Bluestem - think prairie grass
Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) is the state
grass of Nebraska, and a common element in the
midgrass prairie of the midwest. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is the common
grass of the tallgrass prairie.
So....I still don't get it....why bluestem?
Living in Lincoln, NE, we were surrounded by a tallgrass prairie before most of it was
plowed up. There are now only remnants of prairie scattered
around where I live.
Little bluestem (Andropogon scoparius) is the state
grass of Nebraska, and a common element in the
midgrass prairie of the midwest. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is the common
grass of the tallgrass prairie.
So....I still don't get it....why bluestem?
Living in Lincoln, NE, we were surrounded by a tallgrass prairie before most of it was
plowed up. There are now only remnants of prairie scattered
around where I live.
| My good friend John and I have canoed many places. Here he and I are paddling the Moosecamp River BWCA in our Redbird in 2008. It took us three years to get the Redbird to the BWCA; 6 years after our first trip to the BWCA. |
Why Bluestem?
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
A botanist, I presume?
• Yep, I am a botanist and teach biology at a college in Lincoln, NE
• Attended college in Levelland and San Angelo, TX and Flagstaff, AZ
• I worked with desert ferns in the southwestern US
Where does the Paddling come in?
I've been an avid canoeist for a few years now, since I purchased a Daggar Reflection. I
have canoed in local rivers (Niobrara, Dismal, Platte, Elkhorn), the Boundary Waters
(MN), Buffalo and Mulberry Rivers (AR), and the Colorado and Devil's Rivers (TX). I now
own a Mad River Outrage canoe, a Blackhawk Starship solo (pictured on the left) and I
built a Redbird Canoe with my friend John in 2005, (that is the canoe pictured at the top
and on the left). Actually John owns the Starship, but I have possession, so it makes it
mine. I also build canoe paddles and offer them for sale.
In 2006 I finished a strip kayak with my daughter. We chose Vaclav Stejskal's design, the
One Ocean Kayak Cape Ann Storm LT. See the Storm LT link above for photos of the
build.
A good friend, Guang, and I completed Guang's Prospector Ranger in May 2007 and
took it to the BWCAW (Mudro Lake Entry) for a wonderful 5-day trip in May 2007.
In 2008, I finished a Redfish King sea kayak - the first boat "just for me". You can see the
build at the King link above.
Reach me by email at: dbenham at bluestempaddler.com
• Yep, I am a botanist and teach biology at a college in Lincoln, NE
• Attended college in Levelland and San Angelo, TX and Flagstaff, AZ
• I worked with desert ferns in the southwestern US
Where does the Paddling come in?
I've been an avid canoeist for a few years now, since I purchased a Daggar Reflection. I
have canoed in local rivers (Niobrara, Dismal, Platte, Elkhorn), the Boundary Waters
(MN), Buffalo and Mulberry Rivers (AR), and the Colorado and Devil's Rivers (TX). I now
own a Mad River Outrage canoe, a Blackhawk Starship solo (pictured on the left) and I
built a Redbird Canoe with my friend John in 2005, (that is the canoe pictured at the top
and on the left). Actually John owns the Starship, but I have possession, so it makes it
mine. I also build canoe paddles and offer them for sale.
In 2006 I finished a strip kayak with my daughter. We chose Vaclav Stejskal's design, the
One Ocean Kayak Cape Ann Storm LT. See the Storm LT link above for photos of the
build.
A good friend, Guang, and I completed Guang's Prospector Ranger in May 2007 and
took it to the BWCAW (Mudro Lake Entry) for a wonderful 5-day trip in May 2007.
In 2008, I finished a Redfish King sea kayak - the first boat "just for me". You can see the
build at the King link above.
Reach me by email at: dbenham at bluestempaddler.com
| Me canoeing on Brule Lake in the BWCAW in a Blackawk Starship solo canoe |
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