I don't do stuff like this much anymore, seems like I am always busy or find other stuff to do instead, but today we did a little backyard exploring. We have lived in this area for 25 years now, and have not once visited this particular Natl monument. With the rare calm and relatively warm late Nov day, the wife and I did a little walking and sight seeing. It only took a couple hours to do including walking the trails to the edges, and made for a nice easy way to enjoy a great day.
Scottsbluff National Monument is a large sandstone bluff rising on the edge of a shallow river valley of the North Platte river in Western NE. Its actually part of string of bluffs and formations that run along the edge of the river valley for a couple hundred miles into eastern WY until it joins the Laramie mountain range. All these bluffs and ridges on the plains away from the mountains proper were all part of shallow sea bed, and lot of these bluffs have eroded and exposed a lot of fossils from the time this was under water to later periods of early mammals etc.
Its a natural landmark for Indians marking buffalo hunting grounds where Buffalo herds would stop to water on the river, and later a landmark for the Oregon trail wagon trains and other pioneer trails. Its a natural choke point in a series of trails that indians and later white trappers had created, kind of a low altitude pass that wagons and pack animals had to use to stay on the south side of the river valley where traveling was easier, if not simply possible. It was originally named named by the Indians as Me-a-pa-te, "hill that is hard to go around", but got its official whiteman name in 1828, when a 22 year old clerk for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company named Hiram Scott whose body was found the following year after being abandoned as too sick or injured to travel by a larger party several dozen miles away up river at what would eventually become Ft Laramie. Think of Hugh Glass in the Revenant without the 'happy' ending.
(You may have to open the pic in a new window or tab to see them expanded , they are much larger than what posted)
The University of NE created a 3D topomap of Scottsbluff itself, which is was actually kind of cool the more I looked at it in its detail. The Oregon and Mormon trail went right through the gap.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm11.jpg)
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Its one of those weird things where it looks big, especially from the river, until you get close and then doesn't look so big, until you start to climb it then you realize 800 vertical feet is not nothing.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm1.jpg)
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Of course I cheated, in the 30s they built a road so you can drive to the summit. :)
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm2.jpg)
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You can see just about forever up there looking over the plains. Looking east over an escapement at the town of Scottsbluff NE below.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm3.jpg)
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Panoramic shot left side is looking south west all the way around to looking just about due east. We have been so dry this fall, you can see why it was called the great American desert.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm5.jpg)
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We started out mid after noon, but short days started casting shadows quickly. Looking south across to the sister bluff.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm4.jpg)
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On the way down in the only patch of trees on the south side, not 20' off the road, right near a tunnel were these 3 ladies saying "stupid tourists".
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm7.jpg)
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A look back from the bottom again, the wagon and team statues are right on the Oregon trail ruts,
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm9.jpg)
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Looking across the road as the sun set behind the bluff.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sbnm6.jpg)
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Finally back home, and treated to some color just before dark.
(http://www.fubarhill.com/sbnm/sunset.jpg)
Neat, haven't seen that stuff in many years. We used to have friends in Scotts Bluff and Ghering back in the day. Nice to see progress hasn't chisled it all away...
Thanks for the share!
Wow! Honcho took a day off !!!
Really nice photos, and beautiful scenery. As we get older, it seems to be important to stop and smell the flowers ( so to speak) and appreciate what we have around us.....