Driving home; Indiana and Iowa

Hello Everyone,

We are making our way towards home and this is the tedious part of the trip.  As we did coming out, we try to get an average of 300 miles in each day but allow ourselves leeway if needed to end the day’s travel early.  Whether to just get out of the vehicle or to stop to check out an interesting area you need to be flexible in your travels.

We stayed the night on Friday just east of Cheyenne Wy at a campsite just off the highway.  All the laundry and groceries got done that day and then we rested and recovered from the busy day.  It was pretty loud at the campground from all the interstate traffic.  Ron and I both had ear plugs in in order to block out some of the noise.  It was quite the contrast from the few days before (and from much of our trip actually) where we were in areas that were VERY quiet.  Getting used to these sounds again is a bit of an adjustment.

On the way to Cheyenne, we came through an area just east of Laramie that was quite the climb.  It was a summit with an elevation of 8640 and is the highest point on transcontinental I 80.  What a view!  The area just off to the west was the Medicine Bowl National Forest and it was beautiful and we’ve put it on our list for a future stop....

As we’ve driven along this section we’ve begun to notice vehicles loaded up and even saw one with ‘Boston” written on the rear window.  Apparently, there are lots of people headed back to school :)

We stayed Saturday evening at Wood River, NE and settled in for the late afternoon.  It was VERY hot, too hot to be doing anything active anyway.  The truck thermostat registered 98 at one point!  We made this stop in this area purposely since there were a few nature preserves and recreation areas around but it was simply too hot to go to them after a long day driving.

After closing up camp in the morning, we stopped at the Crane Meadows Nature Center a few miles away.  Unfortunately, it was closed on Sunday but at least the trails were open.  We walked the trails for about an hour and saw lots of birds in the region.  They were, however, very easily spooked and had lots of cover to hide in and were not easy to see.  The property was quite beautiful though with lots of great habitat.  It would be a fabulous place to get new birds during the migration season... 

The walking area was loaded with wild sunflowers which seems to be the predominant wildflower in Nebraska.  They are abundant along the roadside and in the fields and are quite striking and the seeds would be a great source of food for the birds.  We climbed up an observation tower and it gave a great view of the Nature Center but the birds still weren’t cooperating... On our way back to the Nature Building we happened to notice there was activity inside a fenced off section.  There were 4 bison in there! They must have roamed in there when we were birding in the other direction.  The Nature Center advertises that you can see a bison herd but I had forgot about it... These bison appear quite used to people and headed directly towards the fence as Ron approached it... They were impressive to see up close but I couldn’t help but compare them with the wild ones we saw in Wyoming.  I’d much rather see them in that setting than caged up... 

It was getting very hot already and the wind has been picking up today again (20-25 MPH) just like yesterday, so it was time to get traveling.  I was getting our cooler set up for the drive in the camper so Ron went over to the Nature Center building to peer inside.   He happened to notice a swallow nest just above the door with babies inside!  They were very quiet he said until Mom came flying back with food :)

As we drive through Nebraska all you see for miles are acres of cornfields on both sides of the highway!  I’ve never seen so much corn in my life.... They have an apparatus that is set in the fields that irrigates the crops and is quite the impressive machinery.  Ron and I noticed that some of the North Platte River beds were very low (one was even dry at the Nature Center) and realized just how much water is being used to keep these crops healthy.  With temperatures continuing to be in the Nebraska forecast  into the 90’s for the upcoming week, I can’t imagine how much water will be used! 

We crossed over into Iowa and in seemed that the landscape was changing pretty quickly.  The endless flat, miles of cornfields stopped and became gentle, rolling hills and different vegetation and mature trees along the roadside and into the fields that gave made the drive more interesting.  There were still crops but they were broken up with grazing cattle and horses.  It was quite pretty.  However, the relentless heat continued.  It was up into the high 90’s again for the day...

Along this part of the drive we began to see wind turbines that stretched off into the distance.  These wind farms are controversial but both Ron and I think that they are actually quite pleasant to view as they all turn in the breeze... It certainly is a clean source of energy for us as a society to tap into and avoids some of the hazards of other types of energy sources.... 

