We drove from river land into high desert and approached mountains. “Arid prairies give way to craggy bluffs, table-like mesas, rocky pillars and stark buttes that loom across the landscape.” https://traveltips.usatoday.com/landforms-geographic-features-nebraska-59083.html There were almost more terrain changes than we could process. Our senses were highly tuned to watching out the windows and marveling at the differences 100 miles could make. Overall that day we saw countless Sandhill Cranes, 11 Hawks, 2 Eagle nests and wild Turkeys.
I already posted about Gothenburg and the Pony Express, decorating fences with cattle skulls and some of the other sights. Below is Chimney Rock in Nebraska. It rises about 300 feet above the North Platte River valley. It’s peak is 4,228 feet above sea level. It was a landmark for those traveling west in the mid-19th century. The shape has changed over the years due to lightning strikes, storms and erosion. At the Visitor Center run by History Nebraska, a woman told us of the recent five foot snow in her area. One man had to hook the tractor to the car and drag it to the road. Then loaded his family on the tractor wagon and took them to the car so they could get out to go to school!
Trust me, I WILL stay on the sidewalk!Chimney Rock
Yes, you should plan a trip next spring to this wonder of the world. The Sandhill Crane migration is the largest in the world and well worth your time. Your sense of adventure will rise to a new height as you marvel at these birds. Fly, take a bus, drive, get there any way that you can to witness this extraordinary event. We planned to spend two nights there so we could be certain to witness one sunrise and one sunset. We did not book any special tours or bird blinds and yet we saw plenty. If I had not seen them in New Mexico I likely would have missed them in the fields at first.
Here is a very short clip
Here is a clip from Geographic.
This video is phenomenal. Yes, 8 minutes long, but their photography captures what I could not. Even Bob was challenged in the low light conditions of sunrise and sunset along with the skittishness of the birds themselves! We supported the Sandhill Trust while we were there.
Then off to Cheyenne Wyoming, 338 miles away. As we drove through Nebraska along the Platte River we saw fields with birds, and then more birds!
We saw so many different rock formations across the USA and I could not help think of the God Who created them and is represented by the image of an immovable rock. The Living Bible says in Psalm 144:1 “Bless the Lord who is my immovable Rock. He gives me strength and skill in battle.”
Psalm 18:2 (NRSV) The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 95:1 (NRSV) O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Samuel 22:47 (NRSV) The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation.
When Jesus made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the disciples were praising God loudly. The pharisees told Him to get them to hush. His reply was “I tell you,” He replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” I wanted to sing the song below and play it in the car at full volume. Sadly, I did not have it on my mP3 player and had trouble finding it on YouTube, too! Pooh. So here it is for you. Turn up your speakers and get ready to get your praise on! Also, the lyrics are below. Followed by two New Testament references.
One Less Stone, One More Voice!
LYRICS: “Now Jesus was going up, on His way to Jerusalem, To be lifted high on a tree that He might draw men unto Him Well, the multitudes began to praise Him, While others were trying to stop Him. He said “If they hold their peace, the rocks are gonna cry out!”
“And here is one less stone, and I’m one more voice, To praise the mighty name, the name of the Lord I am one less stone and I’m one more voice to praises Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord
“Now David was a man of praise, praising God in the sanctuary He praised Him on the trumpet and the harp, and he praised Him in the dance I don’t want to offend anybody, but I’m gonna praise my Jesus He said “If I hold my peace, the rocks are gonna cry out!” And here is one less stone, and I’m one more voice, To praise the mighty name, the name of the Lord I am one less stone and I’m one more voice to praises Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord
“Now David was a man of praise, praising God in the sanctuary He praised Him on the trumpet and the harp, and he praised Him in the dance I don’t want to offend anybody, but I’m gonna worship Jesus He said “If I hold my peace, the rocks are gonna cry out!”
“And here is one less stone, and I’m one more voice, To praise the mighty name, the name of the Lord I am one less stone and I’m one more voice to praise Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord Now David was a man of praise, praising God in the sanctuary He praised Him on the trumpet and the harp, and he praised Him in the dance I don’t want to offend anybody, but I’m gonna praise my Jesus He said “If I hold my peace, the rocks are gonna cry out!”
And here is one less stone, and I’m one more voice, To praise the mighty name, the name of the Lord I am one less stone and I’m one more voice to praise Him
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord Blessed is the King (blessed is the King of Kings), Blessed is the King (blessed is the Lord of Lords), Blessed is the King (oh, we praise Your name), Blessed is the King (You’re worthy of the praise), Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord
Romans 9:32-33 (NRSV) Why not? Because they did not strive for it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, “See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
1 Corinthians 10:4 (NRSV) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ.
So I spoke with Shannon at Word Press and she taught me how to publish my videos on the blog through You Tube (or other sites). Yippee!
