NE Day 37, Thursday July 14,2022 to Grand Island NE

 NE Day 37, Thursday July 14, 2022 to Grand Island NE.

The trip from Ogallala NE to Grand Island NE  on a very hot (100F) morning was quite uneventful for us. The previous evening there had been a large tieup that stretched for miles On I-80, but today only one short piece was there  and that was due to construction. \

Typically the dry , rolling land to the west of the NE border is lost completely as we approach Grand Island. The ranches and farms have many crops growing and for a number of reasons. 1. There is more moisture in the air (Gulf Coast air is more likely to reach these parts than further west)., 2. The Platte River slows and continues to provide water for irrigation as the irrigation canals that we saw, were filled with water  (see rest of paragraph) and providing much water to the surrounding farms. Interestingly., irrigation is needed in much of the Nebraska Panhandle to produce good crop yields.  Growers along the North Platte River valley rely on surface irrigation water from reservoirs in Wyoming to supply this water. Some of those crops are; Winter wheat, proso millet, yellow field pea, sunflower, corn, and annual forages  grown  in dryland crop rotations. Other crops that can be produced in dryland conditions include grain sorghum, safflower, winter canola, and amaranth. Forty percent of the District's cropland uses irrigation.

A conglomerate rock used as a driveway marker in WY

Our campsite in Ogallala NE

Our campsite in Grand Island NE

 

 The bird list today was the least that we have had on the trip. Just six birds including the ones here in the campground at the KOA south of town. They were just not flying and the few we could notice we could not identify, as we were driving into the sun. Tomorrow we will try to remedy that by seeking some small streams that feed the Platte River where there might be more cover.

Yesterday Ruth called her MD to get some meds that were needed, and we called the Pharmacy in Grand Island to  accept them. This afternoon we went to town (11 miles) and picked up the meds as they were ready. Amazing what technology can do  for you. One day delivery 1500 miles away from home by phone and  fax.

Just so you would know ,(stock photo) This is sorghum. It is shipped to China as stock feed.

 

Grand Island was a long wooded island near Grand Island, Nebraska. The island was known by French-Canadian traders as La Grande Isle. Grand Island was formed by the Wood River and a channel of the Platte River. It was the original location of Grand Island, Nebraska, but the town was later moved north of the Wood River.

 Our evening meal was a simple one of macaroni and cheese, as we did not stop for lunch although we could have along the way. I think the heat helped us make that decision.  Q. Thank God for A/C and whoever invented it.   Answer.....Willis Carrier in 1902 ran a fan over pipes with water in them, and moved the air around  a printing press to keep it cool. That was the beginning of Air Conditioning.

The contest to count the nearest number of birds we will see on the trip is drawing to a close, but getting more responses. You can get yours in still, by e mailing me at 2crazy4birds@mail.com, or leaving a note on my site on Face Book. (Jim Strohmer).

That's it for today and a few photos as we did not take any outside of those of the trailer in the park this evening. Hope to catch up with you tomorrow. Thanks for your faithful reading or even occasionally.