Sandhills, Bison and Waterfalls

While North Platte was railroad, Buffalo Bill, cattle pasture and cornfields, we were surprised about what we found when we drove up to Valentine, closeby the South Dakota border. It was a peaceful 2-hour drive on a two-lane highway on Sunday morning. We met only a handfull of cars on the way, most of their drivers greeting us.

 

 

 Landscape became more hilly when we approached the Niobrara River, caused by the gently rolling Nebraska sandhills. We were sceptical first about what Valentine has to offer, a tiny town "in the middle of nowhere", but were completely surprised at the end and wished we would have had more time here. Valentine is the county seat of Cherry County - population is about 5,713 - and the whole area has so much to offer, especially on the river, but also hiking, horseback riding, fishing etc.  Lots of outfitters in the area, wish we would have had a chance to do a boat tour on the river, but time was on short supply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nebraska Sandhills region represents the largest natural ecosystem in the state, covering almost a quarter of the state. It is also the largest remaining intact grassland ecosystem in the country. The Sandhills region is known for its spectacular bird populations in the hundreds of lakes and marshes. Historic bridges and waterfalls is another landmark of the region.

Thanks to our knowledgeable and very engaged "guide" Regina we squeezed into one afternoon as much as we could. First stop was at  Carl (photo) and Vicki Simmons' place (with first gorgeous views, see photo above!), who run Golden Prairie Bison Tours and sell bison meat and other products, too in their little shop. Carl’s grandparents homesteaded here in 1914, but Carl was the one who started the bison business in the late 1990ies, reintroducing American Bison (Bison bison) to the sandhills region. 

They leave their bison unfettered, with no antibiotics or hormones and no unnecessary working and provide educational tours about prairie ecosystems (on the photo above Carl is explaining some of the grasses and other plants) and camping experiences to visitors. We drove out into the pastures with their truck, set up a picknick on a plattform there (bison meatballs and bison jerky among many other delicacies), watched the bison and listened to Carl's explanations.

 

Bison herd getting closer

 

 

 

 

 

Next stop: Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge - 5 mi east of Valentine on Highway 12. There is another bison herd (which we didn't see), and, beautiful trails going down to the Niobrara River, to Fort Falls—one of the area’s waterfalls—and wind down along the scenic river. The Fort itself was active from 1879 to 1906 (to protect settlers from Lakota Indian attacks from nearby Rosebud Reservation).

Little caterpillar on the trail

Niobrara River

Fort Falls

More bison at our next stop - didn't know that there are so many bison herds in this part of the country! Part of the animal are given away once a year, after round-up, to supplement other herds (especially on Indian reservations), some are harvested and slaughtered. The meat is considered one of the leanest and healthiest meats you can get, and, these majestic animal are really self-sufficient, just eat the prairie grass and by doing so, take care of the ecosystem.

 

The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve is a model for grassland management using bison, cattle and fire. It encompasses pine-clad canyons, grasslands, and a stretch of the Niobrara River. A naturalist (photo) drove us out into the pastures on a truckbed, explained the many different ecosystems, the lifestyle of the animals, their mission and their organisation. Highly interesting!

It was a beautiful drive along River Road to Norden Falls first, and, Smith Falls State Park afterwards - gorgeous nature, especially now, with the leaves changing color. 

The Norden Chute looks like a waterfall in the middle of the Niobrara river, but is more accurately known as a "hydraulic feature".

At Smith Falls, we crossed the Niobrara River on a footbridge and walk through the wooded canyon to the falls in this park. 

 

 

On the way back to town, we spotted a lot of wildlife: an elk, deer, many wild turkeys, a bald-headed eagle. 

Milkweed - Asklepias - Seidenpflanze

Ribeye steak

Since on Sundays most restaurants in town are closed, we had an extra experience lateron: Drove into the tiny-teeny town of Kilgore, to a saloon-steakhouse there, about half hour driving time from Valentine. Steaks were super, atmosphere unique: cowboys and indians, (the bar is only a few miles away from the reservation border).

 In the pitch-dark we drove back and had to stop to look at the sky, with stars in galore and even Northern Lights to be seen. The Cherry County skies are a canvas of the brightest stars thanks to the lack of light pollution and the tranquil and quiet surroundings make it the ideal place view the night sky. 

 

Next morning, when the sun came up, we left our hotel, the Niobrara Lodge, for Bismarck, ND, another long drive of about 330 miles/500 km.