Spent a lovely August weekend on the banks of the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska with three college buddies. Matt Miller, Lane Hickenbottom, Ryan Soderlin and me were all photographers for the Daily Nebraskan in the 1990's.
The weather was perfect for late August. Even surprisingly cool. I hadn't had a real vacation yet this year.
If you're under impression that Nebraska is nothing more than never-ending fields of corn, you've not been to the Niobrara. It's beautiful. 
We're photographers. That makes us resourceful. Coffee courtesy of the truck battery. Ryan fills his air mattress the same way. Turns out the air mattress had a hole, making Ryan's resourcefulness questionable. 
A flock of turkey's joined our campsite every morning and evening. It was though we were in the way. 
With headlamp, Ryan bothers Lane while Lane tries to stay warm in front of the campfire. Matt, in typical fashion, was already in bed. 
When you go to the Niobrara, here's what you do: Rent a few tubes to sit on, plus one to sit your beer cooler on, and float down the river all day. This was the scene from our camp. 
When Matt first told me about the trip, I asked him what it entailed. His response: "Basically you just lie on your back while floating down the river and drink beer all day." Sounded good to me.
He wasn't kidding. 
Lane was the beer drinking champion on day 1. No one even finished a close second. 
The end of the second day of floating brought us to Rocky Ford. We unhitched the tubes from one another and Lane and I decided to run the rapids. This is what is commonly referred to as a Six Beer Decision. 
Lane. Professional goofball. 
Matt light's a cigar late Saturday night. 
Soderlin and I were there to capture it. This is what happens when four photographers go camping. 
Lane shot this fire-lit photo from our campsite. Awesome time.
