Nebraska has been crossed off the list. That
only leaves Utah, North Dakota, Montana and Connecticut Adventures to plan
for the future. In the last 22 years (wow... has it been that long?) we've
done some interesting things. Every trip is an adventure and this one was no
different. The highlight was, predictably, Tim Bryson's Airboat Tour of the
Platt River. After all, add a high horsepower Av Gas fueled engine to a
polymer skinned boat that can drive over sand bars, rocks and sunken boats
and lake junk and you get an experience.
Tim Bryson's Airboat Tour of the Platt River
This was the first day activity and it was the highlight of the trip.
We have good photos as well as a YouTube movie.
I say, "Book It.. Danno.!" Just go and do it and tell Tim we say "Hi!"
Click
Here for their website.
Click
Here for the YouTube movie.
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The Airboat uses a high performance Chevy engine that burns AV gas.
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It steers by using a pair of rudders just like on an airplane.
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Tim's location on the Platt near Fremont.
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Get your change out. He gives a good show for the money.
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He stops often to point out eagles and other interesting things on the river.
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"There's an eagle now!"
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It is cold on the Platt in April. Dress warm.
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It's a big river but not too deep.
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Lots of eagles live in the area because their usual food supply, ducks, is quite plentiful.
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Ducks make easy eating for eagles because they are just not especially aerodynamic. They fly slow and take a long time to get airborne.
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A high flying eagle can divebomb a duck in a few seconds.
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Before the rise of the EPA, they protected the river bank from erosion by dumping cars on the bank.
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Tim occasionally stops and gives a nature lecture.
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The back window of his pickup tells the story.
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"By guys... come again sometime."
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Henry Doorly Zoo
This is a world class facility. We've been to some really good zoos and I
live in San Diego which has the
gold standard of world class zoos and I can attest that the Doorly Zoo is
one that merits a special trip.
Click Here for their Website
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Just a good looking bird.
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Look... up in the air, it's a bird... it's a plane... it's a wallaby...
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Javalinas... kiss and make up.
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Bruce reads a plaque.
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Javalinas kissing.
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Now this is a guy that should be in an insurance commercial.
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A gold plated Doorly lizard. Very rare.
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Don't know what it is but Bruce liked it.
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These kids really liked the zoo.
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The gal the guys were preening for.
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Fontenelle Nature
Center
This is a very nice place. The trails are walkable
and the people are nice and the exhibits are really good.
Click Here for
their website
Lauritzen Omaha Botanical Garden
This place is big and requires walking and riding the tram. I think the
best time to visit would be in summer when everything is in bloom. It was
pretty bare in April but the trains are worth the trip.
Click
Here for their website
DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
We've been to a lot of Wildlife Refuges and a few of them have
interesting exhibits but this is the gold standard of them all. They
have a museum with the cargo of an 1860's riverboat that sank up river
from their location.
Click Here for their website
Billy Froggs Bar
A good cheap dinner downtown.
Cook Bridge
On many trips, we travel to a disappointing destination. Cook Covered
Bridge was the one on this trip.
It was a really bad choice but we don't say that to Bruce... to Bruce we
say, "Well... ok."
The Air Force SAC Museum
I was a member of the Air Force Museum in Dayton and this is its mid
US cousin. It is a very nice museum. Bruce crashed the space shuttle (I
landed it safely!) and we took our official trip photo here.
Click here for their website.
