Double Ditch hut…BYO pizza

This is one of the best places in the area to go stargazing. It also used to be one of the most convenient. This little stone hut was built in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps project. That’s the kind of project we need these days instead of handing out free welfare money; let the government (we the taxpayer, actually) get something for their dollar.

Anyway, I digress. This little stone hut houses a diagram of the Double Ditch Indian Village and gives a brief history thereof. It had a metal roof up until the Lewis and Clark craze started; then the whole area got a makeover with signage, walking trails…the works. The hut got a new roof and some maintenance.

It’s no longer the most convenient place because Double Ditch Loop is no longer a through street there. It used to lead right past “the Hut.” Whether it was really fears of the eroding cliffs giving way or just a good excuse not to have a road to maintain, the bottom half of Double Ditch Loop was destroyed and turned into a foot path. Now you have to hoof it a bit to get to this 70 year old landmark. There used to be turnstiles between the two stone columns shown in the picture there, and some wooden/stone steps. Those have since been removed.

I have fond memories of sitting up there with friends, eating Pizza Hut breadsticks and listening to music, while watching the stars and an occasional satellite whizzing by. It’s far enough away from the city lights to provide great viewing, yet close enough to reach within a few minutes. Watch for deer. Since it’s north of the city it provides a clear view of the northern horizon in case of Aurora Borealis. There’s also a stone picnic table on the lookout point at the end of Double Ditch Loop, where the walking trail to the Hut begins.

A rare political post…but a Dakotacentricâ„¢ one

I don’t like hypocrisy. Perhaps that’s why I have such an aversion to the American left; they don’t have a single belief that’s based on defensible logic, therefore they have to take a fluid position on just about everything. That’s one reason why they claim there are no absolutes. Are they absolutely sure?

Take, for instance, the current theater in which many of us have friends or family serving from the 112th here in Bismarck. They’re flying helicopters in assistance with a NATO peacekeeping force, basically. Do they teach enough history in schools for our kids to know exactly why they’re there? It’s the mess that Bill Clinton started and didn’t clean up.

I’m going to generalize here…the area of Bosnia-Herzegovina is part of what used to be Yugoslavia and consists of Bosnians, Serbs, and Croats. Seemingly they just can’t get along. There was awful “ethnic cleansing” (is “genocide” not politically correct?) under Slobodan Milosevic and it had to be stopped. So, in we went. Did we do it to distract from one of Clinton’s many sex scandals? Who cares…we’re there. Let’s kick butt.

Now, as an outsider, it seems that going the multinational route (in this case NATO / UN / EU) is a sure way not to get anything accomplished. We’re still there. But is the mainstream press crying “quagmire?” Were there rallies this week saying “get out of Bosnia?” Do we get a regular casualty count on the news? No. Our guys are risking their lives over there for a worthy cause, but it’s not advantageous to those who seek to go after our current President to exploit it the way they have Iraq. Plus, it might point out that the last Democrat we elected President never could handle his role as Commander in Chief. Remember those that lamented that 9/11 didn’t happen during the Clinton Presidency, so he could have had a chance to shine?

Now…as far as “supporting the troops, not the war…” that’s nonsense. They’re inseperable. I support what my friends are doing in Bosnia. Regardless of whether the decision to go over there in the mid-90s was a Clintonian diversion, we needed to be there. Nobody else in this world has the sack to stand up to genocidal maniacs. And you won’t find conservatives running down the action in Bosnia because it wasn’t done by their President. By the way, we’re defending Muslims from extermination over there…that’s being conveniently swept under the rug as well.

There were thousands rallying to mourn the death of Milosevic, by the way. That’s the kind of hatred that’s over there. But who do you suppose gave him support in the USA? A Democrat, Ramsey Clark. He was AG in the Johnson administration, was on the Milosevic legal team, and is now defending Saddam Hussein. But his political allies like to compare President Bush to Hitler. On the one hand, Clark formed ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism)…seems well-meaning, right? But on the other hand, he was quoted last week as saying, “History will prove that Solobodan Milosevic was right.” Only a liberal can pretend to reconcile those two. And while Clark claims to want to stop war, he defends the Palestinians whose idea of a good time is to blow up a Jewish kindergarten.

I don’t like hypocrisy. That seems to be all that the liberals in this country have to work with, however. It’s up to those of us with common sense to point that hypocrisy out wherever we see it, and it does affect us here at home. Let’s keep those guys from the 112th in our prayers and await their safe return from their brave and worthwhile mission.

OWLS – No, not the wise old type in the tree

This is the Outdoor Wildlife Learning Site…OWLS for those of you who fancy acronyms. It’s located adjacent to the ND Game and Fish office, just east of the state penitentiary.

This site has feeders and nests for birds and bats…it also has a well stocked lake which is naturally fed by the waters that flow along the east side of Bismarck. There are bridges crossing the stream and the lake, including a floating bridge from which many people enjoy catch-and-release fishing. I’ve even seen a portable ice house out there over the winter.

