Gestalt Traveling

Now heading back to Columbia, we very much enjoyed our journey across "the top" of Lake Superior and managed to hit all the highlights that my wife had researched and organized prior to the trip.  But, in the end, I engage in gestalt traveling, most interested in the topography, hydrology, geology, natural history and ecology of the landscapes through which I wander.

Though each planned stop was both fascinating and educational, it is their place in the overall regional environment that garnered my attention.  Whether I encountered expected wildlife species or not,  I knew they were present and understood their vital role in the varied ecosystems of Western Ontario.

Back in June of 2023, I made the same general points in Gestalt Birding.  We naturalists cannot divorce any element of nature from its dependence on and interaction with all other components of the environment.  

Lake Superior Provincial Park

Covering 600 square miles, the beautiful yet rugged terrain of Lake Superior Provincial Park begins just south of Wawa.  Route 17 initially runs through the heart of the refuge before paralleling the lakeshore in its southern portion.

Forested hills, whitewater streams, secluded lakes and wetlands (photo) characterize most of this fabulous refuge while scenic coves line Lake Superior.  An inviting Visitor Center is off Route 17 on Agawa Bay, near the south end of the Park.

Following a week of sunshine and relatively warm weather, we endured chilly, wet, windy conditions during our visit to the Park today.  Hoping that the inclement weather might increase our opportunity to see moose, bear and wolves, we drove along a number of backroads and scouted out a wide variety of lakes and wetlands.  Alas, no sightings to report. 

Down Superior's East Coast

About ten miles south of Marathon, Ontario, Route 17 cuts away from the Lake, crossing relatively open terrain with less topographic relief.  Then, just south of White River, it climbs onto a broad ridge of forested hills, studded with scenic lakes.

Nearing the town of Wawa, the highway descends from that ridge.  There we headed east on Route 101 and drove almost 40 miles to The Potholes, a small but fascinating Provincial Park that highlights the power of the Pleistocene glaciers and the force of their meltwater torrents along the Kinniwabi River (see photo).

Back in Wawa, we visited High Falls on the Magpie River, Silver Falls, Sandy Beach and, south of town, Old Woman's Bay; photos of these destinations will be rotated with other Ontario scenes in the right hand column of this blog over the coming weeks.  Today, we head down to Lake Superior Provincial Park, among the largest refuges in the network.  Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians!  

Pukaskwa National Park

Located south of Marathon, Ontario, Pukaskwa National Park covers 725 square miles; the great majority of this area is protected wilderness, accessible only by backcountry trails.  For those of us no longer able to engage in such activity, the Park's northwest corner still has plenty to offer.

Covering an area along the Lake Superior shoreline and just south of the Pic River, this more accessible portion offers a pleasing mix of trails, boardwalks and beach excursions that offer spectacular views of rocky headlands and offshore islands (photo).  Massive accumulations of driftwood cover some beach sections.

Away from the shore, a fine trail loop circles Lac a mi Chemin, where moose may be observed early or late in the day; among other wildlife species in the Park are black bear, wolves, lynx, river otters and bald eagles.  Finally, a well-maintained campground invites an overnight stay for those equipped to do so.  

Aguasabon Provincial Park

At the west end of Terrace Bay, Ontario, is Aguasabon Provincial Park, renowned for its scenic gorge and waterfall.  Visitors can take a winding boardwalk down to a deck that overlooks both of these features (photo).

The Park also offers a woodland trail to its Beach or you can drive down to the beach lot from outside the Provincial Park grounds.  The dark-sand beach stretches along a scenic cove, guarded by jagged rock formations at each end and offering views of barren offshore islands.

The beach, like many along the North Coast of Lake Superior, appeared to be popular for agate hunting.  This is not surprising in light of the ancient volcanic strata that characterize this region. 

Lake Superior's Northwest Coast

From Duluth, Minnesota, Route 61 winds northeastward above the northwest shore of Lake Superior, lined with overlooks, ancient basalt cliffs, resorts and State Parks.  West of the highway rise the Sawtooth Highlands (elevations about 2300 feet), ablaze with fall color this time of year (photo).  Of note, the surface of Lake Superior is 600 feet above sea level, somewhat lower than I would have expected.

