Nebraskaland

148 Nebraskaland • April 2021 less than 100 miles to their favorite campsites, the Riffes are among the let's-see-the-country crowd. Returning from a 4,500-mile journey to Glacier National Park, their trailer rests on a concrete slab surrounded by cottonwood trees at Windmill State Recreation Area east of Kearney. The three Riffe kids, ranging from 10 to 14 years old, light a fire of twigs and branches within the ground grill provided to each campsite. Dinner in their tummies, this is not a cooking fire. Out here, entertainment shifts from battling Xbox monsters or watching YouTube videos to millennia-old fire poking. "It's a chance for them to connect with nature," says their father, George Riffe, in a clay-thick Kentucky drawl. "They like going out together to identify plants and look for wildlife, and that often leads to meeting other camping kids." As clarified by the Riffe's youngest son, Cannon, "You gotta get out and meet the natives!" Campground children are a nostalgic sight reminiscent of far-gone days when hordes of kids wandered neighborhoods playing, biking, simply roaming – because that was what kids did and it was wonderful. Frolicking campground kids' faces exude joyful confidence; this is their place, these are their neighbors, all in plain sight. Possibilities are unlimited. There is trust in state campgrounds. Gear and supplies remain unattended for hours as campers hike and fish far from home base. "We don't worry about the kids being out and about here like we do if we're staying at some hotel," says Darcey Riffe. "We have never met a stranger in these places." "It is tough when bad weather traps us in the camper," says George Riffe. "Or when everyone is grouchy because of long drives and we're still hours from a campsite. But then we just talk or break out board games. Some mornings, my wife and I will pull out of a site early while the kids are still in bed and they may not get up for 100 miles. It's nice to pull over just about anywhere and serve up breakfast." Camping is on the rise in the U.S. — dramatically so in the past several years. Currently, about two out of three American households have at least one person who camps a few times per year. One of the smaller yet tighter circles of these campers are the equestrians. If horses are your passion, you likely camp. Early spring through late fall, long white horse trailers with hay bales atop roll into campgrounds behind dual- wheeled pickups. Cowboy-boot-wearing people lead beloved horses into small corrals provided to equestrian sites. On a calm summer evening at Willow Creek State Recreation Area, northeast of Norfolk, sit the Jindra family of Hooper and their horses swishing tails nearby. Around 7 a.m. each day, the Jindras' horses provide wake-up service, whinnying for the grain they know will be breakfast. Coby Kappelmann of Kearney drops a fi shing line into the creek at Long Pine State Recreation Area. Kayaking the White River is one of many summer activities available at Fort Robinson State Park.

• Cover