The way home from Illinois takes about five hours.
This morning, friends in Wisconsin were warning about a snowstorm. Gary checked Accuweather.com and said the same. There would be snow and sleet. Maybe I should stay another day, he thought.
I looked at Accuweather, too, but the hourly forecast said that the temperatures all day from Illinois to Wisconsin would be in the mid-40s during the time I would be driving. There might be rain, but snow was very unlikely.
In fact there never was any precipitation all day. The roads were good and overcast days are perfect for travel. Bright sun can hurt my eyes. If it snowed anywhere, the snow had melted when it rained in the early morning.
Almost immediately, I was thrilled to see a great blue heron on the River Road as I left Dixon. Soon after turkey vultures were circling above Highway 2, waiting to see if any of us motorists killed anything for them.
The Rock River, which I crossed and criss-crossed several times between Dixon and Milton, Wisconsin, is running high. The melting Wisconsin snow is rushing down the river to Illinois. It wouldn't surprise me if it overflows the bank as it has many times in the past.
Farther north, ducks and geese were on their way north. At Lake Butte des Morts at Oshkosh, I saw flocks of scaup, though without a telescope (and speeding along at 65 miles per hour) I couldn't identify if they were lesser or greater scaup. At Little Lake Butte des Morts at Menasha, I saw my first tern of the season. King birds sat on telephone wires.
Tomorrow I have to go to the Mosquito Hill Nature Center near New London for a meeting so I will stop at Van Patten Road and see which of the migratory birds have arrived.
It does feel so good to be home.
This morning, friends in Wisconsin were warning about a snowstorm. Gary checked Accuweather.com and said the same. There would be snow and sleet. Maybe I should stay another day, he thought.
I looked at Accuweather, too, but the hourly forecast said that the temperatures all day from Illinois to Wisconsin would be in the mid-40s during the time I would be driving. There might be rain, but snow was very unlikely.
In fact there never was any precipitation all day. The roads were good and overcast days are perfect for travel. Bright sun can hurt my eyes. If it snowed anywhere, the snow had melted when it rained in the early morning.
Almost immediately, I was thrilled to see a great blue heron on the River Road as I left Dixon. Soon after turkey vultures were circling above Highway 2, waiting to see if any of us motorists killed anything for them.
The Rock River, which I crossed and criss-crossed several times between Dixon and Milton, Wisconsin, is running high. The melting Wisconsin snow is rushing down the river to Illinois. It wouldn't surprise me if it overflows the bank as it has many times in the past.
Farther north, ducks and geese were on their way north. At Lake Butte des Morts at Oshkosh, I saw flocks of scaup, though without a telescope (and speeding along at 65 miles per hour) I couldn't identify if they were lesser or greater scaup. At Little Lake Butte des Morts at Menasha, I saw my first tern of the season. King birds sat on telephone wires.
Tomorrow I have to go to the Mosquito Hill Nature Center near New London for a meeting so I will stop at Van Patten Road and see which of the migratory birds have arrived.
It does feel so good to be home.
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