Thursday, May 21, 2020
Kearney, Nebraska to Morrill, Nebraska
Highlights: Fort Cody Trading Post, Courthouse and Jail Rocks, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff National Monument
A gray and rainy morning led to a late start. We pulled into North Platte, Nebraska, around noon, making a spontaneous stop at the Fort Cody Trading Post, drawn in by the gigantic Buffalo Bill out front. Part museum and larger part souvenir shop, the trading post has a lot of cool stuff to see, such as various taxidermy, Buffalo Bill memorabilia, and a miniaturized animatronic Wild West Show!
Fort Cody Trading Post, North Platte, Nebraska
Action taxidermy
Annie Oakley is just left of center
Buffalo Tom
In the midafternoon, the rain behind us, we reached Courthouse and Jail Rocks, two prominent rock formations in western Nebraska that were once important landmarks for early westward migrants. The rocks are administered by the National Parks Service, and Google told us the monument was closed (How do you close rocks?), but it was actually open, and we were the only ones there.
Jail Rock and Courthouse Rock
Jail Rock and the lonely landscape
Nobody here but us
Next stop, Chimney Rock, another striking rock formation used as a landmark by early travelers. The visitor center was closed, but the park was still accessible. The best view is from Chimney Rock Cemetery, a very small graveyard in a very scenic setting.
Tom and Jana at Chimney Rock
Chimney Rock Cemetery
Finally, we reached Scotts Bluff National Monument around 5:00 p.m. Good timing! The sun was getting low in the sky, and the light was gorgeous. The visitor center and the road to the top were closed until further notice due to Covid, but you could still enter on foot, so we hiked up the Saddle Rock Trail and walked down the closed road, making a 3.2-mile loop. What a great hike! We had the top of the monument all to ourselves. Scotts Bluff, as you might guess, was another major landmark on the trail west.
Brilliant blue sky
Saddle Rock Trail
Tunnel along the trail
Jana climbs around the sandstone
City of Scottsbluff beyond Scotts Bluff
Scotts Bluff in the golden hour
The journey west
Lodging: Travelodge in Morrill, Nebraska, not far from Scotts Bluff. Not many guests staying here. We were hoping for some dark skies in this tiny town but couldn't get far enough away from the streetlights.
Driving distance: 357 miles
Tom
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