Volume 99, Issue 6, 2021
July 2021
- Identifier:
- nela.2021_099_06
- Title:
- Volume 99, Issue 6, 2021
- Issue Name:
- July 2021
- Date Issued:
- 2021-07-01
- year:
- 2021
- month:
- July
- Season:
- Summer
- PDF filename:
- NL_99.06_2021_Jul_Spreads_Entire.pdf
- Publisher:
- Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
- Format:
- Periodical
- volume:
- 099
- issue:
- 06
- number:
- 099.06
- Decade:
- 2020s
- Type:
- Rights Holder:
- Copyright Nebraskaland Magazine/Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, all rights reserved.
- Extracted Text:
-
$4.95
magazine
$9.95
To renew your subscription or change your
address call 1-800-632-5263
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Share Your State Parks Selfie,
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Create your own state park adventure
by snapping a selfie at one of 100 selfie
stations in Nebraska’s state parks.
Submit your photo and story of your trip
for a chance to win prizes each month.
Visit Nebraska’s first three parks and our
newest one...
• Chadron State Park
June 1 – November 30, 2021
• Victoria Springs SRA
• Arbor Lodge SHP
• Danish Alps SRA
...and you could win the grand prize:
a Forest River RV Patriot Edition Camper from
AC Nelsen RV World!
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Learn more at YourNebraskaParks100.org
Share your story with #NEParks100
Cover: A hot air balloon lifts from the
C
Mitchell Airfield at the Old West Balloon
Fest in Scotts Bluff County.
JJUSTIN HAAG
T page: Swimmers enjoy the beach at
This
Lake Minatare State Recreation Area.
JJUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
FEATURES
20
DEAD TIMBER STATE
RECREATION AREA
Complicated past, but a bright future
26
Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
OUTDOOR NEBRASKA
What to Do in July
By Renae Blum
Serenity in southwestern
Nebraska
Story and photos by Julie Geiser
DEPARTMENTS
Part 3 of 3
SKETCHING ASH HOLLOW
IN 1851
ON THE WEB
FLOATING ON THE BREEZE
For more articles and
information, visit
NebraskalandMagazine.com
THE BOOK OF NAMES
32
YOUR CAMERA DOESN’T
SEE LIKE YOU DO
40
ROCK CREEK LAKE STATE
RECREATION AREA
6 Your Nebraska
10 In the Field
50 Mixed Bag
60 Portraits from the Past
62 The Last Stop
28
38
48
By Renae Blum
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
By David L. Bristow, History Nebraska
A hot air balloon ride is a superb way to
enjoy the scenery
Story and photos by Justin Haag
Volume 99
July 2021
No. 6
Nebraskaland (VOL. 99 / NO. 6 ISSN 0028-1964) is published monthly, except for the combined Jan./Feb. and Aug./Sept. issues, by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 2200 N. 33rd St.,
Lincoln, NE. Periodicals postage paid at Lincoln, Nebraska, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Nebraskaland, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370.
Magazine Staff
magazine
Published by the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission since 1926. The Commission is
dedicated to the conservation and protection
of all the state's natural resources and the
people who use them.
Communications Director Christy Firestone
Public Relations Manager Shawna RichterRyerson
Editor Jeff Kurrus
Associate Editor Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
Regional Editors Eric Fowler, Julie Geiser,
Justin Haag
Contributing Editor Michael Forsberg
Regular Contributors Renae Blum,
Chris Helzer, Chris Masada, Ryan Sparks, Gerry
Steinauer
Art Director Tim Reigert
Graphic Designer Mel Severin
Photo Librarian Jaclyn Cruikshank Vogt
Administration
Director Jim Douglas
Deputy Director Tim McCoy
Commissioners
Chairman - Dan Kreitman, Wahoo
Vice Chairman - Pat Berggren, Broken Bow
2nd Vice Chairman - Rick Brandt, Roca
Robert Allen, Eustis
Ken Curry, Columbus
Donna Kush, Omaha
Scott Cassels, Omaha
John Hoggatt, Kearney
Doug Zingula, Sidney
Circulation
For address changes and questions about your
subscription, call 800-632-5263
Advertising Sales Manager
For advertising information contact
Shane G. Gilster, 402-742-0125
Email: shanegilster@gmail.com
Nebraskaland Magazine Copyright 2021, all rights reserved.
Nebraskaland is available in audio from the Nebraska Library
Commission Talking Book and Braille Service, Suite 120, 1200 N St.,
Lincoln, NE 68508. 800-742-7691. Nebraskaland Magazine and the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission reserve the right to reject any
advertising not in keeping with the agency mission.
Rates: $18 for one year; $33 for two years; $44 for three years. Nebraska
recipients must add appropriate sales tax. To subscribe call
1-800-NEBLAND (632-5263), or go online to:
NebraskalandMagazine.com.
Commission Offices
Conservation Officers
Headquarters/Southeast District Office
2200 N. 33rd Street Lincoln, NE 68503
Phone 402-471-0641
ADMINISTRATION (Lincoln)
Craig Stover (Administrator)
Duane Arp (Asst. Administrator)
Travis Shepler (Asst. Administrator)
Jeff Clauson (Asst. Administrator)
Northeast District Office
2201 N. 13th St. Norfolk, NE 68701
Phone 402-370-3374
Southwest District Office
301 E. State Farm Rd. North Platte, NE 69101
Phone 308-535-8025
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
402-471-5531
NORTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Dan Kling (Lieutenant)
308-430-0572
EAST SUB-DISTRICT
Sean Schultz (Sergeant)
308-672-1824
Northwest District Office
East Hwy. 2, Box 725 Alliance, NE 69301
Phone 308-763-2940
Jerod Hahn (Deuel, Garden, Grant)
Keith Jadlowski (Keith, Deuel)
Jaden Porter (Keith, Garden)
308-520-5539
308-289-9580
308-289-2274
Bassett Office
524 Panzer St., Box 508 Bassett, NE 68714
Phone 402-684-2921
WEST SUB-DISTRICT
Kearney Office
1617 First Ave. Kearney, NE 68847
Phone 308-865-5310
Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium/Schramm Education
Center
21502 W. Highway 31 Gretna, NE 68028
Phone 402-332-3901
Omaha Office
8495 Frederick Street, Omaha, NE 68124
Phone 402-595-2144
(Keith, Arthur)
Nebraskaland • July 2021
308-520-1031
Ray Dierking (Custer, Thomas, Blaine)
Frank Miller (Cherry, Hooker)
Greg Hesse
308-870-0322
402-389-0444
308-546-7464
308-660-4671
308-530-3157
(Lincoln)
(McPherson, Logan, Hooker, Cherry)
Kelsey Glodowski
308-763-8226
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Josh Widhelm (Morrill, Scotts Bluff)
Jacob Stoinski (Sioux, Dawes)
308-279-9133
308-615-9017
(Red Willow, Frontier, Hayes, Hitchcock)
(Box Butte, Sheridan, Grant)
NORTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Tom Zimmer (Lieutenant)
402-649-8053
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Jeff Jones (Sergeant)
402-762-5022
John Bauer (Holt, Boyd)
Dale Davis (Keya Paha, Brown, Rock)
Jonathan Andreasen
402-314-9257
402-760-0712
402-340-3981
Mitch Johnson (Knox, Antelope, Pierce)
402-613-8612
(Knox, Cedar)
Cory Krause (Sergeant)
402-380-6410
Kyler Prochaska (Platte, Colfax)
Nicholas Fix (Dixon, Dakota, Thurston)
402-830-8278
402-508-0261
(Cuming, Wayne, Stanton)
4
Kevin Bergstrom (Sergeant)
308-672-1824
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Any program that receives federal funding from the National Park
Service, or the United States Fish and Wildlife Service prohibits unlawful
discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, gender, marital
status, national origin, age, disability or political affiliation. Any person
who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program,
activity, facility, or service, should contact the Nebraska Game and
Parks Commission, Lincoln, NE 402-471-0641, the Equal Opportunity
Commission, Lincoln, NE 402-471-2024, TTY/TDD 402-471-4693; United
States Fish Wildlife Service, Civil Rights Coordinator, 4401 N. Fairfax
Drive, Arlington, VA 22203; Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S.
Department of Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street NW, Mail
Code 0008, Washington, D.C. 20240-0001.
