Friday is casual day at my work and I usually take advantage
of the day to take a “casual” commute.
One of my favorite drives is along the Mississippi River Boulevard. I connect with the road in St. Paul where it
is known as Warner Road and Shepard Road and am afforded a lot of picturesque
views of the river as I make my way west.
The name change to Mississippi River Boulevard happens at the crossing
of Highway 5 and that’s where I met this rafter of wild turkeys (yes, I looked
it up).
This wasn’t my only run-in with wild life while traveling on
the river road. This past October, I
stopped at an overlook near Lock and Dam No. 1 across from the defunct Ford
Ranger Assembly plant to take some pictures of the fall foliage. After getting a couple shots of a very bright
sugar maple, I was returning to my car when I heard an unusual screech. I looked into the trees on the river side of
the road and saw a bald eagle perched on a limb. I approached him slowly and took a couple
pictures. I watched him for a few
minutes and then caught a flash of movement in another tree further down. There was a second eagle, which I presumed
was its mate.
Another time, during the warmer months, I was driving and
slowed to a stop before disturbing a red tailed hawk standing in the road. A rabbit was unsuccessful in crossing the
road and the hawk, being a skilled opportunist as well as hunter, was
standing over the carcass. The hawk
seemed to be debating his next move. A
car approached from the other side and also stopped a respectful distance
away. Now, with a growing audience, the
hawk made a quick decision, grabbed the rabbit in its talons, and took off
toward the trees. I think the rabbit
might have been a little too large as the hawk stayed very low to the
ground. As I passed the other driver, we
gave each other a “thumbs-up’ to the scene we just witnessed.
One early morning last year, I saw what first looked like a
dog come tearing around the corner of the Ford Plant, dash across the street,
and ran toward the woody bank of the river.
When it passed my car, I got a better look and realized it was a grey wolf.
Also near the Ford Plant is a second overlook to the Hidden
Falls – Crosby Farm Regional Park. I had
pulled into the parking lot to get some pictures of the sunset. I walked toward the stone wall separating the
lot and the steep bank of the river and was immediately face-to-face with a
doe. We looked at each other in
surprise, as if asking “what are you doing here?” I had my camera in my jacket pocket and I
knew any sudden movement would spook the deer.
I slowly pulled the camera out and took a couple pictures. The deer never moved. So, I selected the video feature and recorded
about 30 seconds of the deer chewing a leaf.
I slowly backed away from the stone wall and took some pictures of the
surrounding countryside and setting sun.
Unfortunately, all that evidence was lost to a computer virus.
My last memorable run-in with wild life was with a pig, who
gave me a speeding ticket for going 35 miles per hour in a 25mph zone. Just kidding!
I mean, I did get a speeding ticket, but I have nothing but respect for
our men and women in blue.
As I mentioned before, when not encountering wildlife, there
are some amazing vistas to see on the River Road.
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