Great Gray!

I was asked if I wanted to join others on a short trip to a frozen wasteland known as the Sax Zim Bog. This bog is located in the middle of no where near Meadowlands, Minnesota which is a 45 minute drive from Duluth. This area of the state is flat except where the Saint Louis river cuts a valley. I saw some farms, some cattle, some hay fields, and some abandoned farms. The snow made interesting patterns on the clods of dirt left on the flat fields. The tamarack trees are beautiful year round. We left at noon and arrived around 3 pm which gave us time to find some bird feeders the locals keep filled to attract people who like nature. We saw an eagle, a pileated woodpecker, some finches, some red polls, some ravens, some crows, some chickadees but it is difficult to identify birds going fast on frozen roads. We got to the Welcome  Center at 4. The Welcome Center was welcoming but it was cold in there. The outhouse was even colder! I think the temperature was -17 degrees Fahrenheit before the sun went down. As I warmed up the toilet seat for the next person I questioned my sanity. The last time I came up here (five years ago?) to see a great gray owl it was -25 degrees Fahrenheit and it was windy. Our instructor was full of cheer and energy and we piled into a caravan to look for a great gray owl. I am dressed for the weather. My companion gave me a battery powered hand warmer. The hand warmer was silver in color and smooth to the touch. It was shaped like one of those rocks you find on the North Shore of Lake Superior only lighter. I fell in love with my hand warmer. I caressed it in my hands.  I put it in my pocket. I put it in all the pockets I had.  I put it in my boot. I put it on my other boot.  I held it to my forehead. I held it to my neck.  I held it to my right facial cheek and my left facial cheek. Our caravan stopped after a 15 minute drive and I got out to see what was up. There, on the side of the two lane road was a great gray owl!  Jiminy cricket! For the first time in my life I am looking at a great gray owl! Oh, how beautiful is the great gray owl.  Long and slender with a huge head the yellow eyes were searching the ditch for supper a red backed vole. Our guide got it in the spotting scope. I saw it up close in the scope. Cars were zooming by on the road so we had to contain our excitement and avoid getting run over. The owl moved up the road. As I put my binoculars on the owl and looked again it lifted it's wings and dropped like a falling angel into the snow.  Jiminy Cricket! The owl missed the vole. We watched the owl for 15 minutes before getting back into the cars and moving on. I was a passenger in the back seat of a car and as I went by I gave the owl a friendly wave and a wink for good luck. We drove for another 45 minutes but did not stop again until we got back to the Welcome Center.  Our guide told us all about owls. He was quite energetic but maybe that was because it was so cold in the welcome center.  He needed to hop around to keep his feet from freezing. At the end of the program he imitated owls and asked us to imitate owls with him.  I did participate in the owl hooting but I got the giggles when he did the whinny of an eastern screech owl. I hope he didn't take that personally.What a night! We had dinner late so I warmed up with French Onion Soup, hot water and a glass of red wine at Applebees.  What a night!  Jiminy Cricket, I saw a great gray owl.  Next I want to see a barn owl.