August 2009 - Posts

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 11:49 AM

Hammy's Ride 2009

This year, Chapter NE-W's schedule committee shook things up little.  To accommodate different work schedules, the Frenchman Valley Riders planned more events for those who have weekends free, but they also kept the traditional Thursday Supper Runs for those who can get away on weeknights.  This made for a busy schedule, but nobody expected the members to make every ride.  The group also tried creating an event to attract riders with younger families and named it Hammy's Ride 2009 after our youngest member and herd boss.   (Yes, Hannah Rose bears a strong resemblance to the movie character in "Over The Hedge".)

This year's Hammy Ride brought us to Wellfleet Nebraska's Dancing Leaf Lodge Cultural Learning Center.  The site is named for the native term given to the cottonwood tree -- the tree with the dancing leaves.  The main attraction is an earth lodge built in the tradition of the wood and dirt structures that served as the first homes in Nebraska.  Around 1,000 years ago, the people of the Upper Republican Culture lived in these lodges on the canyon hilltops while they farmed and hunted the area along Medicine Creek.  They are thought to be ancestors to the Pawnee.  Our visit to Dancing Leaf Lodge turned out to be much more than a tourist's glimpse of an earthen lodge.  Not only did we have a great day to ride, we experienced what ought to be a genuine Nebraska treasure -- it's no wonder the place has been recognized with a Nebraska Eco-Tourism Award and that the universities send so many people here.  Owners Les and Janice Hoskins amazed us with their down-to-earth introductions to ancient life on the Plains.  The kids were spell-bound by the stories of what their life would have been like as the first Nebraskan boys and girls.  It was awesome to be able to handle the fossils as Jan shared the state's early history.  Camels, elephants, rhinos, saber-tooth tigers, and mammoths in Nebraska?  Wow!

For the second part of our tour, Jan led the group out to the earthen lodge.  While we think of our home and shelter as one indoor unit, the early Nebraskans viewed the lodge as their shelter and the entire surrounding ridge-top as their home.  The Hoskins illustrated this point with recreated exterior work stations for food prep, hide tanning, and weaving surrounding the lodge.  Each earth lodge takes about 3 years to complete and requires about 300 trees to be cut, hauled from the creek, and seasoned.  The final product resembles an igloo and is a engineering marvel.  We could feel the draft of the cool breeze as it directed the smoke and air particles up through the chimney vent.  As the children sat around the fire pit, the adults sat on the surrounding sleeping shelf and listened to Jan's explanation of the shelter's construction.  The thick layers of dirt made for a cool, peaceful shelter -- quiet even in the middle of a blizzard or the hottest summer heat!  I'd love to have one of these in my back yard!!!

While the Hoskins prepared us a meal typical of the early native culture, our group explored the grounds.  Years ago, this site was an old Boy Scout camp.  Now there is a campground, picnic shelter, hiking trails, and gift shop.  This would be an great place for a GWTA campout if only the road down to the campgrounds were paved.  You can even rent the earth lodge for an overnight stay.  How cool is that!  After a short hike to explore the creek, we sat down to our all-you-can-eat meal of buffalo stew, blue corn muffins with honey, and a selection of cut melons.  Nobody walked away hungry!

If you are ever near North Platte, please make the time to visit the Dancing Leaf Cultural Center (25 miles south on Highway 83, then 2 miles east on Opal Springs Road).  The road is paved all the way to the entrance gate and suitable for two-wheelers.  Janice and Les make their home there and can be contacted for reservations most days of the week.  Regular visitors include school groups, scrap-booker, yoga and painting clubs.  The tour takes around 90 minutes; let them know ahead of time if you'd like the meal (optional).  Their web-site is www.dancingleaf.com.  You'll be glad you came.

Thanks Hammy for a great day... I think the adults had as much fun as the kids did.  We can't wait until next year!  Click here to see more pictures and a slideshow from the ride.

(taken from our GWTA Region C Family of the Year Blog; pictures contributed by Three Wheels West and Kim Petersen)
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