The main reason for my detour into Nebraska was to visit the Ashfall Fossil Beds, which my friend Dwight had suggested I visit. I knew nothing about them, but I enjoyed Dinosaur National Monument, and Dwight has made great suggestions in the past, so I added it to my list. Chalk this up as another one of his great suggestions.
Twelve million years ago, a supervolcano exploded in modern day Idaho. (This supervolcano now sits under Yellowstone. It’s also responsible for the formations at Craters of the Moon, which I visited last year.) It blew ash all over what is now the eastern US. Here, the ash fell in a watering hole, poisoning it, and causing animals to die right there and quickly get buried by the falling ash. They remained there until the site was discovered in 1971. When the scale of the find became apparent, first one structure, and later another larger one was built over the site to preserve the fossils, not to mention shelter the paleontologists working to uncover them.
I mean actively working, right now, as I was visiting. Those two people on the “wrong” side of the fence are paleontologists, slowly uncovering the latest fossils discovered on the site. They chatted with visitors while they worked, explaining what they were doing and what they’ve found here. Much of the area inside the building is still flat ash, yet to be explored.
It would be interesting to return here in a few years to see what progress they’ve made and what else they’ve discovered. As one of the paleontologists explained, surface-penetrating radar isn’t effective here, because the density of the bones and ash are about the same, making it impossible to separate them from each other. They have to do it the old fashioned way, carefully clearing away the ash and make discoveries as they go along, not having any idea what’s underneath or where.
Many of the creatures they’ve discovered are rhinos and camels. We think of them as living in Africa, but these breeds lived right here in North America — in Nebraska, no less! There are also three-toed horses, with a standard hoof plus toes on either side for balance. These extra toes evolved out of existence when the terrain changed to what it is today and they were no longer necessary.
Number 3, a mother and baby pair, are named Sandy and Justin. This isn’t the only instance of families found together here.
It’s not a very big place, so I managed to see everything within an hour or two. I decided to explore a few local roads, including one that was actually curvy that I found near where I’m camped.
This is 867th Road, marked on the map and complete with signs! I don’t think they have to worry about anyone reducing speed enough to make that next turn. I normally don’t stop in the middle of the road to take a picture, but here…
While I wouldn’t hesitate to explore rugged places on my old KLR, this is one of the most rugged “roads” I’d want to take the V-Strom down. But with tires that can handle some dirt and a good map, I went exploring.
It was a fun, short ride, and the bike on its “new” tires did quite well. There are actual curves and hills, unlike many roads out here. I went over a small bridge, complete with weight limit signs. I also passed a foundation, probably all that remains of the original reason for this road’s existence in the first place. It brought me back out to one of the main gravel roads in the area, which brought me back to Grove Lake. I stopped by the boat ramp for the obligatory “I can see my house from here” picture.
I spent the rest of the day bumming around camp. I had conversations with other campers and visitors, and got to pet a rather friendly dog. The sandy campsite with no shade seemed to turn into the town beach for the afternoon. It got rather hectic.
My next door neighbors, on the other hand, were the exact opposite. They wore “traditional” dress, and were either Mennonite or from one of the more permissive Amish branches. They had a horse and buggy and push-bikes, but also came here in a motorboat, and had modern tents and coolers. Their young children fished quietly right next to my camp, and unlike my uninvited guests in the morning, I didn’t mind them a bit. They packed up and left in the evening, no doubt for church Sunday morning, but not before two of the younger women went for a wade in the water, fully clothed, and promptly got into a giggly water fight. It’s good to see people who are so serious about their beliefs can still kick back and have fun.
My only complaint about this campsite is the excessive amount of flies. I really wish I had a screen for the side door, and will be adding one in the future. For now, I left the side door closed to keep the fly infestation from getting worse than it already was. As the sun went down, the bugs got worse than ever. We retreated inside long before dark and settled down to watch videos, as usual. I fell asleep early and accidentally left Starlink on overnight, something I don’t normally do to save electricity. But my batteries were only down to 13.2 volts in the morning, not bad at all, and the days are long enough right now that solar alone would probably recharge me by noon. There was no infestation of small children, so I had a quiet morning and woke up to this view of my front yard.
As pleasant as this is, I think I’m going to pack up and move on today. I don’t have to, but I’ve pretty much run out of things to do and places to explore here. While I enjoy relaxing in camp for a while, I’ll get bored sitting here all day, fighting off the flies. If I had a kayak I’d spend today paddling around the lake, but I don’t. It’s a matter of “when,” not “if” I get one. So I’m slowly putting things away and getting ready to roll. Next stop: South Dakota.
Smokey Da Van 