Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure: Geocaching the Sandhills

Can you spot the geocache?

Geocaching is something new and exciting that we recently started doing. Alex had first mentioned how he wanted to start geocaching when he got his first smartphone back in April 2013, but obviously we didn't really get into it.  Geocaching involves using an app on your phone to get the coordinates for a hidden item. The best analogy for it is following an electronic treasure map to hidden (never actually buried) treasure. The GPS coordinates will get you within about 16' of the object and you need to start searching for them when you get close. Some of the objects can be large, such as an ammo container, other times they can be quite small like a pill bottle covered with cammo duct tape. They can even be as small as a pencil eraser! The ammo can ones are also fairly easy due to the large size. Your app will tell you what size of cache you are looking for. Although the container won't be buried underground, it can be camouflaged by other things. This could be leaves, trees, branches, shrubbery, or anything else! One of the caches by Valentine was actually an ammo can hidden inside a tire hub on the side of the road.

Bryan Bridge, near Valentine, was awarded The Most Beautiful Steel Bridge

A few useful geocaching terms:

Muggle
A non geocacher. Based on "Muggle" from the Harry Potter series, which is a non-magical person.
Ground Zero (GZ)

The point where your GPS device shows that you have reached the geocache location. At ground zero, you are zero feet (or zero meters) away from your destination.

SWAG "Stuff We All Get." 

Trade items left in caches by geocachers.

For a glossary of terms click here!





Wait! There is more to this geocaching thing! Part of the game (and what determines the "difficulty" of the find) is often stealth. Geocaching can look awfully suspicious, so when you are looking for the cache you need to play it cool and not draw unwarranted suspicion from nearby "muggles". This really does become an interesting part of the challenge in finding the geocaches. 

These "moo-ggles" were onto us. We'll have to up our stealth game next time.

My (Mak) view from the geocache of Alex with the dogs
waiting on the Cowboy Trail to avoid cacti while I grabbed the
geocache from way up on the hill.
The dogs were not fans of me leaving them behind!

We have completed several of the caches we attempted, while some we were not able to find. We're still new to this, so maybe we'll hone our skills over time. In our defense one probably had a difficult level beyond what we should have been going for and was just of the side of the road and after looking for a good 20 minutes we were running the risk of someone thinking we were broke down. One of the more difficult caches to find was one that was in a pill bottle covered in cammo duct tape in a tree.  These kind of geocaches are fun just for the challenge of finding them in the first place. These smaller caches don't hold any "SWAG", but make you feel good for being able to add to the list of caches you have found. SWAG can be just about anything and is usually the kind of promotional stuff you pick up for free or random knik-knaks. Some SWAG we took from geocaches included: small toy snake, small carribeaner, box of wood screws, and a guitar pick. When there is SWAG to trade in a geocache you always leave something of equal or greater value.

My view of the rest of the cowboy trail from Ground Zero

My favorite part of geocaching is that it takes you to places that you normally wouldn't go. Often times Ground Zero can be absolutely gorgeous like the one in the picture above. The view was breathtaking although I had to brave a one mile hike, avoid cacti, scale a hill, and climb through a tree all in flip flops! Several of the ones we visited while going to Valentine were placed around historical markers. It was a good chance to view some of the historical sites in the area. Most of them had signs with text on them explaining what each area was and the significance of each. Going forward I decided to make it a point to read all of the signs. We have already learned a lot! Geocaching makes you look for these markers now instead of just flying past them on the road. Definitely one of the coolest markers ended up being much more than just a pull off on the side of road! We stopped to grab a geocache called "Hippity Hoppity Harrop", but it was much more than we expected!

Barely marked and on the side of a rather infrequently used highway was this little park. There was a camping area, bathroom, display windmill, WORKING hand water pump, mown walking trails, picnic area, and many educational signs. It was a really neat pit stop and a great way to stretch our legs for a bit.

It's a good thing Alex isn't afraid of heights!

One of my favorite ones was at the top of a windmill, so I had to climb up it in order to find it in a magnetic hide-a-key.  We knew the geocache was in a hide-a-key and we looked all over for it on the ground. Luckily the cache owners left a hint of "Is it up or down? You decide.". That was when we decided to go up! Geocaching will take you out of your comfort zone, but I'm still glad Alex was willing to climb up there instead of me!