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Sean McKeehan (Sergeant)
(Kimball, Banner, Scotts Bluff)
CENTRAL (Includes counties covered)
Mike Thome (Lieutenant)
308-293-8746
NORTH SUB-DISTRICT
Doug Pollard (Sergeant)
308-730-7050
Matt Brandt (Sherman, Howard)
Daryl Teter (Howard, Greeley, Merrick)
Mark Sullivan (Nance, Polk, Wheeler, Boone)
Kyle Gaston (York, Polk, Hamilton)
308-202-0819
308-440-1863
402-741-0636
402-719-6226
(Loup, Garfield, Valley)
SOUTH SUB-DISTRICT
Matt Taylor (Sergeant)
(Thayer, Fillmore, Nuckolls)
402-200-9597
308-380-7331
402-902-2017
308-920-2762
308-440-3847
SOUTHWEST (Includes counties covered)
Roger Thompson (Lieutenant)
308-530-3097
Alex Hasenauer (Lincoln, Perkins)
Brandon O’Neal
(Madison, Pierce, Stanton)
OutdoorNebraska.org
Tim Williams (Hall, Hamilton, York)
Eric Javins (Adams, Clay, Webster)
Pat George (Harlan, Franklin, Phelps)
Ethan Teter (Buffalo, Kearney)
(Lincoln, McPherson, Logan)
Brian Piernicky (Sergeant)
308-340-6627
Matt Andrews
308-746-2418
Owen Johnson (Dawson, Custer)
Taylor Dixon (Dawson, Gosper)
402-266-1759
308-217-2108
(Furnas, Gosper, Frontier, Red Willow)
SOUTHEAST (Includes counties covered)
Stacey Lewton (Lieutenant)
402-890-7140
EAST SUB-DISTRICT
Heath Packett (Sergeant)
402-210-0888
Russell Mort (Otoe, Johnson)
Rich Berggren (Douglas)
Dan Evasco (Sarpy)
Mike Luben (Saunders, Butler)
Bryan Adams
402-209-1506
402-619-1355
402-616-5961
402-443-6392
402-429-1924
(Cass)
(Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson)
WEST SUB-DISTRICT
Scott Eveland (Sergeant)
402-853-3273
Dina Barta (Lancaster),
Dudley Sorensen (Lancaster)
Bryce Streger (Seward, Saline)
Trevor Stahlecker (Lancaster)
Matt Seitz (Gage, Jefferson)
402-890-6463
402-937-3422
402-646-0420
402-314-9641
402-806-0915
(Lancaster)
YOUR NEBRASKA
Instagram Photos
Follow us @nebraskaland
and tag us in your photos
to be featured in an
upcoming issue.
Phil Hull, Littleton, Colorado
Fishing at Holmes Lake
6
Nebraskaland • July 2021
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
7
YOUR NEBRASKA
KIrill Belashchenko, Lincoln
Red-headed Woodpecker
Jeffrey J. Hill, Omaha
Wildlife Safari Bull Elk
Chuck Hackenmiller, Lincoln
A Pawnee Lake Swim
Corrections: On page 93 of the April issue, the fish labeled river shiner is
a brassy minnow. Also, the fish labeled Johnny darter is an Iowa darter.
On page 113 of the April issue, Rock Creek Station State Recreation Area
should read Rock Creek Lake State Recreation Area.
On page 6 of the May issue, the top caption should read Lake Ogallala
at Sunrise.
We regret the errors.
8
Nebraskaland • July 2021
Send your comments and
photos to:
Jeff Kurrus, Editor
Nebraskaland Magazine
P.O. Box 30370
Lincoln, NE 68503
or email Jeff.Kurrus@Nebraska.gov
Please include your postal address
and telephone number. Letters
may be condensed and edited.
Photographs are also welcome.
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
9
IN THE FIELD
TOADSTOOL PARK
A popular destination on
the way to the Black Hills
of South Dakota, Toadstool
Geologic Park is located in the
far northwestern corner of
Nebraska in Sioux County.
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10
Nebraskaland • July 2021
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
11
IN THE FIELD
JON FARRAR, NEBRASKALAND
THREATENED AND ENDANGERED:
THE TIMBER RATTLESNAKE
By Melissa Panella
The timber rattlesnake is sometimes called the American
timber rattler, because it lives wild in no other country and
symbolizes American pride, strength and vigilance. The
timber rattlesnake is the largest of four pit viper species in
Nebraska. Within the state’s borders, timber rattlesnakes are
only found in the southeastern-most reaches, such as the
Indian Cave and Rulo bluffs.
You can get a pretty good idea about where to find
timber rattlesnakes based on their common name. Timber
rattlesnakes indeed use timbered landscapes, for instance
woodlands along rivers and upland woodlots. But, they also
rely on grassland areas to hunt prey and to disperse into new
locations. Prairie openings and crop fields near woodlands
serve them quite well. However, they can run into trouble
when they have to cross roads, busy trails, or find themselves
in a field actively being cut for hay. The cover and safety of
rock outcrops can provide a place for timber rattlesnakes to
den during harsh weather that grips Nebraska during the
cold winter months.
The distribution of timber rattlesnakes is shrinking
everywhere they occur. Habitat has been lost or degraded,
and in many parts of the country, rattlesnakes have been
unnecessarily killed. While Nebraska’s timber rattlesnake
population represents only a small proportion of the
population as a whole, the state’s location within the
species’ distribution is important in terms of the species’
12
Nebraskaland • July 2021
biogeography, global genetic diversity and conservation
value. These are several of the reasons why the timber
rattlesnake was added to Nebraska’s threatened species list
earlier this year.
To conserve timber rattlesnakes, it is crucial to protect
their denning sites in the state since they are few and far
between. Dens also need to get plenty of sunlight exposure
to stay warm enough for this “cold-blooded” animal, so
it may be necessary to cut back or otherwise limit weedy
trees, shrubs, and invasive plants that grow near rattlesnake
dens and cause too much shade. It is unlikely that timber
rattlesnakes will ever have the opportunity to extend their
range very far into the state of Nebraska, but we can do our
best to provide suitable habitat to maintain and improve the
unique populations currently here.
Because timber rattlesnakes are rare here, chances are you
won’t come across one unless you intentionally seek them
out. Timber rattlesnakes prefer to avoid people and usually
remain motionless when encountered, striking only as a last
defense. Under most circumstances, they don’t present much
of a danger. One of the best things to do is just choose to stay
back if you happen upon one and consider yourself lucky to
witness this amazing animal in the wild.
Melissa J. Panella is a wildlife biologist for the Nebraska
Game and Parks Commission.
IN THE FIELD
Virga over the Missouri River at Niobrara State Park.
BROOKE TALBOTT, PLATTE BASIN TIMELAPSE
THE RAIN THAT NEVER HAPPENED
By Martha Shulski
You may have noticed optically thin features
that streak downward from the base of clouds and
curve or hook to nearly horizontal. What you are
witnessing is water that fails to reach the ground.
Sometimes raindrops or ice crystals that exit a
cloud submit to the sky and evaporate or sublimate.
This is called virga.
This phenomenon is more common in the arid
climate of western Nebraska than in the humid
east. Dryness and warmth help to vaporize the
precipitation. Most often they are seen from midlevel clouds or high-base cumuliform clouds.
As these droplets or crystals turn to vapor, they
can sometimes lead to a strong but short-lived
downdraft. Therefore, you may feel a rush of cool air
14
Nebraskaland • July 2021
while in the vicinity of virga.
RADAR (radio detection and ranging) imagery
can be fooled into thinking these droplets
are precipitation and show a signature as
such. Researchers have found that vaporizing
precipitation is more than 30% in the world’s major
deserts and accounts for half of falsely detected
precipitation in these areas.
While virga percentages are not that high here in
Nebraska, be on the lookout for the rain that never
happened.
Martha D. Shulski, at the University of NebraskaLincoln, is the director of the Nebraska State Climate
Office.
IN THE FIELD
Radio transmitters have been implanted in 40 sauger (pictured) and 40 walleye to study their movement in the Missouri River
and Lewis and Clark Lake in northern Nebraska. The tagged fish are sporting jaw tags. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
STUDY TRACKING WALLEYE AND SAUGER
By Eric Fowler
Fishing hasn’t been the same in Lewis and Clark Lake since
historic flooding in 2011. Fisheries biologists hope studies
of the movement of walleye and sauger now underway in
the reservoir and Missouri River between Fort Randall and
Gavins Point dams will help them better understand why.
Researchers with South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, the
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Natural Resources implanted
radio transmitters in 40 walleye and 40 sauger in the reach
this spring and will track their movement past 16 receivers
for the next few years. Biologists used nets, electrofishing
and hook and line to catch a sampling of fish from different
reaches of the river, reservoir and the delta at its upper end.
Will Radigan, who is doing the field work as part of his
graduate studies at SNR, said receivers spaced every 5 miles
on alternating banks of the river and on both sides of the
reservoir should pick up any fish that swims within a half
mile. The first check of the data recorders in mid-May, about
six weeks into the project, showed 60 percent of each species
had already done so.
“The majority of both have moved less than 5 miles, with
the exception of one sauger that moved 40 miles and one
walleye that moved a little over 55 miles,” Radigan said.
The latter was tagged below Fort Randall Dam and passed
a receiver near Gavins Point Dam 24 days later. “My guess is
that walleye is probably through the dam right now,” he said.
16
Nebraskaland • July 2021
One walleye did pass through Gavins, detected on receivers
tracking pallid sturgeon in the river below. The movement of
fish through the dam, something biologists call entrainment,
is part of the challenge of managing the fishery in the
reservoir, which is more like a wide spot in the river. In a
related study, Radigan is measuring the number of larval fish
passing through the dam.
The 2011 flood flushed many fish through the system,
including emerald shiners, a primary forage base for the lake,
and white bass. Jeff Schuckman, regional fisheries manager
with Game and Parks, said those species haven’t recovered,
nor have walleye, despite stocking 87 million fry and 14
million fingerlings since 2014. The walleye catch rates in
their fall gill net surveys on the reservoir remain well below
pre-2011 levels, and angler success also has declined.
Schuckman hopes the studies will help provide answers.
