Fun on the Niobrara

Just this afternoon the kids were talking about how it feels like we haven't camped in a long time.  (It's only been four weeks, but okay.)  Our last wilderness excursion was with the Andrus/Wilhoit clan at Rocky Ford on the Niobrara river, near Valentine, Nebraska.  There is something heart-warmingly familiar about gathering around the old red and white checked tablecloth. 

Zoe agrees too.  Especially if anyone drops food.

Okay, so the truth is that these pictures offer a rosy revisionist history of our camping arrival.  Within minutes of getting our gear unloaded, the heavens opened and it started to pour!  Lucky we were in bunkhouse instead of tents.  The rain stopped before long, but left a veritable lake outside the front door.  The good news is that the kids were well-entertained for the next hour as they attempted to drain the pond.

A peek inside the bunkhouse.  Being only twelve in number, we actually had bunks to spare.  Also, everyone slept surprisingly well for sharing a confined space.  I blame the window AC unit.

The next day, we hopped on a school bus and let Rocky Ford shuttle us down to Berry's Bridge for the beginning of our canoeing adventure.  Canoeing was off limits for Papa Kay due to his recent surgery, but the rest of us had a great time.  As for Papa Kay, he spent the day helping us all by getting a flat tire mended in Valentine, Nebraska.  Thank you!

Back to canoeing, here we have Callie, Adam, and Anders.

Brooklyn, Eila, and NomiAnn.

Jason's got it all figured out.  Here he is being paddled around by Eli and Annika.  This reminds us of a funny story from fifteen years ago when we last canoed the Niobrara.  We all took turns holding Brooklyn, who was just an infant at the time.  Too young for sunblock, we kept her beneath an umbrella.  As Brooklyn napped out of view, the other rafters thought Jason had it made as he lounged beneath his parasol with two women (Callie and I) shuttling him around.

Unsurprisingly, we spent lots of time swapping people between boats.

We also stopped for several side trips on land.  Here's is our group at Smith Falls State Park.  Poor Callie's been upstaged by motherhood.

 And here we are at Stairstep Falls,  a hidden gem we stumbled upon.

Most of the groups decided to float the Niobrara on these giant rafts made by linking their tubes.  We decided that we were less likely to lose a child in a canoe, but tubes might be fun for a different year.  Either way, I would love to go back some day.  Nebraska's done a great job developing the river front.  It's even nicer than it was two decades ago.

Back at camp, Annika continued her frog hunt.  (The frogs were her favorite part of the canoe trip.) The tiny blob in the bucket is actually an amphibian.  The cricket next to him is supposed to be dinner.

Here's Anders enjoying our dinner.  Stogie, anyone?

The pineapple upside cake was delicious.

But really, when camping, it's all about the s'mores.  Callie prefers her mallows charcoaled.

Post-dinner dancing and show was brought to us by Eila, our resident thespian.

 

Breakfast the next morning was pretty quick because checkout time was early.  The pancakes and eggs were still delicious--many thanks to Adam and Jason.

While the rest of us packed up, the little girls found giant cicadas...

....and climbed trees.

Thanks for the fun, Rocky Ford!

On our way back home, we swung by Ashfall Fossil Beds State Park.

At Ashfall, you can find amazingly well-preserved skeletons of animals who died at a watering hole around 10 million years ago, having been buried in volcanic ash.

Unlike the dinosaur excavations we've seen in Utah, the animals at Ashfall are primarily mammals, such as rhinos, small horses, and even hedgehogs.  Because volcanic ash is so light, their skeletons were not crushed, but rather preserved in their entirety. 

I guess their must have been turtles too.

All in all, it was a delightful excursion to Western Nebraska.  Thanks ever so much, NomiAnn and Papa Kay.  We love you!  Stay tuned for the final segment of our Omaha Adventures.