birds,the fine smell of nature and the quietness so wonderful
It like a dream!Looks very alike to the Movie you know I love soo much The Emigrants
Thank you again for sharing!
Where and when and how an individual grows from childhood to being an adult probably sets their tone in regard to the outdoors. Camping involves a great deal of work, no matter the location or the time of year, which discourages many people. I have done it in all four seasons and in a variety of terrain, including prairies, woodlands, desert, jungle, mountains and/and/and ....
My first winter camping was done in a snow/ice house another sixteen-year-old and I built on a frozen lake. We lived in it ten days during Christmas vacation from school. I have learned to sleep anywhere at any time, including in a canoe drifting along in a river and tied in the upper branches of a tree. Often, camping is more work than fun, and I mostly do it to measure myself and simply for the experience of doing it. In other words, Kelly, I do it because I want to do it.
I have canoed the entire Minnesota River and the entire south shore of Lake Superior, and tossed a canoe into any number of lakes and rivers, including the Tennessee and the Vistula.
I guess you get my drift ....
Yes, the first photograph is beautiful. Such sights are another reason I "flee" to the outdoors.
Paleontology never was high on my list of interests, but I am aware there are opportunities for volunteers to participate in fossil excavations should you get the urge. Archaeology is more in tune with my personality, and I have participated in two "digs" as an amateur volunteer -- one in recovery of a primitive Native American dugout canoe in Michigan and another surveying battlefield sites in and around Fort Philip Kearney in Wyoming.
Thank you, Kelly, for coming and writing a comment for me. Take care and see you here and there ....
One of the most wonderful "songs" in the world to me is the sound of water lapping against a canoe. It really is magical to me, and I especially like to go to sleep at night with the sound of a rippling shoreline nearby, while whippoorwills and owls exchange pleasantries in the distance.
The historic elements to the area in the photographs are as relevant to me as is the beauty of the river and the land it flows through. There is an island, now submerged, somewhere in this lake where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent a few days, and on the bluffs held a powwow with Native Americans. George Custer and the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army camped a few miles inland and had to endure a spring blizzard.
I also like the silence it offers other than for the sounds of Nature.
Thank you, once again, Anita, for coming to visit and to add another comment. Take care and stay healthy/well/safe .... senere, byjente ....
Gorgeous pics, mate. And that's a lovely-looking canoe you've got there. :-)
Greetings from London.
Thank you, CiL. I think the combination of the clouds and the sun is what turns the first one from a simple snapshot into an attractive photograph. The second one is interesting for the levels of geological strata revealed in the embankment .... a few million years there ....
The canoe is one of two Grummans I have. This one an 18-footer, which is a chore for an inexperienced individual to handle due to its length, and the other a 15-footer, which is a gem to maneuver and better suited for solo excursions. They both have miles and miles and miles of lake and river time.
Thank you, CiL, for coming and for writing a comment .... and, yes, Queen and Freddie rule ....
How cool my posts are is for others to judge. There is no real rhyme or reason to my blog and the posts generally are about whatever happens to be on my mind when my fingers touch the keyboard. I have certain opinions and beliefs, which I do not hesitate to include. My purpose is to write what I think / if someone reads it, good / if someone writes a comment, even better ....
Thank you, Milentry, for coming here and for commenting here ....
Hi, Fram. I love your first photo. The lighting and contrast to the cliff is so beautiful. It looks like a very lovely trip. One day I would like to travel the Lewis and Clark way. It's fun to imagine the Indians, the settlers, the wild animals along the way, and I believe you are correct that their spirits live on in the land and waters there. Your canoe reminds me of one I paddled in up on the Russian River many years ago. My little dog fell off her bench and in to the icy water! Lucky for me my nephew was paddling with us and jumped in to rescue my lil Maggie. She was an adventurous girl, my buddy and constant companion for 12 years. She actually passed away in the beginning of March of this year. It broke my heart to lose her. She was the sweetest of dogs and all who knew her, loved her. She died in my arms...I felt her last heartbeat and then she was gone. I will always treasure the time I had with her. I think our memories keep us forever young. We become time travelers and the experiences we had, those memories will make us smile and feel just as real today as they were at the time we experienced them. Music is a great magic carpet that can take us there :-)
I have been busy this week myself. I just bought a new Subaru Forester and my imagination is already excited planning the adventures I will have! These new cars have so many electronic gadgets it took me two days just to read the manual and I still haven't figured out all the things the car can do :-)
Stay safe, stay well, and have a Happy Memorial Day, Fram <3
I have been with three dogs when they drew their last breaths and each time has been among the most difficult moments of my life. In many ways, it is illogical to have such strong attachments and deep feelings for a dog, but some of us are patterned that way and I am glad for it. I am glad you are designed that way, too, Kelly.
Between the two Dakotas, Nebraska and Montana, I have been to several places associated with the Lewis and Clark journey, and there have been times when I have thought about and talked about a beginning to end Missouri River excursion, but I know such an undertaking is no longer a possibility for me. Many of my canoe "schemes" have fallen by the wayside. I once envisioned an Atlantic to Pacific trek by canoe, and even figured out two routes to accomplish it.
My photographer friend in Michigan swears by Subarus. Tommy always has a pair of them, the older one for winter salt and the newer one for summer sun. He has a pair of Grummans, too -- a long one for family frolics and a short one for "lone ranger" antics. He also has a Winchester 94 and a Colt Python I traded with him for a So Lo Marx dry suit. Lake Superior water was becoming a bit too cold for me for wet suit diving. Tommy stopped by for a visit in March, and we hope to have a rendezvous or two this summer.
There will be Memorial Day posts here on the 25th and the 30th. If you are in the neighborhood, I hope you will stop by and take a look. Nothing spectacular is on the agenda and there is no wine to taste, but .... I enjoy your company ....
I will close this "note" with sort of a "canine" story: In Dakota, it is not unusual to see coyotes parade through the yard -- sometimes alone, sometimes in a pack -- and several times in the midst of a frigid winter night they would surround the house and serenade us. Actually, I sort of assume they were asking our dogs to come outside and "play."
But here, in a Saint Paul suburb, I had the closest face-to-face encounter I ever have had with a coyote. The last thing I do before bedtime is take my puppy boy, Buddy, outside. At one point Thursday night, I noticed Buddy go on alert. I assumed he had seen a rabbit, but a moment later a coyote the size of a German shepherd came around the corner of the house and out of the shadows and boldly marched within 25 feet of us. It was about 12:35 a.m. in the front yard. I put my "torch" on it. The coyote showed no fear or apprehension. He did not even appear to look directly at us. Buddy growled and began a charge toward it. I told Buddy to stop. He did. The coyote, rather leisurely, turned and walked back around the corner of the house. End of story.
Buddy is an often reckless 20-pounder and, like many dogs, adrenalin sets his course of action rather than his size. I am not certain if it were the spotlight or the sound of my voice or the charging Buddy that caused the coyote to turn away -- probably all three -- but turn away he did. It is not unusual to see coyote and fox around here, which is why I go outside with Buddy.
Thank you, California Kelly, for your visit and your comment. As I noted earlier, I enjoy your company and would like more of it. Take care, and do not be such a stranger .... the world is young and so are we .... well, sort of, anyway ....
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