About 150 miles from Duluth, Route 61 crosses the Pigeon River and enters Ontario, Canada.  From this border, the highway cuts away from the Lake and enters more open terrain, studded with massive loaves of volcanic rock; these formations are remnants of incomplete continental rifting more than one billion years ago (comparable to the Rio Grande and East African Rifts occurring in modern times).

A chain of these domes stretches west from Thunder Bay, where visitors (for a fee) can drive onto Mount McKay for a spectacular view of the city and its natural harbor. 

Land of Ancient Rock

Having visited the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on several occasions in the past, my wife and I are very familiar with the southern shore of Lake Superior.  This coming week, we will explore its northern shore, where outcrops of ancient Precambrian rocks adorn the scenery and where a string of Ontario parks and nature preserves line the coast.

The rock strata, the youngest of which formed at least 100 million years before life crawled from the sea, are best observed along roadcuts, stream valleys and lake shores and we will surely observe many of them as we travel along the northern edge of Lake Superior.

Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago, life evolved in the sea about 3.6 billion years ago and plate tectonics is thought to have begun by 2.5 billion years ago.  Most of the rocks exposed along the North Shore of Lake Superior are 1-2 billion years old.  Of course, the Great Lakes themselves are much younger, having formed during the last glacial period of the Pleistocene Epoch, the Wisconsin Glaciation, 70-10 thousand years ago (well after humans had evolved).  See: Formation of the Great Lakes  

Extreme Weather & Climate Change

Weather extremes have characterized most of the U.S. this year.  This week's flooding across the Southeastern States has been record-breaking as some locations have received almost three feet of rain.  Ironically, some of the deluge has occurred in areas that had been plagued by drought for many months.

Farther north, severe thunderstorms with tornadoes, high winds and large hail have repeatedly raked the Great Plains and Upper Midwest.  This weekend, another round of severe weather will develop across the High Plains, moving through the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic Region over the following days.

Extreme heat, warm oceans and a powerful, unruly jet stream combine to produce these dangerous weather conditions.  More than typical, seasonal storm systems, we are witnessing the effects of a warming climate.  Though its effects may vary over the years, these extreme weather events will surely become more common and efforts to reduce damage and deaths will be imperative. 

February Tornadoes

While tornadoes are not uncommon in February across the Gulf Coast States, they are certainly unusual in the Midwest, where sufficient heat and humidity have historically been rare in the past.  Last evening, however, several tornadoes developed across Illinois and Indiana as a potent cold front swept in from the northwest.

Bloomington, Indiana, appears to have received most of the damage though the tornado watch extended from the Mississippi Valley to central Ohio.  Once again, our warming climate seemed to be at least partly responsible, both for the unusual February warmth and the potent storm that triggered the outbreak.  Now centered over southern Wisconsin, this winter storm is expected to produce heavy snow across the Great Lakes Region and New England.

Here in Missouri, we experienced the strong, northwest winds and dramatic temperature drop behind the front (from the mid 60s F yesterday afternoon to low 20s F this morning) but dodged the tornadic thunderstorms.  Several afternoons in the thirties will remind us that it is still February. 

An Arctic Pinwheel

A deep atmospheric trough, currently dipping across the Great Lakes, is producing low windchills and lake-effect snows throughout that region.  Up to a foot of snow has accumulated in some areas and the final totals may be twice that amount, especially in the swaths of higher terrain.

More widespread are the gusty winds that are circulating around the central low, which now sits above northeastern Wisconsin.  Moving counterclockwise, they are pulling in additional moisture from the Mid-Atlantic region and raking the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest with Arctic air.

Here in central Missouri, despite the bright sunshine, the storm's northwest winds are producing afternoon high near 42 degrees F; of course, the wind-chill is at least 10 degrees below the air temperature.  A taste of winter just in time for our Thanksgiving feast!  Happy Holidays to all.

Rosy Mound Natural Area

As it turns out, we saved the best for last.  On this final morning along the southeast shore of Lake Michigan, we visited Rosy Mound Natural Area, a few miles south of Grand Haven.