“We’re going to find out where the fish are moving to and
from, and where they’re living, and maybe get a chance to
figure out what’s attracting them to certain areas and then
take a more in-depth look,” he said.
Each fish in the study also received a metal jaw tag
stamped with a three-digit number, and anglers catching
these fish are asked to call the conservation agency in their
state to report the tag number. Radigan said in early June
that one tagged sauger was harvested and two walleyes
caught and released.
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
17
IN THE FIELD
Trout grilled in foil with vegetables.
OLEG DOROSHENKO, GETTY IMAGES
GRILLED FISH IN A BOAT
By Connor Graham
In a boat of tinfoil that is.
Years ago a friend invited me over for lunch at his
place prefacing that we would be having largemouth
bass caught by him in his farm pond.
He was grilling the fillets in tinfoil “boats” on his
gas grill outside. Grilling fish can be difficult because
it’s much more delicate than regular meats like beef
or poultry. To make this easier, place each fillet in its
own tinfoil boat — keeping the meat together and
holding in the juices and seasonings.
Ingredients
1 fish fillets (for each individual tinfoil boat)
1 lemon or lime
1 tablespoon butter
Coarse sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Whatever other seasonings you prefer with fish
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Dry the fillets with a paper towels to remove any
water on the outside. This will help the fish to brown.
2. Tear sheets of aluminum foil large enough to
18
Nebraskaland • July 2021
encompass the fillet and be able to roll the top and
side edges up tight. Make sure the fillet is resting on
the dull side of the foil – shiny on the outside, toward
heat source.
3. Place one fillet in the center of each sheet of foil
with butter. If the fish has skin on one side, that side
should be facing down.
4. Add butter, squeeze a quarter of a lemon or half
of a lime over the fillet. Lightly sprinkle with salt and
pepper. Then add any herbs or spices that you would
like, such as garlic, rosemary, paprika or dill. You can
also toss in vegetables like onions, bell pepper and
carrots.
5. Bend the foil over the fish and fold each edge
so that it becomes a pouch. Use a fork to poke a few
holes in the top to release steam as it cooks.
6. Place the foil packets on the grill. Grill over
medium-high for 5 to 7 minutes (depending on the
size of the fillet) on a gas or charcoal grill.
7. Remove the foil “boat” from the grill with either
a long-handled metal spatula or long-handled grilling
tongs. Enjoy!
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
19
D e ad Ti m be r
St at e R e c re at i o n
A re a
Complicated past, but a
bright future
Story and photos by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
espite its proximity to busy
Highway 275 north of Scribner,
Dead Timber State Recreation
Area is hidden. Even its entrance,
which faces a crop field on the other
side, is unassuming and plain. The sign
indicates that you’re in the right place,
but you turn off the county road and
wonder, “Is this it?”
From your vehicle, you wouldn’t be
able to see that to the southwest, just
beyond the stretch of mowed grass,
past the pollinator garden — which
grows tall and vibrant in summer —
and down a gently curving path, you’d
find an old, wooden bench. Step up
closer and the ground gives way to a
steep drop-off, opening up your field of
view. Flooding has affected the SRA,
clearly. But however overgrown and
primitive, the verdant valley sprawls
at your feet invitingly, the blue-green
oxbow lake snaking among floodafflicted terrain and timber below.
A beloved getaway for Dodge County
locals, Dead Timber SRA was purchased
by Game and Parks for $7,000 in 1938.
D
Since then, the area has provided its
dedicated visitors with decades of not
only adventure and memories, but also
peaceful seclusion.
Background
Dead Timber’s 200 acres offers
camping, fishing, hiking, picnicking
and non-powered boating. Currently,
key amenities include 17 electric
campsites with 30-amp hookups; a 50acre oxbow lake with bluegill, common
carp, bullhead, channel and flathead
catfish, crappie, freshwater drum
and largemouth bass; and day-use
shelters complete with tables, grills
and spacious lawns for gatherings and
games neatly tucked in the trees along
the top of the bluffs.
Its landmark stone shelter — and
likely the entrance pillars as well —
was built in 1939 by the National Youth
Association.
According to Scribner legend, the
name “Dead Timber” comes from the
Native Americans. Old-timers say that
Jerusalem artichoke sunflowers grow near an oxbow lake at Dead Timber State
Recreation Area in Dodge County.
20
Nebraskaland
• July 2021
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
21
Shelly and Dave Dahl, of Scribner, prepare a fire while RV camping at Dead Timber.
the Natives used the area as a seasonal
camp, retreating behind the high bluffs
near the Elkhorn River in winter and
traveling down during the summer
to camp near the oxbow lake. During
one winter encampment, a fire got out
of hand. It swept through the region,
burning and killing much timber.
Despite the story behind Dead
Timber’s name, the SRA has been
historically more wet than dry. Some of
the SRA sits upon a bluff overlooking
the oxbow lakes, but a significant
amount of the area is located within
the Elkhorn River floodplain; in 21 of
22
Nebraskaland
• July 2021
the past 80 years, the Elkhorn River
has exceeded flood stage.
Flooding
Those who know and use Dead
Timber love it, but addressing
infrastructure issues has been an
ongoing frustration for both locals and
Game and Parks staff. Constant bouts
of high water trap the land in a state
of constant flux, adding to the piling
costs of repairing recurring damages.
For example, changes in the
landscape could be seen by examining
Kevin Mannschreck, of Hooper, RV camps at Dead Timber State Recreation Area in Dodge County.
Google Earth images, showing how
flooding was affecting the suspension
bridge since the early 2000s, and how it
got progressively worse. Built around
1939-1940, the bridge is a special place
where countless visitors and their
families have made memories. Sadly,
the bridge is currently impassable.
Other amenities once located within
the park’s low-lying areas, including
a campground and the through-road
between the river and oxbow lake,
were removed in the late 1990s and
early 2000s due to flood damage.
The catastrophic flood event of 2019
resulted in the SRA’s latest losses,
washing out four of its primitive
campsites and submerging the stone
shelter house. Access to Dead Timber
via Highway 275, which was heavily
damaged by rushing water, was limited
for months.
Despite years of degradation,
dedicated visitors continue to make
the most of their SRA. Visitors
enthusiastically returned to Dead
Timber when Highway 275 reopened
in late summer 2019.
On a Saturday afternoon in late
August of that year, campers, working
around mud and standing water,
resumed their usual activity — a couple
cooked dinner around a campfire by
the oxbow lake, an extended family
engaged in friendly competition over
a game of cornhole, a gathering of
friends cheered on their favorite teams
in front of an outdoor TV at their RV.
These people have camped at Dead
Timber before, many times, and they
will return again and again. Although
the general feeling was of gladness
around the campground — of relief
that their SRA was still there and that
they were able to get in some camping
before the end of summer — it was
clear that improvements and changes
were desperately wanting.
Redevelopment Plan
In response, Game and Parks is
creating a plan to redevelop the
flood-prone Dead Timber State
Recreation Area. On March 23, 2021,
Game and Parks offered a virtual
public meeting via Zoom to open up
comments and suggestions, which
was attended by 170 people. The
proposed redevelopment plan for Dead
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
23
Timber would showcase the SRA’s
natural features while addressing
floodplain infrastructure, honoring
the memories and traditions of area
users, and providing new recreational
opportunities. An online comment
board also was offered through April 6.
Feedback received at the Zoom
meeting and through the comment
board will be beneficial in moving the
redevelopment forward, said Michelle
Stryker, Game and Parks’ planning and
programming division administrator.
The plan will be finalized by summer
2021 and extend for the next five years.
Dead Timber State Recreation
Members of the Smolinksi, Kennedy, Tauchman and Sorenson families from the Omaha area camp at Dead Timber.
Area is only one hour from Omaha.
Whether you’re looking for a weekend
getaway for camping, or a peaceful
place to recreate for the day with
family and friends, Dead Timber might
surprise you, even in its current state.
When looking to the future, talks of a
possible kayak launch, a new nostalgic
pedestrian bridge, more miles of trails,
better fishing access and a nature play
area are all things for visitors, old and
new, to get excited about. N
An assortment of wildflowers, including goldenrod, grow at Dead Timber.
24
Nebraskaland
• July 2021
For the most updated information on
Dead Timber, visit outdoornebraska.
org/deadtimber.
Dead Timber SRA
Located north of Scribner on Highway
275, Dead Timber is a 200-acre area with
opportunities for camping, fishing and
non-powered boating. The area offers
peaceful seclusion for an afternoon
or a weekend. A state park permit is
required.
The iconic shelter at Dead Timber still stands after the flood.
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
25
Outdoor Nebraska
By Renae Blum
Summer is in full swing, and despite the heat, there is plenty to enjoy
about the Nebraska outdoors right now. Cool off at the beach, visit a new
state park and grab your fishing pole! N
What To Do in July
Fish for walleyes
at Lewis and Clark
Lake
Throughout the month | Lewis
and Clark State Recreation Area
In July, finding fish gets challenging
anywhere in the state, but thanks to
the flowing waters of Lewis and Clark
Lake, fish like walleye are still biting as
they search for food. This time of year,
it’s mostly a trolling bite, so a variety of
crankbaits and live bait rigs work well.
