And then there are the cottonwoods. Some trees have a girth that takes 3 adults holding hands to circumnavigate. Its floodplain is unusually wide at this point in its path, over a mile wide due to the terminal glaciers pushing into the valley and melting there, causing the Wakarusa to carry a much greater amount during the melt than it does now. Of course there is Clinton Reservoir, where the creeks have become fingers of the lake, and which, according to a recent study, has already lost 20 percent of its capacity to siltation. Still, the trails particularly on the south and west shores provide some of the best opportunities to check out the local wildlife.
Raindrops flow together, flow downstream, shape the land and give it life.
Life follows the water in turn, and this is the way it will always be. Kids playing in the stream caused by running hose understand this instinctively, and follow the running water as it flows down the hill. It's time to get back in touch with the rest of life on this planet, and for you, there's no more powerful spot on the planet than right here. Ken Lassman is a lifelong resident of Douglas County and lives on the southern ridge of the Wakarusa River valley near Wells Overlook Park.