So here is my best video of what it is like to be surrounded by thousands (and the official count that day by the bird counters was a record breaking 650,000) of Sandhill Cranes during the spring migration in Nebraska! They glean the fields during the day time eating last year’s dropped corn from the autumn harvest. Perhaps the red truck will give you some perspective and the traffic sounds in the background the clear idea that no, we were not out in the wilderness.
I am delighted to finally figure out how to post my videos without spending more money for this site ;-D
Oh my I keep getting blessed every time I go outside! Now this is one DETERMINED daffodil. Let no obstacle stand in your way!
So glad the log had holes in it!
And Ta-dah!! The first trout lily on our stone stairs up the hill.
Flower is about the size of a quarter. The leaves resemble trout skin!
When we were thinking about buying this house both my husband and I were each making secret trips here to see if it really was as lovely as we thought. When the trout lilies began to bloom on the hillside, (all wild mind you), I was SOLD! Had never seen them before . Since then each spring we have hosted Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Trillium, Toothwort, May Apples, Spring Beauty, Rue Anemone, Blue Phlox, False Solomon’s Seal and most rare on our lot Dwarf Larkspur. Still am amazed that we live here! -sigh-
Further into the green space we can see Squirrel Corn and Dutchmen’s Britches, Betony Poppies. Sometimes my husband asks why we even go to Smoky Mountains to hunt wild flowers. I stomp my foot (kidding) and remind him we do not have Lady’s Slippers or fields of single wildflowers. And then we pack 🙂
We have a joke in our household. I often remember other things I meant to write or say, so many emails and return phone calls and texts begin with “And …”
And … I finally figured out how to capture a single photo out of a video and thereby retrieve one of my best daffodil memories to share with you! (I have not yet paid to upgrade my Word Press account to share videos .)
Once in 2014 I went out in my raincoat to pick daffodils. The sky was leaden and the rain was imminent. While I was on the hillside the heavens opened and the rain poured and poured. It was lovely to be childlike out in a spring rain. At my age, I had started to carry my iPhone in my pocket just in case I fell or found a new photo. You know the old saying, “never go in the woods alone!”
While selecting daffodils I heard flowing water. We do not have a constant stream on our property. Searching for the source of the sound, I looked up and to my surprise the walnut tree had created the steam! Here is a still from that video clip! The streaming water is creating bubbles as it flows. Wish I could send along the sound. Enjoy! Look closely at the top where the trunk appears wet and follow it down.
Living water! Psalm 36:9 (NRSV) For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. “Come on and rain down on us Lord! All my fountains are in You!” Chris Tomlin
When my husband and I lived in California I was always amazed at how WRONG it was that the daffodils in the Bay Area bloomed in February! That was not spring and just WRONG to this Ohio girl.
He took me to a place called Daffodil Hill. Just lovely flowing fields of daffodils. They would inspire him later in Ohio.
We have an area in the yard we call “Fern Valley.” Ever since we moved in about 17 years ago we have had a huge dead tree in the green space. This tree has been featured in many photos and we have come to love it. Often have wondered how long it would stay standing.
Well, we are having a wind storm. While we were out shopping today the giant must have fallen! The first clue was broken branches with orange wood showing in the woods. Then yikes! There is something missing from our skyline!
The giant is always to the left in the photos. Now no longer in plain sight ;-(
Good bye dear friend! Many squirrels and countless birds have enjoyed your shelter. Who knows how many when you were alive? Wonder how old you were?
One of my best gifts EVER was when my husband took me to Ireland to celebrate my 60th birthday. We visited Connemara and learned “Connemara is bounded on three sides by the Atlantic Ocean and encompasses a wide variety of natural and semi-natural habitats. It also has diverse economic resources. Among the more unusual are extensive deposits of soapstone and veins of green marble and vivid white quartz.The marble is a serpentine-rich rock, popular since ancient times as a decorative facing stone. With its ‘forty shades of green’ and its wild patterns, it represents perfectly the landscapes of the Emerald Isle.”
This morning as I looked at one polished piece of marble from there I was struck by a similar sight off my deck!
Same polished piece, turned over.
Lovely marble indeed. Just one of the many, many shades we saw in the showroom. And then outside my window …
Lichen? on standing tree andon fallen trees.
Camera did not quite catch it, but the shades are so alike in my eyes that I was startled. Fond, fond memories from May, 2011!
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 