One Week Left

Our time here is coming to an end with only one week left before our next refuge, Arapho NWR in Walden, Colorado...the COOL country.  It's so wonderful we are able to do this sort of thing.  A new refuge in one of our favorite states.  When our boys were out of school for summer vacation, we would always go tenting in Colorado (all places west of interstate 25).


Some of the "jobs" we have done here at Wichita NWR.

Leading Family Hikes.  I'm sure glad one of the friends members just happened to show up today as we had a total of 41 people and I was glad to have his help.  We had one group of 19, mostly little ones.  Here we are at Prairie Dog Town after our hike on Elk Trail.  Only one mishap...one little boy fell into the only prickly pear cactus on the trail.  He was a trooper though.

Being roving rangers.  This is on top of Mt. Scott.  The fellow in this photo had just dropped his camera between the boulders.  Wallace took our litter grabbers down to him so he could retrieve it.  Mount Scott is on the refuge and stands over 2400' with many beautiful views from the top.  We drive around visiting with the visitors, answering questions, etc.

Keeping all five brochure boxes filled.  Each road entrance into the refuge has one of these for our visitors.

Given the keys to drive on refuge roads that are closed to the public.  That's Wallace waving behind the shrubs.  We are driving Burma Road this day getting acquainted with the refuge.

And then there was the painting of the trail signs!  The large ones as well as the little ones you see on the left.  Thumbs up because we completed this assignment after hiking a total of about 22 miles to do them all.  These signs are mostly on the Dog Run Hollow National Recreation Trail which includes Bison, Elk, and Longhorn Trails with each of those trails having the little ones with the sign depicting which trail (animal) you are hiking.  This was more my project with Wallace carrying all the supplies in the bucket.  We also painted the signs on the Kite Trail.  We should have counted all those signs, but that requires hiking it all over again which we are not willing to do at this time!!!

Giving biology a helping hand.  More about this later.  This is out in the special use area, an area closed to the public except for special tours.  Example, the Bugling Elk Tours in September.

Last but not least, working in the visitor center where one and a half million visitors a year are greeted and introduced to the refuge.  We will have worked a total of  310 hours during our stay here.


Until next time...