I'm looking forward to collecting as many "Finds" as I can in geocaching. This probably goes back to my childhood dream to "Catch 'em All", but this seems a lot more doable. There are many geocaches ALL over (I guarantee you will be surprised how many are right by you!).

I highly recommend you start geocaching yourself. It's as simple as downloading an app.

To learn more about geocaching click here!

This is the third blog post in the "Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure" series. Please stay tuned for the rest of the series:

• The Cowboy Trail
• Smith Falls State Park

Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure: Circle C Rodeo

We were at my (Mak) company's ranch over the Memorial Day weekend. During this weekend it is a local tradition to have what is called the "Circle C Rodeo" in nearby Cody, NE. People from all over the surrounding area come to have a day of friendly competition and fun. After we got some work done at the ranch we headed over. The Circle C Rodeo was a fun event and a great way to break up the work we were doing. Going into the event, I (Alex) thought it was just going to be a normal rodeo, for the most part it was. However, there were several events that were not very common. Although our ranch is in the Central Time Zone, Cody is in Mountain time. This was also Alex's first time in the Mountain Time Zone, so he was pretty excited.

They are trying their hardest to keep the pony from running off

 One of my favorite events was the Wild Pony Race. The pony race involves teams of 3 kids. The ponies were placed into the chutes and then released (they were wild ponies too, never been ridden) the team had to take control of their pony, or get the rope back if they lost it, then they needed to saddle and then ride the pony for a little bit.  They needed to ride them around a barrel without being led and then unsaddle them. These ponies very obviously hadn't been halter broke either. They pulled right through the hands of two teams at first who spent the entire 5 minutes of allotted time just attempting to catch them in the first place. No ponies or kids were hurt!

They have the pony secured & are trying to hold it still to saddle it

It was very entertaining to watch, especially if they lost the rope, it would be a challenge to corner the pony and get the rope back. Other times they would get the saddle on the pony, but it wouldn't be tight, so they would get on to ride and then the saddle would end up on the underside causing the rider to fall off! Not to mention that the kids were comically large for the little ponies. Their feet almost touched the ground, so when they went to bucking it wasn't too bad of a fall. Not to mention the little cowboys who elected to be pony bronc riders were wearing safety vests. No one was actually successful in catching, saddling, riding, and unsaddling their pony in time, but one group was able to ride it for a little bit before the rider got bucked off and the pony took off running with the others. Overall, it was very entertaining to watch these little kids try to wrangle up the ponies and try to ride them!

Another fun event was the "Hide Race".  I heard the event announced and didn't even know what to expect. Then someone walks out carrying this huge buffalo hide, complete with the tail! 

They had a buffalo hide which they drug across the arena, then someone would stand by the barrel and jump onto the buffalo hide and ride it across the finish line.  Most people made the jump just fine, however there were a few people that didn't finish that well. I was wondering how more people didn't get hurt doing some of these events! In these pictures the person on the hide was wearing a rain slicker. Almost every pickup person wore a rain coat of some kind to protect them incase they didn't stay on the hide! 

What you don't see is how fast this event goes. It is completely over with in a matter of seconds. The horse takes off at a dead gallop and only slows down for a little bit to let the person jump on the hide. There were some teams that would take off really fast and whip the hide and the person around the turn very quickly! It was also interesting to see how the different horses reacted to pulling this huge buffalo hide that was usually air borne on the gallop down to pick up their teammate. My favorite part of this event was how it was usually a family event with the parent riding the horse and the kid jumping on the hide.

One of the last events held for the evening was the Ranch Horse Race. Although all the other events were held at the arena, this one was on a fairly flat and long piece of land that was mowed with some gentle hills at the end for the runaway horses to slow down in. Trucks, trailers, and spectators lined the stretch to get the best possible view they could and root for the person they knew who was racing. One of the people who lived at the ranch even raced her horse named Sugar. It was amazing to see how fast some of these horses could go! There were enough entries that they ran two heats and took the fastest two horses from the heats to have a final heat. Unfortunately Sugar came in third in her heat and didn't make it to the final race. Since Sugar was out, my bet was on this black horse that one the first heat. The horse who won was behind for the first part of the race, but then it ran to the outside and left all of the other horses to fall behind it. This was a fast horse!

