by Winding Pathways | Oct 31, 2024 | Nature, Reflections/Profiles, Trees
A national forest amid Nebraska’s grassy Sand Hills! Yup. Several units of the Nebraska National Forest are scattered about the central and northwestern part of the state.
In the 1990s we drove through miles of grassland with nary a tree in sight and then camped in a sprawling forest of Ponderosa pines and red cedars in the Forest’s Bessey Unit almost dead center in the Cornhusker State. How can there be a forest on land that nature intends to be a prairie?
-
-
Nebraska grasses and fields.
-
-
Fire spreads easily when branches touch
History
In 1902 University of Nebraska botanist Charlesy Bessey encouraged Forest Service Chief Gifford Pinchot and President Theodore Roosevelt to plant trees and create a forest in the grassy Sand Hills. The nation was facing a lumber shortage and most Americans valued forests over prairies and deserts, so they agreed.
Efforts
Millions of trees were planted close together over the 90,000-acre Bessey Unit. Many grew well; when we visited 30 years ago, they were mature and gorgeous.

Rolling hills along the Loup River.
A fire tower was also built and staffed to watch for fires. Sure enough, fires broke out and killed many of the trees. Fire is an efficient sorter. Grass is highly fire-resistant. Many trees are not.
Return to Nebraska’s National Forest
Decades later we camped there again in September 2024 and were amazed at the change. Although the Forest Service Campground remains in trees, much of the former forest has quickly returned to grassland, due to several fires.
We saw thousands of dead trees with stacks of trunks piled along the road.
-
-
Grasses line a dirt road
-
-
Nebraska’s grassland sandy soil.
-
-
Recovering dead trees.
Lesson
Attempting to create a forest in a grassland was an ecological disaster. Over time nature is reclaiming land that should have been managed for what it is – healthy grass sprinkled with millions of wildflowers.
Continued Activity

Trees grow in the nursery
The Bessey Unit includes a modern nursery where the Forest Service grows trees for replanting on land in the western United States. The surrounding land is a fascinating place to see first-hand the result of past management based on a misunderstanding of the environment.
The campground’s trees were spared fire and remain a shady place to camp for anyone driving across vast Nebraska. Great opportunities exist here for education and enjoyment of the trails. But, it needs maintenance. So does the now abandoned fire tower. For information check usda.gov/nebraska.
by Winding Pathways | Oct 24, 2024 | Bugs, Garden/Yard

Wooly bears show up this time of year.
On a warm October afternoon bears were in our yard! Not to worry. They were wooly bears. Caterpillars. We like them and follow them as they scurry along as fast as their tiny legs can go.
Where are they going and how do they know how to get there? The answer to the first is simple. Wooly bears spend the late summer munching on plant debris, but when nights cool, they sense winter’s onset.
A wooly bear wandering around in October is looking for a snug place to overwinter. That could be in a rotting log or tucked under a porch. We often find them in January tucked in between chunks of firewood. When we discover one, we gently move it to another nearby safe spot so we can continue bringing in wood and it can continue slumbering until spring.
How Do Wooly Bears Know?
We can’t explain how they know where to find a place to overwinter. Maybe it’s a random search or somehow, they can sense safe places. It’s a fascinating mystery of nature.
What ARE Wooly Bears?
Wooly bears are cold-blooded, so their “wool “doesn’t help them stay warm. They have an amazing survival strategy. As the temperature drops to freezing a wooly bear’s heart stops beating. Then its gut freezes. Then its blood freezes, and soon the entire insect is frozen solid. Fortunately, frost crystals are outside its cells, so when warm weather arrives the wooly bear thaws and goes about its business.
How Many Species Are There?
There are eight species of wooly bear in North America. The adult phase is called an Isabella moth.
Predicting Weather

Winter Predictor?
Wooly bears are fun. We love watching them cross our driveway and twist their way through grass stems each fall. Can they predict the severity of the oncoming weather? Some people think so and carefully examine the bands of color on the caterpillar’s bristles that look like wool. We don’t take chances on wooly bear weather predictions and keep plenty of firewood on hand.
Woolly Bear Festival
Vermillion, Ohio, treasures its wooly bears. So do the 150,000 people who attend the Woolly Bear Festival, held annually in late September. It may be the Ohio festival attended by the most people.
by Winding Pathways | Oct 17, 2024 | Ruminations
Routine Visit Leads to Cataract Surgery
A midsummer routine checkup by my ophthalmologist, Dr. Brian Privett, changed my vision – for the better.

Wearing thick glasses was a way of life.
During most of my life, I have suffered from extreme myopia. I could see things inches in front of my eyes clearly but anything further away was only a blur. I wore thick glasses for years.
That changed nearly 20 years ago when I had PRK eye surgery. Similar to the better-known Lasik, a skilled eye surgeon and amazing technology altered my corneas. The impact was dramatic. For the first time, I could see distant objects clearly without glasses. And, I had peripheral vision not possible with my old glasses.
My vision remained outstanding, except for increasingly needing reading glasses for close work. This is a condition called presbyopia that virtually everyone experiences as they age.
Cataracts

