Wisconsin to Oregon, 2016

Between September 11 and September 27 we traveled between Wisconsin and Oregon. For those unfamiliar with our travel and living pattern, we consider Wisconsin our summer homebase, and Oregon is becoming our rest-of-the-year homebase. So for the past few years we’ve worn a pretty good path between the Midwest and the Northwest. It’s the journey, not the destination, that we focus on… so we look for new routes between here and there. And, as shunpikers, we prefer trading Interstate highways for more sedate state and county roads.

The general route for the first part of the trip this year, oh, roughly between Wisconsin and Montana, is to follow US-12. We did depart from this plan at times, but that was the basic path. The back-half of the trip was still unplanned, except for my desire to do the Beartooth Highway again.

In Wisconsin on sideroads and backroads, we followed WI-33 up and through the Kickapoo River Valley in Western Wisconsin. Stopped for lunch in Wonewoc where we found the local Lions Club had big grills set up on Main Street and were offering lunch as a fund raiser. Think I had an entire half chicken with all the fixin’s… way more than I should have eaten. In Cashton, we got involved in a parade of some sort that slowed our progress. Then, just outside of Cashton, found our road to LaCrosse was closed due to some construction, and the detour was long. Crossed the Mississippi between LaCrosse and LaCrescent, and then up to our old neighborhood in Burnsville MN. where we overnighted at the home of good friend Jim.

Blue pins are camps; Red pin is motel

There it is... over 7 feet high... all twine. Why? 

Highlights of the drive through Minnesota and South Dakota included seeing the worlds largest ball of twine and an incongruous petrified wood sculpture park in Lemmon SD. Strange as it seems folks flock in huge numbers to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon but, for some reason, don’t bother with peculiarities like twine balls and wood turned into stone. Hard to explain. We later found out we inadvertently drove right by the world’s largest hairball in Webster SD. Dang.

Between Miles City and Billings in Montanta we stopped again at Pompey’s Pillar, a must-see if you’re a history buff and a fan of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. We’ve been here before but we have found repeats can be as enriching the second (or third) time. The significance of a place can be more firmly embedded in your mind with repetition. And there are some of us who just forget. An excellent ranger-guided walkabout and discussion made this stop notable.

During this trip west I estimate we were on Interstate Highways for just 350 miles (out of 2500 or so). A big chunk of that was between Miles City and Billings… about 150 miles. I can’t stress the pleasure of getting off Interstates enough. Just so much more rewarding and relaxing.

Just outside Billings we picked up US-212. The Beartooth Highway and Beartooth Pass is between Red Lodge MT and Cooke City MT… one of the most spectacular drives in the USA. We stayed at a campground near Red Lodge for two reasons: first, to give Red Lodge Ales brewpub a second chance after our less-than-agreeable stop the last time we were here. And second, to position ourselves for a morning start on the Beartooth… with the sun on our backs. For the record, Red Lodge Ales redeemed themselves in our book.

The next morning we headed “up the hill”. And we lucked out with just about the most perfect day to do it. I’m serious when I say it’s almost impossible to adequately describe that drive on a perfect day. It’s just got to be experienced.

Wildlife jam in Yellowstone.

US-212 dumps travelers into Yellowstone NP at the northeast entrance. We were merely transiting through the park in order to meet up with good friends Doug and Kay near West Yellowstone. Shocked at the number of visitors still in the Park this late in September, and the traffic was snarled continually as we moved from one wildlife sighting blockage to the next. Took hours to get through to the west entrance and West Yellowstone. One 12 mile long section alone took an hour. Laid low for the next two nights enjoying good weather and the company of friends.

Then up to Bozeman for a quick dinner with professor Bill at MSU. US-191 runs between West Yellowstone and Bozeman, following the Gallatin River. I’ve written about this before, but we have a special place along this road we like to visit each time. It’s a gravel pull-off between the road and river where we stopped for breakfast, just the two of us, before kids, way back in 1974. The memory is of sitting on top a large rock in the river, munching a bowl of cherios. Somewhere we have some pics from that stop, but haven’t found them yet. That rock out in the river is really, for us, a monument to our relationship and we just have to stop by every once in a while. Ya know?

"our" rock is the big one behind Dar. 