The finish line shot of the second heat

After the rodeo fun, there was a BBQ in the park which had a lot of good food: some good smoked beef sandwiches and any dessert you could think of.  A lot of people there just came for the BBQ. It was neat to see an event like this bring a rural community together like this did.

Afterward there was a dance that was supposed to start at 8:30, it was only 7:30 by the time we left the park even though it felt like it was 8:30.  That is probably because it was 8:30 central time! The rodeo was just across the mountain time border giving us an extra hour. I'm sure the dance was a good time, but even leaving at 7:30 their time would have meant getting back to the ranch by 9:30 our time.




This is the third blog post in the "Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure" series. Please stay tuned for the rest of the series:

• Geocaching the Sandhills
• The Cowboy Trail
• Smith Falls State Park

Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure: Ranch Life

A beautiful view of the sunset and a storm coming in from the porch of the guesthouse.

Two Rivers Ranch was a great trip, the drive was long, but well worth the drive once we arrived.  The rolling hills and unobstructed views were fantastic as we drove about 2 miles on a minimum maintenance road to finally get to the arch, signifying that we had finally arrived at our destination. The name Two Rivers Ranch comes from the fact that on the ranch is both the Snake and the Niobrara rivers, including where they meet. The whole property totals to over 7,000 acres of very diverse land including rivers, hills filled with cedars, canyons, plateaus, wooded areas, and even two corn pivots.

The arch is a traditional way of letting your know what ranch you are at.

This calf didn't want to move off the road.

We got into a standoff (complete with pawing) with our bull called Mr. T. Probably doesn't help our truck is red ;) Eventually we made it around him. 

There were many cows along the way that went wherever they pleased, they even decided that they belonged in the middle of the road--now we may have been driving through their pasture rather than wandering around on the road. There are things called cattle guards that are about 5 feet long and are made of several pipes where the cows will not cross, but vehicles can easily cross. This made it really easy so that we didn't have to go and open or close any gates to drive through. One time Mr. T didn't cooperate at first, but he eventually let us get by him in order to continue on to our destination. We were only able to stick to the "main" roads at the ranch so we only got to see the handful of the herd that were still close to the ranch buildings. These were our newest bulls and cows that had later calves than the rest of the herd. Even a few calves were born while we were there! Hopefully next time Alex will get to see the whole herd. He only saw about 20, but the entire herd is over 300.

12L the yearling steer, 204 the baby steer, and 204 the old granny cow enjoying a cool afternoon

This was my sixth time out to the ranch, but every time I get awestruck by how vast it is and how far you can see. I feel like Simba when his dad shows him all their territory and how everything the light touches is theirs. It is quite the feeling! One of my other favorite parts is how quiet it is. You hear the wind and the wildlife, but nothing else. It is incredibly soothing especially when compared to all the constant stimuli we are constantly bombarded by with city life. It's also a good security system. Whenever you hear an engine you know someone is coming.

Our truck got a little mud on the tires! 

While we were there it rained for a while making the roads awfully muddy. Driving was difficult to start, but once I got used the roads and how to handle them, getting around was pretty easy. This was exactly why I told Alex that I was taking his truck from now on instead of taking my Cobalt to navigate the mud! Not to mention we stuck to the roads! Alex hasn't even experienced blazing through the pastures trying to round up the good-for-nothing fence jumpers and get them through the gate before the rest of the herd sees it as an exit. Traveling anywhere at the ranch was no quick task, with the minimum maintenance roadways, even though the properties were only about 1 mile apart, it took nearly 15 minutes to travel from house to house to complete part of the jobs, I even forgot some tools that we had to go back for, I can't even imagine how that would feel if the well truck forgot a tool or part while out repairing livestock wells and had to take several hours to get a replacement!

This is what a cowboy moving crew looks like. We welcomed our newest employee while at the ranch.

The clouds were impressive above the deer barn, chicken coop, and guest house.

