Friday
As I none too subtly mentioned at the end of my last post, we literally finished vacuumed the house and immediately began a trip - to Valentine, Nebraska for “Autumn in the Sandhills.”
Too often our efforts to time fall foliage trips were not as successful as we would have liked. But not this time.
The route - I-80 to Grand Island, Highway 2 from Grand Island to its intersection with Highway 83, Highway 83 to its intersection with Highway 20 and Highway 20 to Valentine – was well chosen.
(The first stop was for food, not scenery. We made it at Espressions, an Aurora deli that I discovered on my prairie walking July 1. Sharleen found the food as delicious as I said it would be and agrees, if you are ever near Aurora around noon, make Espressions your lunch stop.)
Beautiful scenery began on Highway 2 not long after picking it up. The almost incessant movement of coal trains, full and empty, going back and forth between Wyoming and the East was no match for the allure of the Loup River valley.
Neither was the Nebraska National Forest our first stop. The Nebraska National Forest, the nation’s first hand planted forest, offered spectacular views that suggested the Loup River valley need not concede anything to the beauty of Nebraska’s better known river valleys – the Snake, the Dismal and our destination, the Niobrara. While there we observed several women from the organization “Outdoor Women” canoeing and kayaking the river, reminding us the river offers not only picturesque views but also the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities.
Highway 2 parallels the Loup River all the way to its junction with Highway 83 and the brilliance of the fall colored tree leaves only intensified as we followed it to that junction. What made this stretch of the drive all the more engaging was the emergence of the Sandhills as an almost perfect backdrop for the trees.
We left the valley as we turned onto Highway 83 but those unique – in size and “presence” - Sandhills remained our companion all the way to Valentine. Occasionally, but particularly when Highway 83 cuts through the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, the Sandhills are sprinkled with wetlands of various sizes and numerous lakes with catchy names such as “Rat Lake,” Dad’s Lake, “ Alkali Lake” and “Big Alkali Lake” making this leg of the trip anything but boring. Also, meeting “gypsy combines” going south was not a surprise since this is harvest season.
We arrived in Valentine, about seven hours after leaving Lincoln, hungry and tired. Addressing the former first, the Niobrara Inn desk manager would express no preference between the restaurants we mentioned to him but did recommend, if we were interested in a scenic twenty mile drive, the Wood Lake (population 72) Café.
We were interested and took his advice. We were not disappointed even though the only selection was a buffet featuring all you could eat fish and ribs. Surrounding the fish and ribs were offerings of vegetables, fruits and home made bread. If that was not enough – and it certainly was – dessert was perhaps the most delicious soft serve ice cream we have ever tasted. And the price for all this wonderful food and dessert? $8.53 per person.
Saturday
Some things are better experienced than read about. The Niobrara Valley Preserve is one. That said, the Preserve is divided by the section of the Niobrara River that has been designated a national scenic river and adjoins Cherry County, Nebraska’s largest county and much larger than many Northeastern states. The vastness of the Sandhills, of which the Preserve is a part, is so immense as to almost defy description. For example, ranches in the Sandhills often consist of tens of thousands of acres.
The Preserve, like its neighboring ranches, is a working cattle and bison operation including huge pastures providing feed for the animals. Water to them comes mostly from ground water brought to the surface by windmills.
We were there to join ten other members of the Conservancy, accompanied by three staff members to experience firsthand the ranching operations and natural wonders of the Preserve.
The tour lasted over three hours. Our mode of transportation was Preserve tour busses: two Pickups, each with a picnic table inserted lengthwise in the bed. People sat three to a side and found the permanent grab strap running lengthwise on the table indispensable.
Fortunately, the bouncing and jostling did not diminish the fun and enjoyment of observing a prairie dog town, wild turkeys, a young coyote and large herds of bison.
Temperatures in the 80s and high south winds curtailed the activity of other species, such as deer and antelope. The absence of additional wildlife sightings did not lessen the excitement of the tour as traversing the Sandhills (and “sand” is the operative word) in a pickup – even a four-wheel drive one –is not boring. We avoided getting stuck. We did have a couple of moments where all of us, drivers included, wondered whether that would be true.
Following a provided lunch and goodbyes we were off for a visit to Smith Falls, Nebraska’s largest, and a mile hike in the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge to Font Falls. Neither falls disappointed.
With a final stop at a scenic overlook near Valentine, we returned to our motel room tired but very glad to have had the day’s experiences.
Sunday
After an otherwise almost perfect Friday and Saturday, Sunday began with head shaking at Wisconsin’s conclusive win over the Huskers. We got past the loss though helped in large measure by more beautiful scenery on the drive home between Valentine and O’Neil on Highway 20 and between O’Neil and Grand Island on Highway 281.
