Scottsbluff

I have a cousin (you know who you are) who was born and raised in eastern Nebraska and always says there’s nothing to see here. Well, she must not have ever visited the western part of the state because it’s interesting, beautiful, and full of history. I arrived in Scottsbluff on September 30 for a week of exploring Oregon Trail sites. Robidoux RV Park is a city-run facility in Gering, just south of Scottsbluff. The sites were very long and able to accommodate even the largest rigs, which was good since Discovery Channel’s Street Outlaws was filming in the area and many of the racing teams stayed here with their RVs and racing trailers. They would leave around six every afternoon, race all night and return at four in the morning.

My site at Robidoux RV Park in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Some race teams from Street Outlaws were staying in the RV park.

Evidence of the nightly drag racing on a local highway.

Scottsbluff is best known for the Oregon Trail, which passed through here. The rock formation adjacent to Scott’s Bluff was a major landmark for the thousands of pioneers traveling across the plains. It marked the point of no return where the grassy plains gave way to more rugged terrain and mountains. Scotts Bluff National Monument features some of the last remnants of the Oregon Trail ruts. You will see Scottsbluff spelled as both one and two words. That is because the town is spelled as one word while the landmark bluff is two words.

Display of a pioneer wagon pulled by oxen on the Oregon Trail at Scotts Bluff National Monument.

What remains of the Oregon Trail at Scotts Bluff National Monument is only five feet wide.

Scotts Bluff National Monument.

There’s a scenic drive to the 800 foot summit of the bluff that offers 360º views of the land below and the North Platte River.

A sunset view of Scotts Bluff.

Another Oregon Trail landmark in this area is Chimney Rock. Anyone who played the 1980s computer game, Oregon Trail, will recognize it. My children spent hours playing this game when they were young and when I mentioned it to my daughter, she said “it brings back memories of dysentery.”

Millennials will remember Chimney Rock from the old computer game Oregon Trail.

Chimney Rock was a landmark for travelers on the Oregon Trail.

Who would have thought I could find a lighthouse in Nebraska? Well, it’s simply decorative sitting at the edge of Lake Minatare but it was pretty none the less.

The lighthouse at Lake Minatare State Recreation Area.

While I was here, I took Tillie to a vet for follow-up blood work from her thyroid diagnosis in Bismarck, North Dakota in August. She hasn’t shown any signs of improvement so he continued her on her prescription.

Ogallala

Ever since I watched the miniseries Lonesome Dove, I’ve wanted to visit Ogallala. It is prominent in the story and is the only location featured in all four films. I stayed in a KOA campground here and the owner was able to tell me about a couple of things to see during my stay. And a COUPLE is all there is but I enjoyed my stay because I only need a couple things to pique my interest.

When the railroad came through Ogallala in the 1870s, it became a hub for Texas cattlemen to drive their cattle north for auction and shipment back east. The auction tradition is still alive at the Ogallala Livestock Auction. I spent an hour watching but not necessarily understanding what was going on. Also in downtown is Front Street, a replica of an Old West town featuring a general store, restaurant and free museum. I had lunch at the Crystal Palace Saloon and walked through the little museum.

My site at Ogallala KOA.

The Ogallala Livestock Auction.

I tried in vain to keep up with the fast-talking auctioneers.

Front Street is an Old West replica attraction in downtown Ogallala.

The free museum located in the restaurant at Front Street.

Fifteen miles north of town is McConaughy Lake, which was surrounded by stunning autumn color.

Autumn color at McConaughy Lake.

Just days before I arrived in Ogallala, my sister shared a Facebook post of someone who built a cat condo in their camper and I was stunned when five days later those same folks pulled into the site next to me. You can’t make this stuff up!

The shared Facebook post from my sister.

Five days later, they were parked next to me. Amazing!

Kearney

A year before I retired and set off on this adventure, I drove my motorhome to Oregon for a lighthouse photography workshop. I didn’t have time to stop and sight-see along the way but when I drove under The Archway on I-80 in Kearney, I vowed I would come back and see it. The Archway is a museum of transportation and spans I-80, the first transcontinental highway in the U.S. This area of Nebraska was a major thoroughfare throughout America’s history from the Oregon and Mormon trails to the transcontinental railroad. Later, the Lincoln Highway, which was the first transcontinental highway for automobiles, became part of the Interstate Highway System as I-80, which runs from Teaneck, New Jersey to San Fransisco, California. This museum has exhibits depicting all the history of transportation through Nebraska.

My campsite at Kearney RV Park.

The Archway museum in Kearney, Nebraska is a place I’ve waited nearly five years to see.

The museum spans the four lanes of I-80.

The escalator takes you up to the exhibits that are suspended over the interstate.

Exhibit of pioneers traveling across the plains in covered wagons in the mid-1800s.

Click on this image to see the video depiction of a Pony Express rider changing horses.

The stagecoach was another popular way to travel the Overland Trail from St. Louis to San Fransisco.

By the late 1800s, the railroad replaced covered wagons and stagecoaches as the preferred mode of transportation cross country.

Early automobile travel cross country was difficult but it was the start of the roadside camping and motel industry.

The interstate system in the 1950s made nearly all parts of the country accessible to motorists.

It was now mid-October and my original plan was to head south to Texas as I had done the past two winters. I stay at Mark’s sister’s ranch and he comes for a few weeks over Christmas. This year, with Coronavirus, Mark was concerned about flying to Texas and being able to spend time with his mother so he considered driving but it’s a long lonely drive by oneself. My solution was to take the trailer to New Jersey for a couple months and then he and I would take it to Texas together. I spent six days traveling east on I-80 and got to New Jersey on October 23.

My 460-mile trip from Custer, South Dakota to three stops in Nebraska.

Next post: New Jersey and Texas.

 

My name is Lindsay Reed and I’m a photographer and retired graphic artist with a passion for both lighthouses and road trips. I am living as a full-time solo RVer in my 33 foot Grand Design Reflection Fifth Wheel trailer and plan to spend the next few years traveling the U.S. and Canada photographing not only lighthouses, but everything else there is to see in this wonderful land. I hope you enjoy my blog and will follow my adventures in the months and years ahead.