Focus on fishing shale banks, channel
swings, flats — anywhere you can find
schooling walleyes. JEFF KURRUS, NEBRASKALAND
Visit Danish Alps State
Recreation Area
Throughout the month
Nebraska’s newest state park area, Danish Alps State
Recreation Area boasts great fishing and camping. Wet
a line for largemouth bass, bluegill and walleye, stroll
the paved trail encircling the lake, and go for a ride on
a scenic equestrian trail. Don’t forget to visit the selfie
station for the Your Parks Adventure Challenge, with
details at YourNebraskaParks100.org.
Enjoy the beach at a Nebraska state
recreation area
Throughout the month | Statewide
Enjoy a summer’s day by the beach at a Nebraska state recreation area.
Most swimming beaches are located next to the day-use picnic locations,
providing plenty to do throughout the day: friendly football and volleyball
matches, fishing, barbecue, sunbathing and more. Find a park to visit at
Outdoornebraska.org/swim. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
Attend “Blast From the
Past” event
July 10 | Victoria Springs State Recreation
Area
Celebrate the state park centennial at Nebraska’s
first state recreation area! Enjoy an 1800s vintage
baseball game and old-fashioned kids’ games, as
well as a walking historical tour of the park. Other
activities include fishing, Dutch-oven cooking
demos, and live music and fireworks in the evening.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
26
Nebraskaland • July 2021
Practice for archery
deer and turkey
seasons
Throughout the month | Statewide
To be in strong shooting shape for archery
deer and fall turkey season, start practicing
now. Make it fun and go bowfishing, or
participate in an outdoor 3-D shoot. It’s
also a good idea to practice shooting from
an elevated stand or sitting position. Visit
Outdoornebraska.org/shootingsportsfacilities
for a list of archery ranges statewide.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
27
The Book
of Names
By Renae Blum
P
lain and unremarkable, the black binder usually sits on a
small coffee table in Fort Atkinson State Historical Park’s
visitor center. But inside, it contains a remarkable picture of
Fort Atkinson: Its pages list the names of everyone known to
have lived at the fort, along with details about them that can
reveal personalities, backgrounds and their futures.
Susan Juza, Fort Atkinson’s long-time curator and a
passionate lover of history, began the project as a relatively
new employee at the fort, wondering exactly who had
lived there. “If we were the largest military fort west of the
Missouri River, what does that mean?” Juza said. “Did we
have 300 people? Did we have a thousand people? We were
guessing.”
Now, more than 20 years later, she’s gathered names and
information for about 1,200 individuals, from generals to
servants and slaves. Most entries include a person’s name,
rank and company, along with any personal information Juza
could dig up, including age, height, eye and hair color, place
of birth, former occupation, and details about their life at the
fort.
As you read, interesting stories and people emerge. For
example, Eliza Woolley died in 1826 and was immersed in 70
gallons of rum to be sent downriver to Pittsburgh for burial.
(Her grave there has since been located.) There also was the
unlucky John McCormick, who attempted desertion — one of
the worst crimes you could commit in the military at the time
— and had his ears clipped for it; he allegedly commented,
“This is a hell of a way, Colonel, of celebrating the Fourth of
July in this country.”
Small details, such as former occupations and place of
birth, can be equally enlightening. Juza discovered that
the soldiers at Fort Atkinson included former shoemakers,
wheelwrights, hatters, couriers, bakers, coppersmiths,
weavers and other trades. Some were born overseas in places
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Nebraskaland • July 2021
Susan Juza pictured at Fort Atkinson with her “book of names” and other materials she used for research.
like Ireland, Germany, France, Russia, Scotland, England and
Switzerland.
Juza also records infractions the men committed:
intoxication, forgery, attempted shootings and assault, to
name a few. Punishments included forfeited pay, a shaved
head, solitary confinement and even losing whiskey rations.
Some men racked up lengthy lists of infractions, despite
multiple punishments.
Others rose to leadership at the fort and went on to
prominent military careers; two such men were Bennet Riley
and Henry Leavenworth, for whom the still operational Fort
Riley and Fort Leavenworth in Kansas were named. For these
men and others with notable careers, Juza includes details
about their lives after the fort, such as marriages, children,
accomplishments and place of death.
Nearly all of her information comes from primary sources,
including military records, personal diaries, personal
letters and other firsthand accounts. To track down these
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
documents, Juza contacted or visited historical societies
from eight states and traveled six times to the National
Archives in Washington, D.C., sifting through disconnected
and sometimes mislabeled files. “The first time I went to
the National Archives, I thought I would go in and say, ‘I’m
researching Fort Atkinson, these are the years,’ and they
would come out with a big folder and there would be all the
documents. It’s nothing like that,” she said.
Despite that, the research trips went well, Juza said,
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
29
each one leading to new questions
and another visit to D.C. “Each time
I find new information it adds to the
big puzzle,” she said. “Sometimes,
because of all the research, I feel like
I really have been to the original Fort
Atkinson and I really do know all these
people.”
The bulk of her research took three
years and was completed in 2000,
but she doesn’t consider the project
finished. “Research never ends,” Juza
said.
What she’s found most rewarding
from the work is meeting descendants
of the people she’s researched, some of
whom have discovered their ancestors
during a trip to the fort. When she
meets them, “I feel like I know them,”
Juza said. She hopes one day to bring
everyone together for a “family
reunion” at Fort Atkinson.
In the meantime, the men and
women in the book have gained new
life through Fort Atkinson’s living
history program. New volunteers are
encouraged to adopt a persona from
the book, perhaps someone they have
things in common with. “It makes it
more personal to them, and they can
learn more about that person and
actually portray [their role] better,”
said park superintendent Jason Grof.
Juza
also
helped
create
a
commemorative monument at the
park, called the Monument to the
Deceased, listing the names of
everyone known to have died at the
fort and in the surrounding area.
Asked what draws her to this work,
Juza described her love of history,
saying, “When I look at a name, I
don’t want it to just be a name. I want
to understand the person behind the
name and not forget them.”
For those who have benefited from
her research, that’s exactly what she’s
accomplished. N
LEFT: Fourth of July Living History
weekend at Fort Atkinson State
Historical Park in Fort Calhoun.
Soldiers march with reenactor Bob Baker in the lead during a living history
presentation at Fort Atkinson. JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
Visiting Fort Atkinson
Fort Atkinson State Historical Park is located in Fort Calhoun,
which is about 17 miles north of Omaha in eastern Nebraska.
The visitor center is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between May
1 and Oct. 31. From Nov. 1 through April 30, the center is open by
appointment only.
The Park’s grounds are open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between
May 1 and Oct. 31. From Nov. 1 through April 30, the park is open
from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A park entry permit is required
and may be purchased at the
Fort Atkinson
park, statewide Game and Parks
offices, online, or via permit
vendors in advance of your
arrival.
JENNY NGUYEN-WHEATLEY, NEBRASKALAND
30
Nebraskaland • July 2021
July 2021 •
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31
Your Camera
Doesn’t See
Like You Do
Part 3 of 3
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
ave you ever been frustrated because some parts of a
photo are way too bright while others are so dark you
can’t see any details? Why does the image on the
screen of your phone or camera look so much less
vibrant and impressive than the gorgeous sunset in front of
you? Simply put, your camera doesn’t see the world the way
you do.
The first two parts of this series covered the more
mechanical aspects of photography, including field of view,
focus, aperture and shutter speed. Mastering these is a
critical part of becoming a good photographer. However,
the difference between good photographers and great
photographers is the way they see and use light. The two
most important aspects of light for photographers to pay
attention to are its intensity and quality.
H
Light Intensity
Your camera’s sensor can’t handle wide ranges of light
intensity. When the sky is much brighter than the land
beneath it, one or the other is going to look wrong, especially
when there are features on land that create shadows
beneath them (trees, buildings, etc.). Either the sky will be
so bright that all details are washed out or the land will look
abnormally dark, with completely black shadows. Your eyes
actually have the same limitations, but your brain quickly
compensates as you scan different parts of a scene, your
irises growing and shrinking as you do so.
32
Nebraskaland • July 2021
The mid-morning sun was getting pretty intense for photography by the time this photo was taken, but because there are
few shadows in the image, there is limited contrast to deal with and the photo still works.
The easiest way to avoid problems with light intensity
is to shoot when the sun is not blazing at full strength in
the middle of the day. When the sun is super bright, the
contrast in tone between brightly lit and shadowed areas is
well beyond the range a camera’s sensor can handle. We’ll
talk more about that below. Sometimes, however, the events
you want to photograph happen during periods of high light
intensity and you just have to deal with it.
One strategy is to select parts of the scene that eliminate
either the darkest or brightest parts. For example, you may
be able to photograph a landscape from a high point where
you can point the camera down enough to either eliminate or
greatly reduce the amount of sky in the photo. The amount
of contrast between the brightly lit and shadowed part of
the landscape may still be problematic, but at least you don’t
have to worry about the even brighter sky itself. Another
option is to move in closer and focus on only the shadowed
or brightly lit portions of a scene, rather than trying to
incorporate both.
Often, however, even with those compensating strategies,
you’ll look at an image on your LCD screen and see that you’re
losing either the highlights or shadows. If your camera shows
you the histogram (a graph of captured light intensity) for
each image, you’ll see that one of the two “tails” of the graph
are outside the histogram frame. If you can adjust exposure
to get both tails in the frame, you’re golden. If you can’t, your
best option is often to “shoot dark” by adjusting exposure
so the details within the brightest parts of the scene are
captured, regardless of how dark that makes the shadows.
