Walk at Tallgrass

A few weeks after we got back from our trip to the northern lakes and forests we decided it was time for these Kansans to go wander around the prairie to reconnect with our roots.  The weather for the weekend was going to be cooler for late summer so we couldn't pass that up.  Usually with our weekend activities in the summer we leave by the crack of dawn so we beat the heat but with the highs only in the 70s there was no rush so we were able to get our weekend chores done before scampering off to play.
Our destination of choice was Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Strong City.  It is one of our favorite spots and we still haven't explored all 40 miles of trails yet.  We were going to try a new trail that day but heavy rains made some of the stream crossings difficult so we went with plan B.  While we were at the visitor center there was a ranger lead wildflower hike heading out so we jumping in the group.  We learned about the variety of sunflowers in the ditches along the highways and the 4 main prairie grasses.  We also got pretty good at recognizing ragweed which was responsible for our allergies that week, purple sage, button gay feather, iron weed, and broom weed.  Although the hike was only half a mile and a leisurely stroll we had a wonderful time reaping information from the ranger.
We then grabbed our day packs to head out on a 10 mile loop hike.  We enjoyed being able to recognize and appreciate the flora around us.  It is a different experience when you know the foliage that you are walking past and are engaged in thinking about it rather than rushing past.  Although on Isle Royale we would have been completely overwhelmed with the extent of the variety of plant life.  The first part of our hike was through the bison pasture.  One lone bull was resting in a wallow fairly close to the trail and we marveled at its size.  On the other end of the pasture the main herd was grazing on the rolling hills in the distance.  One benefit to walking on the prairie rather than the forest is that you can actually see the large mammals in the area, even up to half a mile away unlike the moose that were probably lurking just of the trail of which we were completely unaware.
We have been out to Tallgrass a few different times and each visit has been a different season.  Our first visit was in the winter when the grass was burned the fall before so the terrain was brown, black, and dry.  We did have a great time watching the bison herd since it was blocking the trail.  The herd was started in 2010 and has finally maxed out its numbers this year at 100 bison.  Over the past three years we could tell the herd was growing from when we first watched on the winter day.  The next time was in late June with the grass a brilliant green and splashes of wildflowers coloring the hill.  During the summer month the other pastures are range for cattle.  On this trip we witnessed the transformation of later summer into fall.  The cattle are gone, the grass is several feet tall and turning a red bronze color, and the wildflowers are shades of yellows, reds,and oranges.
After we finished our hike, we cleaned up and went out for dinner at our favorite place-- Ad Astra.  We had some time to kill after dinner so we drove out to the county fishing lake to scope it out for a possible camping weekend in the future.  We then headed back to Tallgrass for the grand finale of the day-- watching sunset.  We hiked out with our camp chairs and picked a spot on top of a hill looking out over a valley and pond.  I had brought my sketch pad and colored pencils to do some plein air work (Plein air is a French art term for open or full air-- basically doing art outside).  Note to self that sunsets aren't great to try to capture on the spot with a pencil because the light, shadows, and colors all change very rapidly as the sun goes down.  Arthur, being the romantic husband that he is, pull up some of our favorite songs on our iPod and we danced together on the prairie as the sun was setting.  As darkness settled in we watched the stars sneak out, one by one, into the dimming night sky.
We have mentioned that one lesson we learned on our backpacking trip was sometimes it isn't all about the mileage covered in a day.  Instead of passing through nature sometimes it is good to sit and watch nature pass by you.  Also while it was fun to go on vacation and see forests and lakes and wilderness hiking on the prairie is a unique experience all to itself.  For this trip to Tallgrass we enjoyed going a little deeper with learning about the flowers and grasses and sitting watching the changing light fall across the hills as the crickets started their songs.    Omnia Vincit Amor.