Nothin' but blue skies from now on

August 20, 2016 in Kansas, Nebraska

One last road trip before fall arrives, a quick tour of the southern border of Nebraska along US 136 and NE 89 to McCook. I'm crossing off the last few towns I've yet to visit south of I-80 and stopping by a places I haven't seen since my initial travels for ninety-three back in 2007. Returning to some of these towns, like Wilsonville, is like seeing an old friend, even if we only met for a very short amount of time several years ago. Not much changes in these parts.

Tomorrow I'm headed towards the Colorado border and then back home across the state.

Visited: Milligan, Superior, Abdal, Red Cloud, Bloomington, Naponee, Harlan County Lake, Republican City, Alma, Orleans, Stamford, Beaver City, Hendley, Wilsonville, Lebanon, Danbury, Marion, Grove Cemetery, and Culbertson, Nebraska. Oberlin, Traer, and Herndon, Kansas.

Post title: Willie Nelson - Blue Skies

I'm going high, high up on some lonesome hill

July 04, 2016 in Nebraska, Me

It's hard to believe that it has been almost ten years since I first set out to explore Nebraska and began work on what would become ninety-three. In the years since, I've continued to photograph every corner of Nebraska, keeping track of every place I've visited along the way. The result is the following map:

The blue dots represent places I've visited, from towns to natural areas to cemeteries to state-lines and more. The red dots (of which 16 remain!) are the few towns I've yet to visit in my travels. As with the ninety-three project, it would have been a heckuva lot easier if this is what I had planned from the beginning. Despite that, it's been a fun journey and I'm looking forward to completing this personal challenge in the next year or so.

All that remain: Amelia, Brownlee, Chambers, Champion, Cummingsville, Elsmere, Huntley, Johnstown, Lamar, Lebanon, Milburn, Milligan, Naponee, Palisade, Purdum, and Wood Lake.

Photographs from an unseasonably cool July 3rd along the edge of the sandhills...

This was my first visit to the Olson Nature Preserve near Petersburg, a small, semi-remote public nature reserve along Beaver Creek. It's one of the more fascinating natural places I've found in the state. The area around the creek is a wetland, with tall Cottonwood Trees and tall native prairie grasses. Along a ridge, there is a cool, dark woodland full of tangled old Oak trees. And on the other side of the ridge are the start of the sandhills complete with cacti and more desert-like grasses. And all of this within a mile or so walk from the parking lot.

View from Palestine Baptist Church near Lindsay

Post title: The Carter Family - Bear Creek Blues

We belong on these wild and wonderful trails

March 30, 2016 in Nebraska

Yesterday was a long trek from Valentine to Omaha across the northern edge of the state on Nebraska Highway 12. Almost this entire area feels forgotten, as if time moved on without it. The towns are impossibly small (see: Monowi, Pop. 1 and Gross, Pop 2.) and poetic in their own silent, sad ways. This part of Nebraska had its glory years almost a century ago and much of what once held great importance to those who lived here will disappear quietly over time.

In Sparks, I was taking photographs of the general store / post office and an old church when a woman came outside and invited me in. I learned that a grandchild had just been born - increasing the population of the town to 7. The general store had a broad, eclectic collection of necessities, and more than half of the town was sitting at a table in a cafe area, all family. They were all exceptionally friendly people, joking about how they've realized that the number of pets in the town now greatly exceeds the number of people.

All in all, this was a successful trip, and a much needed break from the day-to-day responsibilities of my job. Despite how much I enjoy wandering, there's nothing better than coming home to a comfortable house, a wonderful wife, and an excited dog.

To the future!

Visited: Sparks, Norden, Springview, Burton, Mills, Brocksburg, Jamison, Naper, Butte, Annoka, Spencer, Gross, Bristow, Lynch, Monowi, Verdel, Niobrara State Park, Niobrara, Verdigre, Winnetoon, Brunswick, and Foster, Nebraska.

Post title: The Tallest Man on Earth - Beginners

Headed West

March 25, 2016 in Nebraska

I'm taking an Easter weekend trip to the panhandle, meandering my way out to the Oglala National Grassland and back. Today was spent on I-80, wasting little time at 80 miles an hour through the Platte River valley to Ogallala. There was a blizzard out here just two days ago - yet only a few small piles of snow remain.

Northeast Colorado and US-385 to Chadron tomorrow.