The Konza Prairie is probably the most well known hiking trail in Manhattan. It has several trails, each of different length, that is surrounded by beautiful views and wildlife. The only other time I had hiked this trail was on a very hot summer day in the middle of August, so my experience when it …
Little teaching moments
There are three things that you should know about my fiance; he’s in the military, he grew up in the country, and he has no survival skills whatsoever. When we decided to go camping, I assumed that the first to meant he also had some survival skills. I was wrong. Growing up, my father taught …
Old Barns and Baby Bison
Kansas is home to beautiful landscapes and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is no exception. Friday morning, I awoke at 6 a.m. in order to be at Tallgrass, an hour south of Manhattan, by 8 a.m. The crisp morning air greeted me as our group of 6 loaded up the suburban. Amy Nickel, the graduate student …
The Roads Less Traveled
"The tall blades of Kansas grasses touched the soft blonde sky, and swayed synchronized in the light. " It was 6:00 in the evening. The bracing winds of late October against the cold frame of my bicycle gave me no comfort. The setting turned from the dark asphalt of the street to a wide gravel …
Rodeo Road Trip
There's a hundred years of history and a hundred before thatAll gathered in the thinkin' going' on beneath his hat.And back behind his eyeballs and pumpin' through his veinsIs the ghost of every cowboy that ever held the reins.All the miles spent sleep drivin', all the money down the drainAll the "if I's" and the …
Conducting surveys at Tallgrass Prairie.
On Saturday, November 9th, I was invited to help Amy Nickel, a graduate student at Kansas State University conduct visitor surveys at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City, Kansas. This was my first time visiting Tallgrass Prairie, and while I did not get to see much, the trail I was stationed at was quite …
Chasing Antelope on the Prairie
It all started on a nice Saturday morning in October. My brother my son and I started heading for Wyoming. We were in search for the great American Antelope, or pronghorn as most people refer to them as. The anticipation was building with every mile. We had allotted ourselves two days of scouting before opening …
PMC 210: Intro to Outdoor Recreation 