Great North Woods

At first thought, it seems a bit mad to head north in the heart of winter.
Okay, seems crazy on second thought as well. Still, if one can brave the cold, few sights can match the beauty of the North Shore in January.
This was our third trip to Gunflint--our second this year and also our second in winter. Although it is a popular Summer destination, we prefer it cooler--and less crowded.

Anyone who has been to Gunflint is familiar with the welcoming committee.

In spite of the cold clear nights, we missed the Aurora Borealis (again), but did have a fantastic full moon. Note the similarity between this photo and the one we took for the "Winter Wonderland" entry exactly one lunar month ago.

In addition to skiing, we went snowshoeing for the first time.

We also did some birding in Zax-Sim Bog, which has lots of great avian life and these unusual (if somewhat gruesome) deer carcass feeders.

In the Fall, we came across a wolf while on a hike. This trip we saw several moose. They are usually quite reclusive, but the males especially seem a little less shy in winter.

It can be difficult to find someone to take your picture when you are in the wilderness, so we just had to do it ourselves.

And here's what we are looking at, Lonely Lake (that's our showshoe tracks along the left).

Puerto Vallarta

Having endured a month of winter since our visit to the Yucatan last month, we were glad to be back in sunny Mexico. Our good friend Patrick has been living in Puerto Vallarta for the past couple of months-- a gracious host who, along with his upstairs neighbor, Luis, provided this trip with a lot of local flavor.
Of course, one great benefit of the Pacific coast is spectacular sunsets, and we were certain not to miss this daily opportunity to sit with friends, revel in beauty and transition from daytime activities to nocturnal fun.
As much as we enjoyed the town, we also managed to see much of the surrounding countryside. We first ventured north to San Blas, where we toured hillside coffee plantations, bays and mangrove swamps-- all filled with birds. Later we headed south into the jungle clad mountains, where we soared above the valley gorges on zip lines hundreds of meters in the air and over a quarter of a mile long (some we even did hanging upside down).

Winter Wonderland 2010

A truly rare occurrence, a blue moon on the last day of the year, still hung in the early morning sky on January first as we headed North- ward into the teeth of an arctic blast (a much less rare occurrence). Although our hopes at seeing lots of bird activity were not realized, our spirits remained high, as we were headed on an 800-mile round trip journey through western Minnesota, where prairie, deciduous and evergreen landscapes converge. How different in every way this trip from our recent foray in the Yucatan!

The picture below was taken in the truly remote reservation lands to the west of Lower Red Lake. At -33 degrees, the soil begins to deep freeze, creating a low hanging a fog. We have witnessed this phenomenon over water, but never over land, as this is the coldest temperature either of us have ever seen.

From Thief River Falls, we navigated across back roads to Itasca State Park, which we had visited over the summer. Along the way, we saw a few white winged crossbills and grouse, and marveled at their ability to be "out and about" in such extreme con- ditions. The Mississippi headwaters, while far from mighty, remained unfrozen.

We took some cool "car cam" video as we drove through the park.

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In spite of the cold, we did manage to get some skiing in at Maplewood State Park north of Fergus Falls (it was a balmy -8). That's Kristen below, all bundled up in our thwarted attempt to do some hiking. Without show shoes, the drifts proved too deep.

This fox, seen as we were headed to ski at Bunker Hills, seemed quite well equipped to handle the cold and snow.

Yucatan and Riviera Maya

As we dig ourselves out from the snows of Christmas and the chigger bites fade (more on this later), it is alas time to record our last travels of 2009, a year which began in New Zealand and ends with more--albeit less exotic-- changes yet in store. As such, this will likely be the last installment of SBTA, and I do not know what will follow.

We began our travels in Chichen Itza, the center of the Toltec/Mayan world, and a part of Mexico where the Mayan language is still commonly spoken. We were lucky to be the first on site with an excellent guide on the day we visited. The centerpiece of Chichen Itza is Kukulcan, a remarkable architectural achievement that echoes with the call of the quetzal and reveals the descent of snake/bird god quetzalcoatl at the Spring equinox.

