Peaceful Prairie Tent and RV Sites

07/18/2026

Thank you to Brody Rask for bringing his loader out and giving the RV site some much needed leveling. It’s requiring lots of dirt from another part of the farm, and it’s already looking so much better. Next is the gravel.

07/03/2026

Meet Violet. 💜🐢

Last June, my friend and I met this beautiful little ornate box turtle while walking through the prairie at Peaceful Prairie Campsites.

We gently picked her up for just a moment to admire the incredible markings on the underside of her shell, then set her right back where we found her, pointing in the same direction. Instead of disappearing, she simply sat there in the grass. We got down on our bellies, our chins in our hands, and quietly watched her.

After a little while, she slowly peeked out with one soft brown eye. We stayed together like that for awhile, her brown eye soft and curious, and told her how beautiful she was.

It felt like such a gift.

I named her Violet.

I’ve thought about Violet many times over the past year.

This spring and early summer have been incredibly hard on wildlife here. We endured months of drought. The prairie turned brown, our irrigation canal was dry, and I found myself wondering if Violet had enough water to survive.

Thankfully, the rains have finally come, and water is flowing in the canal again. I hope she’s still out there somewhere beneath these grasses, living the quiet little life she was meant to live.

Ornate box turtles are native to our Nebraska prairies. They don’t travel long distances, often spending their entire lives in the same small area. The prairie isn’t just where they live—it’s the only home they’ve ever known.

Moments like this remind me that this land doesn’t belong only to us.

It belongs to the meadowlark singing from the fence post.

To the deer that slip through at sunrise.

To the hawks circling overhead.

To the pollinators that keep the wildflowers blooming.

And to little turtles like Violet, who have likely been wandering these hills long before any of us arrived.

Every time we protect a piece of native prairie, we’re protecting an entire community of life that depends on it.

My hope is that one day I’ll look down while walking these hills and see Violet’s familiar shell again.

07/01/2026

Cleaning up land that has been the recipient of decades of dumping can be exhausting and discouraging.

This is the old farmstead, my grandfather purchased when he was a young man after saving his farming wages. He always took pretty good care of things until he retired, when he began to travel most of the year.

The person who farmed the place when he retired had a different philosophy. From his own mouth, when I asked why he threw discarded waste in piles all over the farm, he said his dad had done the same. It was their philosophy that if a place looked j***y, thieves would not be interested.

So I spend my early cool mornings cleaning up and trying my best to pick up the debris. The wind brings fresh new layers of garbage. Every spring, I see the ravages of winter winds and snows bringing more up. It feels like a process that will never end.

When Campers come and they can only see what fresh new debris has been unearthed, rather than stunning views, the incredible landscape they have private access to, I try not to take it personally.

The sheer amount of work that has been put in to this spot by me and so many others that I’ve had help from is astounding.

The more big ugly things you get rid of, the more nitpicky and eagle-eyed people get about their criticism.

This is just a small visual example of what I am constantly dealing with. I believe these are old plastic oil cans. They were layers deep thrown around this old metal water tank, and what plastic does is yes, it degrades, so the form dissolves into tiny pieces of plastic chips that go into the ground and scatter all over with the wind and the rains. It’s impossible to get it all, and when you had layers upon layers upon layers discarded over decades of this property’s function, you can only imagine how challenging it is.

As I work, it’s a good practice, managing my anger and frustration. Because what can you do? All you can do is your best and when tears flow, you just take deep breaths, and give it a rest for a while.

I’m so grateful for the people who have come over the years to camp here and to see the beauty and the possibility. Their camping fees have helped to Fuel improvements.

Next week will be placing some gravel down, and that should help quite a bit for a while, but it’s a temporary fix. I don’t know what else to do.

I continually craft my RV site description to reflect the honesty of this site, and have cut way down on disappointment because those who choose to be here appreciate what’s taking place and being part of it.

06/17/2026

05/20/2026

Our cozy Canyon site has quickly become a camper favorite. We loved hosting this family from Switzerland recently.

Book your stay today: https://www.hipcamp.com/en-US/land/nebraska-peaceful-prairie-campsites-3pw1h95l?adults=1&children=0

12/10/2025

Imagine standing on the open prairie as the sun drops low, stretching long gold shadows across the grasslands and softening every curve of the bluffs. This landscape—our landscape—has stirred the hearts of travelers for generations. In the 1800s, pioneers passing through this very region often paused to sketch what they saw and to write poetic reflections in their journals while they camped beneath these same skies.

You can still feel that same quiet magic today at Peaceful Prairie Campsites. Pitch your tent or park your camper where those early travelers once rested, and experience the land just as they did—wide, calm, and full of promise.

"Left camp at eleven o'clock. Drove 18 miles. Our camp close to Scott's Bluff. Our sick men all better. The scenery is romantic and sublime, around our camp. The bluffs in the distance skirted by small cedars, indented in various places, many high peaks, worn by the rain and wind into various shapes, resembling many of the structures of Architecture." -1850 California emigrant George Willis Read

Image- A wooden post marks the route of the Emigrant Trails with Mitchell Pass in the background. NPS/Eric Grunwald