We spent Sunday evening in Des Moines IA at a state park called Walnut Woods.  I had gathered info at a welcome center which had listed it as a good bird watching area.  It was a beautiful campground next to the Raccoon River.  There aren’t many sites available so we were lucky to get one with full services that allowed us to use the A/C.  After dinner we scoped out the place and made plans to go for a walk around in the AM before leaving.

The hiking paths around the park are very nice and sections of it go through the woods and also along the river.  The best thing about the park is that they have a bird blind set up so you can comfortably see the birds without disturbing them while they eat at the feeders.  It was simply lovely to sit for a while and just observe them.  We saw several juveniles of different species which were very cute to see as they learned their way to navigate this big, wide world they live in....

This park is certainly a hidden gem.  You would never know you were in the middle of a city!  Ron and I have never seen a park in a city like this that had a campground.  That’s the fun stuff about being impulsive and getting information ahead of time so you can take advantage of these places.  We also saw a new squirrel called a Fox Squirrel!  He was so cute and a beautiful shade of red.  Ron has been using the fur from Fox Squirrels for a long time to make some of his fishing flies, but he had never seen one before; it was new to both of us....

We took off at 10 this morning and are heading towards Illinois (Hi Bob and Cam; I miss you!) and should plan to stay the night just west of Chicago... 

Pictures to follow

More Photos of Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge and Slate Creek

 Pronghorn Antelope

 Beautiful hummingbirds!

 Scanning the refuge for more birds for the life list...

 Mother Moose and her baby!

 Hard packed, tough riding dirt roads, but very pretty...

 waking up; ready to fish :)

 Impressive fellow!

 Ron very happy catching fish on the Green River!

Look in the lower right & find the bull moose bedded down; no one would know he was there from up above on the road or river bank!

Slate Creek Campground and Seedskadee Wildlife Refuge Photos

 A beautiful day at camp!

 Slate Creek Campground

 Everyone waking up for breakfast!

 Bald Eagle Family

 What a way to wake up; a gorgeous sunrise!

 Evening Rainbow..

Great Horned Owl!

Slate Creek, Wy Campground and Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Hello Everyone,

We are leaving the Green River area where we’ve been camped at Slate Creek for the past few days.  We drove from Pinedale, WY on Monday and made our way down to the Fontenelle Reservior and Dam which was quite beautiful.  Once we pass that however, the landscape soon became very desert-like and appeared bleak, barren and desolate.  I began to wonder what kind of area we’d be camping in after all. We found the campground with out any trouble and discovered a lovely area right next to the creek where we set up camp.  This campground has no facilities so we’d be dry camping again.  It actually had no access to water either so we had to go down the road a mile to the ‘only‘ store around for miles where we filled our tanks up with water. 

After setting up camp we explored for a bit and found another campground which was also lovely and there was nobody camping there!  These campgrounds are free and a very quiet with little activity.  Ron did some birding and discovered that there were many birds in this area.  He actually heard owls that first night and went out to see them but it was too dark.  We met a man named Terry who lives across the border in Idaho while we had gone down to the creek to cool off that first afternoon and he gave Ron some useful information on the local fishing.

The next morning I woke early and went outside and there were 10 pelicans in the water in front of us and a family of 5 mule deer feeding. The osprey and gulls were circling overhead spotting for fish. Nighthawks were flying overhead and also roosting in the trees.  Then a Great Blue Heron came flying in and the fish were feeding like crazy.  Everybody was up for breakfast!! This place is our own Wildlife Kingdom or Nature show!!

We drove to the Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge which was south of where we were staying.  We stopped in the headquarters and visitor center which was set up in a manner that provided great education of the wildlife and habitats in the area.  The Refuge was built to offset the damage that was done to the area after the dam was built and restored and preserved much needed habitat. There was an entryway that had many bushes that brought in several different hummingbirds and then we went on the back deck where there were scopes set up and found a sage thrasher feeding in the brush.  As we walked through the land  behind the center we saw birds and ducks in the river but no Cinnamon Teal which Ron had been looking for this trip.  Next, we drove down the  road to an observation area that we scanned for ducks and birds.  Just before that spot we came across a moose and her calf.  The mother was actually lying down in the water on the edge to stay cool with her calf beside her; what fabulous luck to get to witness that so close!. 

