We've recently completed another marathon driving trip in our quest to visit all 50 states as well as all of the Canadian provinces and territories. Our goal for this 4,000 mile trip was to traverse British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and then head south and tick North and South Dakota (the last of the 50 states) off the bucket list.
We primarily targeted the national parks: Yoho, Jasper, Elk Island, Prince Albert, and Riding Mountain in Canada. In the States, we focused on the South Dakota landmarks of the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore along with the Black Hills National Forest and Custer State Park. It was in this last park that we found more wildlife than we'd seen in all the other parks combined: herds of bison, antelope, mountain goats and sheep filled the landscape. What an amazing journey!
We had originally believed that our timing would allow us to enjoy fall colors and mushrooms. That was not to be the case. We encountered some fungi, but the mushroom world seemed to be suffering from the excessive heat that was enveloping the stops on our route.
Yoho National Park offered towering rock walls, spectacular waterfalls and more than 2 dozen peaks which were over 10,000 in height, but very few mushrooms of consequence as illustrated in the photo to the right. Jasper was no kinder, and, in fact, with its acreage marred by smoke from US fires, it was perhaps even less inviting to the forager.
Following the Yellowhead Highway, we entered Elk Island National Park, east of Edmonton, Alberta. Its 75 square miles contained wonderful views of landscapes that were a mix of native fescue grassland, aspen parkland and boreal forest.
And, it was here that we were introduced to Agrocybe aegerita, commonly known as the Black Poplar Mushroom. As seen in the photograph to the left, it's a lovely bundle-like fruiting body with individual brownish caps anchored on creamy stems.
We understand that Agrocybe aegerita is thought of as a desirable edible, particularly in Europe where it is highly prized for its crunchy texture. Some literature suggests that Agrocybe aegerita contains powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, antibiotic and anti-tumor properties. Not only that, there are claims that it slows down the effects of osteoporosis and assists in keeping one free from infections. Given these attributes and giving in to curiosity, we're quite tempted to purchase the spores offered by several website spawn laboratories. Aren't you?
Prince Albert and Riding Mountain National Parks brought us back to reality. Again we were awed by the scenery but disappointed at the lack of mushrooms. The grasslands, boreal forests, aspen parklands, and coniferous forests were spectacular. The prevalent beaver ponds were highly photographic, as shown in the upper photograph on this post.
Yet, it was Custer State Park that was the scenic and wildlife knockout. The peak-a-boo views of Mt. Rushmore, the craggy mountains, and open meadows knocked our socks off. The bison were everywhere: surrounding our vehicle as we motored the roads, resting beside the roadways, moving as large herds through the open fields. Antelope nestled down into the grasses in the heat of the noon-day sun while bighorn sheep devoured the lush grasses along the side of the road. And, let's not forget the burros who, as is their playful nature, were not to be ignored, stopping traffic and hassling tourists for tasty handouts.
No mushrooms - but who cares when the park is alive with such beauty and diversity of animal life.