After Bozeman we point the nose westward again. In keeping with our shunpiking theme, we took some backroads and sideroads through Wise River, Wisdom, stopping at Big Hole National Battlefield, the location of a sad tragic battle between the US Army and the Nez Perce Indians as they were attempting to relocate to Canada during the brief Nez Perce War. Very moving and puts a different perspective on history. Just west of the battlefield, up Joseph Creek, we crossed Chief Joseph Pass, and eventually down the Bitteroot Valley to Missoula. Stayed in a motel that night, our only motel of the trip.

From Missoula followed the Clark Fork River to Sandpoint and Ponderay in the Idaho panhandle. Stayed at a favorite campground on the lake... Riley Creek COE.  We were both feeling a tad poorly the past couple days and denial wasn’t making it any better. Our original plan to see the kids in Washington on our way to homebase Sutherlin was scrapped and we headed south from here. Don’t want to show up and infect the grandkids… not the kind of thing good grandparents should do. Right?

So, after two nights at Riley Creek, we altered course to the south, through Lewiston and Clarkson to WA-129 south -- Rattlesnake Highway. We’d not heard about this road before… really just stumbled on it. But what a find. I’ll let the pictures do the describing. One doesn’t want to be in a hurry on this road, nor would I advise texting while driving. Briefly, it’s a canyon cut by Rattlesnake Creek, with a road stuck on the side of the canyon walls.

Click to expand. Wherever you see road, it's the road we're on.

The last night.

We’re back in Oregon again. Enterprise, Wallowa, Minam, and LaGrande. After another short chunk of Interstate, Starkey, Ukiah, Long Creek, and Mt. Vernon. Stayed two nights at Clyde Holliday State Park, soaking up sun and feelin’ good.  We did spend one more night out, at Crane Prairie Lake down in the Cascade Lakes area southwest of Bend. A fitting last night out, with great views of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and the Three Sisters… all while watching a group of mule deer playing, socializing, lunching… right along the lakeshore in front of our campsite.  The following morning we wrapped up our trip by crossing the Cascades on OR-138, having lunch at the Steamboat Inn, and following the North Umpqua river home.

16 nights, about 2600 miles, some familiar things, some new. Perhaps a little faster than we’d ideally prefer. But it’s good to be home.

A few more pics...

Along the Beartooth

Along the Beartooth

Clyde Holliday State Park in Oregon

Believe it or not... the only petrified wood park in South Dakota.

Red Lodge Ales

Fast Friends

We left the farm in Wisconsin on Sunday. But before we get into travel-mode completely it was important to stop and spend time with some good friends in Minnesota. Traveling and exploring are important to us, but maintaining relationships with friends is perhaps the most important thing one can do for a rich and satisfying life.  As a matter of fact, most of our last week in Wisconsin was spent bidding adieu to family and friends too.

Today we started moving in earnest toward our objectives... Alaska, the Yukon, the Arctic Circle, and the highway that binds them... the Alaska Highway. With a somewhat late start this morning from the Twin Cities, we managed to knock off a bit less than 400 miles. Tonight we're in Michigan.  No, not that Michigan.  Michigan, North Dakota. For a small town it has one very nice city park that includes campsites for wanderers like us. Very inexpensive... just a donation, it's a great place to get a little work done as well as a good nights sleep.

Tomorrow we should be in eastern Montana.

We've been preparing for the border crossing into Canada and today realized we have more wine and beer on board than we'll be able to consume before the crossing. For the uninitiated, Canada has strict limits on how much of this sort of thing one can bring across. Not sure how we'll deal with that yet, so stay tuned. If you're along our path somewhere, let us know. We may be able to leave a little gift for you.

July 3 - Progress Across the Prairie

Crossing the Missouri River at Bismarck

Allow me to bring the record up-to-date. After spending a few days touring the T. Roosevelt National Park, historic Medora, and the Chateau deMores, we took a couple days off to relax, catch up on work, and keep our activity level low to help deal with the high heat. We've had temps in the mid to high 90s every day since we've been here.

In a campground like Cottonwood, with no hookups, we're totally independent and self contained. If it's hot outside, it's hot or hotter inside. For the most part, we managed without discomfort, and actually grew to thrive as we adjusted and acclimatized to the conditions. We ran the generator (and A/Cs) for a couple hours on two of the worst days, which helped, and it did cool off enough at night to make for good sleeping. It really wasn't so bad.

