BALD EAGLES, VOLCANOES, CAVES and more: A PACIFIC NORTHWEST WINTER ESCAPADE, Part 1, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton

Bald Eagle, Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s writer and frequent contributor to this blog, took these photos in Northern California and Southern Oregon in February 2024.

Tule Lake (T), Lava Beds National Monument (L), CA; Mount Thielsen (M), OR

Ever since I read that the Tule Lake area in Northern California is where to look for “the largest number of wintering Bald eagles in the contiguous U.S.,” it’s been on my Pacific Northwest bucket list. Bald eagle numbers peak in mid-February, some years reaching above one thousand. By late March, the eagles have left on their journey north.

In February 2023, temperatures below freezing, ice, and snow made driving conditions potentially treacherous. I chose to stay safe at home in Eugene. A year later, nighttime temperatures barely dipped below freezing. It was time to go!

The Tule LakeNational Wildlife Refuge is one of six Klamath Basin Refuges which are the last remnants of once-immense wetlands, shrunken by agricultural development. The refuges are a rest and feed stop for waterfowl migrating along the Pacific Flyway. Winter waterfowl are bald eagle food.

At the website for this wildlife refuge, a term that makes it sound like a safe haven for animals, I was surprised to see “Hunting” under “Visitor Activities.” When I looked up the 2024 hunting seasons, on different dates for ducks, scaups (diving duck species), or Canada geese, I found that all hunting had ended in January. I felt reassured that visiting in February should be safe from stray bullets.

Upon arrival, we stopped at the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center at Tule Lake. The building contains excellent displays of taxidermy ducks, geese, eagles, and other birds commonly seen at the refuge, a library of relevant nature books, and a children’s play area with toys. The Ranger said, “There must be a hundred Bald Eagles out there right now,” sparking bright hope that we would see some. During the day, they look for water birds to eat. At night, they roost in treesy areas (such as the nearby Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge, closed to the public). At dawn and dusk, they fly out and fly back, commuting to their day job.

The Tule Lake Refuge includes wetlands, some of which are farmlands seasonally flooded by irrigation. A network of dirt roads includes a 9-mile Auto Tour Route that begins four miles south of the Visitor Center and an array of straight roads on top of dikes, some with a power line running alongside. 

Bald Eagle.

We drove off, scanning sky and land and tops of power poles for photogenic birds. One bald eagle stared us down.

Bald eagle in tree.

To increase our chances of sightings, we chose to move around the vast area rather than sit still for hours at roadside spots or Wildlife Overlooks. Nature gifted us with dazzling visions: two more bald eagles, moody skies in turmoil, rain drawing dark curtains on the horizon one minute and washing over us the next, brilliant rainbows flashing in and out of existence…

White pelicans in front of the Peninsula rock formation.

We saw lots of duck species, coots, white pelicans, tundra swans, and sandhill cranes. A distant, gigantic, solid-looking white area contrasting with pale blue lake water turned out to be a clumped flock of perhaps a thousand birds!

For dinner at Señor Tequila in the town of Tulelake (one word), we tasted chicken specialties with decadent, Land O’Lakes secret cheese sauce (imagine chicken Stroganoff, especially since my selection contained added sour cream)… I ate a little of it and carried away the rest to eat for another meal.

When we checked in at the Winema Historic Lodge on the edge of the refuge, the owner, Loyal Taylor, whose awesome first name I had never encountered before, generously shared stories about the bald eagles and barn owls who are his neighbors. Breathtaking photos of some of them hang in the lodge dining room.

Everywhere we went on that February Wednesday, we were the only visitors there. That night, the temperature dropped around freezing. The wall heater in our room rumbled loudly on and off, so we turned it off and piled extra blankets on the bed. Even though I put on thermal clothing, I dreamed that I was back in the frigid Himalayas, in an unheated tea house room! 

To be continued in next week's post.

All text and photos, copyright Caroline Arnold. www.theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com

THE ROAD TO CAMP BOVEY: From Minneapolis to Northern Wisconsin, Recollections from Childhood

Camp Bovey sign, 1961.

Seventy-five years ago, under the direction of my father, Les Scheaffer, North East Neighborhood House, a settlement house in Minneapolis, founded Camp Bovey near Solon Springs, Wisconsin. It was a place where children and families of Northeast Minneapolis could enjoy nature and the outdoors, learn camping skills, and have fun together. My first trip to Camp Bovey (then called Camp Hodag) was when I was four years old. Over the next seventeen years I went there many times--with my family, as a camper, and as a staff member for the summer sessions when I was in college. No matter how many times I made the trip, I always felt the excitement of going to Camp.

The four Scheaffer children at Camp Bovey, 1951.

