We were quite aware of the potential consequences when we turned down the trail, just in sight of the Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area nature center. We had been warned … multiple times. And we nervously heeded those warnings.

I was on one of my Panhandle trips, interviewing farmers and researchers from Scottsbluff and Gering, traveling all the way north to Crawford and Chadron. My wife was my sidekick for this trip west. This time it was just the two of us and not the entire family, as we have done so many times in the past.

Literal signs touting the dangers of rattlesnakes were installed everywhere around every trail. It was late May, and the rattlers were coming alive for the season. As we turned to hike that trail, we were keenly aware of the potential for encounters.

Years ago

It had been at least 30 years since I had seen a rattlesnake while traveling the rural canyon roads in Frontier County. My wife had never had the experience. Yet, we had been in the car all day, and I didn’t have another interview scheduled until the next morning. So, we decided to take in the breathtaking beauty of the Wildcat Hills in spring and take our chances with rattlesnakes.

We cautiously trekked down the trail with knee-high grass rising on both sides. We looked at twigs as if they were poison and listened intently for rattling or movement in the grass. As we came up on one of the beautiful vistas, I ventured out of the trail for a photo but was chastised by my wife rather harshly for my brazen disregard for safety.

Related:Chimney Rock among most recognized landmarks

We walked perhaps 2 miles on the Wildcat trails before returning to our car without a single encounter with the dreaded prairie rattlesnake. “These signs and warnings are nothing more than cautionary, and we had nothing to worry about.” That’s what we told ourselves.

Our next stop of the day was a late afternoon hike on the South Overlook Trail at the top of Scotts Bluff National Monument, overlooking the route that Oregon Trail overland emigrants took through Mitchell Pass on their trek west. Driving back down to the visitors center parking lot, we decided to take an easy stroll on the Oregon Trail Pathway, a wide, paved walking trail that takes you to the actual swales or ruts of the Oregon Trail. As we came upon the trail depressions, I grabbed my camera so I could take a photo up the trail.

I began stepping closer to the trail ruts, and the grass started to move.

Sure enough, a rattlesnake slithered out of the ruts and within a few yards of where I was standing. My wife will say that I grabbed her arm and turned tail to run the other way. Of course, that is her version.

Related:Scotts Bluff witnessed westward expansion along overland trails

I grabbed her elbow and we both walked away slowly, leaving the snake to his own spring awakening, as sheepishly as a couple of naïve tourists, I suppose.

Another adventure

We live in northeast Nebraska. We have huge bull snakes and lots of garter snakes. But we don’t deal with rattlers.

I share this story because it is just one of many memorable experiences we have had over the years traveling Nebraska as I work to tell the stories of our state’s farmers and ranchers, and my family takes in the sights, sounds, food and adventures of our great state.

Over the past four years, we’ve shared many of our favorite places with our readers through the “Down the Road” column online and in print. Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area and Scotts Bluff National Monument have been among those sites featured, but they are just a small sampling of the ag-related locations, unique spots and educational museums we have highlighted over the years. This past year was no different. We traveled from Sidney in the west to Nebraska City in the east, and we’ve hit almost every corner of the state in between, either this year or in past years.

As we draw 2024 to a close, we want you to travel the state once again with us and look back at some of our favorite stops in the past year. Grab a cup of coffee, build a nice fire in the fireplace and sit back and enjoy the Cornhusker State with us in this slideshow gallery from down the road.

If you have a favorite spot in Nebraska that you think would fit well into our “Down the Road” adventures, feel free to email us at [email protected].