On Wednesday at three in the afternoon our family began the longest road trip we have ever taken! Eighteen days, eight states, one province, and a van load of fun would create memories that will last us a lifetime! Mommy and Daddy took turns driving all through Wednesday night and most of Thursday morning. Our first stop was eighteen hours later when we arrived at the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minnesota. It is so sad when you see injured eagles who will never be free from captivity! The resident eagles at the NEC are all injured eagles and according to humans they would never survive in the wild. You may ask why is Wabasha, Minnesota the place were the National Eagle Center is located? The Mississippi River does not freeze in Wabasha so Eagles can feed year round from the river. This factor causes the Wabasha area to have a large eagle population.
We all got to test our strength to that of an eagle's! Eagles talons can hold up to 400 pounds per square inch! I think Daddy got the highest of 75! Lillia played a trick on us and pushed the button showing how many P.S.I. an eagle has and then pulled up on the lever so it looked like she was that strong! :D
This is Harriet. Harriet was struck by a car and her left wing was broken in several places. After treatment at the U of M Raptor Center Harriet's left wing still drooped a little due to arthritis and damaged shoulder muscles. The tip of her left wing was amputated so now she cannot fly.
It is sad to watch the eagles stare out of the windows towards the Mississippi River.
You can just imagine what they are dreaming about.
An Eagle egg and the life size of a 6 week old Eagle.
In this picture you can sort of see the missing left tip of Harriet's wing.
Harriet is famous in Minnesota for being on the veterans licence plate!
Ever since the accident, a certain tuft of Harriet's hair always stands up on top of her head.
Of course for the license plate picture that tuft was airbrushed out! :)
Eagles don't have teeth so they rely on their neck muscles to help them twist and jerk pieces of meat off the animal instead of biting them off.
We learned so many interesting things about eagles during our visit to the National Eagle Center. Whenever you see an eagle you just stop what you are doing and stare at the magnificent beauty God has placed in the sky for us to enjoy!
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint.
Next post; Blue Mounds State Park!
