In spite of the mushiness of the last post, I was happy to get on the road after two nights of back country camping. Within minutes of the interstate, an obstacle (or 10) blocked my path to civilization.
Seriously, guys? You really don't want to be between me and my coffee. It's a dangerous place to be. And, on a completely unrelated side-note, I haven't had beef in days.
Oh, I'm just kidding! Maybe.
Coffee in hand, we knocked out the 4.5 hour drive to Cheyenne and ordered a feast at Chili's. We needed it! No awesome blossom though, unfortunately.
The plan for the day was to find a tourist-y recommendation called Terry's Bison Ranch near Cheyenne and explore some of the activities there- a train, animals, rides, gift shop, restaurant, and pony riding- and then stay at the ranch's campground overnight.
The plan for the day was to find a tourist-y recommendation called Terry's Bison Ranch near Cheyenne and explore some of the activities there- a train, animals, rides, gift shop, restaurant, and pony riding- and then stay at the ranch's campground overnight.
From our research, we figured the ranch was going to be a tourist-trap: cheesy, over-the-top, but a whole lotta fun. We were exactly right.
The first thing we did was sign up for the train ride. The train departs from "the depot" every hour and a half, lasts about an hour long, and gives a tour of the ranch as well as an opportunity to feed Prairie Bison. TLO was stoked!
It's a dream come true, folks. As the storm clouds rolled in, we boarded the train and headed out to the pasture of buffalo.
"I want to feed them all by myself." -TLO
Yeah, sure you do, buddy. You just wait till you see these big guys.
Yeah, sure you do, buddy. You just wait till you see these big guys.
Woah.
On our way out we actually briefly entered Colorado, the only time we were in Colorado on this trip.
On our way out we actually briefly entered Colorado, the only time we were in Colorado on this trip.
The buffalo were HUGE! Ranging anywhere from 2,000-4,000 pounds, the males were the first to approach the train. The females hung back at first with their babies (I get ya, girls). There was a newborn baby bison not even 30 minutes old, too.
The train stopped and it was time for TLO to feed the bison! We didn't think he would do it, but he proved us wrong!
A cold sprinkle was starting when the train pulled back into station, but we took a few minutes to check out some of the other animals. My favorite was a friendly horse who just loved Reed's head-rubs!
There was also this catwalk/bridge thing that went over all of the cattle pens. We crept across it with caution- I found it terrifying, but as usual, the boys loved it.
They had pretty much everything you would expect in attendance: horses, donkeys, sheep, goats, cows, chickens, turkeys, alpacas, pigs- even a stray cat!
And camels. But they were isolated because they don't know how to be nice.
Too soon the sprinkle became a cold rain, and we dashed for the car. It was only 4:30, and Jacob wasn't looking forward to setting up camp in the rain only to sit in a tent until dark. So in the adventurous spirit of the Wild West, we decided to drive a few more hours east and hope to find a campground to stay overnight.
I can't believe I just wrote that! Did the perfectionist, super-planned, fearful momma-bear really just write that?
Well, it's exactly what we did, and boy, did Ogallala Beach at Lake McConaughy (I'm so glad I don't have to say either of those words out loud) deliver!
Determined to get TLO to bed at an early time, we googled the nearest campground while driving on I-80 in the middle of the Nebraska cornfields. The GPS let us to Ogallala Campground. Not sure what to expect, we were absolutely shocked to find a gorgeous beach with marked campsites. The beach was sandwiched between two gigantic rocks, the sand was smooth and deep, and the sun was setting on a gigantic lake. I was literally speechless, and I suddenly knew that Reed was not going to get to bed on time.
Jacob set up camp one last time while Reed and I explored the beach. I had a little flashback to our trip to Myrtle Beach as I watched him completely shut out everything and immerse himself in the beach around him.
At dark, we put Reed to bed and he was asleep in minutes. Jacob and I stayed up and finally got to see a clear, starry sky. Five nights out camping and no stars because of clouds, but night #6 was a good one!
Morning came too early, and we let TLO play in the sand for a couple more hours before hitting the road again.
Leaving the bison ranch without a camping plan was a risk- no doubt! But sometimes taking a risk can lead you to something wonderful. Or something horrible. I am thankful that we didn't end up in some children-of-the-corn situation out in the cornfields of Nebraska. We did check the ratings, but still. I think we might have found a little favor with the Man upstairs that night.
Who knew there were beaches in Nebraska? I didn't.
Look- another beautiful water pump! I think I might be obsessed.
Goodbye, Lake Ogallala! Something tells me that we just might see you again someday!
Goodbye, Lake Ogallala! Something tells me that we just might see you again someday!