Miles today:
0
I had a
wonderful “day off” in and around Devils Lake, ND, with Karen. We went to the large basin lake itself in the
morning, before it rained. A “basin lake”
is, as the name suggests, one that is in a natural basin and thus does not have
any streams that drain it. That is, the
water that lands in the basin does not end up in the Atlantic or Pacific (or
Gulf of Mexico or Arctic), but stays put.
Such lakes are notorious for fluctuating water levels, and in fact
Devils Lake has risen by 25 feet in the past ten years. We saw evidence of this in the form of
drowned trees in many locations. The
area is a sort of natural oasis; it is very hilly, almost mountainous, and
heavily forested – plus, of course, a string of large interconnected lakes. There is nothing else like it in the Dakotas.
 |
| Me and Karen - Devils Lake Selfie |
Most people
come to this area for the fishing and hunting, but some come for the animal
viewing. We went to nearby Sullys Hill
National Game Preserve, and saw bison and a real prairie dog colony, but missed
the elk. We also had a wonderful time talking to one of the people who worked
in the visitor’s center, an old Jersey Girl who had recently worked in
preserves in Alaska and Costa Rica.
 |
| Free range bison, Sullys Hill NGP, near Devils Lake, ND. Here they live in the woods! |
 |
| Prairie dog colony, same location. They are surprisingly loud. |
The town of
Devils Lake has a nice little historic district, and we spent quite a while
walking around it. It really does look
like “the Dakotas.” Where’s my six-gun?
 |
| Old part of the town of Devils Lake, ND |
Tomorrow I shove
off for Canada¸ where I will spend several weeks. Wish me luck!
Canada, A? There are no Canadian teams playing in the Stanley Cup Finals ( Chicago and Tampa Bay). so the natives may be a bit hostile!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to listen to that Canadian jazz classic, "Take the Train, Eh?"
ReplyDelete