Biking the Flint Hills Trail

I recently biked the Flint Hills Trail starting at Pressonville Rd and biking four miles almost to Rantoul, KS. This is the most scenic part of the trail. It follows the Marais De Cygne River with wooded hills along the sides. I actually found a place on the river that had whitewater! That is unusual for Kansas. It looked like level II rapids. I will have to try paddling it someday. While I was biking, I stirred up a flock of turkeys. It was an enjoyable morning. God is good.

Mr. and Mrs. Dove

I have noticed the pair of doves eating in our front yard a couple of times lately. They must nest around here somewhere though I have not found where. I looked them up on Wikepedia and discovered that they are Eurasian Collared Doves. They have a black collar around the backs of their necks. Every time I have seen these birds, they have been in pairs. My guess is that they mate for life. It seems that in the animal kingdom that God made some animals that do not pair and mate for life, and some that do. I think the latter is a good example for human beings. The Bible teaches the concept of one man for one woman for one lifetime! I also discovered from Wikepedia that the female dove sits on the eggs during the nighttime and the male during the daytime. Interesting. In the Bible, the dove is a symbol for the Holy Spirit. And we believers are commanded to be as wise as a fox and as harmless as a dove.

paddling the wade branch creek

The plan was to get up early today and drive to Springfield, Mo. so my son Justin and I could paddle the White River. (Lake Taneycomo) We were going to put in at the fish hatchery and paddle to the boat ramp near downtown Branson, which is about 7 or 8 miles. I was a little nervous about all the rain the area has had recently (about six inches) and so I called the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers. The recording said that Table Rock was at flood stage and they were releasing a lot of water into the White river. They said that any activity on the river would not be safe, so the trip was cancelled. However, I did paddle Wade Creek on the Wade Branch of Hillsdale Lake. It was 46 degrees when I put in this morning and there was no wind. That is heaven for a paddler (no wind). I paddled about two miles until the creek was too shallow to go any farther. I had to portage three times. Three ducks were ahead of me about 20 yards. I'm sure they had never seen anything like my orange/yellow/red kayak with a human in it. I could never get any closer than 20 yards. They matched my speed and stayed ahead of me. It wasn't the White River but it was a very enjoyable time out on the water.