As we worked our way along the Green River, Ron began to scan for fish which was after all the primary reason for this leg of the trip....  We came across a fisherman and spent some time talking to him about his knowledge of the area.  According to him, this stretch of the river was some of the best fishing he’s had in his experience.  This, of course, intrigued Ron who hadn’t fished it yet! We put it on the to do list for the next day for sure!  We continued to explore the Preserve and went around the back side of the river and ended up going on a dirt packed road that they recommend 4 wheel drive to pass through.  It was a beautiful area that held flat water and good riffle that needed to be fished at some point in the future. 

At one of the stops we came across a family of eagles perched up high in a tree.  There were the two mature parents and then off to the other side of the tree was a juvenile; that was the first time we’ve seen a family like that so close!  They were magnificent and we spent some time just watching them.  As we did, we noticed another eagle further down the river up in a tree and there was the nest right next to him!  He must have been the other sibling that belonged with that family...  We also saw an otter walking along the bank on the far side of the river.

We thought that we’d be able to cut off across a road to lead back to the Wildlife Center but unfortunately we were wrong.  Therefore we’d have to go all the way around the back side of the refuge.  As we continued down that road it became a much rougher ride.  I have to say, I am really ready to be done with rough, jarring, teeth rattling dirt roads!  Towards the back end of the refuge there were a few side roads that weren’t marked and it was not totally apparent which way would be the best.  We came across a man who happened to be doing survey work (very handy) and said he was driving out so we should follow him.  We ended up on a road (somewhat better than dirt; but not paved which the man described as ‘the best road they have in this area’!)) for a while and ended up and came into camp from another direction over a one lane bridge.  I was very happy to get out of the truck and I’m sure Ron was also at that point... We had dinner and relaxed for a while.  

The next day, I was not able to do much of anything so I stayed back at camp while Ron went fishing at the Green River by the Refuge.  Camp was VERY quiet.  I was the only one there that day.  I rested and read and recovered for much of the day except for a few stretches to look for birds...There were a few storms around which produced a lot of thunder and lightning and some rain.  Ron had at one point, to get out of the river where he was due to impending weather as well.  He spent the day fishing with good results.  He caught several fish and one beauty; a 21 inch rainbow!  He came back from his day content with the new area to fish and was looking forward to getting back there again.  Actually, we decided then that we would stay another day so that he could go back and I could try for a fish...

That evening, after dinner we were sitting under the awning due to a few sprinkles now and then and as the evening progressed there was a magnificent rainbow that appeared right in front of us; what a sight!  Around 8:00 as dusk began, we started to hear the owls (Great Horned) calling again.  They were on both sides of us.  Ron used his cheater box (for bird calls) to try to call them in.  They were responding back and forth to his calls.  he decided to walk down the camp to look for them.  I was still low on energy so decided to hang back.  However, I decided that I just couldn’t stand it since I’ve seen owls so rarely and went out to join Ron.  I saw Ron further down the road in camp as he was calling the owls.  The next thing I knew I saw one perched in a tree just off to my right!  Then ANOTHER one flew in and landed in a tree to my left no more than 35 feet away!!  I was thrilled and so excited I couldn’t stand it!  I tried to motion to Ron that they were right there but didn’t want to spook the owls since they are so in tune with movement.  Ron finally saw me and worked his way down towards me and we got a chance to study them for a while.  I was able to photograph them (thank goodness for our new camera!!) and got some amazing photos.  The one closest to me was this years juvenile because his behavior demonstrated this.  He did a lot of ‘hopping’ around moving in the tree where as his parent in the other tree simply flew where she needed to be and perched.  This young one’s behavior was so fun to watch!  It had to be one of the best ‘wildlife‘ moments I’ve ever had...

