Love the Eagles

On our recent trip to Colorado we drove up to Grand Mesa, one of the mountains that surround Grand Junction.  Whenever we visit Colorado there is a lot of reminiscing going back to Monty’s boyhood growing up in Grand Junction.  He’s mentioned there are about two hundred lakes on Grand Mesa and we wanted to see a couple of them.

Monty remembered the lodge on one of the lakes that was kind of a hang out.  His memory served him well and sure enough there was a small lake surrounded by lovely tall trees.  The rustic lodge was serving lunch on the patio on a sunny blue sky day. The setting was made more perfect by the bald eagle that swooped down from one of the trees and glided across the lake.  We were thrilled at the sight and it reminded us of our visit to Wabasha, Minnesota to tour the National Eagle Center.

From 2016 Travel to Maine

We are ready to say good-by to Iowa and head up to Wabasha, Minnesota to visit the National Eagle Center. We are not traveling in a straight line on much of this trip.  Again we are on the little red line state roads, the scenery is green and relaxing and the drive delightful.  We are still seeing lots of barns with quilt designs above the doors, I believe they are part of the Barn Quilt Road through this part of the country. Every design is different. There are many big barns, silos and charming farm houses. We are traveling on a Sunday morning and the Amish people of the area are on their way to meeting. We slowed to 15 MPH as we passed each horse drawn buggy. Some buggies were small with husband, wife and maybe a baby on mom’s lap. Others were drawn by two horses, one in particular, dad was driving with mom and there were 4 or 5 little boys in the back, all in their matching church clothes and straw hats. I found it heart-warming.

We found our way to the only RV park in Wabasha, this being the weekend the city park was full of boaters. Here again, people like to camp and tailgate in the city parks. Wabasha is right on the  Mississippi River and it seems like everyone has a boat and a tricked-out truck to tow it. We’ve never seen so many red trucks or so much chrome. Lots of 5th wheels and travel trailers, not too many motorhomes.

We were looking forward to visiting the National Eagle Center and it turned out to be even better than we anticipated. The Center is located right on the Mississippi River and this particular location was chosen because at this point the Mississippi is joined by the Chippewa River and the mix of water makes it a bit warmer so the river doesn’t freeze here. The eagles use it as a nesting ground and hang around the area so they can catch fish all year.  

The young lady that presented the program and showed us one of the eagles was so dynamic and full of fun we not only learned a lot about eagles, but had a good time doing it. It was without doubt one of the best, informative, and fun, programs we have found on our travels.

First, we were surprised to hear some eagles keep adding to their nest year after year until it can reach as much as nine feet across and weigh hundreds of pounds. There was a huge replica of a nest in the lobby. We could walk around in it! In fact, they had a newspaper article about a black bear hibernating in an eagles nest in Wisconsin. 

I was somewhat disappointed to learn that eagles don’t necessarily mate for life but are actually more interested in keeping in touch with their nest than their mate. Apparently location and housekeeping are more important than the pair bond. I guess if the nest is there but Hazel doesn’t show up this year Henry just attracts another female. (probably younger!!) 

At the ceiling of the center, there was a beautiful sculpture of two eagles imitating courtship.  The mating dance is fascinating, the two eagles meeting high in the air and actually almost holding feet together and spin around toward the ground. The daring of how far to actually dive toward earth before pulling up and the ability of the birds to dance together is the way the birds decide if each will be a good mate. (kind of like when Monty and I met at the Cactus Moon, both showing up for country dance lessons)

There were about seventy people, all ages,  listening to the handler tell us about the eagles. When she asked for volunteers a man from the left side of the room got up and a young lady from the middle section got up. They went up to the front of the room  and were instructed to hold hands and  turn around (like ring around the rosie) After they turned and dipped up and down a few times the trainer pronounced them married. The man looked back at his wife and said , ’I’m sorry  honey, I didn’t know!’  Everyone laughed and then he introduced his ‘new’ wife to his son in the front row. 

After they sat down the trainer requested a child come up to the front. A little girl was there celebrating her tenth birthday and she was eager to participate. She stood still while the docent started a guessing game about how much the average eagle weighed. The little girl wasn’t sure but she was eager to hold one. They got out one of the big gloves, which are deceptively heavy, and the little girl held her arm up while the trainer went to get the eagle. When the trainer came back she burst into the room with fan fare and threw a big stuffed eagle in the little girls arms. The poor kid was so panicked she screamed and spit out her gum. To be honest we all screamed! The trainer explained that they really couldn’t let her hold the eagle. I think the little girl was just as happy to sit down. It was just so much fun, we really loved this place.

There were three bald eagles on display, I  think the name is a misnomer, they aren’t bald at all.  After the age of five they have beautiful white feathered heads. The golden eagle does not have the white head and looks a bit like an overgrown hawk. The birds are very territorial and they will call and squawk when eagles fly by on the river to let the interlopers know this is their part of the river. 

Eagles are loners and do not cozy up to each other or to the handlers. We watched as Angel, a 17 year old eagle enjoyed her fish dinner. She was not a dainty eater and simply threw the parts of the fish she didn’t want on the floor.  In the wild she probably would have eaten all of the fish but she knows there is dinner again tomorrow so some of the spine she just spit out. Eagles digest everything even the bones!

 After lunch Angel went to her bath tub and washed her face. According to the menu they passed around (it looked a lot like a menu from Chili’s) the eagles enjoy a variety of fish and sometimes other tasty treats. One of the docents said the eagles look forward to Fridays, when rats are on the menu.

We’ve had so many really great trips but this 2016 trip back to Maine stands out in my mind as one of the very best.  We took our time and stopped to see such a variety of sights along the way. The Hornaday ammunition factory in Grand Island, Neb. was an unexpected treat, Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Ill was awesome, the Amana Colonies and the history surrounding them in Iowa was interesting, the International Crane Institute in Wisconsin was lovely, Ft. Ticonderoga in upstate New York was delightful, there was so much more we enjoyed.  Monty wants me to mention we went on, not one, but two John Deere factory tours. To my surprise, these were great tours.  Monty is sure we need a farm so we can have one of those green and yellow beauties in the barn  

The whole trip, Main With Great Stops Along the Way, 2016,  is in the Travel Adventures section of the blog if you want to travel along with us.

Docent Showing Off One of the Eagles

Example of an Eagle Nest

Sculpture Depicting the Eagle Courting Dance

Our view from the lodge on Grand Mesa