Jim and Val on the Road: 9/25 - Scott's Bluff National Monument, Nebraska

More than half the day was taken up by chores. We got the laundry done this morning in one of the nicest laundromats we've ever been in. If they were all like this one we wouldn't dread doing laundry on the road.

Jim has been in a war with the bathroom plumbing for the past few days. The faucet didn't want to stop leaking, no matter what he did to it. He lost the battle with it last night but today's battle went better and it looks like he's won. We're hoping it will last.

This afternoon we went to the Scott's Bluff National Monument which is just two miles from our campground. We have a good view of the south side of it from our site. The visitor center is small but has good displays and information. It also has a 15-minute video about the monument and the Oregon Trail going through here. It starts off by saying, "Nebraska....hot in the summer, cold in the winter, and the wind always blows." Guess we're here at the right time of year because the temperature is very pleasant, but the wind is certainly blowing. I thought it was going to calm down today but it nearly knocked Jim over at the visitor center.

Scott's Bluff was named for Hiram Scott, a Missouri mountain man who worked for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. He died on the banks of the North Platte River below the bluff which then became known as Scott's Bluff. There are several stories about how he died, but nothing is certain other than that is where he met his demise.

The road runs through Mitchell Pass following the route of the Oregon Trail.

The North Platte River runs right next to these badlands. The emigrants followed the river for 200 miles from where it split into the North and South Platte at what is now North Platte, Nebraska. Crossing rivers was a dangerous business so they did it as little as possible. When they reached Scott's Bluff there were badlands extending right up to the riverbank so they had to find another way to continue without crossing the river. Mitchell Pass got them around the obstruction.

The westward view from the top of the formation. On a clear day Laramie Peak can be seen 90 miles to the west. It was the next big landmark for the emigrants, but few took the time and energy to climb to the top of the bluff to see it.

View of Gering to the east from the top.

The black pipe sticking up marks the highest point of the formation.....4,659 feet. What's most interesting about it is that the rock was level with the top of the pipe when it was planted in 1933. The rock is eroding very quickly.

There's a road to the top so people who can't hike up the 1.6 mile trail can still see the views. (The hiking trail has been cut in half by a rock slide so no one can hike up anyway.) Building the road required cutting three tunnels through the formation which we couldn't see from below. The road wasn't built for wide vehicles so it's a good thing there weren't many cars going up and down today. If we'd met one in a tunnel we might not have come out in one piece.