While the ecology of that preserve is identical to the other coastal refuges that we have visited and, in fact, its size is somewhat smaller, I was very impressed with the efforts to educate the public and to protect the fragile ecosystem.  Graveled trails and sturdy, wooden stairs, decks and boardwalks limit the impact of human visitors by offering convenient access while discouraging off-trail activity.  Educational plaques, spaced along the routes, introduce hikers to the natural history, flora and fauna of the refuge.

A one-mile trail (2 miles roundtrip and longer if desired) leads visitors across the forested "back dunes" and out to the open landscape of the "fore dunes" and beach.  I strongly recommend a visit to Rosy Mound Natural Area but must report that numerous stairways, some quite long, will need to be negotiated. 

Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Having heard that Grand Rapids has a nice botanical gardens, we headed inland this morning.  That decision was well rewarded.

The Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park covers 158 acres in the northeast quadrant of Metro Grand Rapids.  Offering a pleasant mix of gardens, water features and natural habitat,  it is accessed by a network of paved trails and boardwalks.  A wide variety of sculptures are spaced throughout the property and greenhouses protect tropical, desert and carnivorous plants.  A fine outdoor amphitheater also graces the Park.

While it is a beautiful and well landscaped display of flora and sculptures, this botanical gardens, like some others I have encountered, makes little effort to label the plants, thereby reducing its value as an educational experience.  In that regard, it does not connect with those (myself included) who want to learn about the many species that adorn its confines.

William Erey Smith Waukena Preserves

A few miles south of our cabin are the William E. Smith Waukena Preserves (North and South Units).  They are managed by the Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.  Access is via Lakeshore Drive, between the Fennville and Glenn Exits from 196.

The North Unit is primarily covered by coastal forest (photo) and its trail provides access to the Lake Michigan beach.  On our walk through the woodland, we were serenaded by the varied melodies of blue jays and the drumming of red-bellied woodpeckers; melanistic gray squirrels chimed in as well.  Of interest, signage informed us that Douglas fir trees, planted there long ago but not native to the region, have been dying from a fungal infection and are being removed.

The South Unit is characterized by a more open landscape of meadows, wetlands and parcels of forest; several ponds are also spaced throughout the preserve.  This morning's highlight proved to be the wildflowers, dominated by large swaths of goldenrod and white aster. 

The Kalamazoo River

Four primary rivers drain the western half of Michigan's Lower Peninsula and empty into Lake Michigan; from north to south, they are the Manistee, the Muskegon, the Grand and the Kalamazoo Rivers.  The latter rises near North Adams in southern Michigan, flows westward through Battle Creek and Kalamazoo and then angles northwestward before entering Lake Michigan at Saugatuck.

This morning, we took a 3-mile loop hike through Tallmadge Woods Nature Preserve, which is tucked within the final bend of the Kalamazoo River before it enters the Lake.  Winding across the forested dunes, the trail leads to the Crow Nest Overlook (photo), which affords a broad view of the River's blind channel and of the Saugatuck Harbor Nature Preserve beyond.

While the Kalamazoo's passage through Saugatuck and Douglas is lined with homes, docks and marinas, this final stretch reflects the natural landscape that characterized its path long before the trappings of modern human culture invaded its floodplain.  

Saugatuck Dunes State Park

Stretching along 2.5 miles of secluded, Lake Michigan shoreline, this 1000 acre State Park is north of the city of Saugatuck.  Trail loops take visitors from the parking lot across forested, freshwater dunes (some of which rise 200 feet above the lake level) and out to the wide beach.

The southern portion of the refuge, accessed by a 5.5 mile trail loop, is protected as a Natural Area and harbors several endangered plant species.

Visiting the Park, one is struck by the large trees that now rise above the dunes, knowing that they took root well after the last Pleistocene glaciers retreated into Canada (some 12,000 years ago) and have managed to survive the massive waves that lash the shoreline (and that produced the the dunes themselves).  

