Mike Breiding's Epic Road Trips

 

Monday - August 13th: Return to Itasca

Monday - August 13th: Return to Itasca

In 1978, at the tender age of 25, I made my first trip to Minnesota—specifically the University of Minnesota's Biological Station at Lake Itasca. It was there I was to spend 6 weeks. Not as a student but as an "Unofficial Teaching Assistant" for a graduate—level class taught by Professors Herb (Warren H.) and Florence Wagner of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

How did this come about?
In 1974 I was rummaging through some books in my dad's library at 616 8th Street in Morgantown, WV. This was shortly after I had moved into the 3rd—floor apartment formerly occupied by my two sisters—Joan and Susan. They always referred to the apartment as the "Serendip," which was short for serendipitous. That was between 1963 and 1968, when we had moved from Wheeling to Morgantown.

At some point during my rummaging, I came across a slim volume, the title of which I was not quite sure how to pronounce.
Paging through it, I found illustrations of plants that were not familiar to me. Although the plants looked different from each other, there seemed to be a common shape to most of them.

This unfamiliarity with these plants may seem strange considering I grew up exploring the hills and dales of Oglebay Park, where the family lived in a park house. The house came with the position of Park Naturalist in which capacity my dad, George H. Breiding, served for 13 years.
But being the constantly on—the—go kids we were, our attentions were focused mostly on things that moved— butterflies and moths, frogs and toads, salamanders and snakes, water skippers and crawdads. And of course—birds.
As children we learned the common plants and could name most of them. But they held little interest for us, as we could not chase them with butterfly nets, get our hands covered in slime, or do battle with giant crawdads, which we chased through the shallow waters of Poughs Run.

Then, in 1963, when we left Wheeling and our beloved Oglebay Park behind, we soon became distracted by "Big City" diversions. Yes, we were leaving that sheltered life behind and moving to the Big City—Morgantown, WV.
Here we would move into a house on a street, not a rural route. And we would be able to easily walk the 1.5 miles to downtown Morgantown and Walter's News Stand for comics and candy bars.
When we lived in Oglebay, we visited downtown Wheeling only once or twice a year. And they were always big events—Christmas shopping, or a visit with Grandma and a trip to the lunch counter at G.C. Murphy for a delicious roast beef sandwich smothered in a rich, dark brown gravy.

Although 6 years of Big City diversions in Morgantown, which were followed by 4 years in San Francisco, did not completely erase all the natural history I had learned as a child, it did much to dampen my interest and dull my memories.
But once I had in hand that slim volume, plucked from a box in my dad's library, those old interests began to be revived.

I can still remember taking that little book to my dad and asking, "What does this word mean?" That word was "Pteridophytes" and the book title was "The Pteridophytes of West Virginia" by Maurice Brooks and A.S. Margolin, published by West Virginia University in 1938.

My dad pronounced the word for me and told me a Pteridophyte was another name for a fern. And with that—a fern lover was born.

That was the genesis of what was to become an intense interest in all things ferny. So much so that I spent nearly all of my free time walking the hills and hollers seeking out ferns. I collected them, pressed them dry, and then mounted them on sheets of heavy paper to make study skins. I dug them up and transplanted them to the yard. In short order I amassed a larger collection of books on ferns, which included the latest edition of Boughton Cobb's "Field Guide to the Ferns," all the way back to "The Ferns of Kentucky" by John Williamson. It was published in 1878 by John P. Morton & Co., W. Main Street, Louisville, KY. I did not know it at the time, but this was the first fern book published in the United States.

Ok. This is getting a bit long—winded. The upshot is, around 1974, on one of my ramblings in the woods, I found a fern I knew to be a bit unusual. After careful examination I was fairly sure it was a hybrid Dryopteris, specifically Dryopteris x triploidia, a hybrid between D. intermedia and D. spinulosa.
At the time there was no one in Morgantown who could confirm this. Professor Roy Clarkson of West Virginia University, whom I had become acquainted with when mounting plants at the Herbarium, suggested I contact a fellow by the name of Warren H. Wagner of the University of Michigan. Roy said he was one of the leading authorities on ferns in the US and had done some work with hybrid Dryopteris.

One evening, after dialing directory assistance for his phone number, I called Herb (Warren) at his home. I asked him if he was the Warren H. Wagner who was the fern expert. He confirmed he was. I then went on to tell him about my fern discovery and my need for confirmation of its identity.
He asked me a few specific questions about it, such as was it fertile, did it have stalked glands on the rachis, etc. He must have been satisfied with the answers because he felt I had indeed found Dryopteris x triploidia. But Herb said he would need to have the specimen sent to him for a closer look to confirm. I told him I would send it on, and then the conversation wound down. He then asked me, "Why haven't I heard about you?" At first I did not know what he meant. Then I realized he thought I was "somebody" in the world of ferns. Imagine my surprise...

