Sunday, August 05, 2007

Ak-Sar-Ben Aquarium

We had nothing to do last Sunday and it felt like we had wasted away the weekend, so we loaded up the minivan and went on a road trip to Ak-Ben-Sar aquarium. It's 45 minutes away on the Platte River. Originally it was a hatching station, now it's a state park with some very nice fish tanks full of native fish. We saw for our first time what a real paddlefish looks like - wierd. We also saw the largest catfish in captivity - I think it is over 90 lbs.

The geese are actually agressive when it comes to hand feeding. The carp are big and hungry; I would bet that they would eat out of your hand here. Too bad you can't fish in these ponds... I have always wanted to hook up with a carp on some light fly tackle.
There are some old fish ponds that fill a dammed-up ravine. The lowest one holds koi, the next one is nothing but bright green algae. The one up from that is full of shrubs - the dam won't hold water. The top-most pool is crystal clear and full of trout. It's a shame that the state cannot get their act together and repair this place. The dams need repair, the trails are overgrown, and everything feels very neglected. It's almost like the state built all its parks 50-100 yers ago and then left them to decay.
CP is digging through his wallet for quarters for fish food. The boys had fun feeding the fish, but on the way home they realized that the smell of fish food was not going to go away. Low blood sugar, high humidity, and smelly hands made for some entertaining whining and complaining.
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