Although the jungle has returned, it is surmised that environmental degradation and drought are what drove the Mayans from the Yucatan southward a full 200 years before the arrival of the Spanish.
Alone with these ruins in the silence of early daylight, their grandeur is quite impressive-- and haunting. As the hawkers, crowds and heat arrive, the atmosphere is more carnival than sacred.
After Chichen Itza and some initial birding excursions, we headed coastward to Tulum, which boasts its own ruins,
stopping along the way to swim in a cenote and visit yet more ruins at Coba (not as impressive as either Tulum or Chichen, but you can climb to the top),
A rather large chunk of our time was devoted to birding, and we saw 57 new species (55 of which we photographed). Our beach bungalow in Tulum was just North of the magnificent and massive Sian Ka'an biosphere reserve, where we saw our first Yucatan Jays--and severely tested the suspension of our little rental car on the muddy, potholed roads. By far, our day of birding in the small village of Muyil was a highlight. This is where was stalked the elusive Trogon among the eerie Muyil ruins, and picked up a nasty case of chiggers in the surrounding jungle. See our birding blog for pics.

On the way back up to Cancun to catch our flight home we stopped at a little private reserve, Achun Chen, where we visited a cave/cenote and ended up seeing both species of Mot-Mots and other birds.

Venice

As the sun set to our right and the full moon rose behind, we boarded the vaporetto from Aeroporto Marco Polo to Lido, the thin barrier island that separates the lagoon of Venice from the Adriatic Sea. This is where Thomas Mann's Von Aschenbach retreated to assuage his wanderlust and ultimately to die. Lido is "young" compared to Venice proper, and reminded me, in places, of Charleston. The night cooled quickly, threatening rain, and we were very tired from the long flight, so we stumbled into an quaint little restaurant (two tables!) and enjoyed a fantastic dinner of local fish grilled in butter and garlic, accompanied by a crisp Sauvignon.

Our first day in Venice was cold and rainy, and we immediately became lost in the tangle of narrow alleyways. As all tourists do, we found our way to Piazza San Marco. The balance of the day was spent out of the drizzle and in museums: Il Museo Correr, the Peggy

Guggenheim and the Academia. The following day was sunny and warm, an interesting contrast to the day prior. We strolled the length of the island, starting at the far end of the Grand Canal, stopping for a cappuccino at the Rialto bridge and wending our way back to the Basilica.

The grandeur, variety and detail of Venice's palazzos and churches is staggering, even 500 years after her prime.

Even so, it is hard not to feel like one of a million fleas on a dead dog during the day as the streets teem with tourists and the shops and restaurants that cater to them (I suppose that includes us, too). At night, the crowds dissipate, and the lighted facades and dark medieval alleyways form a chiaroscuro that recaptures a hint of the old, living island-city. From the square, we continued eastward past the ancient shipyards of the Arsenal, where the tight alleys are replaced by relatively broad boulevards.

At its Eastern extreme, the island is surprisingly placid, verdant and uncrowded. This shot was taken near La Biennale, where pieces from emerging artists from around the globe were on exhibition. We stopped into (free) exhibits by New Zealand and Icelandic artists.
The last two days were spent exploring the diverse bird life along the Adriatic coast from the outskirts of Trieste to the Po delta near Ravenna. Despite their relative proximity, the days provided very distinct experiences. The Isola della Cona, at the mouth of the Isonzo River, is a small but incredibly rich reserve with several blinds and an impressive three story observation tower. On the second day, we relied upon the formidable Menotti Passarella, who guided us through the Po's maze of waterways to various avian hot spots, including this flock of flamingos (that long pinkish-while line on the water at left). You can check out our birding blog for more.

White Columbus Day

Even as the Fall colors are just getting started on the St. Anthony Main bridge to Nicollet Island.

Seattle, Anacortes and the Northern Cascades

As the first assault of winter arrived back in Minnesota, we were fortunate enough to be in Washington enjoying a spell of warm, sunny days and visiting two of my favorite people from New College, John and Kristi.

Although hastily conceived, the trip coincided with the Fall migration, so after sleeping off the over-indulgence that accompanies seeing old friends, we headed north to Fidalgo Island to do some birding and tramping. Our luck and the weather held on our hike up to Hidden Lake (video below), which at 6,600 feet and 48N latitude included a lot of up and a fair bit of tramping across ice and snow. The magnificent view was more than worth the effort.

Back down at sea level, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over Rosario Beach, a great birding spot (you can visit our "Birds we've seen" blog for bird pics).
Just south of Rosario, Deception Pass is a mecca for kayakers. On the ebb tide, terrain and flowing water combine to form several dramatic whirlpools and boils.
Although we are nowhere near brave enough to try anything like that, John (a very skilled paddler) graciously took us on an urban kayak tour on Lake Union in downtown Seattle.

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