Don’t I have the cutest bird ever?
Day of Rest
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Monthly Archives: March 2006
Too cold and fluffed up to care
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
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:
Fallen Farm #3
Off-road hospitality
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
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
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.
Fallen Farm #2
These buildings add a certain unique charm to the ND landscape and are in danger because of the methamphetamine epidemic. It seems that meth addicts like to use buildings like this for temporary labs, and I’ve heard of a couple of farmers being assaulted or shot at while checking out old buildings on their own property. Many farmers choose to just knock them down and avoid the danger. It’s another sad casualty of the plague of meth use that’s running rampant in our area.
For Superbike fans, 2006 starts today
Naturally those of us with motorcycle roadracing disorder took off work today to watch the action. Today’s racing coverage included qualifying for the 600cc Formula Xtreme series and races in the 600cc Supersport and 1000cc Superstock classes.
Fallen farm #1
This house is actually “in” Bismarck, as it’s south of Hawktree. You can see it from Highway 1804. That’s where I took this picture…it’s nice to have some long lenses!