I sent the specimen to Herb, and we kept in touch. I pursued my interest in ferns and in 1975 found another Dryopteris hybrid new to the state of West Virginia - Dryopteris neo-wherryi recorded for West Virginia. Later, with John Laitch (and again in the '80s with R. Bartgis), we rediscovered the disjunct population of Cryptogramma stelleri.
Then, at some point I got a call from Herb asking me if I wanted to come to Ann Arbor and join him on a week—long "Fern Survey" of Michigan. WOW! In short order I was on a Greyhound bus and on my way to Ann Arbor. Herb introduced me to many new species as we rambled all over the state looking for new localities of new species and confirming sites for old ones. I guess this must have been my baptism by fire because it led to the invitation to act as the "Unofficial Teaching Assistant" for a 6—week, gradate—level, special topics class in Pteridophytes with emphasis on field biology and cytology at the University of Minnesota's Biological Station at Lake Itasca.
But why "unofficial," you might ask? Well, Herb knew I had only an 8th grade education, and that would not be considered adequate qualification to be the "official" teaching assistant for the class. But Herb must have felt I was up to the task and was able to arrange my stay there for six weeks and be paid with room and board only. Fine by me!
I then spent 6+ weeks with Herb, his wife, Joe Beitel (AKA Selago Joe), and about a dozen students engaged in the intensive, exciting, and fun study of ferns. Upon reflection I must ask, how did this Jr. High drop-out HillBillyRed-Neck get so lucky?!

Ok. Fast forward 34 years to 2012. Here I am again, back in Itasca country with Betsy and Roger, and we are on our way to Itasca State Park for a bit of hiking.

Itasca State Park is about 40 miles east of Roger's place on White Earth Lake. Established in 1891, Itasca is Minnesota's oldest state park. It totals more than 32,000 acres (50 square miles) and includes more than 100 lakes. That is BIG for a state park!

Since I had converted our van into a 2-seater for camping, Roger decided to drive over to where his motorcycle was stored, jump on it, and then meet us at the gas station, where we would then proceed to the Park.

 

Our first stop was Bad Medicine Lake to have our packed lunch.

   

This is what you get when you have 3 people with digital cameras—Betsy taking a picture of Roger taking a picture of me taking a picture. Confused??

 

We stopped at the Visitors' Center, got a hiking map, and decided on a 5.6 mile loop hike. My leg was still hurting and swollen from my puncture wound the day before, but I had dosed up on 600 mg of "Vitamin I," and I was hoping that would help.

 

This extra sign made sure we did not get lost. At least not right away.

 

This is Mary Lake, which is named for Mary Hannah Gibbs (1879-1984), the determined woman who risked her life for Itasca State Park.

 

Now Roger gets in on the act!

 

The Ozawindib trail started out as a mowed path through second—growth forest.

 

But soon we were seeing the big conifers Itasca is famous for.
Here is Betsy next to a fine specimen of Red Pine (Pinus resinosa).

As you can see from the range map above, Red Pine is primarily a conifer of the far north.

 

The bark of red pine is very distinctive and, like many conifers, resistant to fire.

 

Here you can get an idea of the height of some of the Red Pine.

 

There are also some large White Pine (Pinus strobus) at Itasca. On the left is Red Pine, on the right, the much darker bark of the White Pine makes it easy to identify.

 

The Ozawindib Trail leads to a warming hut for cross—country skiers. Roger coaxed us until we smooched!

 

All of the trail intersections were well signed, and most of them appeared to be new or freshly painted.

 

This nice big map was at many of the trail intersections and helped us navigate.
From the ski hut we picked up the much smaller and less well defined. "Red Pine Trail."

 

As this picture of Roger's shows, "less well defined" is a bit of an understatement.

 

At one point these big Cinnamon Ferns nearly obscured the trail.

 

Then it was raspberry brambles that obscured the trail. Check out the look on Betsy's face. She hates bushwhacking! (Good shot, Roger.)

 

Roger took this shot of me next to the dead behemoth. There was lots of blow-down. Some were old like this, some so recent they still had green needles.

 

My favorite shot of Roger.

 

A gorgeous White Pine!

 

Here, Betsy scrambles under a newly fallen Red Pine. Seeing all these downed giants was heartbreaking.

 

This is me practicing for my role as "Little John."

 

Here Betsy checks out the work of a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)in this Basswood (Tilia americana)

 

A closer look at the Sapsucker damage on the Basswood.