Later, you can use whatever photo editing software you
have access to and try to recapture some of the details in
those dark shadows. In order to “shoot dark,” of course, you
have to understand how your camera reads light and how to
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
33
An example of “shooting dark” on a bright sunny day.
The top photo is the way I shot it, and the photo on the bottom is what it looked like after editing.
Golden late-day light created beautiful warm colors in this scene, and the lower light intensity from a setting sun reduced the
contrast between highlights and shadows.
control that process. Whether you use your phone or a highend digital SLR camera, your camera’s light meter is designed
to create images with a nice middle tone — not too bright,
not too dark. Much of the time, that’s really helpful, whether
you’re allowing the camera to set exposure for you or doing
it yourself. However, the “middle tone” attitude of your light
meter can create problems when you want to capture photos
with more dramatic lighting, or when the subject itself is
naturally brighter or darker than a middle tone (snow, white
flowers, the face of a bison, etc.).
Most cameras allow for some kind of “spot metering,” with
which you can select which part of a scene you want your
camera to gauge light intensity. When light intensity isn’t
crazy high, spot metering means you can select the part of
the scene you want to be a middle tone and set your exposure
based on that. Or, you can select something that you want to
be brighter than middle tone (snow, for example) and adjust
your aperture/shutter speed settings to brighten the image
more than the camera’s meter would recommend so the snow
34
Nebraskaland • July 2021
looks white instead of gray.
When you have a situation with intense light and high
contrast, though, you can meter off the brighter areas and
adjust exposure settings so it is captured as a middle tone.
That will make the rest of the image dark, but you can “fix
that in post.” If you don’t have time to mess with a spot
meter, or your camera doesn’t give you that option, another
strategy is to make sure the sky makes up more than 50% of
the image. Most cameras, when allowed to make exposure
decisions by themselves, will try to make sure the majority
of an image is a middle tone, so if most of the image is bright
sky, the sky will look OK in your photo, but shadowed areas
below will look very dark. That’s the best you can do in that
situation.
As mentioned earlier, the best way to avoid issues with
excessive light intensity is to avoid shooting when the
light is too bright. The clear blue-sky afternoons so often
rhapsodized about by many people are actually the worstcase scenario for photographers. Early mornings, evenings,
July 2021 •
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35
and bright overcast periods produce much less intense light,
giving your camera a chance to capture the entire range of
tones in a scene. Coincidentally, those periods are also when
the light quality tends to be highest as well.
Light Quality
There are several factors that contribute to good light
quality in photography. Intensity is an important one, but
two others are color and direction. In outdoor photography,
color is determined by the path the sun’s rays take on the way
to your subject. Early and late in the day, when the sun is
low in the sky, it usually has a golden or reddish appearance
because of how much of the atmosphere its light passes
through before you see it. During the middle of a sunny day,
that light is very white, as well as bright. The color of the
light hitting a subject influences the color bouncing off that
subject — which is what your camera captures. If you look at
the sun (don’t look at the sun) and see color, that color will
show up in your photo too.
Bright overcast light is coveted by many photographers
because it creates beautiful even lighting on a subject.
When the sun passes through clouds but still creates faint
shadows, it creates the kind of diffused light that portrait
photographers pour lots of time and equipment to creating
artificially. Bright overcast light is fantastic for close-up
photos with gorgeous saturated color and fine detail, as well
as for portrait-like photos of certain subjects. It works less
well for large landscape photos because the lack of contrast
across the scene can make it look relatively flat. In addition,
if the sky is included in a landscape photo, it usually comes
A bright overcast day provided perfect lighting for this bison
photo. Higher intensity light would have made it difficult
to expose correctly for both the dark face and bright
wildflowers around it.
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Nebraskaland • July 2021
The backlighting on this image provides both interesting color and texture. Having the tree partially block the
sun cut down on lens flare.
out as a vast expanse of boring monotone light gray.
In addition to color and diffusion, the orientation of the
sun’s rays relative to you and your subject also are important.
A subject or scene looks very different when the sun is behind
you, versus in front of you. Much of that is determined by the
number and size of the shadows visible in the image. While
photography is simpler when the sun is directly behind you,
some of the most striking photographs are made when it’s
not.
Shadows help define texture in an image. When the sun
is behind you, the shadows are behind the subjects you’re
photographing, making the scene look relatively flat.
However, when the sun comes across the scene from the side,
the resulting shadows emphasize the contours and patterns
in the photo. When that light is too intense, shadows can
be problematic, but when the camera can pick up both the
bright and shadowed portions of a scene, those shadows can
be advantageous.
Photography while facing the sun is tricky, but can be
worth experimenting with because of the potential for
spectacular results. Sunlight hitting the face of your lens can
cause “lens flare,” which creates spots or patterns that can be
distracting and unsightly (but sometimes attractive). Those
can be minimized by making sure the lens is clean, varying
the angle of your shot, and/or shading the lens surface with
your hand or a lens hood. There are lots of ways backlit
scenes can fail, but if you’re shooting with a digital camera, it
doesn’t cost you anything to experiment.
If you learn to recognize the intensity and quality of
light, it’s relatively easy to figure out how to use that light
effectively. It’s not impossible to create striking images
in bright mid-day light, but it can be a real challenge to
find appropriate subject matter and deal with problematic
contrast issues. Alternately, when golden sunlight courses
across a landscape from a low angle, creating soft shadows
and warm highlights, making beautiful photographs is a lot
easier. Any photographer can get lucky and take a spectacular
photo now and then, but a technically savvy photographer
who understands light can do it consistently. N
You and your camera see the world differently, but if you
understand those differences, you can take control of how your
photographs turn out. No matter what kind of camera you have,
the basics of focal length, aperture, shutter speed, depth of field,
and light are the same. It’s ok to let your camera automatically
control some of those factors, as long as you understand what
it’s doing and when/how you might want to override it. Your
camera can’t get you up early to photograph the sunset or help
you sneak up on a bobolink, but once you’re in the right place
at the right time, your camera can help you make spectacular
images.
July 2021 •
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37
Sketching Ash Hollow
in 1851
By David L. Bristow,
History Nebraska
38
Nebraskaland
• July 2021
– J. Wesley Jones
David Murphy of
History Nebraska
co-authored a book
about artist William
Quesenbury titled
Scenery, Curiosities and
Stupendous Rocks.
Arkansas artist
William Minor
Quesenbury, circa
1870s.
COURTESY OF THE SHILOH MUSEUM
OF OZARK HISTORY (S-96-69)
magine sitting in a darkened theater
watching a giant canvas on stage.
The canvas is spooled at either end
and advances like a giant scroll.
Painted on the canvas are scenes of the
Oregon Trail. A narrator describes the
great journey that thousands of your
fellow citizens are making.
The giant scroll was called the
Pantoscope, and it was big hit in
Eastern theaters in the 1850s. Designed
and promoted by entrepreneur J.
Wesley Jones, it was based on sketches
and photographs made along the trail
by several artists and photographers
that Jones hired for the project.
The Pantoscope and most of the
original images are lost, except for
those of one of the artists, William
Quesenbury (CUSH-en-berry). The
Omaha World-Herald purchased his
sketchbook and donated it to History
Nebraska.
David
Murphy
of
History
Nebraska co-authored a book about
Quesenbury titled Scenery, Curiosities
and Stupendous Rocks. He visited
places “Cush” had sketched and was
impressed with the artist’s accuracy.
Some of the sketches were labeled, but
most were not.
The one shown here was not, but
its placement in the sketchbook led
Murphy to believe it portrayed Ash
I
“Ash Hollow, takes its name from
the fine grove of ash trees which
... have nearly succumbed to the
necessities of the traveler ...”
Hollow, an important stop along the
trail and now a state historical park.
A drawing made in 1851 would be one
of the earliest views of the site and
would show the area during the peak of
westward migration.
To be sure, Murphy studied
topographic maps and then visited
Ash Hollow. He carried a copy of the
sketch to help identify the place where
his view matched the lines on the
paper. When he found the spot, he was
looking northeast toward the Platte
Valley.
One big difference was all the trees
that now obscure the 1850s view of the
valley. Fire suppression allows them to
grow thick, and present-day travelers
aren’t cutting them down for firewood.
Here’s how Jones described the scene
for the Pantoscope: “Winding over
precipitous crags, we descend through
Ash Hollow, to the north branch of the
Platte River in the distance. It takes its
name from the fine groves of ash trees
which … have nearly succumbed to the
necessities of the traveller, who here
lays in a supply of fuel to boil his coffee,
for the next 200 miles affords not even
a schrub large enough for a walking
stick.” N
Visit History Nebraska’s website at
history.nebraska.gov.
This 1851 sketch by William Quesenbury is one of the earliest images of Ash Hollow.
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD QUESENBURY SKETCHBOOK, HISTORY NEBRASKA 8783-5
A view from Windlass Hill at Ash Hollow State Historical Park in Garden County shows the valley where pioneers
found fresh spring water and camped along the Oregon Trial. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
July 2021 •
Nebraskaland
39
Floating on a
Breeze
A hot air balloon ride is a superb way
to enjoy the scenery
Story and photos by Justin Haag
Old West Balloon Fest, an annual hot air balloon event near
Mitchell, at Mitchell Airfield in Scotts Bluff County.
