7 July 2018 Scotts Bluff NM

We drove along the Lincoln Highway, US30, out of North Platte. This is the same US30 that runs past Canton, Ohio. We had to detour on to I-80 due to construction on US30 and got off at Ogallala to pick up US26. Interestingly, Ogallala claims to be the Cowboy Capitol and also had a Boot Hill the same as Dodge City. How many Cowboy Capitols and Boot Hills can there be? On the way up US26, we came across Chimney Rock National Historic Park (Stamp #3) and pulled in. Chimney Rock was a major landmark to the settler crossing the plains indicating the end of the prairie/plains and the start of the mountains. It was also a navigation landmark for the plains Indians. We proceeding up US26 to Gerling, where we pulled into the Robidoux RV Park ($27 per nigh with Good Sam discount). The roads are paved but very narrow as in our site. The water pressure is very good as is the Wi-Fi. There is lots of green space to walk Etta. We would stay here again.

We could see Scotts Bluff from our RV spot. After we set up and got the Wanderer cooled off enough for Etta, we drove up to Scotts Bluff National Monument. At this point along the North Platte River, the three major 1850s settler trails to the west come together. The Oregon and California trails follow the south shore of the North Platte River and the Mormon Trail followed the north shore of the North Platte. At Scotts Bluffs, the settlers had to detour south to Robidoux pass to get around the Bluffs until the army pushed through a trail through Mitchells Pass between the two bluffs of Scotts Bluff NM. This shaved 8 miles off the settlers trek. From here the trails continue west into Wyoming and to the South Pass of the Rock Mountains before the split to go to their various west coast destinations. Over 350,000 settlers passed this point between 1841 and 1869. At times there were traffic jams getting through the pass. The wagon trains strived to be at Scotts Bluff (also called the Nebraska Gibraltar) by early June to be able to make it through the Rocky Mountains and the costal mountains before winter. Scotts Bluff marked the roughly 1/3 poin in their journey west.

After touring the Visitor Center and collecting our passport stamp (#4), we drove to the top of the Bluff for magnificent views of the western plains. After we came back down, we drove through Mitchells Pass and turned off on a side road where the truck navigation system indicated we could see the Oregon Trail ruts. The “road” wound past a private home and turned into two dirt ruts. There were no signs telling us where to go. We drove a short distance in these ruts before we suddenly thought that we might actually be driving in the ruts of the Oregon Trail! We quickly turned around and drove back to the highway!