Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills

[roverrocks]

I have visited the wondrous Nebraska Sandhills region (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...HFAOrY7unrDkMOeAQOs6OQ&bvm=bv.77880786,d.cGU) several times during the summer months of 2013 and 2014 exploring and traveling the epic, lonely, and remote back byways of this nearly 20,000 sq mile ancient sand and dune grassland. This region is the last great large contiguous midgrass/tallgrass prairie of the United States. Several prior Expo postings by myself have shown these green Sandhills in all their summer glory. This posting is an autumn late October trip viewing the fall grassland and tree colors, wildlife, streams, lakes, and wetlands of this amazing prairie area of vast ranches including bison ranches owned by Ted Turner (he has five Sandhills ranches). I took about half new byways for myself and half previously traveled byways. I spent one night in North Platte, two nights in Mullen, one night in Thedford, and one night in Alliance, Nebraska motels. The last day after staying in Alliance on the far western edge of the Sandhills I traveled south back towards Colorado through the far eastern end of the short grass prairie of the Ponderosa Pine covered Wildcat Hills of Oregon Trail lore. Here are 80 pictures of some of what I saw in the Sandhills and Wildcat Hills butte country. I had not spent any time in the autumn-colored Sandhills in 40 years. Hopefully you will enjoy these pictures and visit these lonely Nebraska prairies someday. Pictures in no way do these amazing lonely grasslands justice.

1) Dawn on the North Platte River just north of North Platte, NE. The southern edge of the Sandhills region. Five Canada Geese on the right on a shallow sandbar in the distance.
2) Canada Geese at dawn on a North Platte River sandbar.
3) Mist at dawn NW of North Platte, NE just into the Sandhills along Hy 97.
4) Same as #3. Dawn mist.
5) An abandoned Sansdhills ranchstead just after dawn on Oct. 19, 2014.
6) Dawn on the Serengeti Plains of Africa.................................actually dawn on the golden reddish autumn Sandhills prairie.
7) Early morning sun on a long long byway. The reddish tinted grass is Little Bluestem which is a bunchgrass and is the state grass of Nebraska.
8) The great sea of grass stretching to the timeless Sandhills horizon.
9) A scenic ranch corral on a perfect autumn morning.
10) Along Hy 97 about 20 miles NW of North Platte, NE. Looking through the tall seed stems of Prairie Sandreed grass with yuccas just beyond.

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills cont.

1) A beautiful Sandhills ranchstead. There are many large Sandhills windbreaks many of which were planted in the CCC days of the 1930's.
2) The tall stems and seed heads of Sand Bluestem grass mixed with the clumps of reddish Little Bluestem grass. Prime and common Sandhills grasses.
3) The timeless beauty of the curing autumn grassland. The crooked fence posts are of Juniper which are very rot resistant.
4) My rental Ford F-150 exploring truck.
5) Gorgeous Little Bluestem which turns shades of pink, red, and purple in the Sandhills Autumn.
6) Sand Muhly grass and Yucca. Sand Muhly is a great colonizer and stabilizer of open sands and blowouts. The sharp stiff stems are little grazed.
7) The beautiful spring-fed North Fork of Birdwood Creek. A ranchstead at the upper right is called the Tin Cup Ranch.
8) Another view of the Birdwood. There are many young small Eastern Junipers dotting the hillsides. This native tree can become a serious prairie pest without the periodic fires that used to roll across the vast Sandhills region. The Juniper expands up and out of stream courses onto the grasslands. Quite often the berries/seeds are eaten by birds and deposited by their droppings.
9) A berry topped juniper and an Eastern Cottonwood above the North Fork of the Birdwood.
10) The spring-fed North Fork of Birdwood Creek 35 miles NW of North Platte, NE and 15 miles SW of Tryon, NE.

 

[roverrocks]

1) The West Fork of Birdwood Creek about nine miles south of where I crossed the North Fork. A bit more spring-fed water in this West Fork. The spring-fed creeks, streams, and rivers of the Sandhills stay remarkably consistent in flow rates throughout the 12 month years.
2) A lonely cottonwood sentinel 10 miles NW of Sutherland, NE.
3) Crossing a pioneer trail 1/2 mile north of the North Platte River near Sutherland, NE.
4) Pioneer wagon trail ruts just east of the Mormon Trail sign.
5) The North Platte River. Just a shadow of it's former self these days with all the water taken out for irrigation upstream.
6) An old abandoned ranchstead along a seldom used byway NW of Sutherland, NE.
7) A remote Sandhills prairie cemetery along a remote byway.
8) Going north on a remote Sandhills track NW of Sutherland, NE. This track ended for me after 13 undulating miles when I arrived at a cattle guard and No Trespassing sign.
9) An autumn Sandhills lake and wetland.
10) A cottonwood planting in decline which surrounds an abandoned ranchstead. Little Bluestem in the foreground.

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills cont.

