It was beautifully quiet this morning and if fact, was very quiet all night. The birds are singing and all seems well in this neck of the woods. It was so nice to hear a meadowlark last evening singing its little heart out in an evergreen tree yesterday and it sounds like he is at it again this morning.
The sun is shining and it looks like a great day for a quad ride.
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| Our ride today |
We started off our ride today by taking the trail right beside the truck. It was a rather adventurous trail that we hoped would lead us to the edge of the Missouri River and hopefully follow its shore line. Unfortunately, the trail ended with a NO VEHICLES sign. This area has been closed to all public access as a result of the Refuge status. We then climbed out of the valley, back to the truck and headed down the road in the same direction that all the campers were headed. There were nothing but NO VEHICLE signs along the road for about 6 miles then, we saw a TRAVEL PERMITTED ON NUMBERED TRAILS ONLY sign and headed up the trail.
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| Old homestead we found |
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| The Missouri River |
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| Beverage |
The trail took us along a very high ridge amongst huge pine trees and juniper scrub. The trail was a combination of sand and grasslands with a little rock thrown in for good measure.
The weather was so very warm and sunny and it was a great day for a ride.
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| Missouri River |
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| Some great views |
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| Fixing a flat |
At one point, we stopped for a refreshment and found that John's rear tire was once again.....flat and in need of repair. We managed to find some shade and four plugs later..... the tire was repaired and holding air (for now anyway!!) Perhaps it will hold until we get back to the truck.
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| From pines to prairie |
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The views from the ridge were nothing but incredible with the Missouri River winding its way through the valley. It was Paddlefish season and the fisherman were many. They are allowed to catch only one fish per season.
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The grasslands along the river banks is off limits to vehicles and it looks as if that may be a good thing as it would be quite marshy at times. This area is all protected for the flora and fauna. It is a great elk viewing area and the last time John and I were here, we saw great herds of them dining in the lowlands. I am sure they know they have no worries here in the Refuge.
We put on about 80 kms today before we got back to the truck and all in all it was a great ride. I had no idea that I was being bitten by numerous little bugs (black flies/mosquitoes/no see ems!! Who knows) and when I got back to the truck, my forehead and hairline was covered in bites. Jesus.....I looked like I had the POX!! What the hell!! I did not even feel the little buggers biting!!
We spent the rest of the evening watching hockey and watching a rather nasty thunderstorm roll in. It was accompanied by lots of wind and an incredible display of lightening. The rain stayed in the valley mostly although we did get a bit on the hill where we were parked.
We went to sleep lulled by the soft rain hitting the camper roof and it was rather soothing after the ride. I think I am going to be sore tomorrow!!
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| Another great ride |
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