We didn’t plan to come to Nebraska.  We picked Nebraska simply so we could check it off our list.  At the start of August, with reservations for a campground in South Dakota through the first week of September and an invitation to a family wedding outside of Phoenix in January, we consulted a map.  Spending time in Colorado was on our bucket list and would have us on a southerly route to steer clear of winter conditions.  Plus, we love fall colors, and Google suggested we could time things perfectly for prime Aspen season.  Splitting up the drive was the next piece of the puzzle.  We could spend a week in southeastern Wyoming or western Nebraska.    

Wyoming offers both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks which we plan to visit in 2020, so getting Nebraska out of the way seemed like a good plan.  Would there be anything to see in Nebraska other than hundreds of miles of cornfields?  The National Park System website showed two national monuments in Western Nebraska, including Scott’s Bluff which was on the way to our first spot in Colorado.  Roubidoux RV Park, A city-owned park near the national monument, offered reasonable weekly rates, and looked nice enough. 

I volunteered to drive into Nebraska.  I figured it would be a relatively short and easy drive.  Good for me to keep up my confidence in driving our rig.  And I want to be capable of being an active participant in our lifestyle.  At each curve, I anticipated the road to straighten out into the flat roads that I expected.  It just never happened.  Sure, we passed by farms, but the landscape was much hillier than I expected.  And our arrival into Gering, Nebraska hasn’t changed this. 

Roubidoux RV Park offers large grassy sites with full hook-ups (sewer & electric).  It also offers views of the monument making for a beautiful place to spend a week.  A fully fenced dog park about a mile and a half down the road has Skipper pleased with the stop.  The people we’ve met when we’ve been out for dinner or provisioning have offered a friendly welcome.

I climbed Saddle Pass trail at Scott’s Bluff National Monument earlier this week.  According to All Trails, it is a 564-foot climb to the top which equates to 52 stories. My heart rate can tell you this part of Nebraska is far from flat!  Looking east from the top on a clear day, you can see for miles and miles as there doesn’t seem to be anything in the way.  From there, you can also see some badlands. 

Scott’s Bluff, in conjunction with Chimney Rock (about 20-25 miles from here), marks the beginning of the Oregon Trail and it ended the 600 miles of flat terrain crossed by those heading west.  Historical accounts tell us it took three days to reach Chimney Rock from the time that they first saw it.   We walked the Oregon Trail at the monument, and I can tell you it is not flat.  We drove Summit Road Saturday afternoon and walked around the top taking in the scenic views from above.  On a clear day, you can see the Rockies, about 120 miles away.  I continue to think about those who traveled here years ago with hopes of discovering a better life and know that my life is damn good!