Like other sapsuckers, these birds drill holes in trees and eat the sap and insects drawn to it. They may also pick insects from tree trunks or catch them in flight. They also eat fruit and berries. Source: WikiPedia

 

Roger takes a picture of me taking a picture. It still looks odd to me to see anyone taking a picture like this instead of using a viewfinder.

 

We passed by Myrtle Lake, which had several pack-in campsites. A new outhouse had been built for camper use, and Roger decided to check it out.

 

I cannot imagine the wind force needed to snap and twist a perfectly sound Red Pine of this size. It was nearly 18" DBH. Boo-hoo...

 

We have seen these " Hiking Club" signs throughout Minnesota. I finally got around to checking it out.

 

What an idyllic place to camp—on the shores of Myrtle Lake.

 

The Red Pine Trail finally opened back up, and near the intersection of Deer Park Trail, we were hiking through the big pines again.

 

We got a bit confused at this intersection. Although it was well signed, its placement made our next turn a bit debatable.

 

We always carry a trail map! Even with one I sometimes get "lost." So, you can imagine how we might end up without one.

 

Roger took this shot and the preceding one. Nothing like having a human tripod with you. Thanks, Roger!

 

We were now near the end of the hike, and since it was getting close to supper time, we beat feet to the dining hall at Douglas Lodge.

 

While we waited for our orders to be filled, I grabbed a few shots of the interior of the dining room. All those windows must make it tough to heat during the cold Minnesota winters.

 

Roger's beer was ornamented with a Mermaid. He liked it.

 

Betsy enjoyed the Wild Rice soup which the Lodge is famous for.

 

After supper we explored the lodge and ended up in the sitting room. What a nice place to curl up with a book and have a nice glass of red wine.

 

Betsy tried out these old wicker chairs. I am sure she would have loved to stay put for a few days!

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, August 14th: Return to Itasca

The next day Roger decided it would be simpler to ride in the back of the van than take his car or motorcycle. The back of the van has no seats and thus no seat belts. Since Roger rides a motorcycle and is used to living dangerously, this did not bother him.
We were fortunate to have yet another warm, breezy, and sunny afternoon. Perfect for getting out, not just for us but for lots of other folks as well.

 

Roger used my old footlocker for a map—reading desk while I drove us back over to Itasca State Park.

There is lots to see at Itasca State Park, both on foot and by car. Since my wounded leg was in need of some downtime, we decided to take the Wilderness Drive, which is a 10-mile, one-way route that starts at the Lodge and ends at the Mississippi River Headwaters Center. There are a number of pull-outs along the drive with various points of interest.

 

Our first stop was "Preachers Grove," so called because it was, once upon a time, the meeting place for a religious group. There are many stately Red Pines here and I can see why someone who was seeking a spiritual experience might come here.

 

This sign told about the three pines in Itasca - Red, White and Jack.

 

Like many pines, Red Pine has fire—resistant bark. The scars on the base of these trees are from past fires.

 

Roger took this photo of Betsy and me acting goofy.

 

The trail went down to the banks of Lake Itasca, where this sign was posted. Itasca sees a lot of footprints!

 

Here, Betsy looks north up the east arm of Lake Itasca.

 

Betsy took this photo. It shows the hips, or fruits, of the Prickly Wild Rose (Rosa acicularis). At least, that's what I think it is.

 

This will give you some idea of the size of the Red Pine and the fire scar.

 

It has been 35 years or so since I stood at this site. My, how time flies...

 

This display is at the Mary Gibbs Mississippi Headwaters Center. It shows a map of the world with all the longest rivers highlighted. The Mighty Miss ranks 4th behind the Yangtze, Amazon and Nile.

 

This metal sculpture is along the trail to the Headwaters. It is entitled "Heartwaters—Caretaker Woman". The artist is Jeff Savage, who is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The artist has this to say about his inspiration for the sculpture:

When looking at the headwaters site, the vision I see is of a woman standing with cupped hands around a bowl (Lake Itasca) with the life force of the headwaters spilling out of the bowl and the Anishinabe symbol of natural life, the turtle, standing watch over these headwaters. ~ Jeff Savage

     

As Roger mentioned to me, some dispute Lake Itasca as being the source of the Mississippi River. And, if you look at a map you can see where White Earth Lake might look like the source. But, no matter. With most - perception is reality.

 

These kids playing in the water were a preview of things to come.

 

They soon disappeared, giggling and splashing, into the cat-tales and alder.

 

And here is where they were going - the little stream which is the beginning of the Mississippi River.

 

There was a carnival like atmosphere what with all the people talking, laughing, splashing in the water while others looked on.