The next day, we went over to the Green River to fish that spot Ron had success in the day before. We spotted a huge Bull Moose across the other side of the moose feeding away.  Unfortunately, there was someone else using the spot we wanted to fish....  So, we went around the back side of the river and walked into another area of nice looking water.  Ron helped me into the river (I was still shaky at that point) due to the fact that I was carrying my camera on my back and the current was strong for my wobbly legs :)  We kept checking, but thankfully, the moose stayed upstream from us feeding.  Once I got positioned in the water, Ron reviewed  my technique (we were fishing nymphs which are totally different than dry flys) and I put out several casts.  I was started to feel fatigued and hurting from the walk in and maintaining position against the strong current.  I was just about to give up and was stripping my line in when I felt a fish on the line.  As it turns out I had 3 fish on but was unable to bring them in.   At this point I really needed to sit so I slowly worked my way over to a small patch of land in the middle of the river and sat on a rock and rested.  I apparently, wasn’t the only thing that had this idea because there was a huge matted down area there that must have been a moose’s bed at one point; great minds think alike :)

As i rested I reflected on the fact that  people need to accept their limitations instead of fighting them.  I think I’m finally getting this after all these years. It is frustrating however, when I see Ron walking through the water without any difficulty.  Although, I always joke with him that he has legs like tree trunks and nature gave me legs like twigs and the recent weight loss certainly hasn’t helped.  And finally, on that subject, I want to say that I hope people who are healthy certainly appreciate it and take advantage of all that it offers them....

Ron ended up catching a rainbow in that water and then it was time to get out and head back to the truck for lunch.  Afterwards, we went back to the other spot and the other fisherman was gone.  Ron and I headed for the water.  He helped me cross the river and then we started to fish.  I had one good fish on in that area and he fought me the hardest of any fish I’ve had on.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to land him.  I still have some work to do learning how to land big fish.  They require a technique that I haven’t had a lot of experience with since although I’ve has some good fish in the past there haven’t been a lot of quantity of them.  It was pretty neat though to feel how hard they fight!  We were told that they are all wild fish in this part of the river, which I’ve learned, can explain why these fish fight so hard.   I headed back to shore where I relaxed while Ron fished some more and he caught one fish and lost a few others.  

He came back to join me at the edge of the water and we thought about trying out the ripple just upstream from us.  We headed that way and the next thing I know (I’m looking down paying attention to where I’m placing my feet) I hear Ron call out to look ahead.  That big bull moose had crossed the river to the other side and was walking down the river’s edge in our direction.  Now there’s one problem with that.  We HAVE to get to that side to get out of the river where the truck is parked!  Of course I get all excited and Ron tells me to calm down and we begin to cross the river diagonally away from where the moose is.  You have to remember, the rule is that you don’t argue with bull moose (or any wildlife for that matter), he gets to decide where he wants to go and then you have to work your route around him :)  As it turns out, he decided to bed down in the willows along the edge of the river.  He watched us as much as we watched him!  The thing is, the way he was set at the base of the back you could be driving or walking along the road or edge of the river and never know he was there!   That’s why you have to constantly scan and be aware of what’s going on around you in these surroundings at all times!  We went back to the truck and removed our waders (it had gotten quite warm) and started back toward camp.

We relaxed at camp, had dinner and then tried to call the owls in again but they weren’t interested this time.  I did however, see a mink or a juvenile otter walking along the other side of the creek across from camp.  It was getting dark so it was hard to tell.  Either way it was neat to watch.

It was time to clean up and organize camp because we were headed out of there the next morning.  This was our last adventure of our trip.  We are headed home... It’s rather bittersweet, because I’ve had the time of my life and Ron and I have shared many great experiences on this trip but I miss my family and friends.... The memories of this adventure will last a lifetime!

We are headed East on I 80 and will spend the night in Laramie of Cheyenne and catch up on doing chores.  Back to civilization.....

Pictures to Follow....

Green River Lakes more photos

 Campground; check out the fires in the distance..

 Green River Lake Trail

 Moose Bed!

Green River Lakes Photos

 Setting up base camp at Clear Creek

 Baby Sandpiper!

 Green River Feeding into Green lake

 Moose Tracks!

 Beautiful Clear Creek

Wind River mountain Range Where Ron and his friends camped before..

 Fires Burning on the mountain

 Bridge at the Outlet

 Sunset out our window..

 Sunrise out our window..

