North Platte National Wildlife Refuge: Paddling Winters Creek Lake

Today we got the canoe out on the water for the first time since we moved to Nebraska. We made the short drive out of town to the North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, specifically the Winters Creek Lake Unit. We put the canoe in the water

and set out to do some exploring. First we paddled up a short section of canal.

There were lots of turtles sunning on logs back there. Then we turned around and followed the shoreline of the lake, traveling in a clockwise direction. We saw lots of birds, mostly red-winged blackbirds.

But we also saw a grebe, lots of different ducks, terns, an osprey on a nest in a tree, and a sandhill crane!

Sierra even gave paddling a try

and, by the time she was done, got pretty good at it. We might have to invest in getting her her own paddle. The paddling was much different than what we are used to up in Minnesota, but we still had an enjoyable afternoon out on the water.

When we left Winters Creek Lake, we headed over to the Alice Lake Unit. I think we might have to try paddling that one some day soon as no motor boats are allowed.

Return to Toadstool Geologic Park

Back in October I made a trip out to Toadstool Park and had a wonderful time. I really wanted to bring Noelle and Sierra back and we've been itching to get out of town for a bit. And so, we made the drive up north to Crawford and Toadstool Geologic Park.

We packed a picnic lunch and ate upon our arrival.

Then we hit the trail!

Sierra was quite excited by a landscape unlike any other she had ever seen.

She just had to climb around on some of the rocks along the trail.

We slowly made our way around the loop, exploring side canyons that we thought looked interesting.

 At one point Sierra found a "natural bench" to have a seat on.

We slowly made our way back to the start of the hike, enjoying the interesting badlands scenery.

Our last stop before we hit the road; the sod house.

Then we hit the road headed back south to Gering. On the way home we decided to stop at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area to check it out for future canoe trips. We saw the famous lighthouse

and Sierra even dipped her toes in the cold water.

We will return some day soon with the canoe.

Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area: Southern Trail

There is snow in the forecast, and quite a bit of it. I decided I needed to get out for a hike before the melting snow makes for a sloppy mess out on the trail over the next week or so. I figured a quick jaunt over to Cedar Canyon again would be a good choice. I made the short drive over there and hit the road that Noelle, Sierra and I had hiked the previous 2 weekends with lots of great bluff scenery.

After the point where the road descends into the first canyon, I took the road that leads off to the left and would follow that for the rest of my hike.

The road meandered a bit after the split. As I dropped down into a second canyon, there was a trickle of water flowing through it.

I then climbed out of the canyon. The scenery to the north continued to be spectacular.

While I didn't see any bighorn sheep this time, I did see some hawks, turkeys, and turkey vultures. The turkeys were too far away to get decent photos of, but I was able to capture some of their tracks in the dirt.

Soon the road led to an unexpected site. It was an old oil well.

I spent a few minutes checking out the relics of the industrial past,

then continued on with more wonderful views.

The road seemed to end at this sign.

Nearby was a clearing with a livestock tank.

I explored the area a bit, but didn't find anything remarkable, so I turned around for the walk back to the car.

As I walked, I noticed a low rocky ridge and decided to climb it for a view. I wasn't disappointed!

I stopped to admire the view for a bit,

then started to make my way back to the car.

Cedar Canyon State Wildlife Management Area: Secret Trail to Secret Overlook

What an unexpectedly wonderful adventure we went on today! This morning we decided to get out and head back to the Cedar Canyon Wildlife Management Area to explore a little bit more. Hoping to see the bighorn sheep again, we pack a couple pairs of binoculars, some snacks, and water and headed out.

It was a quick drive to the parking area. Our car was the only one in the lot. I grabbed my pack and we set off down the road.

Just like our last visit the scenery was striking, with a brilliant blue sky.

We wound our way through grassland, interspersed with yuccas and ponderosa pines.

After crossing a dry stream bed, we came out to a prairie area with a few boulders scattered just along the road. Of course Sierra had to climb one of them!

Climbing done, we had to hustle to catch up to Noelle.

After crossing the second dry stream bed, we came to another meadow area where Noelle spotted a group of four bighorn sheep. We watched them for a bit through our binoculars

and I used the binos as a zoom lens to get a half decent photo.

As we took turns looking at the bighorns through the binoculars, I noticed what appeared to be a trail leading up the a ridge just to our west. We decided to head over to that trail, crossing over a dam. On the other side of the dam was the rib cage of an animal, possibly a bighorn.

After observing the bones, we ascended towards the trail.

The trail turned out to have a semi-maintained feel to it. In areas it seemed more distinct than some of the trails in the nearby Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area. It traversed a mixture of open areas and ponderosa pine woods.

There were some impressive views off to the east side of the trail.

By the time we were 2/3 of the way up the ridge we were pretty hungry, so we decided to stop at a particularly scenic are for a snack.

After about 15 minutes, we continued ascending the ridge. There were scattered clumps of delicate-looking phlox in bloom.

Soon enough we made it to the top of the ridge and some amazing views.

I noticed an exposed rock overlook and we all agreed to head over to it to have a look around.

It offered some of the best views yet!

After a few minutes admiring the views, it was time to turn around and retrace our steps back to the car.

Though Sierra was pretty tired by the time we were back to the road, it was a great day out in the fresh, spring air. Without any other visitors to be seen, it was easy to social distance also.