We climbed on past a ruined monastery. Orange lilies grew Luoyang Vacations up through the foundations. Our path was now a riverbed of slippery clay. Although we Luoyang Vacations only carried lightweight packs we stumbled frequently and stopped for rests at ten-minute intervals, gasping in the rarefied air. Some ponies and donkeys laden with supplies came scrabbling their way up the path, and passed us, driven by two local men. They said that the top monastery was still several hours away.
Country Point
Native American Indians often camped on Country Point. The Chippewa Indians called it Shaga-wa-mik, meaning long narrow point of land. A Chippewa legend relates how the Great Spirit created the sand bar to save a young brave from capture by the Sioux. The brave was cornered by the Sioux on the south shore of Lake Superior, and the Great Spirit urged him into the lake’s icy waters. As the brave stepped into the water, land began to form in front of him and so he raced ahead. The Great Spirit then made the land sink behind the fleeing brave, forming the Superior Entry.
Because of its location and makeup, Country Point is an important stopping off place for migrating birds. It is not uncommon during spring migration for thousands of birds to spend a day or more at Country Point resting and refueling before resuming their journey northward. While a spring day with light rain or fog on Country Point may find most people staying indoors, birdwatchers will head for Country Point to scope out grounded migrants.
Country Point is also noted for its virgin stand of red and white pines. You can distinguish these trees by their appearance at a distance and by differences in their bark and needles. The silhouette of a white pine shows a dark trunk, with spreading, horizontal branches. The red pine silhouette also shows a tall, straight trunk with horizontal branches with ascending tips. Its crown is symmetrical, which is not true of the white pine. The red pine’s branch tips, with their long, dark green needles, look like bottle brushes. The bark of white pines is dark, thick, and deeply furrowed. The bark of the red pine is reddish, not as thick, and quite scaly. You can also distinguish the pines by their needles. White pine needles are arranged in bundles of five, while red pine needles occur in bundles of two. An easy way to remember this is to relate the five letters in the word white with the five needles per bundle of the White Pine.
