As I drove to work this morning I had the overwhelming sense that I needed to spend some time outdoors today. After the storms which passed through last night, the air had a special quality. The richness and depth of the blue sky was highlighted by the few remnant clouds on the horizon. It called to me.
It was a call -- not for working out in the sun -- for hiking, exploring, soaking in the vibrancy of the day. It has been a long time since I went hiking. Maybe I should head to Palo Duro Canyon and spend some time. I could go out to Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
The problem is that my task list is long. It seems that I have allowed the "little things that need done" to accumulate into a lengthy ordeal. If I was to take the afternoon off I would feel guilty if I didn't spend it "checking a few items off" from my list. It would detract from the enjoyment of the day. Or would it? Maybe I should find out.
Instead, I go to the office. I enter into another day of work. Opportunity lost?
Showing posts with label Buffalo Lake NWR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buffalo Lake NWR. Show all posts
Friday, June 20, 2008
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Buffalo Lake NWR
One of my favorite drives in the Texas Panhandle is Farm Road 168 south of Umbarger, Texas. I enjoy the area around Buffalo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. I guess the reason that I like that stretch of road is the wildlife that can be seen at almost any time of day on almost any day of the year. Today as we passed by heading south, we stopped to watch a wild turkey gobbler strutting with full tail fan for a couple of hens. He was less than 30 yards from the road so it was easy to see him.
Often we see deer there. Tonight, as we passed by returning north, we saw numerous deer -- mostly mule deer. There must be hundreds of deer that populate the refuge. At night, many of them migrate into some of the wheat fields that surround the refuge. You can sometimes see herds of 50 or more.
When there is water in the lake (which is rare), there are plenty of waterfowl -- especially during the fall and spring migrations. It is a popular stopping spot for geese and ducks. Frequently, during those migrations, bald eagles can be seen hanging around in their pursuit of the ducks.
I believe the lake was originally impounded in 1937. It became a very popular boating, skiing, and fishing lake in the 50's and 60's, but during the 70's, due to drought and years of silting, the lake went dry. When sufficient rains fell to re-fill the lake in the late 70's, it was determined that the dam was unsafe, so the lake was permanently drained and the old dam replaced by a flood control dam.
I have vague memories as a child of going to Buffalo Lake on the weekends in the summer. I had an uncle that would take his boat out and those who were old enough got to ski. I remember my father skiing and I thought it was "pretty cool". By the time I was old enough to ski, the lake had silted in to the point that skiing was unsafe. At one point, you could walk across nearly any part of the lake without it getting more than waist deep (if I remember correctly).
I am happy that Buffalo Lake is now a National Wildlife Refuge. It would be nice if it was still a recreational lake, but since it is not, I am glad they have preserved it. I believe that it helped immensely in re-establishing the deer population of the central and southwestern Panhandle.
If you have memories of Buffalo Lake "as it was", please share them in the comments. I would be very interested in the stories. If you have pictures, you can e-mail them to me at panhandlepoet@hotmail.com, I will post them for you.
Often we see deer there. Tonight, as we passed by returning north, we saw numerous deer -- mostly mule deer. There must be hundreds of deer that populate the refuge. At night, many of them migrate into some of the wheat fields that surround the refuge. You can sometimes see herds of 50 or more.
When there is water in the lake (which is rare), there are plenty of waterfowl -- especially during the fall and spring migrations. It is a popular stopping spot for geese and ducks. Frequently, during those migrations, bald eagles can be seen hanging around in their pursuit of the ducks.
I believe the lake was originally impounded in 1937. It became a very popular boating, skiing, and fishing lake in the 50's and 60's, but during the 70's, due to drought and years of silting, the lake went dry. When sufficient rains fell to re-fill the lake in the late 70's, it was determined that the dam was unsafe, so the lake was permanently drained and the old dam replaced by a flood control dam.
I have vague memories as a child of going to Buffalo Lake on the weekends in the summer. I had an uncle that would take his boat out and those who were old enough got to ski. I remember my father skiing and I thought it was "pretty cool". By the time I was old enough to ski, the lake had silted in to the point that skiing was unsafe. At one point, you could walk across nearly any part of the lake without it getting more than waist deep (if I remember correctly).
I am happy that Buffalo Lake is now a National Wildlife Refuge. It would be nice if it was still a recreational lake, but since it is not, I am glad they have preserved it. I believe that it helped immensely in re-establishing the deer population of the central and southwestern Panhandle.
If you have memories of Buffalo Lake "as it was", please share them in the comments. I would be very interested in the stories. If you have pictures, you can e-mail them to me at panhandlepoet@hotmail.com, I will post them for you.
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