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Nebraskaland • July 2020
July 2020 •
Nebraskaland
41
s Nebraskaland photographers, we do our best to attain
the ultimate vantage of a given subject. In an effort to
capture the attractive landscapes of western Nebraska,
I have taken photos from atop many high buttes
and from the cockpit of airplanes and helicopters. My new
favorite, though, is the oldest of human-carrying flight
technology: hot air balloon.
I was not sure what to expect when my cameras and I were
invited to ride the skies during the Old West Balloon Fest in
August 2020. I had recently watched the The Aeronauts, the
2019 action-adventure movie about a 1860s gas balloon pilot
and scientist who had ventured to fly higher than anyone had
flown before. It is a great show full of hair-raising moments,
but I would advise first-time balloon riders to watch it after
their first flight instead of before it.
Any anxiety was all for naught, though. One would be
hard-pressed to find a smoother mode of travel than this one.
Shortly after sunrise on that late summer morning, my
13-year-old daughter and assistant, Kiera, and I boarded our
space on Teal Octopus amid the hubbub of the excited festival
crowd. After climbing into the basket, we received flight
instructions from pilot Gary Maguire of Allenspark, Colorado,
as he occasionally pulled the trigger to send flames into the
massive structure above us. In what seemed an instant, he
gave orders to untether the vessel, and we were off.
The takeoff was so smooth that we would not have realized
the balloon was leaving the ground if our eyes were closed.
As we rose above and among the dozens of other balloons —
each more than 50 feet wide and about seven stories tall — I
caught a glance of my daughter and the wonder in her eyes.
As I gazed over the North Platte Valley, decorated with other
balloons, I surely knew what she was feeling.
Not only is the liftoff smooth, the open air is extremely
calm. The best way to avoid the effects of a wind or breeze is
to travel with it, after all. Throughout the entire flight, there
were no sudden jerks of turbulence and no wind in the hair.
Even though the ride is smooth, there is a certain element
of adventure to going up in a hot air balloon. The pilot can
control the up and down with the flame, but the direction of
the vessel is dependent on the breeze. Mother Nature took
us westward from the Mitchell Airfield over the North Platte
River, the city of Mitchell and agricultural fields below.
Even though the cockpit was a little tight for reaching
gear and exchanging lenses, the peaceful ride was perfect for
snapping images, and Maguire skillfully put me at the right
altitudes to do so. Time sped by as I captured other balloons
picturesquely juxtaposed with a backdrop of the Wildcat
Hills. The 35-minute flight seemed to end just as soon as it
A
Pictured is “Big Top,” a balloon owned by Mark Whiting of
Centennial, Colorado. Hot air balloon rides are the perfect
adventure for photographers and those looking for a
leisurely stroll across the sky.
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Nebraskaland • July 2021
July 2021 •
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43
ABOVE: Unloading the Wooly Bugger, a balloon owned by
Justin Elkins of Helena, Montana.
BELOW: Candlesticking.
A photo taken from the “Teal Octopus,” a balloon owned by Douglas Gary Maguire of Allenspark, Colorado,
shows the Old West Balloon Fest at Mitchell Airfield in Scotts Bluff County.
started.
The roughest part of the whole experience was the landing.
Despite our pilot’s capable skills and experience flying all
over Europe and the United States, the wind will do what the
wind does and the big balloon shall go with it. After a couple
of attempts at a “standing landing,” Maguire advised us to
brace ourselves because “we’re going over.”
Upon touchdown, the gondola went to its side and skidded
to a stop. The three of us, stacked horizontally, looked at one
another with a hearty laugh.
As soon as Maguire coached us from the basket and our
feet were on the ground, another balloon was coming in for
a landing nearby. As he had done many times in the past,
Maguire raced to get a hand on the basket and help those
44
Nebraskaland • July 2021
passengers have a much smoother landing than ours.
The Teal Octopus’ trailer, which had been following us
from below, soon arrived, and we loaded up the balloon.
Amazingly, the vessel that seemed so large moments before
was neatly packed into the small space of the trailer. Upon
returning to the festival grounds, the veteran pilot regaled us
with a traditional ballooning story and a toast. The perfect
ending to an amazing experience.
Those who have not experienced this mode of travel have
opportunities to do so. The Nebraska Balloon Club’s website,
nebraskaballoonclub.org, has a directory of about 25 pilots
who charter flights.
For those who want to experience balloon culture but stay
grounded, many opportunities exist.
Coming into its sixth year Aug. 11-14, the Old West Balloon
Fest has grown from 18 to more than 80 balloons and has
become the site of the U.S. National Hot Air Ballooning
Championships. The competition challenges pilots to fly to
specific locations in the sky and drop sand bags on ground
targets. The event’s night glows and mass ascensions
entertain thousands.
Other popular events in Nebraska include the Nebraska
Balloon & Wine Festival at Elkhorn, Falls City Hot Air Balloon
Festival, and Blues and Balloons Festival at Springfield.
Technology surely will continue pushing aircraft farther
and faster. Whether riding in the gondola or observing from
below, however, this oldest form of human air transport will
surely continue to amaze people for generations to come. N
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The Old West Balloon
Fest near Mitchell in
Scotts Bluff County
draws visitors from
across the region.
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Rock Creek Lake
State Recreation Area
Serenity in southwestern Nebraska
By Julie Geiser
A
t the very southwestern corner of Nebraska in
Dundy County lies a truly serene area that is sure to
surprise those that venture there. Rock Creek Lake
State Recreation Area is a small 54-acre area, with a 50-acre
lake fed by the cold spring waters of Rock Creek.
Located 4 miles north and a mile east of Parks, Nebraska,
this quaint SRA has primitive camping only at roughly 43
non-pad sites, one vault toilet and five primitive restrooms.
A new water well is slated for completion this summer. The
area offers numerous picnic tables and grills for both day use
and camping.
The lake opened in 1935 and was an 80-acre body of water
that was the deepest lake in the state at the time. Back then
the lake was stocked with bass, trout, crappies and bullheads.
Currently, the lake’s fishery is on the rebound after going
through a renovation.
In 2019, fish surveys showed significant declines in
abundance and growth of largemouth bass and other sport
fish due to the high numbers of gizzard shad in the lake. In
2020, the lake underwent a fish renovation to improve water
quality and sportfish potential by eliminating the shad. Sport
fish were salvaged from the lake before rotenone was applied
to remove undesirable fish. In an effort to prevent accidental
introduction of gizzard shad again, a “No Live Baitfish”
regulation is now in place.
The lake was restocked last fall with largemouth bass,
black crappie and yellow perch. Adult redear sunfish along
with adult largemouth bass and channel catfish are planned
to be stocked this year. Rainbow and tiger trout will not be
stocked back into the lake until spring of 2022 to allow the
stocked fish to gain a good foothold.
Typically, Rock Creek is one of Nebraska’s great trout
fisheries and is known for holding some of the biggest
largemouth bass around. Sean Farrier, fisheries biologist for
the lake, is confident the lake will return as a trophy fishery:
“About year three after a renovation, the fish will take off,
and we’ll be seeing some of those bigger fish again,” he said.
An aerial photo shows Rock Creek Lake State Recreation Area in Dundy County.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
Boats can launch from the boat ramp and dock that is
visible when you enter the SRA. All boats are allowed at
Rock Creek, and it’s not uncommon to see large bass boats to
smaller jon boats and kayaks on the no-wake lake.
Whether it’s fishing, camping, hiking or a quiet place to
relax, consider Rock Creek SRA this summer.
Rock Creek Hatchery
Rock Creek Lake
State Recreation Area
Paislee Erickson, right and Elyn Bargmann reach for the last
light of the sun from one of the fishing nodes. The nodes are
great for picnicking as well. JULIE GEISER, NEBRASKALAND
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• July 2021
Rock Creek Lake SRA is located roughly 4 miles to the
northwest of Parks, which is 1 mile off of highway 34 to
the north and 10 miles west of Benkelman. The area has a
50-acre lake with 54 acres of land. This area offers camping,
hiking, boating, fishing and picnicking, as well as primitive
camping. A park entry permit is required and may be
purchased at Game and Parks offices and permit vendors or
in advance of your arrival online.
Rock Creek State Fish Hatchery sits just north of the SRA
at the headwaters of Rock Creek. Established in 1924 because
of the abundant coldwater spring flow. It is one of five state
fish hatcheries operated by the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission. Rock Creek Hatchery produces nearly half of
the trout stocked annually in Nebraska. Rainbow, brown, and
hybrid tiger trout, are a staple at the hatchery. Other fish raised
at the hatchery include: wipers, bluegill, bluegill green sunfish
hybrids, rock bass, yellow perch, redear sunfish, and grass carp.
Rock Creek Hatchery is overseen by Julie Fraley, the state’s
first woman fish production manager. Fraley started working
at the hatchery in 2012 before earning her new position there.
The hatchery is open to the public. To schedule a tour, call
(308) 423-2080, or check out our latest video on the hatchery
on the Commission’s YouTube channel. N
These trout swim in a hatchery pond at Rock Creek hatchery
and will soon be stocked into Nebraska waters.