North to Lake Michigan

Facing an empty social calendar this coming week (like most weeks), we decided to visit the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, where we have rented a cabin.  Setting off early this morning from Columbia, we crossed the Mississippi River at St. Louis and then began a long trek northeastward, crossing the flat, Glaciated Plain of Illinois.  Once covered by tallgrass prairie, it is now a mosaic of crop fields and riparian woodlands.

Nearing the Lake, we negotiated a maze of congested highways and eventually continued NNE on Interstate 94, which parallels the Lake's southeastern shore.  Our destination was just south of Saugatuck, between Benton Harbor and Holland, Michigan, where our first reward was a beautiful sunset.

In addition to the lakeshore itself, we plan to explore a number of regional State Parks and nature preserves over the next week. Reports to follow.  

Winter gets Serious

The first half of January will be marked by a "polar plunge" as a deep atmospheric trough brings Arctic air to most of the central and eastern U.S.  Some areas will also receive a significant amount of snow, especially in the "lake-effect" areas of the Great Lakes region.

Here in central Missouri, the snow will not arrive until this coming weekend but the extreme cold is expected to persist through all of next week.  If current forecasts are correct, we could receive up to 18 inches of snow.

As our climate warms, average annual temperatures will continue to climb but they will represent a mix of extreme heat and brutally cold periods, superimposed on "typical" seasonal patterns.  An energized jet stream will be responsible for the dramatic shifts and for the severity of storms that they produce. 

Clipper Dynamics

Alberta Clippers are low pressure systems that originate in the Canadian Province of Alberta and rapidly drop southeastward across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes region and Northeastern U.S.  Due to their rapid movement, they are generally not associated with significant amounts of snow except for lake-effect squalls along the Great Lakes, high elevation snow down the spine of the Appalachians and coastal snow once the counter-clockwise winds of the storm pull in Atlantic moisture; these onshore winds may also lash the shoreline with powerful waves.

South and west of the low pressure center, strong north winds drag frigid, Arctic air southward.  Last night, these backside winds shook the treetops and rattled windows here in central Missouri.  By this morning, despite bright sunshine and calm conditions, the outside temperature was 15 degrees F.

Since these Clippers depart as rapidly as they arrive, warmer air soon moves in from the west.  We expect afternoon highs near 60 degrees F this weekend.  

Widespread Drought Relief

The latest Pacific storm system, currently centered over North Texas, will track northeastward this week, bringing welcome relief to many drought-plagued areas.  Today, its trailing cold front is expected to ignite strong thunderstorms (with possible tornados and flooding rains) across the Southern Plains.

By tomorrow, the rains will fall primarily across the Midwest while the Great Lakes and Upper Ohio Valley can expect significant precipitation by mid week.  Finally, before moving out to sea, the front is forecast to bring much needed rain to New England, where wildfires continue to develop.

As the lower section of this storm front moves eastward along the Gulf Coast, it is expected to sweep copious moisture from Tropical Storm Sara across that region and the Florida Peninsula.  Meanwhile, much cooler air will drop south behind the storm as the next Pacific system brings rain and snow to the Northwest. 

Crossing Glacial Landscapes

Returning to Missouri from Northeast Ohio, we crossed a series of glacial landscapes.  While the term "glacial terrain" brings to mind rivers of ice, carving mountains or calving into the sea, past glacial effects are not as evident to the casual traveler.

Having spent a week atop the glaciated region of the Appalachian Plateau, we initially dropped onto the vast Lake Plain of Northern Ohio, the product of Pleistocene glacial erosion and a post-glacial meltwater lake (Lake Warren, the much larger predecessor of Lake Erie).  Angling southwestward  through Northeast Indiana, we soon passed the site of The Maumee Torrent, which marked the birth of the Wabash River Valley.

The remainder of our journey was across the Glaciated Plain of the Midwest, where the Pleistocene glaciers pushed southward, flattening the terrain.  As they retreated, they enriched the soil with glacial till, setting the stage for prairie ecosystems that have since given way to crop fields and cattle ranches.  Of course, the massive sheets of ice also determined the course of the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, which now drain the central U.S., from the Rockies to the Appalachians.