I write about Camp Bovey in four chapters of my new memoir, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: GrowingUp in the 1950s at North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Here is an excerpt, describing the trip to Camp as I knew it as a child.

Camp Bovey. View of the lodge from across the lake, 2022.

The trip to Camp Bovey from northeast Minneapolis is 150 miles. I know all the stops and landmarks by heart, and no matter how many times I take the trip, the excitement of going to Camp never fades. If you don’t stop, you can make it in about three hours. But for our family the trip always takes longer, with stops along the way for gas, groceries, toilets, a picnic lunch, and if we are lucky, wildlife viewing--perhaps a deer, bald eagle, or in spring, a patch of trilliums.

We always aim to get an early start, but never do, and by the time we reach Taylor’s Falls on the Minnesota side of the St. Croix River, everyone is hungry. St. Croix State Park, across the bridge on the Wisconsin side of the river, is a favorite lunch spot with its scenic view, rocks to climb, and space for my brothers and me to use up some energy before getting back into the car.

After lunch we head east to Turtle Lake, where we turn north on Highway 63 toward Cumberland, home of the Tower House Restaurant, named for the turret on the Victorian house in which it is located. When I am thirteen I taste an exotic foreign food for the first time at the Tower House—pizza! It is delicious.

Cumberland is on an isthmus between two lakes. In winter, the Chamber of Commerce drives an old car onto the frozen lake and raises money by taking bets on when the ice will melt and the car will sink. In 1960, we pass through town in early April and the car is still sitting on the ice. We are on the way to Camp to celebrate my brother Tom’s tenth birthday. By the time we go by again, on our way to Camp for a Memorial Day work weekend, the car is gone. We never find out how long it took for the ice to melt that year.

After Cumberland, the next major town is Spooner. We sometimes stop for a light meal at the Buckhorn Inn on Spooner’s main street. My brothers and I love sitting on the high bar stools. We are allowed to order anything under a dollar. As we wait for our food we ponder the heads of deer and other animals mounted on the wall and wonder if the bizarre two-headed calf is real. It is. Outside Spooner, Highways 53 and 63 merge, and we continue north, going through the tiny towns of Minong and Wascott before arriving at our turnoff at Gordon. To the left is the fire tower on top of the hill above Lake St. Croix. We turn right onto County Road Y.

At Gordon, we are ten miles from Camp and almost there. The first five miles out of town are on a two-lane blacktop. When we reach Flamang Road, we turn left onto a graded sand road. We drive for another five miles, crossing Ox Creek and passing a few cabins. A sign for Camp Bovey, across from a cluster of tumble-down log buildings that we call the haunted farm, marks the last leg of the trip, a narrow rutted road winding through jack pine forest. It isn’t long before we get the first glimpse of Lake Metzger glimmering through the trees, and then, after passing the three “boys” cabins, pull into a parking place at the back of the lodge. We have arrived at Camp.

Flagpole. Dedication to Lester Scheaffer, founder of Camp Bovey, 1949.

Today’s trip to Camp Bovey bypasses Taylor’s Falls and follows the Interstate toward Duluth, cutting over to Highway 53 at Spooner. But the thrill of going to Camp never fades.

Camp Bovey is celebrating its 75^th Anniversary this year, 2024. It is still a place for children and families to enjoy the out-of-doors. For more about Camp Bovey and anniversary events, go to the Camp Bovey Facebook page or the ESNS website. (North East Neighborhood House became East Side Neighborhood Services (ESNS) in 1963.)

 

 

SPRING WILDFLOWER WALK on the Montclair Railroad Trail, Oakland, California

Allium triquetrum on the Montclair Railroad Trail.

One of our favorite walks near our house in Oakland is along the Montclair Railroad Trail. Once the path of a busy commuter rail line, it is now a mostly shaded, level path through a forest of California oaks, eucalyptus and redwoods. 

Montclair Railroad Trail (east end).

In spring, the edges and open areas are home to a variety of wildflowers. Here are some that we encountered on a recent warm, sunny weekend. 

Broom (an invasive species.).

Nightshade, sometimes called horse nettle.

Daisies.

Cow parsnip, a California native plant.

Lupin.

Forget-me-not.

The trail is 1.5 miles long. Along the trail are several information boards telling the history of the railroad and how local residents saved the land from being developed after the railroad stopped running. I'm glad they did.

"It is silent now, but long ago you would hear the shrill scraping of iron wheels along a track as a green interurban electric train would suddenly appear and pass along the very path on which you are walking. From 1912 to 1957, the popular Sacramento Northern carried passengers and freight between Chico and Oakland."