The guest house wasn't much to look at from the outside, but once we got inside it is a very nice house. It was built in 1930 and had a lot of character. The exterior retained many of its original features while the inside has been renovated to add in modern comforts. The guest house also comes fully equipped for regular life. The kitchen, laundry, bedrooms, bathrooms, and living room really feel like home. The four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and many beds prove the potential there once was to house decent sized groups. Years ago, the ranch functioned as a guest ranch and even had the catchy slogan of "Try our brand of R&Я" which I have a huge amount of appreciation for how clever that is. 

The brand for Two Rivers Ranch is painted on the barn. 

Alex was testing the newly installed wifi. The band of horses thought he needed help.

The main purpose of our visit was to install some new outdoor wifi antennas to allow them to get internet while on the yard for their business uses. While we did have fun, there were still several things that I wish we could have done while there. I never was able to see the property where the Niobrara and the Snake rivers meet and horse back riding around would have been great as well. I guess that means we will just have to take another trip out to the ranch! I know it is just a matter of time until I'll get to visit again. I'm lucky enough that my job as accountant involves helping with round-ups and brandings. We'll have to write another post when we test Alex's cowboy skills!

This is the second blog post in the "Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure" series. Please stay tuned for the rest of the series:

• Circle C Rodeo
• Geocaching the Sandhills
• The Cowboy Trail
• Smith Falls State Park

Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure: The Road Trip

320 miles and 6 hours in the car, longer than any trip we have taken before. Many miles can go by without seeing a car.  The views are spectacular, there is nothing like getting to the top of a hill and being able to see the hills roll for miles.

Both of the puppies have come to love car rides, even though much of what they do is sleep. They have managed to figure out the whole "head out of the window" thing, and now like doing that when going through small towns.

They were pretty tired after all the excitement

This was Alex's first time driving out to the Valentine area. I've made the trek a few times to visit the ranch I work for, but this time he got to go. It was definitely nice to not be driving the whole way by myself! There isn't any cell reception on many of the roads there, so the company was welcome.

The roads are scenic most of the time and we were able to capture a number of impressive landscapes while on the road. The clouds, cows, hills, and curves were very intriguing. Check out a few more of our favorites below.

This is the first blog post in the "Alex's 1st Sandhills Adventure" series. Please stay tuned for the rest of the series:

• Ranch Life
• Circle C Rodeo
• Geocaching the Sandhills
• The Cowboy Trail
• Smith Falls State Park

Story City Antique Carousel and Swinging Bridge

Me (Mak) and Alex on our noble steeds

The Swinging Bridge

Navigating the rocks

Water fight!

We went. We rode. We conquered.

(Another old draft from August 2012. One afternoon we hit a few of the highlights of Story City, IA. The old carousel is really neat and is next to a beautiful little park and across the road is another park with the swinging bridge. The bridge is definitely worth seeing! I know of at least one proposal that happened there and it is also home to our "first-look" and other wedding pictures. It is a beautiful place just to chill, but you can also fish off the bank or push your kayaks in here.)

Fast Food Picnic

Get your favorite food from different restaurants. Mix and match. We recommend less food.

(Again another draft from when we're dating and not even engaged yet. One time for our adventure we thought is would be fun to grab our favorite fast food items from their respective places and eat it picnic style. I think we ended up with McDoubles, Arby's curly fries, and mozzarella sticks. In largest too! We had entirely too much food and even though we picnicked outside right by the theater we were seeing a movie at after, we didn't feel like moving. It was fun and our metabolism must have been better in our younger days. Also, with me growing up in a rural area and Alex never eating out, fast food was much more exiting then than it is now).

Parade

We totally rode in a parade.

(This was an old post I found in our drafts. It made me laugh, this is County Fair July 2012. Zeke's first parade and Alex's as well. Duke, ridden by Alex, is a pro and I rode him in 4-H. The parade went well and was a good experience for all. In our ride back home through town we saw a hillbilly portable pool aka a truck bed lined with a tarp and filled with water. Kudos to Diane who totally ran after us to get this picture and it is impressive since the usually slow Duke was ready to go in order to avoid the Duke-eating street sweeper.)