JULIE GEISER, NEBRASKALAND
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SOMETHING SQUIRMY?
By Julie Van Meter, State Entomologist
Nebraska Department of Agriculture
Invasive species can come in many shapes and sizes.
Often, when we think of invasive species, we imagine
beetles attacking trees, or plants clogging our waterways.
Sometimes, though, the invasive species may be right under
our feet.
Two such invasive species are the crazy worm and the
hammerhead worm. Crazy worms (Amynthas species and
Metaphire species), also known as Asian jumping worms,
are native to east Asia, but have been reported across
much of North America over the past several years. These
worms look like typical earthworms, and are brownish,
grayish or reddish. One identification characteristic is the
clitellium, the cloudy white band found on mature worms.
The clitellium on crazy worms is flush with the body (not
raised up as with other worms) and completely encircles the
worm. Crazy worms also can be identified by their behavior –
they will thrash their bodies wildly when disturbed.
Crazy worms overwinter as immatures in cocoons, emerge
in the spring, and reach maturing by mid-summer. They
consume the organic matter in the soil, changing the soil
structure. This can affect native plant health and reduce
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Left: Crazy worms. Right: Hammerhead worm
JODY GREEN, UNL EXTENSION
plant diversity.
The hammerhead worm (Bipalium species) is a flatworm
that has likely been in the U.S. for more than 100 years. At
least four species of hammerhead worms have been reported
across the U.S. Hammerhead worms can be gray, brown or
even green in color, and their length can vary from 1.5–12
inches depending on species. The distinctive characteristic
of these worms is their flattened, spade-shaped head.
Hammerhead worms reproduce both sexually and
asexually. If a hammerhead worm is cut in two, or the tail
breaks off, both segments have the potential to regenerate
a full body.
Hammerhead worms are predatory, live at the soil
surface in leaf litter, and feed at night. They will snack
on earthworms, insects, and even snails and slugs. Some
hammerhead worms can produce a neurotoxin so handling
them is not advised.
Report possible sightings of these invasive worms in
Nebraska to the Nebraska Invasive Species Program at
neinvasives.com.
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MIXED BAG
BUILT LIKE A BRICK ...
By Justin Haag
It is always nice to have our work
recognized.
With that in mind, a message from
a coworker brought a smile to my face
this winter. “Dang pretty pic of that
crapper!” he wrote.
He had noticed, apparently with
some envy, a photo of a new concrete
latrine accompanying my news
release about a long list of capital
improvements at Chadron State Park.
Having worked in media for more
than a quarter of a century, I am no
stranger to a spirited discussion about
newsworthiness of a given topic. This is
one such case. As someone said, people
expect parks to have a bathroom, so is
it really a big deal when they get new
ones?
That is a great point. However,
I remain impressed by the modern
concrete showerhouses and latrines,
scores of which have been installed at
our state parks and recreation areas
during the past decade. They are
Concrete restrooms are a big deal at parks.
certainly a big improvement over the
wood structures they replaced.
One asset, perhaps surprisingly for
a restroom, is appearance. Despite
the concrete make-up, these models
excel at mimicking more attractive
materials, such as wood siding and
cedar shake shingles. The concrete
showerhouse at Fort Robinson State
Park’s Soldier Creek Campground,
installed in 2018, is molded to match
the same white siding of the many
historical buildings on the property,
for instance.
You’ve certainly heard the term that
something is “built like a brick ... ”?
Well, concrete works pretty well, too.
With roofs strong enough to support a
few hundred pounds per square foot and
walls that deflect wind gusts in excess
of 150 mph, the fireproof structures
would surely garner admiration from
the Three Little Pigs.
The same coworker who tongue-incheek complimented me for my photo
later sent me an image he had captured
of damages from a vandal’s shotgun
blast. While the exterior was pitted
from the shot, it merely marred the
surface. (Side note: Such vandalism
surely serves as a sad commentary
on the smarts of those who commit
it. “Hey, let’s damage this nice thing
that was paid for with our permit and
fee dollars, and complain when they
charge us more for permits and fees to
fix it.”)
Vandalism aside, concrete models
also require less maintenance than
those of other building materials,
allowing parks to put that time and
resources into other, perhaps more
brochure-worthy, areas of the park.
Regardless of whether or not these
structures deserve as much space in
print as, say, a new floating playground
or ropes course, you surely agree
they are a big deal. After all, no park
attraction is more important than this
one when you need it.
Concrete latrines and showerhouses, such as this one at Fort Robinson State Park’s Soldier Creek campground, are resilient
and complement other architecture on the property. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
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MIXED BAG
A HOT TIME FOR DEER PREP
The road to fall hunting success often starts in the summer.
By Justin Haag
you can help determine where they’ll be walking come fall,”
Just as the big buck’s mind is far from its ambitious
he said. “I’ve found that cutting branches of a tree, even on
activities of fall at this time of year, so too is the mind of
the same day you sit in your stand, can help attract a deer.
many a deer hunter. Hardcore hunters will tell you it is never
I’ve had deer come up to eat the fresh green leaves on a cut
too early to start thinking about the big bucks of fall, though.
branch right under my tree stand. Come rut, bucks will also
Justin Powell of Alliance, a deer hunter and wildlife
use them as a place to drop scent with rubs and scrapes.”
biologist for the Game and Parks Commission, said hunters
Mowing also can produce fresh forage that is more
increase chances for success by putting in time during the dog
attractive to deer than stagnant vegetation. Hunters even
days of summer — even if just getting out with binoculars to
have time in late summer to plant certain cool-season forage,
see what is happening in the woods. While there, one might
such as turnips and rye, to draw in deer.
as well put up trail cameras, tree stands and blinds where
With all of those preparations, hunters definitely want the
allowed.
right thing to happen when finally releasing the bowstring or
“It’s best to get those critters accustomed to having these
pulling the trigger.
things in the woods,” he
“Summer
evenings,
said. “If you put them up
when the wind is calm, is
right at hunting season,
a great time to be out with
the animals are going to be
a bow, rifle or shotgun
a little skittish. With trail
to get them tuned in at
cameras, you will not only
different ranges,” Powell
be able to monitor buck
said.
growth and see what’s
And, hunters can use
roaming around in your
this time to ensure a game
hunting areas, but you can
violation does not ruin
also catch any trespassers
the experience.
and address that issue
Studying the rules and
before the season starts.”
regulations,
including
Speaking of property
special provisions for
rights, landowners are
hunting
public
land,
often more agreeable
also should happen well
about being approached
before the season. For
for permission to hunt well A mule deer buck, in velvet, in Dawes County. Scouting now leads
instance, those previously
in advance of the season. to shots at deer like this later in the season. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
mentioned portable tree
It also gives hunters time
stands and steps may be in place from Aug. 16 through
to do something in return before chasing deer.
January on state wildlife management areas, but ground
“Summer is a good time to meet landowners and even lend
blinds must be removed at the end of each day there. State
a hand for jobs like fencing and mowing,” Powell said.
recreation areas and national forest properties have their
With permission, other work now also will pay dividends
own set of rules. Details can be found in the Big Game Guide
come deer season. Mowing trails and cutting branches are
at outdoornebraska.org/guides.
prime examples, he said.
Other tasks for summer include checking gear. Outside
“When you’re going in to a blind or tree stand at low light
of season, the price of hunting accessories is often marked
come deer season, having an easy trail to get to your spot
down so it is an advantageous time to stock up. A little cardio
is helpful,” he said. “Not only does it make things easier for
and weight training will help the hunter pursue that venison
the hunter, but also makes it a lot quieter so you don’t spook
and drag it from the woods.
animals on the way in.”
By paying mind to deer hunting months in advance,
Powell said the trails also create patterns in movement and
hunters will surely have a greater success in making summer
cut branches attract wildlife.
dreams come true in autumn.
“Animals usually travel the path of least resistance, so
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MIXED BAG
WOOD DUCK CHOSEN FOR
WATERFOWL STAMP
By Justin Haag
A pencil drawing of a wood duck by Hannah Krein, 14, of
Harrison, will be featured on the Nebraska waterfowl stamp
in 2022.
Krein’s art topped a field of about 300 entries to earn best
of show during the annual contest, administered by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and judged by a panel in Scottsbluff
in March.
Through a partnership with the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission, the best of show annually appears on the
digital stamp that is required by hunters pursuing waterfowl
in the state. The artwork also advances to be judged against
A wood duck by Hannah Krein of Harrison won the
2022 Nebraska waterfowl stamp. JUSTIN HAAG, NEBRASKALAND
the top entries of the 49 other states in the Federal Junior
Duck Stamp Design Contest.
This will be the second consecutive year that a wood duck
appears on Nebraska’s stamp. An acrylic painting of a wood duck
pair, created by Sydney Smith of Morrill, was chosen last year.
The Junior Duck Stamp competition is open to youth in
kindergarten through 12th grade. More information about the
Junior Duck Stamp Conservation Program and how to enter
may be found on the education page of the Fish and Wildlife
Service’s website, fws.gov.
DON’T MISS THE BOAT
By Shawna Richter-Ryerson
When the heat of summer hits, the lake calls, offering a
promise of cool water, sandy beaches, refreshing winds and
some of the most authentic natural sights of Nebraska one
can find.