The trail is accessible from the parking garage in the Montclair village shopping area. A short climb up the hill behind the parking lot leads to the main path. It is a popular trail for walkers like us, but also for people with their dogs and bike riders. If you go on a Sunday as we did, between 9:00 and 1:00 pm, you can finish by stopping at the Farmer's Market just down the street from the parking garage where you can buy fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, or a wide variety of prepared foods (dim sum, bao buns, crepes, samosas, cornish pasties and more) to eat at picnic tables or take home.

MAP for parking and trail access.

Wood Sorrel (Oxalis)

ART SHOW--PAINTINGS BY TOM SCHEAFFER, at the Maya Moon Collective, San Diego, CA

Painting by Tom Scheaffer

My brother Tom Scheaffer is currently exhibiting his beautiful paintings at the Maya Moon Collective in San Diego, California, 3349 Adams Avenue, San Diego, CA 92116. 

Tom Scheaffer dressed up as a French artist.

The opening reception, Saturday, March 23^rd, 6 to 8 pm, was attended by many of Tom's friends and well wishers. Tom dressed up as a French artist, adding to the festivity of the occasion. 

Tom works in a colorful, expressionist/realistic style, depicting scenes in nature, especially of places in Southern California. His paintings are also inspired by his roots in the upper Midwest and summers in the North Woods at Camp Bovey in northern Wisconsin. Here are some samples of the paintings in the exhibit at the Maya Moon Collective.

If you are in the San Diego area, be sure to stop by to see the exhibit and have a bite to eat at the Maya Moon Cafe. The paintings will be up until the end of April.

Tom gives special thanks to George McKeever for helping him hang the show. For a few more pictures of Tom's paintings, click HERE.

ON TOUR IN EUROPE WITH THE NATIONAL SYMPHONY, 5 CITIES, 14 DAYS--Guest Post by Tom and Susan Weisner

The Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg Symphony Hall, Germany.

Our friends, Susan and Tom Weisner, went along with their son Jeffrey and granddaughters and family on a tour of Europe with the National Symphony in February 2024. Jeff plays the double bass in the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, DC. Seven flights, six train trips, and many bus transfers later, here are some highlights from five cities along the way of the 14-day tour.

La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain--still under construction.

Mercado de la Boqueria, Barcelona.

First stop, Barcelona, Spain, capital of the Catalan region of Spain. The Antoni Gaudi designed and imagined La Sagrada Familia Cathedral is a highlight, as is the Ramblas walking street off of Catalan Square, and the Mercado de la Boqueria open market.

View of Toledo, Spain.

The Gothic style cathedral, Toledo, dates from the 1200s.

The narrow streets of Toledo--cathedral dimly visible in background.

We then took a train to Madrid, and a half day train ride and tour of Toledo – a wonderful historic Spanish city about 40 minutes from Madrid.

Berlin Wall Museum.

We all then flew to Berlin with the NSO. We visited the cold war era Berlin Wall museum and model of the former “Checkpoint Charlie” crossing; the new glass dome on the German Parliament or Reichstag Building, and the Holocaust memorial site near the Brandenburg Gate. 

In Berlin we toured the new German Parliament glass dome which looks directly into the parliament chamber.

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin.

We also took our granddaughters to the Computer Games Historical Museum in the former East Berlin on the Karl Marx Allee, the Illusions museum, and the Spy Museum (sorry, no photos)! There are huge shopping and walking streets and parks in Berlin as well. The rest of the family flew home from Berlin – school and work!

In Cologne, on the way to the train station.

Next Susan and I took the train to Cologne, Germany, where we met up again with the orchestra, and went to a concert in their  beautiful concert hall. We then took the train for one day to Kassel, Germany, for a brief visit, where Tom’s father and grandparents had lived until they fled Hitler in 1938.

La Scala, Milan, Italy.

The NSO chartered a plane to Milan, Italy, to play a concert at La Scala for one night. The La Scala experience was great, but no time for anything else to see in Milan, because we flew the next morning to Hamburg, Germany, the last stop on the tour. We and the NSO stayed at the Elbphilharmonie, an amazing new building. (See first photo.) The Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Germany, which opened in 2017 with multiple concert halls and hotel all built on top of an existing former warehouse. The hotel is in the building with the symphony halls, and the public can walk up to see the views of the city.

Concert hall, Hamburg.

The Brahms Music Museum in Hamburg, Germany. Can you name the seven famous composers?

Inside the Brahms Music Museum.

Many thanks to Susan and Tom for sharing highlights of their trip with The Intrepid Tourist!

MEETING CELEBRITIES IN AUSTRALIA – KANGAROOS AND KOALAS, Guest Post by Caroline Hatton at The Intrepid Tourist

Wild kangaroos: joey sipping milk, Halls Gap, Victoria, Australia

My friend Caroline Hatton, a children’s book writer and frequent contributor to this blog, captured these images in Australia in November 2023, springtime Down Under.