This morning we broke camp and headed east... destination Bismarck. I had a little trouble snagging a full hookup campsite considering the warm weather and the busy holiday week... but eventually got one at the Bismarck KOA. This is the first time since starting the Sabbatical some 5 years ago that we stayed at a KOA, which have the reputation for being expensive and more oriented to families with kids. But we needed hookups for laundry and to give the bus-house a good cool-down while we hustled off for our Capitol visit, so I was able to get the KOA to take pity on us and give us the last site they had for tonight.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, we'll be moving again. We'd like to get back on old US-12 and think we might end up near Aberdeen SD for a night or two. Friday we have reservations (remember, it's still a holiday weekend) at a Casino RV Park near Granite Falls MN.  Sunday, we'll roll into the Twin Cities for our visit with good friends Sue and Jim.

July 3 - North Dakota State Capitol

There's a lot to be said for North Dakota these days. Contrary to the miserable financial condition of most States in the Union, North Dakota is in great shape money-wise. As a result of all the drilling and production activity in the booming Bakken Oil Field in the western part of the State, they've got money coming out of their ears. There's a huge and growing rainy day fund into which they keep pouring money. And although recently rejected by the voters, the fact that some group could actually propose the abolishment of all property taxes says a lot about how well-heeled North Dakota actually is these days.

If nothing else, North Dakota is an example of fiscal restraint... of only spending the money they have and no more. The legislature meets for only 80 days every other year. During that time they hammer out a few hundred pieces of legislation and balance the budget... and then they go back to their normal lives (which for some, means full-time fund-raising for their next election.) Granted, with the recent inflows of oil money the job of balancing the budget has grown immensely easier. Regardless, the budget is balanced.

But this fiscal restraint is one of the reasons North Dakota is well down the list of State Capitols when it comes to traditional stateliness, soaring classical architecture, and grandeur. Here's a quick version of the story:

In 1930, on the 28th of December, the original State Capitol caught fire... and the building along with almost all of the contents was a total loss. In one night, they were left without a center of State Government.

Consider the time... 1930. The nation was a full year into the Great Depression. There was much uncertainty about the future of American affluence, the American Dream, and the ability of the system to "right itself" after the systemic collapse. There wasn't much money to be had... much less the consideration of what the people would think if the Government can build a gilded temple while common people have trouble feeding their families.

At the same time, the use of steel in the structure of tall buildings was becoming common and "fashionable" by the use of relatively cheap steel skeletons covered with a facade of stone.  The famous Chrysler Building (1930)  and the Empire State Building (1931) were popular in the minds of a public yearning for innovation and grasping for symbols of hope for the future. If your goal was to produce the most office space for the least amount of money, high-rise construction was the way to go.

So by August of 1932 plans had been drawn up and construction started on a 19 story skyscraper with a wing attached for the two legislative chambers. When completed in 1936 it was, and still remains, the tallest building in North Dakota. The budget was locked at $2 million dollars... a modest amount compared to the capitols of surrounding States. In fact, portions of the original Capitol grounds were sold off to help finance the project.

An additional wing for the Judicial Branch was completed in 1981, and other buildings on the 160 acre Government Campus are used by other agencies and departments.

My knee-jerk reaction when researching the building prior to our visit was mostly negative. I've been hard on other high-rise Capitol designs (Nebraska, Louisiana, Florida) in that they're really more a functional office building than a formal symbolic seat of Government, museum, and art gallery honoring the efforts of the people who brought the State into the Union as well as a celebration of the power of the people to govern themselves. Of note, North Dakota's, Nebraska's, and Louisiana's Capitols, all high-rise designs, were all built in the early 1930's.

But this visit made me appreciate the period, the need, and the available resources... and I was more impressed with what they did than I thought I'd be. The building is tastefully decorated, with key symbolic elements in the soaring 40 foot high Memorial Hall, which takes the place of the Rotunda in most traditional domed Capitols. The Ground Level contains portraits of North Dakota's Hall of Fame... about 40 or 50 people from the State who have made a significant contribution.

House Chamber in North Dakota State Capitol

 We did enjoy our visit to the North Dakota State Capitol and, significantly, I believe it gave me a new appreciation for considering the external factors that go into decisions about symbolic buildings like this.

However, I still can't bring myself to forgive Florida for building that "Insurance Company Office Building" they call a Capitol in the 1970s. Some things just can't be forgiven.

