Ghost at Oxbow Lake

Smaller trail for the adventurous

     Jeff and I decide to take a late evening walk at one of the popular parks in Sioux Falls called Sertoma Park.  As we approach the entrance, an adorable bunny surprises us as it hops around a large tree.  It is a baby bunny and tries to hide by flattening its body against the grass. After admiring this small creature, we continue walking across the road and into the park. Many fireflies light up the trail and woods all around, signaling the approach of darkness.  Perhaps this should be a fast-paced walk. It has been a long time since we have seen so many fireflies.  An eerie feeling comes over me as the trees on the trail hide the daylight. We see smaller trails leading off into the darkness of the woods.  Little fluffy white tufts have fallen from a large old Cottonwood tree nearby covering our path with a wispy film.  The stagnant Oxbow Lake can be seen through the brush.  It has no definite shore and has evaporated and formed areas of mud with critter footprints throughout. 

 “I wonder if there could be ghosts here.” I asked.

Resident Deer at Sertoma Park, Sioux Falls, SD

Jeff smiled and replied, “You know, there is an old Sioux legend about a warrior who wanders these woods looking for his lover.  He died in battle and was never given a proper burial.  So, he appears after sunset making all these trails with his continual roaming.” 

I know Jeff made up this story, but what if there is some mysterious presence lurking in the woods.  It is getting dark and we are not prepared for an overnight stay on the trail or getting lost and the trail seems longer than I thought.  I am the practical one, as you can tell.  We rounded a bend into an open field.  I unexpectedly see two eyes through the dark brush.  I realize we have come upon a deer.  We are so close to it, yet it is not afraid.  The deer wanders over the trail behind us and into the field and continues foraging.  A couple of rabbits hop in front of us and hide in the tall grass. 

We continue our walk and cross over Oxbow Lake on a sturdy wooden bridge.  I see another old Cottonwood tree at one end. Jeff and I begin light playful banter:  “The trail is this way.” “No, the trail goes that way.” “It is not far to the end now.”  “No, we go this way and have to walk all around this field before we are done.”  “That cannot be, you are wrong.”  “We are going to need a flashlight!”  “No, we won’t; we’ll be alright without it.”  “Oh yes, we can use our phones to light the way.”  “We need to conserve the batteries.” 

   

Charming  wooden bridge over Oxbow Lake

Suddenly, dark objects appear in the open field in front of us  Rabbits, lots of rabbits darting away here and there and hiding, except for one huge rabbit standing upright.  I am thinking this must be the old wise one that waits to see if there is a real danger before he abandons his activities.  After all, not many rabbits have been killed in this park as you can tell by their sheer numbers.  Unable to resist, I take off running toward that fat rabbit.  It runs away faster than any of the others.  I chuckle, but ahead there are more rabbits…invasion of the rabbits!  Rabbits might be dangerous in numbers if they decide to attack a human.  Remember, I am the practical one, and I like to plan ahead just in case.

We notice that some canoes are stored by a small pond and discuss how fun it might be to come back and rent one.  However, we see that the canoes are charred and broken and destroyed by fire. “This could be the doing of that restless Indian warrior that wanders the park at night,” I mused. Jeff grins.

Oh! Something touched my ankle!  Before I have a chance to react, it happens again.  I jump away and scream.

“What’s wrong?” Jeff asks concerned. 

“Something touched me!  Something hairy!”

Jeff and I look around to see if rabbits are there.  I look back from where we came and saw a light… no a torch!  I see the Sioux warrior carrying a torch coming towards us on the trail.  Jeff sees that I am distressed and asks again, “What’s wrong?”  I point, but he does not see anything.  I look again…  I do not see anything either.

“Let’s go.  I am getting thirsty.”  Jeff said.  I take another glance back to make sure we are not being followed.  The light fades, the trail becomes more difficult to follow, but we are close to the end.  As we step into familiar surroundings and street lights, Jeff exclaims, “You sure do walk fast!”

NOTE:  Most of this is true.  We did discuss a possible ghost while we were walking as part of our bantering.  Sure made the walk interesting, along with all the wild life and trails. This park has so much to offer that I will post more pictures.  Here is more information:  Sertoma Park, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Childhood Memory - The fish that got away

When I was a little girl, maybe 10 years old, my dad took our family camping at Sam Rayburn with some of our family’s friends.  The spot we chose to stay for the night was just below the Dam.  I was a day dreamer and explorer.  I soon discovered the huge pile of rocks at one end of our site, and at the other, a maze of gullies that you could walk in and not see the top or the end unless of course you climbed out.  I thought of them as canyons and probably explored every inch.  We did not ask permission because our mother would have said no (she would have been unable to see us).  The same with the rock pile.  It must be dangerous in some way.  I remember thinking about going to the top and sliding down the side.  We would need a garbage lid or mat of some kind.  Not sure if we ever followed through with that.  We should have been on the lookout for snakes, but it faintly crossed our minds.  I remember standing on the banks watching the rushing water as it left the dam locks.  My dad and the other man helped us fish.  I learned to cast way out and reel the line back in.  I did not catch anything.  My dad must have helped me learn this skill.  I remember he was worried about losing the rod and reel if I did not hold on to it when I cast.  I remember trying to stay away from the edge of the bank and not fall in.  It was a long drop into that water.  Oh I could swim all right, but that water terrified me because it was so fast and deep.  Mom and Dad or someone told us not to go there alone.  I remember that.

I suppose it was the adventurer in me.  I went back to the bank looking for everyone.  No one was around.  I really wanted to see if I could cast again and catch a fish this time.  I wanted Dad to be proud of me. I picked up the rod and cast it. It went clear to the other side of the river.  It was amazing!  As suddenly as the line hit the water, there was a heavy tug that almost made me lose my balance.  Before I had time to process this, a huge fish jumped out of the water and back in.  I had one, I had one!  Unbelievable!  However, I could not get it reeled in, the fish was pulling me in.  I yelled for help and no one came.  A moment of truth hit me.  Either I am going to go into that terrifying water or I am going to lose the rod and reel.  Either way, I am dead -- face my parent’s wrath or hold on and hope for the best.  I was terrified of my father’s wrath and disappointment more than anything, so I was probably going to end up in the water.  That was a long drop into a wet oblivion.  About that time, the line snapped and I fell backwards.  Whew!

I backed away and put the rod down where I found it.  Maybe someone can fix the line when they notice it was broke, but I will never tell.  I was in a different mood after that, I was afraid to explore the canyons, climb the rock pile, be around my dad and mom, and afraid to go near the river.   I realized that even though I yelled for help, no one came.  I wondered where my sister and brother were.  Were they safe, were they staying away from the river?  I thought about how sad everyone would feel if I had died.  What a burden for a 10 year old.  That is not the first time I almost drowned.  Looking back, God must have had different plans for me.

Recent rains in Nacogdoches have started a little creek and gully in our yard.