Climbing the dunes

I didn’t get out of the house until afternoon again – this time because I needed to get some things done. I was making barbecue pork in the crockpot, and I wanted to make some rolls to have with it. I had already made the dough up the night before. (I’ve been making my own bread for about two months now, using the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which uses a different technique which requires no kneading. It’s quick, cheaper than buying bread, and tastes a million times better than store bread!) It didn’t take long to shape the rolls – I was actually surprised at how quick it went. While they were rising and baking I did some cleaning up – swept the floor, cleared the dish drainer, scrubbed mosquito smears off of the bedroom wall. At some point during all that, Paul let me know that there were cranes in the yard! I looked out the kitchen windows but didn’t take any new photos. Instead I thought to try getting a photo from outside. I snuck around from the back door, but they got nervous before I was close enough to get any pictures better than what I had gotten yesterday. Still, it was a thrill to see them! Little fuzzy was still wandering around with them!

 Little fuzzy was apparently hiding in the bushes when I took this.

Finally I headed out. My destination this time was the Grand Sable Dunes, at the eastern end of the park. This was the first time I’d done the drive myself, rather than as a passenger. It’s amazing how you don’t notice things like how much the road winds around! It’s a beautiful drive but it takes a while – even without the lower speed limit, you are limited by physics as to how fast you can go around a constantly curving road! The trail to the dunes actually starts from the same trailhead as the one to Sable Falls, but heads out in the opposite direction. It actually crosses the stream a little way above the falls, then comes out of the woods and heads out across the top.

These are not rock layers - that's sand, blown into patterns and stuck there. Pre-sandstone, you might say.

Did I mention the Grand Sable Dunes are perching on top of the Grand Sable Banks, so that they are just as high as the cliffs in the west part of the park? That's a long way down!

It was interesting seeing the different plants growing up on the dunes. The sand is constantly being shifted by the wind, so it's harder for plants to get a foothold.

 Once those few specialized types get established, that stabilizes things enough for more diversity to come in.

This is a Sand Cherry. There were a lot of them blooming! Very low bushes, protected from the wind.

 

Bearberry, or Kinnickinnick. I saw the berries when I was in Idaho in 2012; now I've seen the flowers. They're very small, but quite pretty!

There were also a LOT of anthills! They showed up really well. Loose sand is apparently very easy for them to work with!

Even where the plants are well established, it doesn't take much to disrupt them. Makes the trails very easy to spot!

Not always easy to follow! Climbing up a fairly steep hill made of very loose sand really works a lot of different muscles in your legs... But the views were spectacular!

Way off in the distance I could see the bigger expanse of dunes, mostly covered in grass. I had been surprised at all the trees - I'd expected to be out in the open more. Still, I got a great view - with the sun coming out from behind the clouds to throw a spotlight on it! I had climbed up one big dune to get this view, and that was enough. My legs were telling me so. Also, I wasn't sure where the trail would be going from there! I found that my cell phone had good reception so I called my parents and sister from the top of the dune before I headed back down.

Looking back up at the high point I had climbed up to!

Shadows on the sand.

I walked very, very carefully around this plant... poison ivy!

As I headed back into the woods, I spotted some of the large-flowered white trilliums that had carpeted the forest floor just a few weeks earlier. They weren't white anymore, though... it turns out they actually "fade" to a dark pinkish color as they are dying.

It was amazing how quickly I was able to walk once I was off of the dunes! My feet didn't slide around at all! I did have to sit down on a bench and empty sand out of my shoes before I could get in the car. I did this very quickly, because the clouds of mosquitoes from Sable Falls were hanging out in the parking lot as well!

I was almost to Grand Marais so I drove the rest of the way there. I stopped for gas and got a soda and a snack. The drive home was lovely but very long, especially around all those winding curves where you have to stay focused the entire time! Not that I lose focus while driving, but it's different when you're on the straightaway.