Thick glasses
During my recent summer visit, Dr. Privett noted that my vision, although good, was somewhat diminished by growing cataracts. Most everyone also experiences them as they age. Cataracts are a stealth condition. They grow so slowly that it’s hard to detect a loss of vision. All I was aware of was increasing difficulty driving at night. Oncoming headlights and streetlights were surrounded by fog.
I wasn’t overly bothered and could have delayed cataract surgery, but during the visit Dr. Privett said, “Your cataracts aren’t too bad, but they will get worse and sooner or later you’ll need to have them removed and a new lens inserted. Having surgery sooner is a wise strategy as you’ll have more years to enjoy good vision and it’s often better to do surgery when a person is younger,”.
Decisions
That sparked an instant decision. I immediately scheduled surgery. Dr. Privett removed the cataract from my right eye and inserted a Vivity lens on July 31. He did the same procedure on my left eye a week later. Then followed about a month of eye drops.
It’s taken time to get accustomed to my “new” eyes. Perhaps the most striking experience was driving through Cedar Rapids on a dark night about a month after surgery. I was astounded at how clear the lights were. My night vision was excellent.
Adjustments
Cataract surgery isn’t perfect. I still need close-up reading glasses and my eyes are light sensitive. So, I carry and use readers and sunglasses depending on where I am and what I’m doing. In early October I ordered new glasses that include progressive lenses that should enable me to read and transitions that darken when I’m out in the sun and lighten inside the house. I’m expecting my new glasses to provide outstanding vision in many situations.

Enjoying life without glasses.
Modern eye surgery is miraculous and is the result of excellent medical research, advanced technology, and skilled surgeons like Dr. Privett. I encourage everyone to get periodic vision examinations and to follow the advice of their ophthalmologist.
Information
Many websites provide cataract information. One of my favorites is the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Privett and other ophthalmologists are affiliated with the Iowa Eye Center. The American Academy of Ophthalmology website helps people living anywhere to find a skilled eye physician near where they live.
by Winding Pathways | Oct 10, 2024 | Nature, Water Resources

The male protects the eggs from predators.
All Fish are awesome! Rich learned that firsthand. As a young boy, he spent hours watching male sunfish guard their saucer-shaped nests in the shallow water of Cedar Lake.
Sunfish
Sunfish are awesome! This huge family of fish flip-flops the way nature normally defines child-rearing. In most animals, the female gets the work. That’s not how sunfish families operate.
Male sunfish provide primary child care. He makes a nest in shallow water every spring over a sandy or pebbly bottom. When it’s finished a female hovers over it and releases hundreds of eggs as he releases millions of tiny sperm. Hopefully egg meets sperm and the now fertilized egg nestles into the sandy nest.
Tough Life
Life’s not easy. Small fish, and especially small sunfish, love feasting on the eggs. Mom departs with no child-rearing duties, while Dad stands by chasing off any intruder intent on a meal of eggs.
Where Sunfish Live
There are sunfish in nearly every body of relatively warm fresh water from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico. Even renowned gamefish, like large and smallmouth bass, are in the sunfish family. The most commonly known is the bluegill. Most sunfish species are on the small side. They’re lumped together as panfish because they’re easy to catch, prolific, and tasty.
Fisherman’s Life

Awesome bluegill!
Rich had the good fortune to grow up next to a New Jersey Lake, where he watched fish and learned how to catch them. A love of fish led to his earning a degree in fishery biology and an early career working with fish in Alaska.
All Fish Are Awesome!

Book by Noel Vick
Not all kids are lucky enough to live near a lake, but a new book will help them learn that All Fish Are Awesome. That’s the title of Noel Vick’s new book. Its colorful art shows many amazing fish species of both fresh and saltwater, with a bit of text about each one. It’s a great book for parents or grandparents to share with a child perched in their lap. Then, on a pleasant spring day bring that kid to a nearby lake to spot sunfish nests and maybe even wet a line. It might ignite a lifeline passion for fish and fishing or even lead to a career.
Where to Buy the Book
The book’s available at Amazon or blueballoonbooks.com.
by Winding Pathways | Oct 3, 2024 | Travel/Columns
Camping! Glamping! What’s the difference?
There are some similarities, but a world of difference between the two.
Camping
On a September 2024 drive across Nebraska Route 2 we overnighted in our small tent in the Bessey area of the Nebraska National Forest. Out of the trunk, we hauled our sleeping bags and pads, tent, camp stove, dehydrated food, and lantern. Soon camp was set up. As daylight dimmed, we cooked dinner on a picnic table near our tent. We were CAMPING.
Marion dropped Rich off in Lincoln the next day and continued home. Rich and Cedar Rapids friend, Kurt, joined a group of bicyclists on a multi-day ride on two Nebraska trails.
Glamping
Three days after camping in the national forest, Rich and Kurt carried their small suitcases into a “tent” at Ashland Glamping between Lincoln and Omaha. Their “tent” was a large luxurious geodesic dome that included a full kitchen, a bedroom downstairs with another in the loft, a patio overlooking a small lake, and a restroom and shower. There was nothing to set up. It was comfortable and ready for a pleasant and comfortable stay. They were GLAMPING.
Glamping is a somewhat new word that means glamorous camping. It is fun and far closer to overnighting in a full-service hotel than a rustic campsite. Glamping locations worldwide could include lodging in a tree house, yurt, or amazing cabin. Staying in one is likely costly but is a unique and fun experience.
-
-
Full kitchen and amenities in the dome
-
-
Choose from one of several options.
-
-
Stylish camping.
Find Glamping Sites
Click for a way to find a glamping location. Here is Ashland Glamping’s website.
It’s just off Interstate 80 in Eastern Nebraska and is a quick drive to either Lincoln or Omaha.