Today we drove over the border to Nebraska to hike the
Calumet Bluff Trail. Lewis & Clark spent time there on their journey.
On our way into the parking lot, we passed a couple of
turkey hens with 5 or 6 young ones. The trail was a moderate hike with a few
hills and a creek crossing. Lots of wildflowers along the way as well. We saw
quite a few birds as well. 3 Yellow-billed Cuckoos, one of which was young. I
was scanning the trees with my binoculars and this huge red gaping mouth came
into my sight. The parent was below it on a branch feeding it. Cuckoos don’t
sit still very long and are hard to photograph. (or even see clearly) There
were quite a few Catbirds, House wrens, Brown Thrashers, Nashville Warblers and
a couple of hawks. One was an adult in the forest and the other was a juvenile
flying high overhead.
turkey hens & young (we saw 2 males in the woods
Nashville Warbler
makeshift bridge over the little creek
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
trail
House Wren was taking a dirt bath
Catbird was hanging out with the House Wrens
House Wren
view of the dam from the trail
Broad-winged Hawk
golf course
Broad-winged Hawk - juvenile
mating insects
After our hike we went to the Lewis & Clark Visitor
Center. Great views of the Dam. It was a very well done Visitor’s center and we
watched 3 films. One on the Lewis & Clark expedition, one on the building of
the dam and the other on the 4 seasons of the Missouri River. Then, we toured
the small museum there.
If you want a refresher course in Lewis & Clark &
their Corps of Discovery Expedition: “The Lewis and Clark Expedition began in
1804, when President Thomas Jefferson tasked Meriwether Lewis with exploring
lands west of the Mississippi River that comprised the Louisiana Purchase.
Lewis chose William Clark as his co-leader for the mission. The excursion
lasted over two years: Along the way they confronted harsh weather, unforgiving
terrain, treacherous waters, injuries, starvation, disease and both friendly
and hostile Native Americans. Nevertheless, the approximately 8,000-mile
journey was deemed a huge success and provided new geographic, ecological and
social information about previously uncharted areas of North America.”
It was lunch time and we went to the Dam Fish Shack which
was a food truck, a separate bar, a bait store and an indoor and outdoor
seating area. After you order your dam food, they call you up by yelling your
dam food is ready or your dam order is ready. Yeah, it didn’t get old. Food was
fast and very good. Greg had a Walleye basket and I had a shrimp basket. Both
were dam good.
Dam Fish Shack
Dam Bar
We then drove across the Dam and saw it from the other
side which put us much closer to it. Lake Yankton is below the dam and Lewis
& Clark Lake is above the dam.
driving across the dam
Then, we wen to the Gavins Point Fish Hatchery and
Aquarium. They had about 50 kinds of local freshwater fish and turtles, frogs
and toads. We went inside the hatchery, but not much was going on this time of
year. Then we walked around the outside ponds.
cone flowers
fish hatchery
fish ponds
ducks of some kind....
Spotted Sandpiper
there were tons of blue dragonflies
Cliff Swallows
baby swallow
Tomorrow, we may return to the Calumet Bluff Trail, as it
was a pretty nice hike. Then, we get ready to move to our next stop in Greenwood,
Nebraska. (near Lincoln)
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