Adventures in Retirement: 2015 – 07 – 19: Scenic Destinations Day 35

From Beck Camp Grounds Decatur Nebraska
To Carter Lake Iowa

Total Distance Traveled: 75 miles

After a leisurely morning just enjoying the peaceful quiet I was on the road enjoying Hwy 75 going south through Tekamah and Herman to Blair.

Abandoned homes dotted the roadside,spoke to me of city bound migration.

Old barns and grazing cattle,

orderly fields and farmlands reminded me of those who chose to remain.

Blair Nebraska

The town of Blair welcomed me with awesome architectural reminders of a bygone era, and the intersection of Hwy 30 eastbound,

Hwy 30 bridge over the Missouri River

across another bridge over the Missouri River and into the state of Iowa.

Soon I arrived at the DeSoto National WildLife Refuge on the Missouri River. I was pleasantly surprised that it is part of the National Parks service and I did not have to pay an entrance fee because I have an annual park pass.

I visited the interpretive centre to learn about the animal inhabitants of this region. It was especially awesome to see a replica eagles nest.

Driving through the vast area of this wildlife refuge was a delight. There were lovely views to the Missouri River both old and new! The "New" is the Channel that was dug to straighten the river. The "Old" is the Oxbow that was the route that Lewis and Clark took.

This man created Oxbow Lake is a lovely wildlife habitat with many opportunities for birders and fisher-folk to enjoy nature.

I stopped at a nice picnic bench to enjoy the scenery and read my book and enjoy my noon meal.

The refuge was filled with opportunities for me to explore the beautiful images of nature.

After I finally torn myself away from this oasis for the eyes, I headed south on I-29 toward Omaha! I crossed the Missouri River once again on the I-680 Mormon Bridge into the suburb of Florence.

I Stopped at the N.P. Dodge Park for overview to the Missouri River and boat launching ramps. They had camping here also, near the river but there were no shady spots and the wide open spaces were too far from the river to have a pleasant view.

Florence Mill

Continuing on my way I stopped at the Florence Mill and then I walked around the historic part of town to enjoy several other historic buildings in the area.

infront of the Mormon Historic Visitor Center

My next stop was at the Mormon Historic Trail Visitor center to get information for the trail (possible theme for one of my next trips.) I think I will call it "Heroes and Villains" and follow various trails. Outlaw trail, Mormon trail, Underground Railway etc. I met a very nice young woman there and we chatted for a while. I think she is a missionary and possibly her agenda was to “convert me”. But she loved to hear about my travels.

From there I headed to McDonald's for some internet time. The sun was now going down and it was time to see about settling in for the night.

I drove through Levi Carter park on another oxbow cut off from the “new” river. It was delightful to watch people enjoying the evening with family picnics or fishing from the banks.

After some searching I found a lovely place to camp for the night overlooking a nice green space. Luckily it was cooler than the past two nights, even so I was still pretty warm.