Pam & I in Alberta harvesting a moose.
Pam and I harvesting an Idaho Elk.
Camper’s Choice 8 Person Tent
Two Days on Lake Francis Case (Day 1)
Lake Francis Case is the large, gently winding reservoir behind Fort Randall Dam on the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota. The lake has an area of 102,000 acres and a maximum depth of 140 feet. Lake Francis Case covers just over 100 miles and has a shoreline of 540 miles. A good friend and his wife had just come back from a two day fishing trip and gave an outstanding recommendation for a guide, using his boat and equipment, and a lodge to stay at. The pictures they had were of some excellent walleye fishing. The fish caught were not big lunkers, but really nice size fish in the 15 to 18 inch class. These fillet out really nice and fry up even better. Picture is produced by Harry Weddington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Digital Visual Library The Fort Randall Dam is located within sight of its namesake Fort Randall, an
The Floods of Southwest Iowa
This picture taken from Lewis and Clark Monument north of Council Bluffs. Downtown Omaha is at the upper right of the picture with the Missouri River weaving around Council Bluffs. You can see I-29 with the water flooding the east side. In 1953 the year of the big flood in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area was a highlight of a young boy’s experiences. The west end of Council Bluffs was totally evacuated in case the levees did not hold. Our group of rowdy little boys spent the week we were let out of school on a bluff that overlooked the city. One of the boy’s fathers had been in the Navy during the WWII and we were supplied with an enormous pair of binoculars that took two of us to carry. We sat and watched the action going on along the river. The levees held, thanks to all able bodied men who worked
Memorial Day
Fort McPherson National Cemetery The day before Memorial Day, Pam and I started out across Nebraska to Sidney where she lived before going off to school and marrying a very charming gentleman, me. Sidney, Nebraska is the resting place for her family spread between two cemeteries, one in town and one in the country on the plains. We have driven by on I-80 hundreds of times and each time, we said next time we will stop and see the Fort McPherson National Cemetery south of Maxwell. This was the time. Fort McPherson was established in 1863 to ensure peace between the immigrants traveling along the Oregon Trail and Native Americans. Troops originally provided protection from hostile Natives during construction of the railroad. Establishment of the 20 acre cemetery in 1873 afforded space to re-inter remains from cemeteries abandoned by the Army when conflict between settlers and Native Americans decreased. A
The Beautiful Orioles are Back
They have appeared again and we do not know where they came from. A neighbor who is really into birds told my wife to put out some grape jelly and we would see a beautiful bird come and feed on the grape jelly. It is the Baltimore Oriole. The oriole is a singer with a rich whistling song that echoes from tree tops and parks. Now the birds are in our neighborhood. We always thought this bird lived in the eastern states, but here it is in Iowa. The male has brilliant orange plumage while the female appearance is much more subdued. Male Baltimore Oriole getting ready to have some grape jelly Besides the Baltimore Oriole, we are also being visited by the Orchard Oriole. A smaller bird, the male is brick red with a solid black tail. First year males have a well defined black bib. The female has a greenish yellow rather than the orange – yellow breast.