Another weekend, another adventure, and another #engagetheweekend event. Hey, I know I promised everyone a Mothman adventure this past weekend, but that didn't work out. Don't worry, we'll get there (and don't worry if you don't know what a Mothman is...I promise, I'll explain more soon). Instead, we decided to do some hiking on a Mississippi Valley prairie, and (of course), hunt for dandelions.
The target for this weekend's adventure was the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. It's run by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and I want to say it is relatively new to the area. I've heard good things about the area from friends at work. So I told Hattie for a little motivational fun, "Hey let's go check out a bunch of wildflowers together, and we'll pick them and bring them home to mom." She agreed, and away we went.
The area is very nice; there is a new visitor center in place, but hours are COVID limited. Also, it was closed this past weekend, so no luck checking out some of the exhibits inside.
We got prepped for the walk. Water? Check. Rain boots? Check. Binoculars? Check. Food pouch? Check? Also, I made sure to bring the good old hand me down, the BOB:
The trail network isn't overly long in length. Most of it is paved for handicapped access. We were both fairly excited to check out all these wildflowers I was sure were here. I mean, it's spring after all. Mid April in Wisconsin...what could go wrong? The skies were big:
The sun was out, and the wind was providing a gentle breeze on our faces. Yet, there was one problem: no wildflowers.
So panic set in. What could we look for...what could we do? Hattie wants wildflowers, and all we are seeing is brown reed and dried grass. I was sensing her attention span fading hard when she told me just wanted to go to a park for the 5th time. Then it struck me: let's look for dandelions. There have to be dandelions, right? Well, we were in luck...the miraculous weed that is the Taraxacum, it's everywhere in this area. The hunt then began in earnest; we hunted down as much as we could to bring home. That binocular bag turned out to be quite handy...
While Hattie was busy foraging for the "yellow miracle," I collected some info for future hikes. True to the area's design, the region hosts several different plants and wildlife. You forget this area has a lot of natural majesty to it, and although we only saw a couple of bald eagles flying around, the birds alone that call this place home throughout the year make it a place I want to revisit.
I remember how much I loved to watch birds as a kid. Like stargazing, that too had passed away as a distant memory of some young kid more engaged with wonders of life. Maybe I should take up birdwatching again, as well. I'm sure Hattie will appreciate that hobby soon enough, so I might as well pretend to know what I'm doing and talking about.
Our final destination before heading back to our vehicle for a snack was the great Mississippi River, once more. We moved to a lookout and took in the sights of the great river from an escalated viewpoint. Beautiful, as always...and no, we did not see any sea monsters! If you must know, "Pepie, the lake monster," lives an hour north of here.
We then headed back to the car to put a final stamp of approval on this big adventure. Tired, hungry, and exhausted, Hattie was back in the BOB as we fought back the warm April sun. I was fending off a toasty sunburn.
With some Halloween music on the car radio, a beet and blueberry pouch in hand, we departed the area for home. Not a bad weekend adventure, whatsoever. Fun, fun, fun!
I highly recommend the area, if you are ever passing through, for some Upper valley wildlife action. I think the next time we visit I will bring my own pair of binoculars as well. I can't save them for stargazing exclusively, can I?
Thanks for checking out this past weekend's adventure. Hoping you all too had a wonderful, safe, and relaxing weekend. And don't fret, we'll get to Mothman soon enough!
