Summer Drawing to a Close in the Outback

A young friend of mine, with three young boys commented to me that my blog posts were an inspiration for her to get out with her family and have some adventure. I'm glad - that's one of the reasons I record how great it is to live in Nebraska. Get out and enjoy where ever you find yourself.

Our last day on the water, we shared the river with another tank and a group of canoes and kayaks. It's great to see everyone out and about.

Today is going to warm up again in the Outback, but the nights are getting cool, and there is a definite autumn chill in the air.  We have probably taken our last tanking trip of the summer, so what better time to look back at all the great fun we had over the summer.

In one of our last trips, we had the unfortunate experience of brushing against a tree on the bank that was covered with tiny little spiders. Now it wouldn't have bothered most of us, but some of our group weren't too interested in sharing our tank with the little critters. Nothing to do but pull over on a sandbank and rid the tank of the invaders.

After a quick pit-stop, it's time to re-launch the vessel and head out for more leisurely fun.
You'll have to click on the picture below in order to see the detail in the photo, but there is a Blue Heron near the shore. If you can ever get the passengers in the tank to be quiet long enough (and this is why we don't allow radios!) you get to see quite a bit of wildlife.
You never know just who you're going to meet on the river.  Is that Tom Cruise?
There is no better way to reconnect with friends and family than leisurely floating down the river in a tank. It leads to great conversation.
All of the kids enjoy themselves. Who says an adventure has to be exciting and dangerous? Not many rapids, waterfalls or dangerous critters on the Platte, but still an adventure in the outdoors.
The shots below hopefully give you some idea of how beautiful the scenery is, and how peaceful and serene it is to quietly float down the river.


And now back to more fun - don't they look like they're having fun?
Two of the best friends a family could ever have.
Even if you don't see the critters, you know that they're there. These are Turkey tracks down near the water.
After a long afternoon on the river, it's time to sit back and reflect on the day while waiting for the road crew to return.
And here they come. Time to load up the tank, secure all of the belongings, scout the area to see if there is any trash left over from someone else's fun (always leave it better than you found it), and head to town. Nothing left of the day except the memories.
We're going to keep track of the water flow in the river. If it ever gets up to around 500 CFS this winter, we may consider a polar bear trip. Hot chocolate and schnapps instead of beer, and a grill in the center of the tank instead of a cooler. Might be fun... stay tuned.

Thanks for stopping by. The coffee is always on.