400,000 Cranes

 Sandi was able to get a slot at a blind on the Platte River to see the hundreds of thousands of Sandhill Cranes who spend time there every spring.    

On Thursday we drove partway, to North Platte, where we stayed in the Husker inn, owned by an Asian family.   A modest motel, but super well kept.  We had trouble finding outdoor seating for dinner; we later realized that in Nebraska, people don't sit outdoors to eat, even at fast food places.  We finally found take out at a Mexican restaurant.

Friday we drove to Kearney, where they claim the title of Sandhill Crane capital of the world.   We checked into the New Victorian Inn, a renamed older motel, and then drove around looking for birds in the fields.   We would see one group, then another, and some very large groups, too large to count, eating what was left after the fall harvest.   The birds are working to gain energy to head for northern Canada, or even Siberia.   

We arrived at the Nature Conservancy house an hour early, but our guide, Kate, was there to greet us, and gave us a tour of the shop.  She is a fellow, a kind of intern, very happy to be there;  she will be there for a year.      We drove to the river, and then walked to the blind, next to the Platte river.   The sun gradually went down, and we could see some birds flying, but none of the birds landed.   After the sunset, birds started to land, in a steady stream, which we understand includes miles of river.  Our blind had a large sand bar in front of us, and the sand bar gradually filled up with birds.   Any photos only show a very small part of the sea of birds.   It is almost a primeval event.

Our guide came and got us once it was fully dark, walking us back to our car using a red lantern, so as not to disturb the birds.

Our drive back on Saturday was routine.    Sandi had never seen the type of sign below, which Richard has sometimes seen in far eastern Colorado ranch areas.    It gives you a sense of how spread out the ranches are; directions in terms of miles rather than addresses.   We were unable to find information on the Eureka Club.