April 28 - Day 1

It's been a long wait but FINALLY we are starting this much anticipated vacation. After last year's disaster (flooding cancelled our trip to Joplin Missouri and a hastily planned trip to Hibbing Minnesota was cancelled due to snow) we were anxious to get out of town and away from everything for awhile. We headed out at around 4 am dressed in our shorts because we were promised warm weather. I keep saying this, but this time I mean it, I am NEVER believing the weather people again. It was cold!! really cold.

We stopped at the Mulberry Overlook in the Missouri National Recreational River to get out of the car and stretch our legs. It was beautiful and the American Plum trees were blooming but it was overcast, windy and cold (especially in our shorts). We also saw a Northern Cardinal and an Eastern Towhee. So after a short jaunt to the top of the lookout, back into the car we went and on to our final destination Hays Kansas.

We arrived in Hays Kansas after around a total of 12 hours in the car. Exhausted we stumbled out of the car and into our hotel room. Our trip to tornado alley wouldn't be complete without tornado warnings so conveniently enough there were tornado warnings out to the west of us heading in our location. Fortunately we only had thunder, lightening, and rain. And what would be more appropriate to watch on the old boob tube but Twister. It was on so we watched it.

April 29 - Day 2

I've been wanting to go to Quivira National Wildlife Refuge for some time now and this was finally the day I was going to get there. It was overcast, windy (really windy), and cold. We are in Kansas and it's the end of April, almost May, it is not supposed to be this cold. I don't think it got above 52 degrees all day. Despite the weather there were plenty of shorebirds to see and photograph. Later in the day the sun tried to peak out, only to be chased away by clouds. Can't believe my time here is over. This is a must return to area for us hopefully when it is sunnier and a bit warmer.

At Quivira National Wildlife Refuge we saw Clay-colored Sparrow, Blue-winged Teal, Long-billed Dowitcher, Great Blue Heron, Red-winged Blackbird, American White Pelican, White-faced Ibis, Wilson's Phalarope, American Coot, Northern Shovler, Snowy Egret, Spotted Sandpiper, Eastern Meadowlark, Snowy Plover, Black-necked Stilt, Lesser Yellowlegs, Stilt Sandpiper, Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Eared Grebe, Franklin's Gull, Redhead, Pied-billed Grebe, American Avocet, Killdeer, Least Sandpiper, Forster's Tern, Musk Turtle, Wren, Wood Sorrel, Harris Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Northern Mockingbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler,  Gorgone Checkerspot, Baltimore Oriole, American Robin, Blue Jay, White-crowned Sparrow, Fringed puccoon, Cattle Egret, Semipalmated Sandpiper,Semipalmated Plover, Peregrine Falcon, Western Kingbird, White-tailed Deer, Double Crested Commorant, Mallard, Prickley Pear Cactus, and Chipping Sparrow.

April 30 - Day 3

Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge is another refuge I've been waiting to go to for awhile now. Finally we are going, but once again it is cold, windy, overcast, and rain is threatening. We arrived there and stopped in to the headquarters and had a nice chat with the staff there. Then we drove a short refuge road and were about to head on over to the prairie dog town when the check engine light comes on. WHAT???? Our vehicle is only 2 years old and was checked over just before we left. Now what? We are pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Well we really don't want to get stranded here so we look up there nearest Ford dealer and luckily it is on our way to our hotel for the night. We drive about 60 miles to the Ford dealer in Holdrege Nebraska. It took about 4 hours but was determined that we had a faulty sensor and they didn't have a new one. So we were assured that this would not leave us stranded on the side of the road if we opted to leave it to get fixed until we returned to our Ford dealer back home. So off we went to North Platte Nebraska for the night. We arrived to trace amounts of snow on the ground. This was enough adventure for one day, but it wasn't over. Once we checked into our room for the night, Aaron started to have severe back pain. He was able to make it through the night with only a couple episodes of pain.

At Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge we managed to see Northern Shovler, Blue-winged Teal, American Avocet, and Franklin's Gull.

May 1 - Day 4

Aaron was still having episodes of pain, so we decided he needed to have this checked out. So I found the nearest Urgent Care facility and we headed there. Turns out he had kidney stones. We decided to have a CT scan to determine if we needed to head home, or could continue our trip as long as his pain was managed. After about 4 hours we were once again on the road to Valentine Nebraska our hotel for the remainder of the trip. Mid way through this drive the check engine light came on again. We arrived at Valentine and rested up for some fun adventures the next day.

May 2 - Day 5

Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge was on the docket for today. It was still overcast, however the sun did peak out for awhile, but it was supposed to be getting warmer. The refuge was nice and there were some really cute horned larks and upland sandpipers that were fun to watch. Of course the prairie dogs were a hoot as well too. The heavy rains in the area earlier in the year left the roads well, a mess would be the understatement of the year. In places they were impassable, other spots they were full of ruts and wash-boarded. I'll consider myself lucky if the shocks in my vehicle don't go out and I don't end up with whiplash after this trip. Later that evening just before dusk there was a strange orange glow in the sky.

Here we saw White-tailed Deer, Bison, Prairie Dog, Horned Lark, Mourning Dove, Eastern Meadowlark, Killdeer, Ring-necked Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Upland Sandpiper, Yucca, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Turkey Vulture, and Turkey.

May 3 - Day 6

Today we visited the Valentine National Wildlife Refuge. It was a nice day, sunny and warmer but not too warm.

It was a nice refuge but again the roads were bad. We walked up to the fire tower which was a nice walk. Later in the evening we took a walk on the Cowboy Trail. The cowboy trail is the largest Rails-to-Trails project in the United States. It begins in Norfolk and stretches 321 miles west to Chadron. East of Valentine (the former railroad bridge) the bridge is a quarter-mile in length and rises 148 feet over the Niobrara River.  It is beautiful but not great if you suffer from acrophobia or the fear of heights like I do. I did manage to cross the bridge not only once but twice.

At Valentine National Wildlife Refuge we saw: Upland Sandpiper, Eastern Meadowlark, Bufflehead, Pheasant, Canada Geese, Blue-winged Teal, Turkey, Turkey Vulture, Sand Cherry, Prickley Pear Cactus, Field Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Double-Crested Cormmorant, Say's Phoebe, Painted Lady, Northern Shrike, Blue Jay, American Robin, Mallard, Northern Pintail, White-tail Deer, and American White Pelican.

Along the Cowboy Trail we saw:Field Sparrow, Sand Cherry, Painted Lady, Rock Pigeon, Lark Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, Prickley Pear Cactus, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wren, Eastern Bluebird,

May 4 - Day 7

The end of the trip has arrived and it is time to head home. I am not ready, it has finally warmed up and the sun is shining and now I have to go. Are you kidding me???? Fine. We get in the car and head for home. Earlier this spring we heard the flooding in Nebraska was devastating. Many bridges in the state are washed out. We had to change our route to avoid these areas, but still in places we were amazed at how high the flooded rivers and creeks got. You can still see the debris way up in the trees and stuck along the barb wire fences. In places the land was washed away along the creek side.

We stopped once again at the Mulberry Overlook and this time the sun was out and it was beautiful. There were butterflies, bees, and even a couple of warblers on the American Plums that were still blooming.

We also stopped at Pipestone National Monument in Pipestone Minnesota. Part of the trails here were closed due to flooding as well, but it was still a beautiful day for a quick hike. It is now time for the final stretch home. This was not the trip we were hoping for but will still call it a win since we made it home in one piece. 'til next time.

Take care

Karla and Aaron