June 30 - T Roosevelt National Park and Medora

Friday was our first day exploring the south unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. First off, we stopped down at the visitor center for orientation -- the requisite film on the Park and a walk through the exhibits. The Park Service also has Roosevelt's first cabin, known as the Maltese Cross cabin, right here on the grounds of the visitor center. It's of log construction, built to Roosevelt's specifications, which make it bit more civilized than most of the other prairie cabins of the day... a very livable three room structure with a loft, wooden floors, and a high peaked roof. A ranger-guided tour got us inside.

Following orientation we meandered through the 36 mile scenic drive around the south unit of the Park... a marvelous confrontation with the North Dakota Badlands. It was a very warm day, intense sun and all, which probably kept the wildlife less active than otherwise. But we did see a bunch of bison, wild (feral) horses, prairie dogs, and a few pronghorns. Both whitetail and mule deer are also here, as are elk... but we didn't see any examples of them. The landscape is a "badlands" type... very similar to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Thick layers of ash and silt laid down millions of years ago have been eroded and transformed into the colorful and stark badlands clays, siltstones, sandstones, and reliefs we see today.

Never a couple that shuns a hike up a hill, we also walked to the top of Buck Hill, the highest point in the Park and took in a panoramic 360 degree view of the area.

In 1883, Teddy Roosevelt came west to hunt. He liked the area, it's rugged landscape and even more rugged characters, so he bought a small cattle operation... the Maltese Cross Ranch.  Later, he bought a second operation... the Elkhorn Ranch, where he had a larger cabin built that, for a few years, was his main home in the West. In the ensuing years he spent most of his time (except for winters) along the Little Missouri River... living the "strenuous life" of a rancher and ranch hand. He may have been the proprietor of the cattle operations, but he took pride in working side by side with the hired hands and cowboys. These were his formative adult years... where he toughened up, grew to appreciate hard work and effort, learned about human nature and nature in general, and developed an appreciation for conservation and the prudent use of our resources. TR said later in his life that he never would have been President if it hadn't been for his time along the Little Missouri in North Dakota.

This Park, if nothing else, is a monument to the President that began the process of setting aside vast areas of public lands as National Parks and for popularizing the notion of conservation and sustainable development.

On Saturday we went into the little town of Medora, which is the gateway town for the Park. It's a historic place, as it was the center of activity during the 1880s. Besides Roosevelt, there was another historic figure who saw opportunity in the cattle business out here... the Marquis deMores, a wealthy French nobleman and the son-in-law of the New York banker Louis Von Hoffman. He came out here in 1883, the same year as Roosevelt, started the town of Medora (named for his wife), and built a large house on the banks of the Little Missouri River.  His idea was to raise and slaughter cattle here and ship the dressed meat to the population centers around the country by means of refrigerated rail cars, a recent development.

However, events conspired against him, and the operation failed completely in 1886.  The severe winter of 1887 drove the final nail in the coffin of the cattle business out here, as about 80 percent of the herd did not survive.  Except for two short visits while passing through the area, the Marquis deMores and his family never returned to Medora. The house remained in the family and a staff was retained for almost 50 years to keep the house maintained and habitable. In the 1930s, the house and grounds were donated to the State Historical Society as a museum.

Medora struggled for many years but has come into it's own as a tourist destination for visitors to the National Park, the Chateau deMores, and the Medora Musical, a musical stage show that's performed nightly during the summer.

Go to our online photo collection to see more photos from our last few days of exploring.

June 28 - Miles City to Medora

From Miles City we had a choice of two routes to Medora ND and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The first, the shorter of the two options, was I-94.  The other was US-12 to Bowman ND, then north on US-85 to I-94 where we'd have to backtrack to the west a few miles before arriving in Medora. Any guesses what we chose?

Once again, US-12 didn't disappoint. We went through Plevina MT and Baker MT before crossing the ND border. The next town was Marmarth... the largest city in Slope County North Dakota. By the looks of things, the population of Marmarth has declined further since the 2010 count of 136 people... and this is the largest community in the entire county. Didn't see a soul out as we passed through, and the few commercial buildings looked abandoned and boarded up.

After turning north on US-85 we passed through Amidon, the county seat of Slope County. Notable for being the third least populous county seat in the nation, the 2010 census counted 20 people who claim they live in Amidon. This is my kind of country.