Why Australia? Because it was on my husband’s bucket list well before the phrase was coined. A long-time dream of his was to see exotic Australian animals in the wild, including koalas and kangaroos, the top celebrities.

We thought that seeing them in a wildlife sanctuary first would give us a better idea of what to look for in the wild. And that calibrating our eyeballs to the size of target species at various distances would increase our chances of spotting them.

Relaxed kangaroo, Healesville Sanctuary, Victoria, Australia.

To pick where to seek such guaranteed sightings upon arrival, we ranked the species we most wanted to see, and cross-referenced them with urban zoos, non-zoos and closer-to-natural sanctuaries near Sydney (New South Wales) and Melbourne (Victoria), two destinations for many choices of flights from the U.S.

The Healesville Sanctuary, a two-hour drive from Melbourne, won hands down. There, napping kangaroos and koalas presented front, back, and side views, and one kangaroo even scratched an ear with a back toe. Starting our tour of Australia in the state of Victoria turned out to be optimal because that’s where we found all the wild kangaroos and koalas we saw on our entire trip.

 KANGAROO MOBS

 A kangaroo mob is a group of kangaroos, a fun word that seems to suggest that they’re up to no good.

The first place where we went looking for wild kangaroos was the Anglesea Golf Course, named on many web pages about driving the scenic Great Ocean Road. Without paying for a guided tour, only one side of the golf course perimeter fence was approachable. Our itinerary brought us there at noon, nap time for the animals, so our chances of success were dim. All we saw was one pair of sleepy kangaroo ears above the grass in the shade of distant trees.

Wild kangaroo family outside our rental cabin, Halls Gap, Victoria, Australia.

Doe and joey outside our cabin. Doe licking forearms to cool down.

Two days later, after reaching the western end of the Great Ocean Road in Warrnambool, we drove inland for two hours to the town of Halls Gap, a vacation destination in low mountains, the Grampians. Tons of wild kangaroos live there! Good places to look for them include the town park and any other open grass, such as any meadow and the golf course.

Fate spoiled us with the wild kangaroo stampede in this video. During a torrential downpour, at first, all the kangaroos in the meadow outside our rental cabin sat still as statues… until they suddenly all hopped away for reasons unknown to us.

Wild doe and joey, Halls Gap.

The town park was all theirs, its lawns littered with generations of kangaroos. Like tourists, they lounged, dozed, and snacked (on grass). Moms brought their offspring to the park to play and enjoy quality mommy-and-me time. The “roos” generously left paved paths and benches to us humans. After work hours, this video shows locals exercising at the park, the kangaroos kickboxing, oblivious of the human jogging past.

LONE KOALAS

What surprised me about koala sightings was how un-subtle they were. The glaring contrast in size and shape between slim eucalyptus (“gum”) leaves and obese fur balls made detection unavoidable.

Wild koala near Kafe Koala, Australia.

To look for wild koalas on the Great Ocean Road, an obligatory stop is at Kafe Koala on the Kennett River. Parking lot attendants (“wild” parrots) watch for food crumbs, like pigeons in Paris or Venice. There, tour buses let passengers out, perhaps as much for souvenirs and snacks as for walks up the dirt road looking for giant pompoms perched high in the gum trees.

When we arrived mid-afternoon, we were the only ones there. Gums are so tall that before looking up at those near me, tipping my head back as far as my neck would bend, I made sure my feet were securely planted on even ground, so I wouldn’t fall over.

Wild koala scratching--a high action shot!

My first wild koala was awake! Scratching! Changing venue in this video. Then I noticed the drops, falling one at a time, seconds apart, drawing a graceful arc against the tender blue sky in the steady breeze. My koala was urinating! How many lucky tourists can say they witnessed such a rare event?

We saw four more koalas on that hour-long walk. One reached for leaves and munched on them. One male bellowed, part of his job description during the mating season.

Another koala destination off the Great Ocean Road is a few miles inland of Cape Otway, along the dirt road to Bimbi Park, a campground. While my husband drove as slowly as possible, we both scanned treetops ahead and on the sides, but not too far in the forest, only as far as we might be able to detect our targets.

See the wild koala, spotted from inside the car?

“STOP! KOALA!!!” I shouted a second before taking the above photo through the windshield. We saw two more koalas on this 15-minute drive, enough to make us happy.

Other wildlife we saw in 25 days spent in three states (Victoria, New South Wales, and Tasmania) included many wallabies, pademelons, wombats, possums, echidnas, bats, water dragons, and oh, so many colors and species of birds! But that’s another story.

All text and photos, copyright Caroline Arnold. www.theintrepidtourist.blogspot.com