We had a week in Nebraska and we kicked it off with a stop at Carhenge, Nebraska’s replica of Stonehenge using cars. It’s tradition by this point and a trip to western Nebraska wouldn’t be complete without a stop here (also, every trip requires the consumption of at least one Twin Bing!). We made it to Gordon and the next day we were off to Valentine to kayak a section of the Niobrara River. The Niobrara is a 535 mile river beginning in the high plains of eastern Wyoming and terminating where it flows into the Missouri River in eastern Nebraska. A 76 mile section of the river in north-central Nebraska is designated the Niobrara National Scenic River. The portion of the river east of Valentine is a popular spot for tubing, canoeing, and kayaking. We booked kayaks through Brewers Canoes & Tubers and planned a four hour kayak between Cornell Bridge in Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge and Brewer Bridge (around 12 miles).

We strategically planned our kayak trip on a weekday to cut down on crowds. By starting at Cornell Bridge, we further avoided crowds through the wildlife refuge where alcohol isn’t allowed. We didn’t see a single other person in this section and it was a peaceful, beautiful kayak. Looking at the greenery surrounding the river, you would never guess you were in the middle of the high plains of Nebraska. Six major ecosystem types converge in the Niobrara River Valley and there is a mix of animal and plant species. We floated down the river to the soundtrack of numerous birds we could often hear, but not always spot. This was my favorite section of the river.

We started to see some tubers at Berry Bridge, although it was never that busy. We also saw a few waterfalls along the way. When streams that flow into the Niobrara run over the erosion-resistance Redbud formation, waterfalls occur. Most of these are smaller waterfalls, but we did stop to walk to Smith Falls, the tallest of these falls at 63 feet tall. The trip went by quickly and before long we were pulling out at Brewer Bridge. Grandma met us there and we drove back to Valentine. Along the way we stopped at the Fort Niobrara scenic overlook and the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (the only “wildlife” we saw was a stuffed bison at the small visitor center). We had dinner at the Peppermill then headed back to Gordon. It was a great day!

We headed the other direction the day after kayaking to see two shows at the Fort Robinson Post Playhouse. This year we saw Kiss Me Kate and Jersey Boys. While we enjoyed them both, we especially liked Jersey Boys. In between the shows we had dinner at the Fort Robinson Restaurant and sat on the porch to enjoy the early evening before the show. We had one more excursion during our time in Gordon. We spent a night in Spearfish to attend the Spearfish Festival in the Park, which had a lot of great artists and booths. I had to laugh at Norah buying a bag of cheese. We did some shopping in Rapid City the next day, had lunch at the Colonial House, and drove back home. I always have to torture everyone with pictures and this year was no exception. Dad wasn’t feeling well so he missed out, but despite all the grumbling we managed to get a few family pics. We had a really nice week in Nebraska and now it was time to head back to Denver.