On the Buttes, Fort Robinson, Nebraska

Well, today we decided to take a hike up to the buttes which overlook our park. I didn't give the 90+ degree weather much thought until we were about three miles into the trip. We saw the allusive big horn sheep that we had heard about but never seen. If you look closely, you can see an antenna attached to the big ones collar for tracking purposes. The original big horn sheep in this area were extinct by the 1890's and six sheep were reintroduced to ths area in 1981. They now thrive in he buttes. Not sure how many there are in the park. We passed the smart horses who were staying close to the watering hole. After ten miles we called it a day. I will spend tomorrow, in the shade, recovering from this hike. -Josephine

Scotts Bluff National Monument, Nebraska

28 June 2008 we drove down to Scotts Bluff National Monument, which is in western Nebraska. The bluff was another landmark along the Oregon & California Trails and the Pony Express route in the 19th century. We hiked to the top of the bluff and back down, approximately a 4.5 mile hike.

Scotts Bluff National Monument, NE continued....

Here are more pictures.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site, Nebraska

We drove down to Chimney Rock and took some pictures. There were no trails to hike, only a dirt road to drive for a little closer look. The site was fenced off because the rock was actually on private property. This rock was the most recognized landmark along the Oregon Trail in the 19th century westward migration.

Carhenge, Alliance, Nebraska

Today we drove down to Alliance, Nebraska where Carhenge, a vehicle replica of Stonehenge, is on display. It was built by a man in 1987 as a tribute to his father. The shop clerk estimates the structure attracts over 50,000 visitors per year. While we were there, they were performing maintenance to one of the statues, welding a piece together. The second picture shows Stonehenge along with Carhenge so you can see the likeness.

Flowers of Fort Robinson, Nebraska

Here are some of the flowers around the park. There are so many beautiful flowers here, it was hard to pick only five for the blog.

Rodeo, Fort Robinson, Nebraska

This evening we went to the rodeo here at Fort Robinson. They had calf roping and bronco riding. They were not very successful this evening, the calves were quite fast. We left there to walk back to the RV and made it back just as the rain started coming down.

Fort Laramie National Historic Site, WY

We stopped at Fort Laramie on the way to Nebraska today. It's another old 19th century Army post on the plains of eastern Wyoming. Several buildings have been saved and renovated but alot of them were destroyed or were beyond repair. Some of the officers quarters have been renovated and the rooms were furnished with 19th century decor. They looked as if someone were currently living in them.

Driving to Fort Robinson, WY and NE

We left F.E. Warren Air Force Base today enroute Fort Robinson. The scenery was much different than we have seen in the past couple months. There were very few mountains along the way so we could see for miles in some places. Today was the first day that we have been under 5,000 feet elevation in about two months.

F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming

We stopped at Warren Air Force Base for a couple of days, which is located in Cheyenne, WY. The base is actually an old 19th century U.S. Army post (Fort Russel). The older red brick structures were built in 1884 and 1885. The RV park has it's own prairie dog colony and we can watch them through our front window.