Getting caught up

 So I have fallen behind in my blog. Here it is the 15th of July and I haven't given you any idea of what mischief I am up to.  Well, we are keeping very busy!  I have been out and about the park and it is still green.  This week the temperature has finally kicked into summer mode.  The heat index for the next few days is expected to be well over 110.  There has been so much rain that everything is still very green but we will probably see more browning with the heat now.  We are hearing more reports of rattlesnakes, where there is grass there are critters that eat grass.  Where there are critters that eat grass, there are critters that eat critters, pretty simple.  So on my drives and adventures I did manage to get some photos to share.  Sod tables are so very cool.  The little guys with the mushroom shapes are referred to as hoo-doos.

Three of us decided it was time for an adventure so we took off and went about 2 hours from here to a place in Nebraska called Niobrara River.  We camped over night and

and canoed the river the next day for 6 hours.  It was so beautiful This waterfall was right up the path from our campsite. Of course we had to take off shoes and play in the water.  The river has lots of different waterfalls along the banks.  The water table is actually above the river so it "leaks out" and makes all kinds of little waterfalls.  They say we did some Class 1 rapids which didn't seem that big to me, but I will claim it as a victory and say I did it! It was a great time and the weather was perfect.  I am sure we must have been a sight, three rangers just cruising and talking to anyone who would listen to us. 

I went of the moon hike across the prairie last night and it was something.  You don't need a flashlight when you walk across a moonlite prairie.  It is an odd feeling to be out, surreal.  The buttes take on a whole different feel and you realize how amazing how all of this is, like I had not realized that already.  It is very calming and so quiet.  I will try and get some pictures of the moon on for you.  It was fantastic tonight but my camera didn't cooperate too well.  Ranger Larry had his camera out and he never takes a bad picture of anything.  He is a wonderful man and so neat to work with.