Because it was getting close to one of the big 4th of July weekends (the 4th being on Wednesday this year means we'll have camping pressure on both ends) we made a beeline through the main gate at Theodore Roosevelt National Park and 5 miles into the Park to Cottonwood Campground. A missed turn by the driver (your's truly) resulted in our having to unhook the toad and execute a U-turn (the first time we've had to unhook before arriving at our destination in our 5 years on the road), but we turned that into a plus in that Dar could go ahead, drive through the campground and snag one of the few spots we might shoe-horn into. That's exactly what we did... and got one of the last campsites that would work. Like most NPs, it's all drycamping (no hookups), but the solitude and feel of being in nature is a fair trade-off. The price is $10 per night. We'll be here until at least Sunday... or maybe November.

Of note... I walked down the camp road to pay for our stay and encountered a couple horses blocking my path. They were two of the hundreds of wild (ferral) horses that roam free in the park. We exchanged eye contact, I offerred a few spoken words to which they seemed indifferent (I've gotten used to this over the years), and, after that brief encounter, we all went on about our business.

International Peace Garden

8/29/2010  As the Devils Lake area fades in our rear-view mirror, we continued west on US-2. At Rugby, which bills itself as the geographic center of North America, we stopped for a few minutes for pictures at the monument the community erected to mark the spot. Oh boy!

It turns out Rugby is only approximately the center of the continent... at best, perhaps within 15 miles or so. And even the U.S. Geological Survey doesn't care enough to give any point near here offical status. But any time you can pose around a notable monument for a travelogue photo... well, you're doing alright.

North out of Rugby about 45 miles is the Canadian border and the International Peace Garden. Since we're driving almost right by we wanted to check it out.

The IPG straddles the U.S./Canada border on US-281 north of Dunseith, ND. In fact, the entrance to the facility sits precisely on the border between the U.S. Customs station and the Canadian Customs station -- the entrance road actually lies in Canada and the road out lies in the U.S. 

Built on land donated by the State of North Dakota and the Province of Manitoba, the IPG was conceived in the 1920's and dedicated in 1932. from the IPG website:

At this time, North America was caught up in the bitter grip of the great depression.  While funds were short, labor was not.  In 1934 the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps, under the supervision of the National Park Service was engaged. They fenced the United States acreage, cleared bush land, built lagoons, and constructed the first building, the Lodge, made of native stone from North Dakota and logs from the Riding Mountain area in Manitoba.

Unknowingly, we arrived on the last day of Metisfest -- a music festival celebrating the culture of the Metis people. I hadn't heard of the Metis before this... a little research found that they're one of the three recognized aboriginal peoples of Canada, mostly the offspring of unions between native Indians and Europeans, mostly French. Since it was the last day of the festival we were too late to attend any event, but the feel I got from what I heard was that Metis music is similar to bluegrass or folk music.

Due to the festival, the campground was full. But they did have space in the overflow area and we could drycamp there for just $14 for the night. And so we did.

Much of the area is left natural and wooded, and a couple man-made lakes dot the landscape. A formal garden stretches for almost 3/4 mile symettrically along the border and is the must-see attraction of the IPG. We spent a good portion of the afternoon wandering through reflecting pools, dazzlling floral displays, and monuments. It's a strange place in that it's located here because of the border... but when you're here the border simply evaporates... it doesn't matter a whit.

While we enjoyed our visit, it's clear there's a shortage of money (weeds in beds and grass, broken sidewalks and stairs, etc.) to keep the place really glowing. The IPG is operated as a non-profit organization and while there's some financial assistance from North Dakota and Manitoba (and occasional assistance for capital projects from the Federal Governments), the majority of it's operating funds come from private donations and admission fees. I'm sure being located where it is... so far from hoards of people (the closest large city is Winnipeg, 200 miles away) doesn't help. And the long Winter at this latitude (49º North) keeps the growing season very short.

The purpose of the IPG is noble. The border between Canada and the U.S. is the worlds longest unfortified border. The peace that's endured between these two nations is notable and an example for the rest of the world. Borders divide people... but here, in this place, the border dissolves and the people are one.

Although we never officially entered Canada (didn't go through Canadian Customs), we did have to go through U.S. Customs in order to re-enter our home country. Hmmm. The Customs Officer decided she needed to come aboard the bus-house... told us not to move from our seats... and wandered through opening cabinets, drawers, the fridge... before letting us proceed. I guess we should be happy she didn't want to dig through the storage bays too.

The Devil's Lake?