I’ve grabbed some fantastic dragonfly and damselfly photos out here, as well as a number of unusual migratory and aquatic birds. There are schools of baby bullheads hanging out in the reeds and cattails and the usual assortment of frogs and other critters.

Once the weather gets nicer it’ll be great to see the area come alive again. There are lots of trails around the water and through the grassland. Right now the pheasants seem to rule the roost but expect them to be sharing it really soon!

Day of Rest

All this blogging can leave a guy (and his bird) tired! A few long days of work and then the tournaments in the evenings have made for a long few days. So I’m going to go shovel the sidewalks, take a nice long nap after church, and be lazy today. Seeya Monday.

Don’t I have the cutest bird ever?

Too cold and fluffed up to care

Hawks are a bird that prove particularly elusive to me. I see them most often during the summer, sitting atop bales of hay beside the road. Then, when I stop and dig out the camera to go for a killer photo, they take off and soar about a quarter mile and land again. It’s quite frustrating, to be honest.

This one, however, didn’t seem to care. It’s too cold out. He just stayed fluffed up on his branch and eyeballed me, but didn’t care to fly. With feathers like that, though, I bet he was able to keep those bright yellow feet warm.

These are, I believe, somewhat territorial birds. This particular bird’s territory is the area bordering Lincoln on the west-northwest.

Wrong place, right tool

So there I was, walking out of the Harley shop when I saw this amazing sunset. I snapped this picture right away as I dashed for the truck, knowing that I was never going to get to a good location to catch this sky. I was right.

One thing about these amazing ND sunsets is that they last for only a fleeting moment. Within a minute or two, as I dashed towards the trolley bridge for a suitable foreground object, the brilliant reds of this sunset had faded to a subdued bluish gray. So, while I got a nice picture of the sky, I also got a not-so-flattering photo of Royce’s Produce. Darn.

So, how about a recycled photo of the blockhouses at Fort Lincoln and a little bit of magic (and love)? We’ll crop the sky a little tighter, remove the wires, and insert a more appealing foreground object:

I’m not in the habit of Photoshoping composites of my photos…but sometimes it’s fun to play. Especially when that perfect shot eludes me. This is one big one that got away…technically. But we can always whip up a consolation prize!

Fallen Farm #3

Taken last summer – this house is near I-94 close to New Salem. Someone takes good care of the land it’s on; the grass is cut short in the area where this home is found. I’m guessing this was a pretty nice home for its time…it has a basement, concrete foundation, and a nice big porch. Each of these farmsteads I’ll be posting has a story…I sure wish they could talk.

Off-road hospitality

East of Bismarck you can see this trail cut into the hills east of Midwest Motor Express. It winds all around the field along the highway and up along the hill behind the trucking company. There are No Trespassing signs posted along the side of the road. But you know what? There’s an option.

The owner of this property maintains the trail for motorcycle and ATV use. He’s been gracious enough to open it up to people who want to ride. There’s only one catch: you must stop in at the office of Midwest Motor Express and sign a waiver. It’s a shame that in today’s litigious society a guy could get sued for just about anything. This waiver shows that you agree to use the land at your own risk. I believe you must be 18 to use the trail (since you can’t sign a legal document if you’re a minor, maybe parents can sign for their kids if they agree to supervise them).

It’s a really neat trail and a lot of fun to ride. There are no big jumps that I’m aware of, just a fun trail winding over several acres. It’s really a huge trail…the pictures just can’t do it justice at only 500 pixels wide.

So if you are over 18 and you are looking for a nice place to ride, and perhaps “the Desert” is just too sandy for you, pay the nice folks at MME a visit, sign the waiver, and have fun. But please ride responsibly…don’t ruin it for everyone.

Happy Moondays

While up at Double-Ditch last night I was able to nab this moon photo. It wasn’t actually dark, but the moon is so bright a guy has to clamp the aperture down to get a decent picture. It was actually taken within a minute or so of the picture below!

We still have a few nice “secret spots” around the Bis-Man area that are perfect for astronomy, astrophotography, or just plain hangin’ out under the sky. This happens to be one of them, and on Monday it didn’t disappoint.

Double Ditch ice shelf

Help! Save the receding Double Ditch Glacier from the ravages of Global Warming!

That kind of nonsense could get me a membership in the Sierra Club. Spring is here and the ice is gone from the main river channel; along the cliffs below the Double Ditch Indian Village, however, the ice is clinging to the banks pretty stubbornly.

Personally I’d like to have a year-round ice shelf here. I could chip off pieces to keep my Red Bull cold!

That sandbar to the right knows a lot of late summer tales. It used to be a tradition in the 80’s to have one great big blowout before college started. We’d drag a generator and PA system out there for music, set up volleyball nets and get some bonfires going. It was the last time many of us would get together before we all left town to get back to school. There would be a couple of people shuttling people back and forth from the shore on pontoon boats.

Double Ditch has changed a lot since then. The road used to be a loop; now it only comes in a short way from the north. After that you have to hoof it to get to the actual historic site. It’s one of the best places around to watch the stars, but it’s supposedly closed at night. Visitors used to be able to park along the cliffs and hang out; now that area is fenced off. But it’s still one of my favorite places to go.