1) A remote one lane asphalt track heading northward towards Hy 92.
2) The spring-fed North Fork of the Dismal River about 15 miles SW of Mullen, NE.
3) The setting sun on the North Fork of the Dismal about 15 miles SW of Mullen, NE.
4) Sandhills prairie about 10 miles SW of Mullen, NE. There are numerous natural sand blowouts in the high center grass covered dunes.
5) Dawn on Oct 19 a few miles NW of Mullen, NE.
6) The valley of the Middle Loup River coursing through the Sandhills about 5 miles NW of Mullen, NE. Lots of invasive junipers ranging out into the grasslands.
7) Looking southward early in the morning just north of the Middle Loup River near Mullen.
8) The Middle Loup River on Oct. 19 along Hy. 97 two miles north of Mullen.
9) Southward migrating Sandhill cranes about 20 miles NW of Mullen along a remote sandy byway.
10) Wetland swales and grass hayland

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills cont.

1) Sandhills prairie grasses swaying in the stiff south wind. The fire danger was high due to autumn dryness and above normal temperatures in the upper 70's.
2) Pronghorns eyeballing me miles and miles NW of Mullen. The nine total pronghorns soon ran off at high speed to higher hills to the north.
3) A Sandhills ranch direction sign 30 miles NW of Mullen. The Spike Box ranch is a Ted Turner bison ranch of which there are five.
4) A Sandhills wetland on Turner's bison ranch with muskrat mounds.
5) A perfect looking and natural sand blowout. Blowouts have their own distinctive ecology and plant life. Blowouts have become much less common with the advent of settlement and fire control. Some plants such as Blowout Penstemon are endangered.
6) Bison handling corrals on the Spike Box ranch.
7) Some of Ted Turner's bison grazing in the distance. The bison fencing is 5 feet high and appears to be electrified. I talked to a local rancher and he said he was on a crew that removed 43 miles of interior cattle fencing from this bison ranch. The pastures are very large.
8) A road through the heart of the Spike Box Bison Ranch in Cherry County, NE. I had traveled it twice before.
9) Grass haying on the Spike Box.
10) Some beautiful Sandhills horses giving me the hairy eyeball once-over west of the Spike Box Ranch.

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills cont.

1) A nice cattle ranch in Cherry County, NE about 25 miles north of Whitman, NE.
2) A large cattle herd along the Whitman Road about 20 miles north of Whitman, NE.
3) Monahan's Little Chicago corral about 1/2 mile north of Hy. 2 along the North Hecla Road. Hecla, NE which no longer exists along Hy. 2 about 10 miles west of Whitman, NE was an important railroad terminal for cattle shipment in the old days and was not too far from this corral.
4) A Sandhills sunrise on Oct. 21 south of Mullen, NE.
5) A flock of wild turkeys a few miles north of Tryon, NE.
6) Still a few wildflowers out. A yellow evening primrose.
7) A scenic view along the Ringgold-Seneca Road.
8) A large wetland along the Ringgold-Seneca Road.
9) Another autumn Sandhills wetland of which there are thousands.
10) Another scenic autumn Sandhills wetland 25 miles SW of Hyannis, NE.

 

[mph]

Wow
That looks like some sweet country to explore. The grass shots r great! Thanks for posting.

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills cont.

1) Alkaki Lake which is a large shallow windswept lake SW of Ashby, NE on a back byway.
2) A beautiful setting for a thriving Sandhills ranchstead.
3) A large head of Sandhills cattle gathered together for shipment.
4) Courthouse and Jail Rocks south of Bridgeport, NE in the eastern end of the Wildcat Hills near the Oregon Trail.
5) Another view of Courthouse and Jail Rocks. Landmarks for Oregon Trail settlers on their way west.
6) Another view of Courthouse and Jail Rocks from the NE.
7) The north face of Courthouse Rock.
8) A view of Courthouse and Jail Rocks from the south along Hy. 88 about 5 miles south of Bridgeport, NE.
9) A morning scenic view of the soft sandstone buttes and buttresses of the eastern Wildcat Hills.
10) A Bald Eagle sitting in a prairie dog town a short distance from Chimney Rock which was an outstanding well-known Oregon Trail landmark.

 

[roverrocks]

Autumn in the Nebraska Sandhills and Wildcat Hills- The Last Pictures

1) Chimney Rock- A very prominent and well-known Oregon Trail landmark.
2) The Chimney Rock Cemetery just east of Chimney Rock.
3) The Chimney Rock Cemetery.
4) The Chimney Rock Cemetery looking west at nearby Chimney Rock.
5) Roundtop, Coyote, Table, and Castle Rocks a few miles west of Chimney Rock in the Wildcat Hills.
6) Sheep Mountain along the Hubbard Gap Road five miles SW of Chimney Rock in the Wildcat Hills.
7) A scenic view back northwestward from the Hubbard Gap in the Wildcat Hills.
8) Hubbard Gap
9) Sandstone buttes south of Hubbard Gap.
10) More sandstone buttes near Hubbard Gap.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

Gorgeous photos as always...is the Disco down?

 

[roverrocks]

Gorgeous photos as always...is the Disco down?

At the moment it is down. It is getting old and beat up. The 4x4 Ford pick-up was nice to go in. No complaints.

 

[UnfrozenCaveman]

I know the feeling. Our '94 has been demoted to running around town duty...its sneaking up on "fully depreciated"

 

[sseaman]

A buddy and myself spent some time exploring this area last week and I was amazed how pretty the terrain is, completely unexpected. Hopefully I will get my write up done this week.