Green River Lakes

Hello Everyone,
     We are back in civilization in a lovely little town called Pinedale in WY. After breaking down camp early this morning we left our spot in the Green River Lakes National Forest campground.  I have to say that it was in the top 3 places I've visited while on this adventure.  Ron kept telling me how beautiful it was and now I understand....  But I'm getting ahead of myself...
     On Thursday we drove towards the Green lakes region determined to get there to begin that part of the trip. We ended up spending about 7 1/2 hours driving in the truck to get there.  Do you remember me telling you about my worst driving experience being on the road into Glacier National Park?  Well, I take that back... The last hour and a half of the Green River Trip was the most rocky, bone jarring amusement ride in a vehicle EVER!!! That dirt road had so many ruts and cracks and crevices and I think we found them all!  It turns out that bringing a camper in there is a lot different experience than Ron's previous trips to that area in a car.  On the positive side I had free chiropractic adjustments :)
Once we arrived at the start of the dirt road, we met a ranger posting a notice on the bulletin board.  It was stating the latest news on fires in the area.  One fire was huge and there was also a couple of smaller ones as well.  The ranger said that at that time there was no restrictions on using the campground but they were limiting certain trails.  We made the decision to go ahead with the plan.
     The rocky drive was however, worth the work to get there.  We were camped out with the Wind River Range surrounding us.  Quite the sight outside your windows and door every day!  We settled in and relaxed after a very stressful drive; I don't know how Ron got through that drive....
     The next morning we got up and prepared for our day.  It was 34 degrees outside!!!  I started the day bundled up and started shedding the layers quickly as we began to move.  We hiked along the trail that led from the Outlet to the Green Lake.  How beautiful and the color is amazing!! The hike each way was about 3 miles which was along the edge of the lake so the scenery was gorgeous.  We stopped to take breaks because I was having a really bad day and was struggling with my pack.  We took advantage of the breaks and did some birding along the way.  We saw a sigh on a trail that Ron wanted to explore but we were disappointed to see that the trail was closed due to the fires..Once we neared the end of the Lake trail we connected to Clear Creek Trail which is where Ron wanted to fish.  The Clear Creek certainly lived up to it's name; it was crystal and reflected it's clarity right to the bottom.   I told Ron to go ahead and begin fishing because I needed to recover and rest. The full day's travel along with the final jarring end took it's toll on me.   Ron fished for a bit and found that the fishing was different than usual since he normally was there earlier in the year.   After a bit I walked along the creek with him and fished some myself. My energy was low however and I couldn't fish too long.  Ron found a great, deep pool that was loaded with fish. They however, were not too interested in what we were offering.  He had a large one on his line but he did get away; perhaps I jinxed it when I said the story about the big one that got away in my last post :)
     I got excited to see fish feeding and began to fish myself.  It's amazing how fatigue leaves you when you get that going on in front of you.   I had a few hits but nothing more but it was still beautiful to spend time along the creek.  We came across a very young sandpiper running along the creek's shore. he still had his downy feathers and was so cute!  I headed back to our packs to rest for a bit while Ron fished on ahead and on my way back I came across a large area of tamped down grass that was evidently a bed for a large moose.  Boy do they take up a lot f real estate!
     I finished up exploring the creek with Ron because he said he had to show me where the Green River goes into the green River lake.   It was so cool to see where the water mixed and ultimately blended together to become the glorious green that we see in the water. It was time to hike back to camp.
     The hike home was very difficult for me and once we made it back I was done for the night.  I can just ignore the body's signals for so long before it just shuts down.  I remember well, telling my patients that they should always listen to their bodies and respect what they are telling them.  unfortunately, I've never been good at taking my own advice :)
     Due to my situation, I was unable to leave camp the next day so Ron went back to the Creek for the day to fish while I spent the day doing pretty much nothing but resting and reading.  He did do some fishing but not like he had hoped for.  When he returned to camp he relaxed for a bit, ate dinner and then went to the Outlet to check out the birds.  Not many birds were there but the deer were enjoying that spot :)
     After a good night's sleep we packed up and started the dreaded dirt road trip out of the area.  I learned that to help my back, I ended up lying in the backseat of the truck for that difficult journey.  I even tried to distract myself from that stress by reading when I could manage to keep the page still enough :)  I'm reading the Mitford series and it is wonderful; thanks Sandra!!
    Even looking back, at the work it took to get there and the difficulty I had, I don't regret it for a minute since The Green River Lake area was easily in my top three of places that were staggeringly beautiful!
     We are off to the Green River area along the Fontenelle Reservior  and also go to see the Seeskadee National Wildlife Refuge which is also along that route.  We will probably out of contact for another few days...
(pictures to follow)