Hummell Park Visitors Center and Hike

 This Saturday we did a hike at Hummel Park.  Hummel Park is a city of Omaha park.  It is north of Omaha.  It is just off of Pershing Drive north of the Mormon Bridge.  The hike started and ended at the Nature Center.  I tried to determine how far we went from the map and concluded it was about 1.25 miles.

Hummel Park It is mostly known for youth science day camps during the summer.  Charity says it is really hard to get into the camp due to demand.  However they also have many trails and picnic areas.  

On the hike I saw mushrooms.  We also saw the place where they do an annual mud run.  Charity's kids have done this.  

Welcome to Omaha/ Bellevue: Gifford Dr. Park, Riverside Hike

 Gifford Drive Park is not a park in the normal sense.  It use to be a road, but is now blocked off to cars by Omaha City but is available for pedestrian and bike travel.  On the map is labeled Gifford Drive Park.  It extends from a block from the zoo to 12th and J streets, or to almost the South Omaha Veterans Memorial Bridge.  The trail/drive is just above the train yard.  Charity, Anthony, the kids and I ventured this way.  The kids rode bikes. The adults walked and pushed the youngest in the stroller.  

view of the bridge through the trees

A couple train engines

Missouri River in here someplace

East San Antonio Hike San Jose

Arriving early for a training at the Learning Center, DTMHC office) I took a short thought the neighborhood.  I usual just stay on Santa Clara, so this was a pleasant change.  I discovered that East San Antonio has a bridge over the Guadalupe River with mosaics much like the bridge on Santa Clara.  In addition to the mosaics there was an interesting old church and a unique yard ornament.

San Joaquin National Wildlife Refuge

I discovered a wildlife refuge only about 20 minutes from our house.  I went to the refuge through Modesto, turning at the mall but going west on Beckwith.  You follow that a few miles and there is a viewing platform on the right.  I must admit, not much to see, but you could hear the gees, and the gun shots from the gun range across the way.
I thank back tracked a little to Gates, and took Gates to the the highway 132 (Maze), turned right, crossed over the river, turned left onto River Road, then left on Dairy and found the parking area very quickly.  I got there at a good time, there were no other vehicles in the parking lot.  There is a small picnic area, and a four mile nature trail.  This park is noted for riparian bunnies.  I didn't think I would see one, but saw two within a couple seconds on the trail, but skirting into the bushes ahead of me.  No was to get a picture.  However I continued on.  The lower trail follows a slough, and in that slough I saw the biggest bird I have seen in the wild, reminded me of an ostrich but of course much smaller.  I think they are blue herons.  I also saw plenty of great egrets, some in flight.  There were smaller birds, and plant life different than I see normally.  The trail goes around the slough so I saw the egrets from another angle as well.
While going around the slough, one of those bunnies came out of the thicket, and seeing me froze, hoping I wouldn't notice him.  I got a couple of pictures.  Later a big squirrel did the same thing, and then I saw another bunny way in front of me hopping down the trail.
The riparian forest is =incredible.  Everything is off limits except the trail--the are protecting wildlife.
The amenities are an out house at the parking lot.  I am glad it was there.   As noted I turned back before completing the trail.  If you walk far enough the map shows you coming up on the San Joaquin River, old channels and new channel.  Also the Tuolumne River flows into the San Joaquin in the refuge.
I returned home a different way.  Followed Dairy until it hit Center Street and took that back to River Road.  I crossed the 132 onto Kasson which goes through San Joaquin City (an old ghost town with nothing there any more but a monument where the plaque use to be.  Then I got on Airport and returned home.  It was a fun couple hour diversion.  And for me it was a terrific discovery.

From the platform

platform parking

Nature Hike, bird of prey

strange plant

Blue Herons is my guess, very large birds

Great White Egrets

Little bird in the reeds

riparian Brush rabbits are endangered species in the refuge.  I don't think this is a sample as has a white butt

Large squirrel

What is that in the bush?

tree samples of the riparian forrest

barbed wire from San Joaquin City; alas the city is gone