Not far outside Fremont, a turn off the highway presents travelers with a necessary slowdown. Speeds reduce from 60 to 35 mph, with the appearance of a chipped, white speed sign on a crooked steel pole. Big Island Road is a dead-end somewhere down the line, but no one around here is in a rush to turn around anytime soon.

While the Platte River serves as a blooming ecosystem for fish, plants, eagles and other living things, it also fosters another way of life that Nebraskans enjoy. Like the slow roll of the river’s current, the smaller close-knit “river communities” like that which JC Norwood and Tony Hussey call home offer a compact slice of paradise and unique freedom.

Together the pair own and operate Woody’s Airboat Tours on an eastern stretch of the Platte River. They’re about as laid-back and easygoing as the river itself. JC and Tony are easily mistaken for brothers. They live just steps from their favorite waterway – and each other. Guests partaking in a tour are welcomed right into the family, parking in small spaces between JC and Tony’s homes, and walking into the backyard to see the waiting fleet.

Remi and River, a pair of good pups, serve as another welcoming committee. Tony grabs the handle of a cooler filled to the brim with ice-cold waters and makes his way out. His Woody’s T-shirt and koozie, alongside the shiny new sign outside the front of JC’s house and the 10-seater tour boat waiting in the water, make the business look official. JC is dressed much the same, as are the duo’s family and friends, along for the afternoon ride.

The lines between new acquaintance and friend blur just about as quickly as the group piles into the waiting boat. Purple and yellow bench seats are warm against the skin; the sun prepares to set in the hours to come. Nebraska summertime weekends end like this for many in the airboating river community, the group agreed. Sunglasses are donned to protect the eyes and earmuffs keep the sound of the massive engine and aircraft propeller roaring to life at bay.

JC steers the flat-bottomed boat off the bank, and the world melts away.

What happens next is somewhat magical. The airboat passengers, and their captains, are forced into a welcomed isolation as waterway travel begins. There is little to hear over the rhythmic humming of the propeller at the back, but the low, even drone of it all doesn’t seem to be a bother. The buzz radiates through the body. Bright glances are shared between guests as navigating a shallow spot causes a quick spray of cold river droplets, but no words are exchanged.

Contentment settles as the wind rockets through unrestrained hair. The breeze cools off passengers too, as a cloudless sky on an open river brings warmth to the skin and soul. “I call it wind therapy,” Tony said.

Freedom sinks in as the river turns her shoulders and banks, winding her way from west to east. Her sides are shored up with pieces of broken concrete and the shells of vintage vehicles, providing periodic breaks from the all-natural views she showcases. Out of the 150 tours that Woody’s guided last year, no two were the same, they said. Sandbars, eagle nests and other sights change regularly.

JC navigates the narrower channels with the finesse of a Formula 1 racer, drifting sideways with little to no effort. After 15 minutes of silent navigation, JC steers closer to a bank and cuts the engine to an idle. He stands from his captain’s chair and points a finger toward the trees. It’s a bald eagle’s nest, complete with young occupants. This same scene plays out at least five times on Woody’s daily tours. JC and Tony know the location (and status) of almost every nest along the banks of the river stretch they cruise.

Parking the boat on a shallow spot, the tanned boat captain kills the engine. Nearby is a tall tree, topped with a pair of stoic eagles. JC and Tony let the party view the eagles in silence for a bit, before chatter picks up and the pair spout off fact after fact about the birds. They’re self-taught on the subject, they agreed, but researched it because they loved the topic so much. And of course, true to the spirit of a Nebraskan proud of their state, it’s all about sharing the experience with their guests.

This is just their way of life, but it’s also a point of pride. Sharing the river with people, who’ve either been in its waters or not, is the highlight of the whole business, JC agreed. People leave the shore skeptical and return grinning ear-to-ear.

So, what does the Platte River and river life mean, personally, to the pair? Freedom – plain and simple.

“This is the last free place in this world, I believe,” Tony said, glancing backward at the sun setting over the water at his back.

This feeling of freedom and the culture of river communities, such as those along the Platte River, transcend state boundaries, too. “No matter where we go, river people, they’re all the same,” Tony said.

Freedom spreads her feathers in other ways for JC and Tony on the river, the pair agreed. Last year, the group was returning from a trip up-river when it started raining. They stopped, and some of the passengers decided to take shelter where they could, under seats or elsewhere. A lover of storms, Tony decided to call out to Mother Nature. “Is that all you got?” he called. She answered with hail, he said with a laugh.

Then, of course, there are the sandbar grill parties, Josh Strong explained. Airboaters are known to meet up with 10-15 other boats, bring out their grills and lose track of time.

And who could forget the moment the baby bald eagle learned to fly on the Fourth of July? JC told the story from the edge of his seat.

“You wouldn’t think anything is out here based on the history books,” Tony said. “Then you get out here and you see that Nebraska has just as many eagles as Alaska.”

While sitting amongst a small group of friends after returning from their afternoon tour, JC and Tony are interrupted by the roar of an approaching airboat. It parks on a sandbar just across from the pair’s properties, and the occupants wade through the shallow water of the river to join the group. They are friends, new and old, from somewhere nearby on the channel, with cold drinks and laughter in hand.

From Valley to North Bend, Nebraska has the highest number of registered airboats per capita in the United States, so it’s not uncommon for this kind of thing to happen, JC said. It’s almost always a welcome reception, too.

Idle conversation between friends continues, despite the dipping sun. Even being a weeknight, no one was in a hurry to go anywhere. The usual hour-long tour took closer to an hour and a half, which isn’t uncommon for JC or Tony unless they have a schedule to adhere to. Talks of a bonfire circled the group, but no firm decision was made. Shoes, and plans, have long since been abandoned.

“There’s no rush on the river,” Tony concluded.

Tony Hussey and JC Norwood, alongside faithful pup Remi, own and operate Woody’s Airboat Tours behind their neighboring homes along the Platte River near Fremont.

Stephanie Kruse, Ella Belak and Nick Belak enjoy the whipping wind of an airboat tour. Even from the second row, the views are golden.

JC Norwood, who also goes by “Woody,” is a pro at navigating the waters of the Platte River. He and Tony Hussey know the locations of a number of eagle nests along the banks, too.

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Different channels of Nebraska’s Platte River offer differing views of the river ecosystem. Each Woody’s airboat tour is unique.