Wednesday, May 6, 2015--Chester, CA to Alturas, CA--Modoc NWR

We left Chester, CA at 8:10 am on a cool 41 degree partly-sunny day.  First we passed Lake Almanor--a very large lake south and east of Chester.

Beside the ever-present coots, we were surprised to see a pair of Western Grebes courting, bobbing their heads together, and running together on top of the water. It was a beautiful sight!

We were surprised to see several American White Pelicans on the lake as well, a new trip bird

We had one last glimpse of lovely Lassen Peak almost reflected in Lake Almanor

Driving along, we rose to 6200 feet elevation. Big trees surrounded us, like this pair, a magnificent Western Red Cedar and Ponderosa Pine.

A large juniper forest was next in the ever-changing habitat as we drove east and north.

This especially large juniper tree impressed us

Then the scenery turned to grasslands as we approached the high desert

before sagebrush took over again

and rocks replaced the snows of yesterday along the road

There were no services for 100 miles today between Susanville and Alturas. We had lunch in the car beside the Likely, CA cemetery--the friendliest and most picturesque spot we could find. The cold wind outside dictated inside dining. We watched ground squirrels scurry across the road in front of us.

The town of Likely, Ca welcomed us

At about 1 o'clock we arrived at our destination the Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, where we were warmly received at the visitors center and given a private introduction to what we would find on the preserve.

There was a 3-mile auto tour around this large pond

One of the staff members had invented a way to keep the bigger birds from reaching in to rob the swallows eggs and nests. He fastened a split piece of pvc pipe at the top of the nest preventing egg-snatching. Pretty clever and it seemed to be working.

It became apparent that visiting the wildlife refuge in March would be a better choice for seeing large numbers of shorebirds, geese and ducks. However, there were still a few breeding water birds to enjoy. Black-necked Stilts were especially satisfying to watch.

There were many pairs of Cinnamon Teal, brilliantly colored in the sunlight

A number of Canadian Geese cared for their broods

The biggest surprise of the day was finding 2 breeding pair of Sandhill Cranes

As we settled into our motel at Alturas, CA I reflected on how grateful I am for the pair of shoes I bought before the trip. They are magic shoes! THESE SHOES ARE MADE FOR WALKING!!!!  They have never let me down! They still feel good at the end of each day. 

Today we drove 150 miles, we had a few sprinkles and we ended the day with a dust storm in our little town of Alturas. We have come 1507 miles. By the end of the day, the spring in our step is a bit less springy and motel rooms and restaurants a bit less of a treat. But finding pelicans and sandhill cranes, seeing the sun shining on a cinnamon teal, and watching the grebe pair racing across the lake in the morning sun still make our pulses race and bring joy to our hearts. Then it is easy to get up the next morning anxious to see what the day will bring our way. Tomorrow we head to Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Basin NWRs.