 

Betsy does not like "heights" but she dared to cross the Mighty Miss anyway.

 

Betsy took this picture of Roger and me. She requested it be included 'cause she thought it was cute. Girls!

 

These are just a few of the canoes and kayaks which were milling around the headwaters area of the lake.

 

All the kids were having a blast.

 

Some of the adults were not. There was a sign warning about the slippery rocks and this guy found out first hand (or foot) they weren't kidding.

 

Roger got this shot as the guy almost went down. As you can see he had a lot of company.

 

Roger took this shot for us to commemorate out visit.

 

I would like to have met Mary. What a pistol!

Mary, who lived to be 104 years of age, spent her last years in a nursing home. At the age of 102 she went on a hunger strike when she was told she would have to pay an extra 75 cents to have meals served in her room.

Read more about Mary Gibbs.

After saying good-bye to Mary, we continued on our trip around the Wilderness Drive

 

We passed this lovely "lily pond" on the way to see The Big White Pine.

   

This is one of my favorite trail signs. Problem is, most mountain bikers would ignore it. You see, most mountain bikers think they are special and should be allowed to ride anywhere they choose.

 

Here it is! Over 300 years old and 112 feet in height.

In 1837 there were 3,500,000 acres of virgin White Pine in Minnesota. Currently about 2% of that remains - a paltry 67,000 acres. Not very good resource management.

 

On our way back from the Big White Pine, we passed this vestige of yet another behemoth.

 

This is along the one-way portion of the Wilderness Drive. What a place!

 

Now, on to the Big Red Pine.

 

Unfortunately, this Ancient One had the top snapped off by high winds in 2007.

 

When a conifer loses this much of its crown it means the end is near.

 

Red Pine usually grows at the rate of 12" per year. And since all the old ones were cut decades ago, that might explain why so few of the big trees remain.

 

On the way back to the car from the Big Red Pine I noticed a nice specimen of Mountain Maple (Acer spicatum). We have Mountain Maple in West Virginia where it grows primarily in the highest elevations of the state where it is cooler. In the spring it has upright "spikes" of white flowers. Thus, the specific epithet "spicatum"

 

A closer look at the wing fruits, also known as "samaras". As the seed falls, the "wings" cause it to spin.

A samara is sometimes called a key and is often referred to as a whirlybird, helicopter, whirligig, polynose, or, in the north of England, a spinning jenny. During the autumn months, they are a popular source of amusement for children who enjoy tossing them in the air and watching them spin to the ground. ~ WikiPedia

 

Here is a plant we have seen many places in Minnesota, and it is particularly abundant in Itasca State Park. It is the Wood Horsetail (Equisetum sylvaticum). It is one of the so—called "fern allies." It is a non-flowering vascular plant that reproduces from spores like the "true" ferns.

 

Just past the turnoff for the Big Red Pine is lovely Nicollet Creek.

 

Most of the creeks and smaller rivers up this way have wet meadows, bogs, or swamps associated with them.

 

What a lovely spot.

 

Next we went to the observation tower. But first I had to attend to a sudden call of nature and chose, for some reason, to duck in here.

I would guess the lake was named for Lt. James A. Allen, who, along with H. B. Schoolcraft, explored and mapped much of this area.

 

Here is all we saw of the 100' tall Aiton Heights Forest Fire Tower. The park was busy that day, and there was a crowd of kids waiting to climb the tower stairs. The tower has a limit of 6 at a time. Being impatient by nature, I was not interested in waiting. Roger tried to change my mind but was unsuccessful.
After that we left the park and headed back to Roger's, where he cooked us a nice dinner of grilled chicken, sweet corn, and salad. Roger—the Ultimate Host!

The Journey Begins
Intro

Week 1
Day 1 and 2: Motown to Harlan, IN and on to Minnesota
Day 3: Root River Rail-Trail: Houston to Peterson
Day 4 and 5: Lake Louise State Park
Day 6: Exploring the Land of Sioux Quartzite - Part 1
Day 7: Part 2 - Exploring the Land of Sioux Quartzite

Week 2
Day 8 and 9: Visiting Roger in the Lake Country
Day 10 and 11: Return to Itasca
Days 12 to 15: Bye-bye to White Earth and Hello to Zippel Bay and Beyond

Week 3
Day 16 to 18: Beatrice Lake Retreat
Day 19 and 20: Farewell to Beatrice Lake and East to the Arrowhead Region and Beyond
Day 21: Back in the Yooper Again - The Sylvania Wilderness: Big Trees and Little Lycopods
Days 22-23-24: Piers Gorge of the Menominee River and Back Home Again