As I wrote in my last post, Devils Lake is in a basin. Water flows in but not out. It's a big tub that catches and holds everything that flows in... rain, snow-melt, minerals, pollution, fertilizer and agricultural runoff... everything. The only process removing water from the lake is evaporation. Because of this situation, during extended dry periods, the level of the lake falls. In fact, during the extended dry period from about 1900 to 1950 when the level of the lake fell by almost 25 feet, there were proposals and projects started to "stabilize" the level of Devils Lake by bringing in water from the Missouri River, about 100 miles to the west. None of these projects were ever completed.

Inundated and abandoned farm buildings.

 During extended wet periods, the level of the lake rises. From the low in 1950 until 1993, an apparently wetter period, the lake recovered from it's low-water condition, gaining back the 25 feet lost during the dry spell, to about where it was in 1900 when regular measurements began.

Hard NOT to see the high water on road. Tough to see road!

 But since 1993 the climate has been even wetter and precipitation has increased substantially. Between 1993 and now, the summer of 2010, the lake has risen by more than another 25 feet -- well above anything observed in recorded history.

Must find another way.

In 1993, the lake covered 45,000 acres. By the summer of 2010 it covered 177,000 acres, almost quadrupling in size. The rising waters in just those 17 years claimed 280 square miles of previously dry land. This 280 square miles included farm land, woods, parks, roads, subdivisions, and homes.

So what's to be done? Well, they continue to raise the levees, and roads, and dams. The roads are full of large trucks -- thousands of them -- hauling levee-building materials around the clock. The State of North Dakota is trying to pump some water from the lake into the nearby Sheyenne River and thence the northward flowing Red River, sparking lawsuits from the State of Minnesota and the Government of Canada, neither of which want the saline and polluted water from the lake. And, I'm sure, there's a lot of praying taking place.

 In the end, it will be dependent on the ebb and flow of nature, the climate, and the amount of precipitation that falls during the next few years. If the water keeps rising the City of Devils Lake will become a submerged island behind a series of levees and dams. Once the water rises another 7 or 8 feet from today's levels, it will find a natural outlet into the Sheyenne River and below, despite all political and scientific objections.

I find it interesting that the last two places we've stayed have been so impacted by high water. While we had all heard about the great Grand Forks flooding of 1997, I knew nothing about the Devils Lake problem until the last week or so. I hadn't expected that North Dakota, which I've always understood to be rather dry prairie, would have this situation to deal with. It's really quite an interesting story of the long-term power of nature and short-term vision of humans... of battling nature rather than living in harmony with it.

As always, see our Online Photo Gallery for additional photos of our explorations.

Looking for higher ground...
T

A Sinking Feeling

US-2 bridge over the Red River in Grand Forks.

Yesterday, Thursday, we moved from East Grand Forks to Devils Lake, ND. It's a drive of just over 100 miles and a bright sunny day made it enjoyable. I hadn't realized it when planning for our westward trek this fall, but US-2 through North Dakota is almost all 4 lane roadway... all but the last 10 miles at the border with Montana. Because it's not Interstate Highway, it's less busy and much more enjoyable. I believe most people just default to the I-roads when traveling long distance, and don't take the time to consider "lesser roads", which is OK with me. I'll continue to enjoy the uncongested and better taken care of "lesser roads" while everyone else battles the Interstates.

As we neared the community of Devils Lake, the lake started showing itself here, there, and then everywhere. We've learned that the area has been battling with rising water for over the past 17 years. You see, the lake sits in a basin with no outlet. Water flows into the lake but doesn't flow out. Since records have been kept, starting about 1900, the lake went through an extended dry period when the lake levels were receding, then a period of rising and, arguably, more stable levels. But in 1993 the lake started rising and hasn't stopped to this day. See the graph (click for larger size)...

Today, the lake covers an area almost 4 times larger than it was in 1993. It's risen over 25 feet, inundating farmland, homes, businesses, and recreation areas. The lake is ringed with dead trees poking out of the water. There are continual efforts to raise the levels of dikes, levees, and roads. The state has developed a project to pump water from the lake and into a nearby river that flows away from the lake. In my next post, I'll delve into this rising lake subject in more detail... after we've had a chance to explore and learn more.

Causeway to Grahams Island.

The first choice for a camp near Devils Lake was Grahams Island State Park. Yes, it's on an island but connected to the mainland via a causeway. But due to rising waters, the island is getting smaller and the causeway is nearly in the lake.

We found the Park and Campground to be to our liking and set up camp. On Friday we'll explore the area in greater detail.

Looking for my life vest...
T