More stars than city dwellers ever see fill the sky during a
night ride at Merritt Reservoir. Bank swallows dip and dive
for dinner at Branched Oak State Recreation Area. Fish fight
to prove Charles Darwin’s theory — and you can see it — in
the clear water at Bridgeport SRA.
For those who already own a boat, it doesn’t take much
convincing to get on the water, throw on a lifejacket and
ride a towable tube or a pair of skis. They’re equally easy to
convince to throw anchor and float or toss in a fishing line
or three.
For them, boat snacks are a way of life.
But for those without a ride, take heart: Days at the lake
don’t have to be isolated to beachfronts. Vendors at five
Nebraska state recreation areas offer day-rate rentals on
boats. They include:
Branched Oak
Lake McConaughy
Lake Minatare
Lake Ogallala
Merritt Reservoir
At many of these locations, “boat rental” is code for
pontoon, so remember to invite family and friends for added
fun.
Those looking for a slower pace — AKA no motor — can
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Nebraskaland • July 2021
Boaters ride their pontoon on Lewis and Clark Lake State
Recreation Area. ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
rent the following water vessels by the hour at these state
park areas:
Kayaks — Branched Oak SRA, Fort Robinson SP, Louisville
SRA, Lake McConaughy SRA, Lake Minatare SRA, Pawnee
SRA, Sherman Reservoir SRA, and Smith Falls SP
Canoes — Calamus SRA, Louisville SRA, Platte River SP,
and Smith Falls SP
Stand-up paddleboards — Branched Oak SRA, Lake
McConaughy SRA, and Louisville SRA
Paddleboats — Chadron SP, Louisville SRA, Mahoney SP,
Platte River SP, and Victoria Springs SRA
Three-wheel water bikes — Louisville SRA
So this summer, when the thermostat inches toward 90
degrees, remember a beach is great, but a boat … well, it’s
just better.
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DREAMING TOGETHER
By Jeff Kurrus
In conservation, nothing gets done alone. The long list
of partnerships formed among state and federal agencies,
private landowners, natural resources districts and others
are reasons why we have places to hunt, fish, and participate
in so many other outdoor adventures. But you can’t have
those partnerships without developing that culture in the
first place.
For the Nebraska Game and Parks
Commission, Director Jim Douglas
has been a stalwart supporter of this
culture his entire tenure with the
agency. “When I became the wildlife
division supervisor in 1993,” Douglas
said, “I created a new section of that
division — the partners section —
because we were only going to be able
to be successful if we formed a lot of
DIRECTOR JIM DOUGLAS
partnerships.”
These partnerships, Douglas said,
have been established on car rides and around bonfires. For
example, Clayton Stalling, a former private lands biologist for
the Commission, would organize “stump speeches” around
the bonfire during conferences, where everyone was required
to talk about the challenges their organizations were facing
on various conservation fronts.
Now, the Commission’s culture is so focused on these
partnerships that it’s become the very fabric of everything it
does. Kristal Stoner, executive director for Audubon Nebraska
and former wildlife diversity program manager with the
Commission, saw it firsthand. “Douglas recognized that the
conservation field in Nebraska is relatively small compared
to the needs we had, so he understood we couldn’t do this
work alone,” she said.
Stoner’s work focused on a plan to conserve at-risk species
in the state, so she, Douglas, and their colleagues would reach
out to the people doing the work and ask what their needs
were. “By partnering, you could capitalize on the strengths
of other conservation organizations, and you’re transparent
and concerned with what works best for everyone.
“We all have our limitations and strengths,” Stoner
continued. “Some work in the field, some have robust
education platforms, some speak to decision makers. Not
every organization has everything. If we just combine forces
and capitalize on who has what, the work moves forward,
and we’re able to help wildlife.”
This same concept works in education as well. Monica
Macoubrie, wildlife education specialist with the
Commission, said partnerships are “just what we do.” She
and her colleagues work with grade school teachers and
students, representatives from the University of NebraskaLincoln, the Nature Conservancy, and zoos to name a few.
“We help them, and they help us,” Macoubrie said, a theme
throughout the agency statewide. “If it helps you do your job,
go do it.” And partnerships do just that.
“We want to work with as many different people as
possible,” Douglas said, and he wants to establish personal
relationships with each of them. “If
you have a personal relationship, you
can dream together.”
And once you start dreaming
together, you start forming a plan to
make those dreams a reality.
Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
partners with the University of
Nebraska-Lincoln Entomology
Department to monitor the population
of Salt Creek tiger beetles. Many
groups, including the Saline Wetlands
Conservation Partnership, Lower Platte
South Natural Resources District, City
of Lincoln, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
and Aquarium, Lincoln Children’s Zoo,
Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center,
volunteers and others are involved in
conserving Salt Creek tiger beetles,
and partnerships like these are the
foundation of the Commission.
ERIC FOWLER, NEBRASKALAND
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PORTRAITS FROM THE PAST
Hunting South of the farm on the trailrace east of
Columbus 1977. Carroll Mellinger and his sons, son-in-law
and oldest grandson display their successful opening day
pheasants. It was a family tradition to all gather on opening
weekend. Breaded and fried pheasant were always on the
menu for the first day.
Chad Blahak, Joe Blahak, Dennis Ryba, Al Kluever, Dave
Mellinger, Carroll Mellinger, and Greg Mellinger.
– Diane Blahak, Lincoln
Late November Duck Hunt 1983. Pictured from left are
Scott Schroth; Joe Francis; Bones (Joe’s Lab); Satch (my Lab);
and me. The bag included buffleheads, bluebills, redheads,
widgeon and mallards. We hunted on the Salt Valley Lakes,
near Lincoln.
No permanent blinds were allowed so we hiked about 3/4
mile from the parking lot carrying our homemade portable
blind and two dozen decoys. The competition to be the first
to claim a location was quite intense in those days and we
regarded this spot (nicknamed Cedar Point) as the best in the
Salt Valley. Many others did, too. As Satch was retrieving the
last duck, a boat blind motored up to be the next to hunt there
— they had monitored us with binoculars and knew exactly
when we had reached our point system limit.
Scott has passed away, while Joe and I still live in Lincoln.
(Photos by Mary Schroth.)
– Douglas Blaine Harris, Lincoln
Coyote Hunt 1919. This is a photo of my cousins of the Green
and Stevens families of Polk, Nebraska, after a successful coyote
hunt using dogs.
The other photo (left) shows my brothers Roy Green (pictured
left) and Wayne Green after trapping a raccoon near the Big Blue
River southeast of Stromsburg about 1963.
– Merlin Green, Lincoln
Clarence and Henry, coyotes 1940.
My brother, Dale Helms, from Holbrook, Nebraska,
has sent the Nebraskaland Magazine to me and my five
siblings in various states for more than 10 years as a
Christmas gift. I haven’t lived in Nebraska for more than
50 years but enjoy the articles and pictures you feature
each month. I now realize I need to come back as a
tourist and visit those places I’ve never seen. Pictured
are brothers Clarence (19) and Henry (17) Helms with
two coyote pelts on the corncrib door in Gosper County.
– Chris Twidwell, Flagstaff, Arizona
Send contributions to: Portraits from the Past, Nebraskaland Magazine, P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503-0370. Or e-mail to Tim.Reigert@Nebraska.gov. Photos
should show people enjoying Nebraska outdoor activities, such as camping, boating, hunting or fishing, and must have been taken before 2000. We will give
priority to unusual photos or activities. When possible, please include a story about the photograph and identify the people, places and approximate date it was
taken. Text may be edited and photos adjusted for reproduction. All photos will be returned.
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THE LAST STOP
A BEAUTIFUL MODEL
By Eric Fowler
Quail are difficult birds to photograph. Their size
and habitat help insure that.
There is but a short window in the spring where
this diminutive game bird is taller than the prairie
grasses in which it calls home. The rest of the year,
the first hint of their presence typically comes when
they flush from your feet and fly away at Mach speed.
Last summer, however, I found one female quail
who apparently aspired to be a supermodel. Driving
a two-track service road through Rock Glen WMA
near Fairbury one evening after checking a camera
trap, I spotted a female ahead in the road. I drove to
within camera range, made a hard right turn, killed
the engine, rested the camera on the window and
captured a few images before she scurried into the
native tallgrass prairie.
I had seen quail in this exact spot on a previous
trip, so on a hunch, I drove ahead, made a U-turn and
waited a bit before heading back down the same path.
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Nebraskaland • July 2021
Sure enough, in the same spot in the road, I spotted
a pair.
They let me drive close enough for a photo three
times before the male disappeared. But the female
wouldn’t leave the road. So I decided to try something
different and went off road to try and pass her on the
right. She didn’t seem to mind, walking slowly and
pausing in gaps in the grass, seemingly curious as
to what this big, brown, purring chunk of metal was
doing in her neighborhood.
“Yea, work it baby, work it,” I whispered each time
she paused.
As luck would have it, my new path was lower,
putting my window nearly at her level.
We played leapfrog a few more times before she
finally left the road, 20 minutes and 200 yards after
the “chase” had begun. Together, the pair provided me
with 37 usable images.
Thank you, Mrs. Bob. You were a beautiful model.
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Position: 554 (19 views)