Impression Evergreen

The Nebraska Sandhills Flowing through the southern Sandhills of western Nebraska, an irrigation canal offers some relief from the sweltering, summer heat. A ditch road that runs alongside the waterway is the perfect path for a morning hike. Rain from the night before creates a thick haze that burns off into white clouds as the day begins. Even though filtered light glazes the landscape with gold, the pastures seem greener than normal this year. A bunch of shaggy sheep are vocal inhabitants while swallows skim across the water’s smooth surface. Sometimes I’ll see wary jackrabbits or a white-tailed deer but in this big sky county, cattle are king. They are voracious grazers but when confronted by peculiar visitors, it piques their interest. Cows and calves come running in order to get a closer look at the unexpected newcomers. The deep, blue water is a natural barrier between us and the domestic beasts so the situation remains completely harmless. As we continue on our prai

The Northport Canal On a warm summer evening in western Nebraska, wandering along the Northport canal is simply wonderful. Cut through an infinite prairie of yellow grass, the winding waterway satisfies thirsty crops. Drifting by unnoticed, storm clouds pass silently over the vast Sandhills. Still standing in the secluded pasture, an abandoned homestead seems like an idyllic place. The rickety windmill looks like it works but the rest is in ruins. Grazing on the neglected grounds, cattle are curious about our unexpected appearance but mostly they’re content to chew cud. Western kingbirds hold court in the blue grasses that border the slow-moving stream. Around the bend, a great blue heron is startled by strangers and vanishes into the distance like a grey ghost. As the setting sun drenches the landscape with golden light, this glorious day comes to an end. Like the fleeting journey in Pilgrim’s Progress, so perfect is this peaceable kingdom that it must be a dream. Thoug

A Nebraska cornfield I'm a child of the corn, a bug-eater and a husker. I was raised on a farm in Western Nebraska where a colossal cornfield was our backyard. They've been suffering from a terrible drought but this summer the sunflowers have gone crazy and the corn is as high as an elephant's eye. Follow the dogs around the crop and you'll discover a field full of life. Avoid the stickers and watch for woodpeckers in the old tree stand. The hills are alive with a kaleidoscope of color. A profusion of colorful wildflowers decorate the normally brown pastures. Atop the fell, an irrigation canal is running high where the views are sublime. It's a far-reaching panorama of farmland featuring Chimney Rock, clearly visible from fifteen miles away. Despite their decay, a pair of Chevy trucks seem surprisingly picturesque. Backlit against a cloudy sky, Longhorn cattle bring a dramatic dimension to the circular stroll. Down by the creek, trample across a corner of

Storm over Waterton Canyon The Platte River spills down from the mountains and carves an extraordinary gorge through the Rampart Range that concludes with a rugged canyon known as Waterton. This is where the South Platte emerges from the foothills and onto the boggy wetlands just southwest of Denver. The gravel service road that follows the river course is wide and flat making it a perfect track for biking, hiking or trail running. Bighorn sheep are the park’s feature attraction but mule deer, blue herons, black bears, mountain lions and rattlesnakes also frequent the area. We approached the rocky corridor during a late June blizzard. Flakes of white, cottony seeds from gnarled cottonwood trees fell on us like a spring snowstorm. To the west, gray clouds foretold afternoon thunder showers so we picked up the pace. Before long, the steep, red walls had risen to one thousand feet. Dark-green shadows stretched across the narrow pathway. Just around the bend, water confined by an